CTT: Which are your top three favourite courses?

LS: In no particular order, the V236/1 at Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, and V433 near Bridlington, and the L142 at Longridge near Preston.

The V236/1 is a fast, lightly undulating 25-mile dual carriage way course. It’s two laps of a 12.5 mile out and back, so four legs of about six miles. It’s definitely one of the best places to go in Yorkshire for a 25-mile PB.

The V433 is a quiet 25-mile course, mostly single carriageway which is largely flat, but is deceptively tough. A real power course and a great way to test yourself early season.

The L142 at Longridge is a 14.3-mile sporting course with some bite. A mixture of sharp hills, longer drags, fast descents and some sweeping bends to round it off. A tough one early season but lots of fun. Save something for the way back!

 

CTT: Which is your favourite?

LS: If I had to choose, I think the V236/1.

 

CTT: Why do you like it?

LS: It is a fast course on a good day, but that's not necessarily the reason it's my favourite. I grew up racing this course while I was aiming for the junior BAR [British Best All-Rounder] so it holds great memories, especially of the camaraderie at the village hall after the race that I love so much about the time trialling scene.

Having a 25-mile course that's two laps gives you four short legs of six or so miles, which really breaks up the ride mentally and means you're never fighting a headwind for too long. It just makes it more enjoyable, but also having a full field of riders spread over half the distance of road really seems to make the traffic more aware that there is an event on. I've rarely had a close pass.

 

CTT: What was your best memory of riding that course?

LS: Hands down, my PB ride in August 2020.

I'd really struggled to perform while at university and had gone through a couple of really tough seasons both on and off the bike. I hadn't PB'd at 25 miles in five years and honestly wondered if I'd ever go under the hour again. My coach Pete Read had always believed in me, especially when I didn't believe in myself. He was more than a coach, he was family, and we lost him to cancer that February.

With lockdown and graduating from university coinciding, I'd really started to get back to myself on the bike that year. The day before I'd raced the national 10 in Newbury, which was four and half hours away. I'd done a power PB and hit the target I'd been aiming for all year, so I was already on cloud-nine, and the 25 was just going to be a bit of fun as I was expecting to be fatigued.

I realised after a tentative start that my legs had never been better. It was the perfect ride, and everything came together in that way that you're lucky to experience even once in a season. I burst into tears when I saw the time. I'd taken three minutes off my PB with 55:39. All I could think was 'That one's for you Pete'. I just wish he'd been there to see it.

 

CTT: Do you prefer short or long distances, and why?

LS: Longer rather than shorter. I've never really been fantastic at 10-mile TTs - I somehow struggle to get it all out over such a short event and if I'm going to focus on one I need all season to get there. It’s those non-standard distance SPOCOS [Sporting Courses] from about 12-30 miles that I really enjoy - you have to know your body and be good at pacing instinctively to get the best out of yourself on those type of events. I also love a 50-mile TT when I'm going well, it's a distance that suits me but I find it hard to fit in enough time on the TT bike during the road season to be able to do it well.

 

CTT: What makes a good TT course?

LS: Variety quite frankly. I spent several seasons chasing fast courses as a junior aiming for the BAR. A fast course is fun once in a while to hunt that PB, but if that's your whole season it gets quite dull and too driven on good times rather than good performances.

It’s good to have the specialist courses, but the best courses in my opinion are those that have a bit of everything. The L142 near Longridge is one of those. A mixture of sharp hills, longer drags, fast descents and some fun, sweeping bends to test your handling skills.

I've become a real fan of closed circuits. Not only is traffic not a problem, but they're usually not pan flat. They have some rises - even a hill in the case of Thruxton - and of course corners that you can apex like a race car. They're just fun. It's also great to see the really young ones having a go who wouldn't be old enough to race open roads, even if they can be a little unpredictable to pass.

 

CTT: Does travelling longer distances to get the courses affect your performance?

LS: Personally not so much. But since I've been used to travelling for competitions from a very young age I think experience and preparedness is a factor.

Of course it’s easier if you're not the one driving, or you choose to stay overnight before the race, but that isn’t possible for everyone. Since I no longer rely on dad's taxi to get me to an 8am race four hours away, I do tend to stay local for much of the season and only travel for targeted events. Travelling week in, week out, is draining regardless of how you prepare, but travelling for one event a month is very doable without affecting performance if you approach it in the right way.

 

CTT: How much of an advantage is having a local course, where you know the roads?

LS: It can be a big advantage, especially if it’s not a simple out and back with good tarmac. 

Our local club ten was just around the corner from my house growing up and at points the road surface is atrocious. Knowing the best lines to take through the rough patches and exactly how fast you can take the corners can save a lot of time. Although sometimes it can also be a hindrance, if you train regularly on a course and know that one corner is particularly bad with traffic, or you came down on that bend one winter because you overcooked it, you might end up being more cautious than perhaps you would if you hadn't had those experiences.

 

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