Races.
I have had quite a few since then so a report for each on is going to be pretty short and sweet.
Just counted and its 15!! so reports will be for the more important ones.
First up was the Elveden series 3. This raced is being cursed with bad weather. This time rain and hail. I decided to go skin suit only as before the race started it was sunny and about 17'c. then as well rolled out, the clouds rolled in and hell started. Well anyway, I got away with five others which included team mate Josh. With four laps to go I punctured and was just about to retire coming into the finishing area then a young chap from Lea Valley CC came running up with his brothers wheel and changed it for me, so I chased and chased and chased. I caught back up to break and with just enough time was able to cause a surprise and confusion. And team mate Josh won the sprint. Good day for Glendene.
Next. now showing a quality bit of form was the Eastern Road Race Championship. 90 miles smashing it around Bicknacre and Woodham climbing radar hill each time. Yipeeee!
Josh, Dan Snow and I started and all finished. Dan came in with the main bunch and was the first race he finished this year, chapeau ;). Josh and I made the break stick and all the main strong contenders joined us. Coming into the last lap riders where chipping off the front all the time. I choose mine 3 miles from the finish and two riders came with. Dropping one on the hill before the finish it was a sprint for 5/6th place. I was just pipped to the line but getting sixth in that race I was extremely happy, and Josh came in 8th too.
Next. East London Velo RR. Another Win!!!!!!! John Woyton and Josh Green joined me with this triumphant Victory. We all road extremely well as team, John taking a savage turn on the front to bring back a breakaway. And constant attacks from Josh and I fatiqued the riders. Unfortunatly the breaks did not amount to a decent break away so it came down to a bunch sprint. Having a decent lead out from Wayne Crombie coming into the last hill I kicked with 250m and held off all the other sprinters to win, josh also coming in third. Great day at the races for Glendene.
Also thanks to Simon Parker from spactionimages.com
Next race.Circuit of the Fens.
Well this will be a short entry. First National A race. Elute riders all round. Nerves maxed out. Lasted 60 miles then speed was picked up and got dropped in the crosswinds only to be taken out of the race because the gap became to big.
Getting close to my Cat1 I wanted to go out on a high profile win. I entered several other Eastern Region races to help out team mates and picked up small points here and there but was just racing to get the last bit of form before the Otley Crits in Yorkshire. I wanted a big win in front of big teams.
The Crit was epic. Fast and very hard work. i chased down most of the breaks and in the last lap i was well positioned. Coming into the last turn riders came underneath me forcing me wide, so wide in fact that when I started my sprint, my elbow hit a few spectators and the fencing. Coming into the last turn i was second wheel, perfect, but the six riders under took me. I put out the best sprint of my life, unfortunately the line arrived 5 metres short and I got second. by half a bike length.
With a recently fitted power metre I looked out my output throughout the race and ave'd 334w! my output for my sprint was 1224w and that was for 4.2secs. big power!!
that's me lunging for the line with the white arms
More to the point, I now have my first cat license :D
Next race. Glendene Road race. Quite a bit of pressure for this race as its my own clubs race and expectations are high. With breaks going all over the place it was difficult to judge which wheel to follow and break with.
With a team of four Dan Young, Ben Thompson, Josh Green and myself we had a fairly good team.
Dan getting into the first break early on was good which meant we didn't have to chase. Giving it time to establish it self I was intending in chipping off the front and joining them. Well that was not to happen and Dan was dropped after a short period of time and the break amounted to nothing anyway.
With more attacks going off a group sustained themselves and stayed away. After a massive turn on the front from Ben which almost shelled me and Dan off the back, I quickly made my way to the front to help him out with the intention of attacking when it came back around to the hill in Stebbing. Which I carried out to perfection. A rider from Spin-rotor Joined me with a few others that had riders up the road already who wanted a free ride. Well that was not the case for them. With my self and the chap from Spin-Rotor nailing it we soon dropped them. we got across to the group with 4km to go and then it soon eased up. Then the attacks started happening within the group which now contained around 8 or nine riders. Four were already up the road and had a gap of what I was told around 2 minutes which was not do-able.
I worked my nuts of getting to that group, I could not let the Glendene have no riders in the top five let alone the break. The guy I worked with flew past with 2.5k to go, then the group swelled and no one chased, I waited for about 15 secs then I attacked, no one made it on my wheel. Perfect. Having Recc'ed the finish a few times in training, i had practiced my efforts for a similar attack, I had planned this. I bridged the gap to the chap from Spin-Rotor in the last 1km and instead of easing up I carried on powering wide past him, he had to sprint had to get onto to my wheel and I kept the power high waiting for him to try and sprint past me and in the last 200m he tried came level and i started my sprint and pulled away from him and he soon gave up. The pace seemed too high, which was good because my legs were SCREAMING.
5th place, bosh. Happy days.
Follow the links to view photos of the chase and final sprint.
http://spactionimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Glendene-Summer-Classic-Road-Race/G00002LVgqBy917o/I0000I.jVylrtr9o/C00004kL4jdEUYTk
http://spactionimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Glendene-Summer-Classic-Road-Race/G00002LVgqBy917o/I0000w2JuqIYwbcM/C00004kL4jdEUYTk
Next race.
My first race in Belgium. A Kermesse. Wow this was awesome, the speed, quality of all the riders out there and the general atmosphere.
120km, we ave'd 28mph. It was so intense. I was told to finish your first one is a good achievement. To get a top twenty after a few races is good. But I achieved both :)
Big Thanks to the guys from Twenty3c-Focus, Andy Hastings from Finchley RT and Team mate Josh for wicked day.
