Slip sliding away

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BY: Rob Smith

Published: 10th January, 2011

I know it's not only me who finds the almost weekly on-line discussion about tyre choice baffling and extremely funny.   Perhaps it's laziness with an added dose of can't be bothered, lack of budget, or perhaps I can't ride well enough to notice the difference but I buy two tyres, fit them at the beginning of the year and then leave them on. For those with a rubber fetish and label checkers I use a Spez control Captain on the front and a similar Spez fast track on the rear.

And after yesterday's soggy bottom I'm sticking to the plan.  At the start there were loads of bikes bristling with shiny, new knobbly rubber and my boots had done he best part of a full season but I was happy with my race worn rubber, I knew my general lack of condition wouldn't be improved with several hours of chasing tubeless tyres round the garage tying to change them and that's how it transpired. OK I didn't lap the entire field and post the quickest lap like the eventual Masters winner, Matt Loake but I had fun and dragged my flu ridden rear around an excellent Newnham course, thanks Jay and Maddie, for a reasonable finish.   Few places I went sideways more than forwards and one section needed running and Rich, Certini's sponsored marshal, was witness to a few not so graceful underpowered  slides but on the whole the worn semi slick coped admirably with the conditions which is more than can be said for my lungs! It's the winter it's not real racing, or that's what I keep telling myself.

My slipping and sliding not withstanding a good set of results for the Thursday Night Training Circus.
Al lovell  finished 3 masters
Ben brown was also 3rd but in the combined Experts/Elite cat. 
Steve Hodge rode to 2nd in Sport for cogs.com
And Carla Haines fought off stiff competition to finish 1st Expert/Elite female.
Makes those cold winter nights all the more worthwhile, at least for some!

 

An after thought.
Rather than the pre race discussions about tyres I might well start a thread on the forum, "What tyres should I have used?" or perhaps as a money saving measure British Cycling should instigate a control tyre for the entire season, either one all round tyre that we all must use or riders get to choose the tyre they will have to for the entire season, and then hope the prevailing conditions for that season suit the tyre choice!