2014 Season; March, April, May

Spring Chicken Road Race; 8rd March

Will rode this 3/4 category race outside Buckingham, It was a 47 mile road race. Will finished 5th out of 60 riders after being in a breakaway since the 9th mile. This was Will`s best result since he started cycling and was a good start to the 2014 season. Through this result Will gained 6 British Cycling points.

Sid Latchford Memorial Time Trial; 23rd March 

Will rode this 21 mile hilly time trial organised by Hemel Hempestead CC around the tough course that took in Bison Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon. Will finished in a time of 55:46, this time was good enough for 11th place out of 61 riders. 

Beyond Spring Crits; 29th March 

This was a 2/3/4 criterium around Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. Will finished in 28th place, a disappointing result for Will, but it was not his fitness that let him down but his movement around the bunch before the sprint. 

Beyond Spring Crits; 5th of April 

Again this was a 2/34 criterium at Hillingdon, Will finished in 23rd place after being active at the start of the race. Will was looking for a better result in future races. 

High Wycombe CC 10TT; 18th April

Will rode this time trial on the H10/22 course outside Marlow. This was a good day on a fast course with the start being on the Marlow sliproad by the bypass and the 5 mile turn at Maidenhead thicket roundabout. Will finished in a time of 21:57, good enough for 18th place out of 82 riders. Adam Topham won the event in a brilliant time of 19:19. 

Eastern Counties Festival Road Races; 3rd May 

This was Will`s second 3/4 category road race of the season, and he was looking for a top-ten position finish. This race was held at Redbridge Cycle Circuit, with a tough 12% hill every 1.5 miles. Will finished in 8th place after attacking throughout the race. This placing gave Will another 2 British Cycling points. 

VTTA 10TT F11/10; 5th May 

This time -trial was held on the fast F11/10 course outside Aston Clinton. Will after a proper warm-up rode a time of 20.51, averaging 28.8 mph. This was a personal best for Will with a previous time of 21:17. Will finished 28th out of 74 riders. Will was pleased with this time and his hoping to improve by 30 seconds by the end of the season. 

In the next few weeks Will is hoping for more top-ten placings in 3/4 category races such as the Thames Velo RR, Banbury Star RR and Hillingdon GP. Let`s see how it goes!!

North Road Hardriders TT, Sunday 23rd February

Will rode the North Road Hardriders Time Trial last Sunday. It’s a tough hilly course with 2,146 feet of climbing over 24 miles. Will finished in a time of 1:04:47 placing 20^th place out of 93 riders, averaging 22.5 mph. The event was won by Ashley Cox of Luton CC with a stunning time of 56:47. Only the top five riders rode under an hour. Will felt good until the 17^th mile where the course turned South-West and turned into a headwind, this is where he lost the majority of his time. 

January - The start of the 2014 season.

Imperial Winter Series 4th January

This race was run on Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, by Imperial Race Team. The 3rd category riders where to race with the Elite/1/2 riders. The race started fast, with Will maintaining a position in the top quarter of the bunch. After 4 miles there was a crash on the uphill section of the circuit, this meant the race had to be neutralized for a couple of laps to clear the crash of the circuit.When the severity of the crash was realized the race was cancelled. This was disappointing for both riders and organizers but unavoidable, given that emergency services where needed on the circuit.

Time- 11:56
Average Speed- 20.1 mph (including neutralized laps)
Distance- 4 miles



Imperial Winter Series 11th January

After the previous week`s unfortunate cancellation, Will was primarily looking to see whether his winter training had been working. As per the previous week the 3rd category riders where to race with the E/1/2 riders. The race start was manic with the bunch averaging 28.6mph. Will felt comfortable in the bunch and stayed in the top quarter of the bunch maintaining a safe position. A breakaway of two quality riders escaped from the bunch with 15km to go and gained a good lead, meaning the win was to be contested among themselves. With 5 laps to go Will lost his prime position in the bunch and struggled to regain it with the bunch fluctuating in speed and some riders desperate to gain places. He finished a disappointing 16th place in the 3rd category race.

This is a video from the penultimate lap, hear Will`s coach Scott giving some advice at 00:43.

Time-1:11:31
Average Speed- 26.3
Distance- 31.3

Imperial Winter Series 18th January 

This race was similar to the previous weeks race in terms of layout and how the race was going to be run. will again tried to stay in the bunch and focus on getting into the top ten. Will finished in 18th position in the 3rd category race and was disappointed not to place in the top ten. This was due to not being in the top twenty during the final five laps and not being able to get through bunch and getting to sprint properly.

Time - 1:14:49
Average Speed (including warm-down)- 24.9
Distance- 31.1


Imperial Winter Series 25th January

In this race Will was hoping for a top ten position in the 3rd category race. The race started fast as usual, this race was more aggressive than the previous weeks with more people attacking and breaks forming and then going back to the bunch.Will was briefly involved in a breakaway with a Cambridge CC rider and a High Wycombe CC rider, although this was quickly brought back. With 5 laps to go Will was placed in the top 20 of the race and looking good for the sprint. With one lap to go the speed quickly dropped and the bunch grouped together making it hard to get to the front. During the final bends and the final corner Will maintained position and came 8th in the 3rd category. With one more Imperial race Will is going to race he is hoping for another top ten position.

Time - 1:09:26
Average Speed -25.5
Distance - 29.5

High Wycombe CC Flat Reliability Ride 2nd February

Will rode this event, with a 50 mile route around Watlington and Benson. It turned out to be a lovely ride with Will riding with the Hillingdon CC and Under-23 squad. Will finished the ride in 2 hours and 46 minutes, with him moving from the medium group towards to the faster group.

First-Half of 2013 Time-Trialling Season.

MAIDENHEAD AND DISTRICT CC 29, 15TH
With a tough Critieium the day before, Will did not expect much from this TT. Plus, with a new training regime he was not sure how he would go. He started off a at medium intensity having only ever done a 10TT before and maintained a steady average speed of 23 mph until the last climb out of Marlow where his legs completely fell off!  he finally finished in 1:22:41, good enough to finish as first Junior, which is respectable in a field of 60 riders. He had a close race with a another junior over the last 10 miles of the course and was pleased with the time-trial as he overtook six riders and was only overtaken once by Geoff Powell.

HIGH WYCOMBE CC 10, 23:19 (FIRST JUNIOR)
Will's first 10 mile TT of the year and riden on a very cold morning in Marlow. The course ran from the Marlow slip road onto the Marlow bypass across Bisham roundabout and off at a junction at five miles and then back to the Marlow slip road. The course has a long gradual climb at the three mile mark. Will finished at 23:19 enough for 28th out of 76 riders. The winner was Justyn Cannon in a time 20:23.

AMERSHAM CLUB TEN, 1ST Overall 22:48
Will's first race on his new time trial bike was a good one. He won the club event on the Longwick course in 22:48, ten seconds ahead of the second place rider. There were 23 riders in this event.


                                       

Video about 3 miles in, along a small incline

                                        

    Finish

 WELSH CHAMPIONSHIPS 25:56:19 (6th W+J+Overflow Men)
This was a windy day in the Welsh valleys, and it was Will`s first 25 time trial. With a headwind for 13 miles  Will struggled.  Although the fast guys in the main competition did not seem to suffer, with Jeff Jones of Drag2Zero winning in 48:28. Will was in the overflow event which was the slower men, women and juniors with 64 riders.  He finished in a time of 56:19, good enough for 6th position. The winner was Luke Davies, in a great time of 53:56.

This was Will`s first time trial on his new bike, built by Cycle Tech

VTTA LONDON AND HC, 21:17 PB 

This event was the day after the Welsh Championships, on a great day fort on the F11/10 course in Tring. The course is a quick and on a good day with little wind it is quicker. Will finished with a time of 21:17, a new personal best. The winner was Steve Irwin in a great time of 18:58. 

RTTC JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 10, 23:07, 20TH

This was Will`s first national time trial championship and he was disappointed with the result. The event was run on small rural roads in Norfolk. Will finished with a time of 23:07 and felt sluggish, with weak legs throughout, he finished 20th. Will felt that he could have finished within the top 15 on a better day.  Chris Lawless won the Junior event in a  superb time of 20:49. He went on to win the National Road Race Championships later in the month. 

HILLINGDON TRIATHLETES EVENING 10, 3rd, 23:09

On a very windy day on a slow course in Great Missenden, Will came third with 30 riders riding in this evening race. Will felt better in this event than recent races (National Ten) and was closer to his usual rivals than normal. 

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD CC 10, 21:24, (3rd, W+J)

A terrible day on the F11/10 with blustery winds and pouring rain, Will finished in 21:24. He feels like he is getting quicker. He finished third in the Women's and Junior event with Luke Davies again proving to be too quick winning in a time of 20:34. 

VC10 EVENING 10, F11/10

A weekly league of time trials run by VC10, on the fast course in Tring. Will has ridden a 21:35, 22:35, 22:00, and a new personal best of  21:15. 

AMERSHAM EVENiNG TEN, 1ST 

Will won the Amersham evening ten again, on the Longwick course, in a time of 22:46, despite getting held up at both roundabouts. He feels he is getting quicker for the fast 25 time trial on the 30th of June. 

HILLINGDON CC 25 TT, 1ST JUNIOR, 7TH OVERALL

This time-trial was run on the H25/1 course just outside Thatcham. It is a medium fast course, on the day it was run there was a four mph headwind to start and then seven or so miles of tailwind to the turn where it was again a headwind for the middle seven miles, and then at the last turn to the finish it was a tailwind. Will had beaten Jamil Gaida (Rapha Condor CC) at the Hilly Maidenhead TT by one minute 30 seconds. Will felt okay throughout the race, the only negative was that he struggled with his saddle position and had to take regular breaks by standing up to alleviate the irritation. He finished in a time of 59:58, good enough for 7th position among the men, and fasted Junior by six minutes. 

Westerly CC Spring Criterium

Chasing down a lone rider

It was 45 minutes plus 5 laps at the end, around Hillingdon circuit with category 3/4 riders, so i was hoping for a decent result. They where running the race anti-clockwise around the track which means a few sharp turns and slight downhill sections before the finish that are not at all useful for sprinting on junior gears. I started the race off by instantly setting a fast pace for the first lap in the hope of causing splits and breaks in the bunch, no such thing occurred. the race went pretty quickly with me just trying to get away numerous 

times but being brought back each time. in the run-up to the sprint i was too far back in the group maybe 30th position and struggled to move up the group in the last two corners and then ran out of gears in the final run-in. A very frustrating race as I know I was one of the fittest and strongest riders there but due to a large group and awful bunch positioning I again struggled to get a decent result. 

Maidenhead CC Hilly 30 mile Time Trial

With a tough criterium race at Milton Keynes the day before, Will had no idea what to expect with  it being the first time trial of the year and a new training regime being started the week before. Will started off a at medium intensity having only ever done a 10 time-trial before not wanting to blow up before the end. Will maintained a steady average speed of 23mph until the last climb about 27 miles in, where Will ran out energy and crawled to the finish at an average speed of 21mph, Will finished in 1:22:41, good enough for 15th, which is respectable with a field of 60 riders on the start-sheet  And first junior, after having a close race with a another junior the last 10 miles of the course. He was pleased with the time-trial as he overtook six riders on the course and was only overtaken once, Geoff Powell who went on to finish third. 

The next race is a National Junior Road Race Series Event, the Cadence Junior Road Road Race on the 24th of March around the Brecons, these are normally ferociously quick and are usually won by world-class juniors, Will is hoping to have a good start to the series and finish within the main bunch at the end of the 68mile race.  

East London Velo Race 5

On Saturday 9th of February Will Houghton raced at the Redbridge Cycle Centre, in a category 3/4, hour long criterium. With a solid week of training and improving numbers along the week, it was to be a good race. The previous week there had been a breakaway which Will did not get into, so the first 30 minutes of the race Will was in the top 10 making sure that if a break went away he was in it, or in a position to chase them down.

When the 5 lap marker came up, Will tried a mini-attack at the top of the hill, his aim was to raise the speed and try to force a selection and get a breakaway going, this is the video below. The attack failed and the bunch was brought back together again.

By the last lap Will was in prime position in the top five of the bunch, it was coming down to bunch sprint.

The last 500 metres of the race is uphill and averages about 12%. When people started attacking from behind in the bunch and overtaking Will, they where travelling to quick for him to accelerate up to  them and go fro the win. He was left in between the top 15 riders who had come from behind in the bunch and riders at the back of the bunch who did not have the final sprint.

To correct this next week, Will is  going to attack further down the hill to gain more of a gap, or get into a breakaway. If the race does come down to a sprint again, being further down the bunch maybe 10th or 15th position will be better to get a slipstream and give him more chance of a sudden acceleration.

Imperial Winter Series Race at Hillingdon

Will rode the first Imperial Winter Series Race on Saturday at Hillingdon. He rode in the 3rd race, with medium sized field of around 50. Will attacked and tried to get away, only succeeding once and being caught very quickly.   

The race was frustrating as despite being one of the few who where trying to get away they where regularly caught by the bunch who wanted a group sprint. Will finished mid-way in the sprint despite a promising 4th position going into the last chicane. 

This was a good first race of the 2013 season, Will showed good fitness to stay in the bunch after being in attacks.

Instead of flogging away at Hillingdon for the rest of winter, during January and February Will will swap to Redbridge which has a 12% hill and that will hopefully be better suited to hiss abilities. 

Inverse Points Grabber 1

The race was 1 hour long around Hillingdon circuit, and was 3rd category. 

The race started at a quick pace but quickly slowed down to a medium tempo with a few attacks going off the front of the bunch. I tried to escape the group 4 times, with my most successful attempt being scuppered by a crash in the 4th cat race and our race being neutralised for a couple of laps. 

The last five laps where complete chaos and manic with people flying through the group and then dramatically braking, it was very hard to maintain a position up the sharp end of the bunch with so much erratic riding. In the sprint i was to far down the main bunch to be in contention so came about 15th.. 

For the next race, i will concentrate on staying in the bunch until the last five laps, and then try and attack then, we will see how it goes......

Will Houghton Team Cycle Tech UK 

Will Houghton Road Race Season Write Up – 2012

Results

·         Three top-30 placing’s

·         One top-20 placing (Thames Velo RR)

·         Four top-10 placing’s (Banbury Star, Abbeygate Development Milton Keynes Crit, Omega Stage Race Crit, Omega Stage Race General Classification)

·         22-46 10 mile time trial- VC10 Evening TT. (Personal Best)

Overview

The season started off with two criteriums at Hillingdon at the start of February. I tried to gain as much experience as possible i.e. tactics, nutrition, bunch racing, with my results improving over the course of the two races. I then did my first road race in Botolph Claydon, it was an enjoyable experience. I lost contact with the bunch on the last hill to finish 20 seconds behind the bunch over the 47-mile race. From that race I learnt that calories and lots of them were needed to race for over two hours at race pace.

I then did a trio of crits at Hillingdon over three weeks, in which I came 29, 27, 21 which was pleasing as there were usually around 50-60 riders racing. To gain better placing’s next year at this time of the season aggression and less conservative racing are needed, to start to contend for the win.

I then completed my second road race in Oxfordshire, The Thames Velo road race. This was around the popular Great Milton course, with rolling roads and one slight hill. I stayed in the bunch throughout the race and placed around 15^th place just outside the points in the sprint. This was to be a recurring theme of getting myself to the finish but not getting into contention in the sprint and not being in the first line of the bunch at the sprint enabling me to open up fully.

I completed my first Stage Race this year, Tour of The Milburys, this was to be a tough affair with a hilly time trial in the morning and 70-mile road race in the afternoon, it was also a 2/3/4 category race. I got lost on my way to the time trial, so finished last with an extra minute added to my time. In the road race I lasted 40 of the 70 miles until I ran out of gas, up one of the steep and frequent hills. This was good experience though as I got an insight into what racing at second category is like and the speed at which it happens at.

Then the highlight of the season the Banbury Star Road Race, This race during a very wet June morning, was a tough one with a long steep 14% climb, Knowle Hill. I finished 6 out of 50 racers, which was very pleasing as it was a confirmation that I am stronger on hills than in flat short criteriums. This was the start of the strongest part of my season. I also finished first junior and won £25.

I then raced my first ten mile time trial of the season later that week. It was on the very quick F11/10 course in Tring. This was also a pleasing result as I completed the course in 22.46, with an average speed of 26.4MPH. This was a sign that both the uninterrupted month of previous racing and training was coming to fruition. The next race on June 16th was the Omega Stage Race around the Mountbatten circuit in Portsmouth, it comprised of a short time trial in the morning and 1hour race in the afternoon. I finished 9^th overall after coming 11^th in the time trial after struggling with my restricted gears along the tailwind sections, and 7^th in the criterium race in the afternoon. In continuing with my rich vein of form I raced at the Milton Keynes bowl on the 5^th of July. This was a frustrating race for me. I attacked many times throughout this quick race but could only manage 9^th in the sprint after being brought back many times by the bunch who wanted a bunch gallop. My last race of my pleasing form was the Oakley village road race again a 2/3/4 race over 53 miles. This was a good race for me until the last two miles. Throughout the race I had consistently been in the top 20 and feeling comfortable and strong for the sprint. I then hit a pothole and punctured in the last corner, this was hugely disappointing, as I felt I was on for a good result.

Since then I have been on holiday and have had a couple of injuries that have held me back causing a couple of DNF`s, that have resulted in a disappointing end of season.  I have one 25-mile time trial left and a couple of ten-mile time trials.

Next Year/Season

Next year I am going to be embarking on season with the aims of getting a second category license and placing well in the Junior National Series Road Races across the country. I have learnt many new things this year that will be essential when racing next year and will be hoping to start racing next January, and gaining my first win soon.

Will Houghton

Banbury Star Road Race

One of the regions finest road races, the Banbury Star Road Race. Formerly known as the Morgan Ashurst Road Race, the race takes riders around 3 lap 72km course which tackles the infamous Knowle Hill. Starting in Drayton, Banbury, the race heads out towards Warwick along the B4100. It turns left at the MOD camp to climb Knowle Hill, through Edge Hill village then soon after joining the A422 the route then turns left to Horley and back to the B4100 where the finish line is, just past the village.

The course for the race on Sunday 3rd of June was tough, the race comprised of 3 laps of this course. It started with a couple of miles if undulating "A" road, then it turned left onto a quieter county lane, this led the race onto the toughest part of the course  a 1.5 kilometre hill called Knowle Hill  which averaged 14% throughout, at the top it was about 3 miles to the finish through quiet country villages, with a short but steep climb before the finish. 

The main bunch of the race stayed together until the first ascent of Knowle hill where many people struggled and dropped back, Will stayed with the top ten until about 50 meters to go of the hill where he lost some ground and had to spend a couple miles catching the leading 5 up with his group of about 8. The first group which he was in where then caught by the second group on the road who had been dropped on the hill so the bunch was about 30 riders large now. At the second ascent of the hill more people were getting dropped until at the top there were only about 20 riders left contesting the win, Will stayed in the top  20 throughout. Approaching the finish Will was lying about 4th back in the first group, going up the final short climb Will was in a very low gear which made him reduce his cadence and drop his speed this made Will about sixth in the group going into the last 20 metres, at the finish Will was caught by another rider so had to settle for seventh in the end. 

Finished first junior (prize of £25) and seventh overall. Will was glad to have got a good result but slightly annoyed that he chose the wrong gear for the final hill as he could have carried enough speed for second or third. Finishing about a metre behind third. 

Tour Of The Milburys

Another report from another hard race, DNF again.  

Tour Of The Milburys 2/3/4

The popular Roy Ludford Memorial race - the Tour of the Milburys every year in May. The T.O.M is a two stage 6Km timetrial and 107Km road race on a demanding circuit around the Meon Valley in South Hampshire.

Hill Climb  10:00am

Will started the day by getting lost  in his warm-up so had to add an extra minute to his TT time. Came dead last with the extra minute added on, only about a minute down from top 20,  which is good as 80% were cat 2 and Will was the only junior. TT started at bottom of Winchester Hill and finished 4 miles away at top. Will very pleased with TT performance as was quite close to some very good riders. Glad to be able to get a decent result 2 months into his first real season 

Road Race 69miles 1:00pm

A very demanding circuit of twelve miles, with sharp downhills and steep ascents. Started very quickly with six members of Dream Cycling Team  pushing the pace on as they had the leader in their team. Riders getting dropped every minute with will getting dropped at least 5 times before half way and just about staying on. Will got completely dropped 37 miles in with an average of 22MPH, stopped and dropped out, again. Will going to change some of his races to 3/4 to allow him to compete and get some results instead of just trying to survive in Cat 2 races, as he is one of the strongest Cat 3. 

Andy Morrison Memorial Road Race

Will’s race started in Cranfield Uni Sports hall, very few Cat 3`s and most Cat 2`s so Will knew it was going to be a quick race.

The course was a 2 mile triangle, with the first mile being a long drag downhill, and the rest of the course going up a long drag with a slight flat section before the finish.

Will found it very difficult to stay in the bunch on the downhill with junior gears and he had to push very hard to stay in the group. Will spent the entire race struggling to stay in the bunch on the downhill and pushing himself back up the bunch on the hill.

Will completed 16 of the 18 laps before completely blowing up and having to stop as he was going very dizzy and struggling to change gear, not knowing why his brain would not work. Will was glad to have stayed in the bunch most of the way and again improving each race. 

We decided the night before the race, that Will's Cinelli is now just over 1 year old, so was time to upgrade with new 105 5700 shifters and new gear mechs:

Fitting gear cable

Tune up new gears

Team MK Early Season Bowl Circuit Road Race Series

Will's race at Team MK Circuit around the National Bowl, about 40 starting. Fast race with both cat 2 and 3. Early breakaway of about 8 went away with strong cat 2`s, Will stayed in the bunch which thinned down to about 12, finished about 8th in the bunch, overall about 16th. Will is pleased to be improving and targeting a top ten place in the next couple of circuits which are also with category 2`s. 

Will  pictured in front at Team MK Early Season Bowl Circuit Road Race Series

Spring Chicken RR

Will Rode the Spring Chicken RR on Saturday 10th march, his first road race, with a field of 80. 46 miles of a undulating course, full of potholes. He was about tenth back on the top of the last climb, and then at the top  with about 2 miles to go, Will completely ran out of energy and finished just behind the main bunch. He was glad that he had the fitness to stay in the bunch, Will said he needed to eat more beforehand.

Team Cycle Tech rider Will, learns to replace chain & cassette on his Cinelli

Part of Team Cycle Tech's sponsorship deal with Will and his Cinelli, is maintenance and showing Will how to look after his bike to help him win his races. 

Removing rear wheel

Removing cassette

Refitting new cassette

Cutting chain to length with chain tool 

Refitting new chain

Lubricating new chain

Hillingdon cycle club Saturday Ride

Photos from Will's training ride at Hillingdon cycle club

Will and Cinelli Saetta Sprint

Body Geometry‏

The handle bars of Will's Cinelli being adjusted as part of his body geometry bike fit. The fit makes sure that the bike is set up to allow Will to deliver maximum power and ride comfortably over long distances.

Relentless Ride.2011

A charity bike ride from John O'Groats to Lands End.  Raising funds in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund.
8 people from the RAF will cycle, non-stop relay style, from John O'Groats to Lands End in 3 days or less to raise money for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAFBF).

Martin Cycle Tech servicing the teams bikes

Testing Will's Aerobic Threshold

Testing Aerobic Threshold

As part of Will’s developing training programme he has been tested for his aerobic or functional threshold – the point just before the body starts to generate lactic acid and slow down.  Having identified the heart rate that indicates Will’s functional threshold, his coach Scott Holmes (Hillingdon CC) has calculated four different zones to allow him to train to develop a combination of power and stamina.

The testing session lasted 1.5 hours on a watt bike that measures heart rate, cadence and power output of the rider.  You can see 40 seconds of the test in the video.

Will is also competing in regular evening time trials, with his best performance to date being 26 minutes 48 seconds for a 10 mile ride.  He now has his sights set on 24 minutes for 10 miles.