BLOG: MICHAEL HUTCHINSON

• Friday, 1 August 2008
• Michael Hutchinson
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Last Saturday, while the eyes of the cycling world were on the weekend’s second most interesting time trial somewhere in France, I broke the 50-mile TT competition record. You might not have noticed. Cambridgeshire’s majestic A11 was not exactly lined with spectators, at least not if you exclude what I assume was the full membership of the Shaftesbury CC in fluorescent marshalling-jackets. (For which thanks, guys.)

For various reasons, having largely to do with my own incompetence, I didn’t have a computer or a watch on the bike. It’s surprisingly difficult to work out accurate splits using road signs (Cambridge 14) and the movement of the sun. I think this probably helped with the quick ride – if I’d know just how fast I went through 25 miles (46.44) I think I’d have felt it was wise to back off a bit, on the basis that that was only 20 seconds outside my 25 best.

I finished with 1.35.27. (Or “a” 1.35.27 as the parlance of TTing has it; I’ve never understood why.) Most of two minutes inside Kevin Dawson’s old record from 1997.

I don’t want to appear immodest, really I don’t, but I can’t quite get over how quick that is. It’s more than 50kph. It’s the same average speed as a 19.05 ten-miler. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible, not by me at any rate. Kevin’s was a good record, and he took it from Andy Wilkinson, himself seriously useful over the distance. I’d reckoned that on a good day I might get the record. Clipping that much off it was a surprise.

Now, of course, I have the pleasure of watching every 50-mile TT result as it comes in, just waiting for someone to go faster.

Michael