For those who don't know BUCS (British University and College Sport) is a pretty big deal in the university sport world. By getting BUCS points, we are able to earn funding for the cycling club. Its a really hotly contested competition and 3rd place was going to be a fight between Bristol University and Cambridge University (we managed to put 30s into them as a team).

The BUCS 25TT itself is pretty simple: Complete 25 miles around a set course, as fast as you can. The complicated bit is where you look for small aerodynamic advantages. For example, wearing the right aero shoe covers (up to 10 watt saving), using a disc wheel (much faster as it is more aerodynamic than a regular road bike wheel), or using a funny aerodynamically shaped helmet to smooth the air flow over your head.

The other complicated bit is the team competition. Essentially its the shortest (fastest) time for 3 riders to complete 25 miles. This becomes interesting as every rider's time has a huge impact. So whilst a time trial (TT) is an individual competition (so you ride the race on your own without the help from anyone else), potentially sharing out faster equipment and helping your uni mates get ready for the race can have a massive difference in winning, getting a 3rd place medal, and not getting a medal at all!

My race went well. Bearing in mind that I haven't done a 25 mile TT for a number of years, my pacing strategy was quite good. By the last straight I was on my knees but still hung on to get a 55min time. I'm sure that with some TT specific training and some stretching, I can shave some seconds off that time!

Overall, very happy with the day. A great introduction back to racing.