April 2007 Results
Thames Velo Road Race 3/4/J (29/04/07)
Gary Bullock reports: "This sunday both myself and Andy Fowkes rode our club's Spring Road Race over the Great Milton Circuit, a 15 mile loop to be covered 2 3/4 times. I must admit I had recollections of last year and the climb up Clare Hill which hurt a lot, so was feeling a little nervy about it this year too mostly due to the fact that I am of "heavy build" and prefer the flatter circuit races. Speaking with Andy pre-race he had driven the course and thought it more a power climb.
So off we went, the race started at quite a fast pace as riders tried to clip off the front, although it was on the brakes quite a lot as riders went over the white lines and ducked in to miss oncoming traffic. I was managing to stay about half way in the pack and was watching the action in front with Andy quite close to the front. I knew that the climb was fast approaching and wanted to try and get as near to the front as possible, a sharp left hand turn and I noticed Dennis Sackett, I thought to myself 'photo opportunity Gary' - getting to the front can wait. As we neared the climb a lot of riders had the same idea and were getting in position for it, I thought I was too far back as we started the climb. About half way up the climb and I hadn't slipped back at all and as we reached the top I had even managed to pass riders. At this moment my morale took one big boost and memories from last year were wiped clean away, maybe I can even be competitive this year.
Andy was still riding very well at the front and as we went up the finishing drag to complete the 3/4 lap I did notice that there was a slight headwind and again the finish may well suit a rider like myself. The race pretty much stayed together until near the end of the first full lap a group of 9 got away. I thought that if they worked together that was a dangerous number of riders to get away and so started to make my way to the front. I noticed a Norwood Paragon rider in no man's land and decided to try and get across to him but as I made contact he looked round and sat up, so I went past him and he took my wheel. I went to pull across after my turn and he declined saying he was stuffed - that ol chestnut eh??? Realising that I was not really making any ground on the front group, I decided to ease off and the bunch came past. As we approached Clare Hill for the final time I was determined to not miss any break getting away and as we started the climb I was about 6th wheel and Andy was a couple ahead of me. A slight dig from a Python rider and Andy managed to ease onto his wheel, I followed and at this point we started picking up the break, so the race was all together and as we took the tight left hander to lead upto the finish I was positioned where I needed to be, with Andy still further up and looking strong.
I looked down at my computer and noticed we only had 1.5 miles to go, with a mile to go I decided to go for a long one. As I jumped, I was hoping to take the odd rider with me so that we could work up to the finish together, however I found myself on my own, although I did have a rather useful gap and as I got to the 1K to go marker had a quick look at the bunch and had a fair few metres on them. I thought this could work and continued to try and push as hard as I could. I then hit the main drag to the finish and I was breathing out of my proverbial and the lactic was really starting to burn. With 500m to go I was dying badly and noticed that I still had a gap so I dug as deep as I possibly could and shifted through the gears until comfortable - but to no avail.
With 200M to go I was swamped and finished in 53rd place. More importantly I had a go and had to be happy with that, although miffed at the fact that I maybe went far to early and didn't really account for the drag and headwind to be as fearsome as it really was.
Andy rode strongly throughout and managed to finish in 19th. He especially looked strong on the hills and is riding Portsdown this coming weekend - a rather hilly affair and one that I think Andy can do well in.
Race Facts: AVG Speed 24.5MPH
MAX Speed 39.4MPH
Max HR 190 (Actual MAX 196)
AVG HR 166
LVRC Hillingdon Crit - (25/04/07)
Mike Inder was the only Velo rider at the 2nd of the fortnightly hour long crits at Hillingdon. A bumper turnout given the sunny conditions - lot's of new faces, possibly a legacy of the closure of Eastway circuit on the other side of town. Some early breaks as per usual with nothing staying away, including yours truly with 2 others. However, with no Quest rider aboard this was doomed and within a couple of laps we eased off and were caught. Late on Colin Roshier (Team Quest) attacked the bunch with his usual high turn of speed and it was only Edgar Medellin (Finchley RT) that took up the chase. The duo quickly got out of sight never to be seen again, Roshier eventually dropping Medellin to ensure another fine win. For the rest of us it was a bunch sprint, from which I managed the final podium place (!) a 3rd in my category.
AW Cycles RR - Woodcote 3rd's (22/04/07)
The two Andys (Broadbent and Fowkes) competed at Woodcote this weekend in the AW cycles road race. The course was hard with a nasty climb topped off with a never ending false flat section that really tested the legs of the riders. The circuit was to be completed 4 times, but AndyB lost contact with the group on lap 2, fighting for that wheel that gradually pulled further away from him. He got himself in a group of around 12 riders who continued to complete the course. Meanwhile, AndyF was feeling comfortable in the main bunch, which largley stayed together throughout the race. However, he last contact with the group at the bell lap and couldn't get back on, finishing behind the bunch. The same course will be used for the divs at the beginning of June, so at least this proved to be a good recce as to what needs to be done then!
Andy Broadbent's perspective: "What a really enjoyable race. A full field and sunny sky's meant we were in for a cracker!! 4 laps of a rolling course were ahead. Myself and Andy Fowkes lined up for the 3/4 event. We rolled out from the Woodcote start and soon hit the circuit, I was placed towards the back and Andy F was about half way down the field up ahead. The first section is effectively straight down the A4074 which at 40mph I found a little un-nerving. There was lots of braking and weaving as people couldn't guage the pace of the bunch. I found myself slowing drifting to the back in self preservation mode! Before long we took the hairpin left past the Springs Golf Club towards South Stoke. The pace was good and I was hoping to move up to get in a sensible position for the main climb of the lap. However the narrow roads and big bunch meant it was almost impossible to move forward without going over the white lines which everyone was trying to do!! So we continued on to Goring and I really wasn't able to make any move away from the back of the bunch. At Goring we made the left to Goring Heath which is where the climbing started. Up the climb I slowly started moving forwards and seemed to be going OK but as the climb flattened towards Crays Pond I found I was slipping backwards (as were a large number of people!). At Crays Pond we headed left back to Woodcote and I just couldn't recover from the climb to attempt to get back on. However as always I decided to carry on, if for nothing else just a bit of training. Luckily a number of others had the same ideas and we got a group together of about 12 riders and after a lot of shouting by me and one or two others we actually got a really good flow of through and off going. Which for the remaining 3 laps we managed to carry on. As we went on we dropped a few and picked up a few but generally worked well together. In fact I really enjoyed working hard in this little group and we kept each other going building a bond that only riders suffering can.... Unfortunately we never saw the bunch again and on the climb on the last lap it was everyman for himself and we split. Inevitable I guess as we were supposed to be racing!! I am not sure how Andy F faired but I will definitely be back next year (nearer the front)!"
Princes Risborough Sunday Sportive (22/04/07)
New member Paul Redman rode Sunday's Southern Sportive - 78 miles of up and down (but rarely flat!) roads around the Chilterns. The riders were chip controlled and the cut-off time for Gold was 4 hours 37 minutes, with Paul coming in with a very creditable 4 hours 33 minutes! Impressive stuff, in only his second sportive.
Surrey League MOD Chertsey - 3rd's (14/04/07)
Gary Bullock writes: "Arrived at the circuit in good time and with an excellent week of training combined with the fact that I felt strong all week I thought today's the day where I try and get in as many breaks as possible and hope that one sticks.
The glorious weather also brought out a large field, 80 odd riders to be precise but only me from the Velo - Ian and Mike away on their hols. On my warm up lap I did notice a slight headwind on the finishing straight. I lined up right at the front making sure I was leading the race out and no sooner had I got my foot clipped in the pedal and the attacks started. Some bloke had decided to give it a go straight away, not realising that we had another 40 miles to cover in hot weather. I thought he's either super strong or super stupid and we caught him on the first set of lumps.
I did notice here that rather than spin down the first slope and cruise up the second, people were freewheeling down the slope and struggling up the next. Now this I decided would be where I should attack and sure enough on the 2nd lap I got myself to about third rider and spun like a madman down the first climb and went like crazy over the next. Looking back, I saw that I achieved the desired result, I had four others for company and we had a gap that we could work with. However, on the finishing straight the pace dropped and the main pack caught us. Then a counter attack of around five riders went clear - again at the bumps and I managed to employ the same tactic and bridged up to them.
This time I just sat on the back refusing to take a pull as I was sure we would get caught and so didn't want to work until we had a large enough gap. Again this lasted for around half a lap and then the pack were back on us. At this point of the race it was clear that the bunch were pulling everything back so I just sat in for a few laps and saw the usual attack and then the pace rise as we reeled in the attacker(s).
With three laps to go a rider from Addiscombe shot off the front, the bunch somewhat hesitant to chase so late in the race decided to look at each other, with this indecision I thought he could make it, rather than attack I decided to take a turn on the front and attempt to keep the pace high to keep him just dangling off the front and sure enough with just under one lap to go we caught him.
As I have never had a result at Chertsey I decided to attack again, this time I decided to have a go just as the bunch slows up by the golf course. With that, off I went and this time I buried myself, got to the first bump and the pack were right behind me, got to the second bump and a couple of riders passed me - down the other side and the fighting for position started. I lost a few more places and was in and around the top twenty riders.
Down the finishing straight we swept and into the headwind everybody sat up not wanting to lead the race out. I was cursing as this is where I should've jumped. I still thought about it by the time I thought it was too late as around five riders jumped on my right. But by this time I was blocked in - smack in the middle of the road around 20-25 plaes back. The sprint wound up and all I could do was sit in the saddle and follow the wheels. No gaps opened up in front of me and so I crossed the line in and around the top 30. The average speed for the race was 26.1 mph
Surrey League Easter 3-Day (April 5/6/7)
Ian Lowe reports from his first Surrey League stage race:
Day 1 - Milland Valley 50 miles
This was to be the hardest of the 3 days and with me having already raced at Castle Combe on the Friday I was attempting to see how the body would react to 4 days of racing. I usually OD on Chocolate this time of year but this Easter it was to be Cycle Racing.
The night before Mike Inder gave me some good advice. “Don’t do anything silly and get to the front before the short sharp climb to ensure that you do not get dropped.”
My plan was to do exactly as Mike said so after driving round the course and looking at the short sharp hill which was to be climbed 8 times, I knew that this was going to be tough.
So off we started in what was going to be the first of 3 beautiful mornings (weatherwise at least!). Everything went according to plan until the third last lap where the front runners put the hammer down and this put a lot of pressure on those struggling on the climb. What made it worse was the 2 drags after the climb, as the front runners always gave it maximum effort up here and the bunch was strung out in one long line. I hung on with everything I had and the wheel I was following was losing the gap so I had to max out and jump across. Thank God I did, because I found out later that he fell off the back of the bunch never to get back on. It happens so fast.
Well the last 2 laps went smoothly and I was able to hang onto the bunch and finished comfortably at the back of the bunch in position 41st out of about 60 starters. I was really please as it was a tough day for me and I had enough saved in the legs for the next day which is where I believed I would perform best.
Day 2 - Dunsfold Park 48 miles
This was the day that I planned to work 120% to try and attempt points and a result. The start was a little later and therefore it was really warm, so it was shorts all round, a first for me this year in the UK.
The race got under way and within the first lap a small group broke off soon to be caught by the bunch. I then had a go with 3 others and worked pretty hard to motivate them to work together but alas the bunch has us within one lap. This became the order of the day. If it wasn’t me being chased down with others then I was involved with a few others chasing down those away.
With 7 laps to go I seemed to float off the front and had another rider on my wheel. Soon there were four of us and one of them said “we are away”. I looked over my shoulder to see the bunch some 75 metres behind. I started to motivate the group to work together and soon we were working nice and smoothly at an average speed of 40 – 42 Kph with through and off. After being away for more than a lap and the gap opening further I said to the others that we are away, and to keep it up. Well, the gap was still the same after 3 laps, some 120 metres and the main bunch did not look like closing it. We started our 4th lap and soon I noticed the bunch were working to close the gap. We pressed on, but with 3 laps to go the bunch were only some 30 metres behind and closing. Someone had obviously got the bunch going and did a good job of that. I decided to call it a day and so did the others, we were the only break to stay away for more than a lap, 4 laps to be precise.
I sat in for the next 2 and a half laps before the bunch sprint and ensured I had a good position and wheel to follow for the sprint. With about 800 metres to go the bunch were 90% full pelt and poised to go.
We came around the last bend and soon afterwards a few wheels touched and this brought down 4 or 6 riders and at this precise moment the sprint began. I was able to keep my line and sprinted for 5th position. This gave me an improved GC placing of 20th!
I was really pleased with the result as I worked hard all race and was looking for something out of it. Points roday for me - hooray!!
Day 3 - Lyne 60 miles
Woke to another glorious day. Felt pretty good too after 3 days of hard racing and now looking forward to the final day. My plan was to have a go with a few breaks and see what happens. Well everything went to plan.
First lap and 3 of us were away but not for long, soon back in the comfort of the group. This began the format for the rest of the race. Almost each lap a group of riders would attempt to go away and were soon brought back.
Well eventually we had completed all of the laps on the large circuit and had 2 laps of the small circuit to do.
I attempted a trail for the first lap to ensure I could get to the front of the bunch for the sprint as this was the last option left as no one was going to get away now. This worked perfectly. But during the final stages of the last lap I was boxed in on the left. My own fault and the whole bunch went past me on the right hand side so when we turned the corner for the sprint I was too far back and had nowhere to go, so rode in to avoid any accidents, placing 44th on the day - overall GC placing of 35th from 52 finishers.
This was my first stage race and I learnt a lot about riding over multiple days. Should anyone out there be thinking of doing it, “Just Do it” it is fantastic. Great fun and you all become a group as you are the same riders over the 3 days for the 3 races. I now understand a little how the feeling is to ride in the Pro stage races over many days although this is a far cry from the Tour De France etc…..
High Wycombe 10 mile TT - H10/2 (06/04/07)
Paul Stonell writes: "The bright sunshine and clear skies that greeted the 120 riders of the High Wycombe ‘10’, left many in no doubt that there would be some good times set this Good Friday. I was certainly not disappointed. Conditions seemed to be almost perfect for riding a ‘10’ on the A4 on a course that ran from Knowl Hill to Woodley Roundabout and back.
After a conservative start, I gradually wound it up on the approach to Twyford Roundabout, which became more and more difficult on the drag to Charvil. No matter, it simply made for a speedy return, save my having to brake down from 30mph to a virtual standstill for traffic at both Charvil and Twyford Roundabouts; take a bow those marshals who made themselves very conspicuous with their red flags and shouts of warning, a job very well done indeed.
After the agonising blimp back up to the finish, I crossed the line with a 24.31, good enough for 35th place and a new PB; some 30 seconds faster than my previous best. Dave Lambourne also put in a ride of 28.27 (apologies if the seconds are wrong) that placed him in 17th out of 52 for the Vets standard (age handicap). Raymond Hughes of Clarence Wheelers set the best time on the day with 21.15.
The morning was rounded off with lashings of tea and cake back at HQ, proceeds from which were donated to the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death. All in all, a fun day, if you can call riding yourself into oblivion on the A4 on a Bank Holiday a fun day, but hey, I enjoyed it and the same can be said for Dave. Congratulations and thanks must go to the High Wycombe who put on a great show."
Chippenham Wheelers Crit - Castle Combe - 52Km (06/04/07)
Gary Bullock Reports: "Both myself and Ian Lowe travelled down the M4 to ride the Castle Combe circuit in bright warm sunshine...it was indeed a "Good Friday", weather wise anyway!!!
So onto the M4, where we passed an odd looking trio rushing up the grass verge (Vaughan and Rudie from the De Vere club and Mark from the Archer) taking nature breaks........A couple of junctions later and it was our turn - bladders empty we were on our way again.
On the way to the circuit whilst enjoying the usual Good Friday M4 car park, Ian conscious of the fact that he has the Surrey League 3 Day event to compete in this Easter weekend covering around 170 miles mentioned that he was going to take it easy today and hopefully ride in and around the first 20 riders and then show himself in the final, I also had this approach.
We get to the circuit with about 40 minutes to spare and signing on we notice approx. 80 names signed up already. By the start of the event this number would be around 110 riders !!!
Both myself and Ian rode a couple of warm up laps to get a feel for the circuit and wind direction, thankfully Castle Combe doesn't seem as exposed as Thruxton and as a result the wind was not so prominent, we managed to barge our way to the front with Vaughan and Mark close by. The commisaire mentioned 17 laps covering 31 miles with primes on laps 4,8 and 12, Vaughan then proceeded to ask how much the primes were worth, £5 came the reply - so we'll wait to the finish then, was my thought !!!
The race then got under way at a steady pace, the first lap was obviously about feel and settling into a rhythm and by the end of the first lap I was still in the first 20 riders with Ian and Vaughan both ahead of me. The pace started to rise as a couple of attacks stirred the bunch up, it went on like this for another couple of laps, cue Ian, the man who was taking it easy, off he went, short lived he returned to the safety of the pack. Then the pace went through the roof on the first prime lap - why they bothered is beyond me and some people risked a crash and knackering their £1,500 to £2,000 bikes for a £5 prime, crazy.
With around 7 laps to go I worked my way up to the front and saw four people attack off the front, I decided to go with and we managed to get a small gap. Half a lap later and the bunch were back on us. It was then clear to me that it was going to end up in a bunch sprint. So with four laps to go "Mr. Taking It Easy Lowe" decided to have another go taking two guys with him. They managed to get a good gap, Ian stayed out there for around a lap but then decided to let go as he realised that he had another three days of solid racing ahead of him this weekend and couldn't risk being in the red zone for too long and so with that, he drifted back to the bunch. However, by the end of the race Ian would curse his luck, as the two that went with him just managed to avoid the rampaging pack and stayed out to contest the win themselves, a lesson learnt there Ian. so a bunch sprint for the minor placings, I tried to get to the front and stick in position but I was finding I would gain a few places but lose a few as others shot down the outside or inside. As the sprint started I was really too far down to get in the points but decided to sprint anyway as this would be good training. I managed to finish inside the top thirty just behind Mr. Luff. Ian came in slightly behind staying out of trouble and not risking it.
A fast race although no where near my hardest experience to date this season. 31 miles covered at an average of 25.6 mph
My thoughts on this race were that there was just too many riders, although the circuit was wide enough, there was still too much nervous riding and riders not holding lines, still a good workout none the less.
Well done to Ian for taking it easy - and good luck for this weekend (Ian is riding the Surrey League Easter 3 Day - ed.). Oh and thanks for the lift too!
Icknield 2-up Time Trial - 28Km (01/04/07)
Dave Lambourne writes: "Sunday's Time Trial was held on a sporting course, i.e. it's lumpy and hilly. Mike Mills and David Lambourne rode this event with some trepidation; as it turned out they were the oldest team by far in the race, plus the only team except the Python boys to be riding standard road bikes, everyone else was on low pro's, tri bars, disc wheels, etc.
It was very windy with blustery blasts which made it both hard and cold. Dave complained that Mike was not wide enough and the wind was getting round him. Dave and Mike went training on Tuesday and had a good hard session, and Dave was going very well, so much so that Mike thought he might be in for a hard time in the race, but unfortunately not so - Dave struggled on the climbs, which lost them some time, and only seemed to get going properly after the race was half way through. The course was on fairly minor roads, very open and exposed to the wind in places and because of the gusting care had to be taken. The course was around the Icknield/Mentmore area and was very "testing". The course was not as published and was changed due to temporary traffic lights in one of the villages so we think it was about 16 miles.
Dave and Mike took 44 minutes 14 seconds, and came eighth out of the ten teams. The event was won by Mark Bruce and Joel Stewart from Agiskoviner in 32 minutes 52 seconds. Dave and Mike were a bit dismayed at their time but if you unofficially applied the vets standard to their time, which takes into account age, then they were within a minute of the second place team, Mark and Nigel Williams of the Python RT, both first cat riders. That is if you aged Mark and Nigel up to the age of 40, an age which they have yet to reach.
The event was well run, well marshalled and had a good atmosphere in the changing rooms and around the finishing board. Mike said he enjoyed it and would like to ride a few more. What Dave said is unrepeatable!
Omega Circuits, Thruxton - 3rd Cats (01/04/07)
Ian Lowe writes: "A beautiful day awaited 4 Thames Velo riders: Mike Inder, Andy Fowkes, Gary Bullock, Ian Lowe and a friendly face from the De Vere Racing Team, Vaughan Luff. The five of us crammed into Ian’s people carrier to make the journey down to Thruxton. Amongst much banter several plans had been hatched to try to achieve a result for one or some of those in the car. What the plan really was and whether we would stick to it would be later evident.
We soon realised that there was a mixture of depths of training amongst the five riders. Mike had put his usual mileage in for the week - a lot and most days. Vaughan had just suffered a week of flu and was coughing his lunch out all the way. Gary had given us his work out for the week; some distance on the road, some turbo work and a 10 km run. Andy was keeping rather quiet but we know he has been under the coaching methods of the Thames Velo coach Dave. Finally, Ian had to admit that no training had been done for the last two weeks. He blamed it on a condition called MMI (mention motivation issue).
We arrived at a very windy Thruxton and knew this was going to be hard work. With the warm up done we soon were off straight into a head on wind at a stonking 22 Kph. Then down the back straight with a cross/headwind and then into the return with the wind right behind us. The group settled to a comfortable pace when Ian saw the blue light and flew off the front, sadly no one went with him and it looked very lonely out there especially once we had crossed the start finish line for the first time and faced the head wind, it felt like you were almost stopping. Ian was soon caught by the chasing pack when Vaughan asked “What was that like?” to which Ian replied “Sore”. This started the trend for many attacks going off the front trying to stay away, but to no avail, they were all reeled in. There were many attacks from all the Thames riders throughout the race which was good to see, Vaughan also had put it some good efforts even in his state after flu for the week. After a lull one rider shot off the front by himself and rode away from the group. Soon two others broke away also trying to get across. The bunch gave no reaction - it did nothing. Sensing this, Mike and Vaughan went with another break which was looking strong. Ian held back as he was up near the front and wanting to pounce, when Andy and Gary shot to the front before the chicane to slow the group down and doing a sterling job at it - allowing the attacking group of about 7 to get away. There were now a group of 3 away and working well, a group of 7 with Mike and Vaughan in it and the rest of the bunch behind.
Andy, Gary and Ian could just watch, as Mike and his group moved further and further away feeling rather gutted that it was not themselves up there. Mike said that the group was working well, with everyone taking short turns and keeping the group tight. However, soon the E/1/2 bunch arrived to lap the Cat 3’s and instead of riding through them to allow them to chase their break (which was up the road) the groups merged for a lap and a half. This allowed Cat 3’s soon chased down the attacking group of 7 which was very unfortunate for Mike and Vaughan as they were away and it looked like it was going to stick.
Well the E/1/2’s eventually broke free leaving just 3 riders up the road. It was just 4 laps to go when 6 riders attacked very quickly and were away into the wind. The bucnh seemed to let them go as if to think they would catch them before the end of the race. Coming to what Ian though was the 3rd last lap, and past the start finish line, the bell went. Ian totally confused. Had he missed something? The group started to chase the 6 to try and claw them back, with Andy and Gary well up in the front runners, working hard. The bunch were sprinting for 10th place and Ian, Mike and Andy too far back had decided that they would cruise in to let the front runners contest the last available point. Cue Gary, who thought that there were only 6 away and that 4 places were up for grabs - put everything into his finish to make a great ride to the front of the bunch to get 3rd in the sprint - which got him 12th place. We all felt gutted for him.
Sue - one of the organisers said to Gary he was getting worse. His record at the circuit of the past few weeks were: 10th then a 11th and today a 12th place. I think Gary, just keep it up and it will happen for you.
After packing up the car the five of us grabbed a cuppa, thanks to Gary for this and then the banter began on the way back with it be interrupted occasionally by Vaughan's hacking cough. Ian was enlightened to the fact that the lap board was that of the E/1/2 race and we were finishing 2 laps earlier. He vowed to listen to the pre-race briefing more closely next time.
We dropped Gary off at home first, then Vaughan was dropped off on the A4 to ride back home - another hour on the clock for him. Mike said he too would ride back home as it was only 35 minutes - even after riding down to Ian before the race. Well done Vaughan and Mike.
The average for the day was 35kph the max recorded by Ian was 67kph. All five had many attacks off the front and all worked really hard throughout the race but we came away without any points. The race of the day goes to Gary for fighting to the end with a well deserved 12th place. The nearly race of the day goes to Mike and Vaughan as they were away and had the E/1/2’s not come past the Cat 3’s then they would have been away for good. Mike, Vaughan - maybe another day. Andy had a really good race and was pleased too as he was the only one who had not done any winter racing but was still up there. Finally Ian, who has had a bad few weeks motivation wise said he would try to start his training this week and get things going in the right direction."
Surrey League, Cutmill - 3rd Cats (01/04/07)
Andy Broadbent writes: "Myself and Simon (riding for Army CU) turned up for the Elstead Surrey League. It was a cold and early start at 9.30am with a smallish field. We had 7 laps of a 7 mile circuit which had a couple of nasty climbs. One of which was just before the finish line. We rolled out from the HQ behind the pace car and we headed to the circuit, and soon enough the lead car sped away and we were racing. We rode for about 5 minutes when we hit the climb before the finish line ready to start our 7 laps. As the race climbed the hill, I soon realised I wasn’t even warmed up let alone at race ability….I slowly found myself heading to the back and drifting off and that was that! So within about 5 minutes of the start of the race I was off the back. Rather than quitting I decided to carry on for training purposes and therefore spent the next 2 hours riding round on my own!! If that wasn’t bad enough just before the finish on my 5th lap the bunch came past (well what was left of them). So all in all a disastrous day for me!! Simon seemed to fair a little better but was dropped quite late in the race and placed a lap down.
A tough race, on a circuit that I will be keen to avoid for the rest of the season!!"