Daz, I am a trackie until after 10 & 11 August, when I will be a Three Peaker... In the meantime, the races I do are for fun and as part of training... A 45 minute circuit race is excellent training for a points race, and a 10 mile club TT is treated as pursuit practice... i.e. I start it as if I am doing a 2km pursuit and ride the first 2 kms as if I am riding a 2 km pursuit, then finish the rest of the TT as speedwork... It wasn't my friend who is coaching me who told me off, it was several other friends who also ride and race TT's... I find that 'testers' find it very hard to understand you can have benefit from a longer ride, if all you ever want to do is spend loads of money on expensive kit to try get faster on a 10 m TT... OK, rant over LOL

Last season I was always encouraged to go out for a longer (4-5 hr) ride on the rare occasions I wasn't either racing or working a weekend, as it is good to just head out on the bike at a steady pace and enjoy oneself... If it is always training or racing, you get a bit stale...