About the author:

Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.

 

After returning from Iceland in June last year, Vilas Silverton, (Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team) started the Western League Cyclo Cross races a few months later - somewhat short on race fitness but with a hopeful optimism regarding racing a bike again.

vilas-cyclo-cross.jpg

Vilas in action at the last round of the Western League 2012/13 at Gloucester in which he finished 7th overall. (Photo courtesy of Dave Collyer)

Results were encouraging. In the veterans category he was consistently in the top three locally and generally in the top ten overall. Season highlights were some good rides locally and being able to represent Sri Chinmoy CT in some national events, such as the Inter Area Championships at Milton Keynes, and the National Championships at Peel Park in Bradford in January 2013.

In Bradford, with temperatures hardly above freezing and a biting wind, it was necessary to keep core temperatures as well as spirits up! In the event, Vilas finished around the middle of the pack of over 120 riders, 37th in his age group and the best of the Western Division entrants, which was a season’s first.

Goals for the forthcoming season are targeted specifically at improving threshold power for the duration of an hour long event (such as a typical cyclo cross race) in combination with maintaining a low weight to see what progress is possible in the physical over 45.