This weekend was my first race riding for Champion Systems/Maxgear/Base as well as been my first race of 2013.

After originally not planning on racing in 2013 I didn’t start my winter training until January so I’m a bit behind where I normally am at this point in the season. I chose to start my season off with the Crewe Hilly TT, which is a 17mile rolling time trial circuit.

I was pleased to have plenty of Champion Systems kit to wear as the temperature wasn’t above 1 degrees. It was the first time I’ve ridden my TT bike for about 6 months so I was a bit conscious of how I would get on.

On the start line I opted to keep my long sleeved jersey on over my skinsuit due to the cold conditions and I was glad I did as the cold wind hit my face. My legs felt heavy over the small rises after having a hard weeks training but I was quite pleased that I managed to stay on the skis and push hard over the top.

This was the first intense full out effort I’ve done since the National Hill Climb champs in November and was a big shock to the system. I don’t ride time trials with a speedo or anything, I’d much rather go on feel, but after around ten miles I started to suffer.  I’ve not felt that pain for a while and in a way actually enjoyed pushing myself to the limit after such a long time out.

After finishing my ride I knew I had got everything out. I do think there is much room for improvement on the technical sections of the course however, as I found myself freewheeling around bends that I could easily have pedalled around. If I was better technically and more comfortable on a TT bike I could easily have knocked around 30 seconds off my ride.

I was pleased to take the overall win in the womens category as it’s a good confidence booster, especially as it was my first race with a new team.

Hopefully I can build on the result, work on a bit more race speed before I start with the road racing.

Once again I must say a big thank you to champion systems for providing such good quality race kit. I can honestly say it’s the best kit I’ve ever ridden in and definitely look the part.

Thanks for reading

Sarah xx