I was third in this race, and with it brought a much sought after moral boost. Ive only been doing one race a week for a while now and I dont like it. In last weeks race I came a miserable fifteenth and with no road race on the weekend to try and make amends I had to wait a whole week.
Anyway, on tuesday it rained at Tockwith, a first for the circuit series. Me, knowing that crashes are a lot more likely in the wet stayed top 5 at all times, and after maybe 10 laps or so, I latched onto Rob Watsons wheel to try and chase down the lone breakaway rider. We pulled out a significant advantage and another rider came across to help us out. Us four riders worked solidly as a unit with each taking their share of pacemaking. I came second in the prime after a badly timed sprint, but quickly got back into the rythm. Towards the latter stages of the race, we had picked up such an advantage over the peleton that possibly we where chasing them instead of the other way round. At three to go, a rider attacked from the break and got away till the finish. I mistakedly thought that we would catch him and followed the wheel i was already on instead of going with him.
Last lap I let a little gap go hoping that the rider behind would chase it down and then I would be in the best position for the sprint. However, the rider I was behind was content with 4th place, so I had to drop it down into gear and cover maybe 25 meters in a space of a 100. I came third by a bike length.
My next race is the fabled Preston crit series that Ive heard so much about. This is the last race before I go to Poland for a bloody month and I only need 3 more points for my second catergory license. Thats 7th or better in the race.
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Yorkshire Summer Circuit Series 2
Well, today I actually finished the race without having a chain or spoke snap on me. I also got a taste of big bunch sprinting, not a 10 rider chase to the line that I had previously taken part in.
We arrived at the venue just as the 3/4 cat race was finishing, and there was a guy on the floor on the first corner surrounded by paramedics. Broken collar bone apparently. The rain earlier on in the day must have drifted over the York plain and there were a few small puddles here and there, so cornering had to taken a bit softly.
The race got underway and there were attacks straight away. I settled into the constant surges of speed at 30mph that are so typical of circuit races Ive done this year. In fact, I went with most breakaway attempts but all were brought back. Eventually, after around 10 laps a group of 3 managed to get away, who were joined by another 4 later on. These 7 riders stayed away till the finish. Even after attacks every other lap from my group (mostly by me), and big turns at the front (I played my part), the gap didn't seem to be diminishing too quickly. A lack of cooperation in my group let the break succeed I guess. Eventually after 5 laps to go of the 1km circuit, it became evident that the break had beaten us fair and square, so any sprint was for the minor placings.
Coming into the last lap, the was a strange lull of speed at the bell, but as soon as this was noticed, attacks came from all directions, which were promptly caught and extinguished. At 500metres to go a few desperate riders launched their sprints, but this was used as a spring board into the last straight. After entering the last corner in around 10th position, I opened up my sprint and came across the line second in the bunch sprint (albeit by half a wheel) and 9th overall. A small 2 points go towards my 2nd category aspirations.
We arrived at the venue just as the 3/4 cat race was finishing, and there was a guy on the floor on the first corner surrounded by paramedics. Broken collar bone apparently. The rain earlier on in the day must have drifted over the York plain and there were a few small puddles here and there, so cornering had to taken a bit softly.
The race got underway and there were attacks straight away. I settled into the constant surges of speed at 30mph that are so typical of circuit races Ive done this year. In fact, I went with most breakaway attempts but all were brought back. Eventually, after around 10 laps a group of 3 managed to get away, who were joined by another 4 later on. These 7 riders stayed away till the finish. Even after attacks every other lap from my group (mostly by me), and big turns at the front (I played my part), the gap didn't seem to be diminishing too quickly. A lack of cooperation in my group let the break succeed I guess. Eventually after 5 laps to go of the 1km circuit, it became evident that the break had beaten us fair and square, so any sprint was for the minor placings.
Coming into the last lap, the was a strange lull of speed at the bell, but as soon as this was noticed, attacks came from all directions, which were promptly caught and extinguished. At 500metres to go a few desperate riders launched their sprints, but this was used as a spring board into the last straight. After entering the last corner in around 10th position, I opened up my sprint and came across the line second in the bunch sprint (albeit by half a wheel) and 9th overall. A small 2 points go towards my 2nd category aspirations.
Monday 4 July 2011
Tour of Blackpool Support Races
There were mixed feeling about this race, ridden on a banana shaped course in bright sunshine with the ocean not far off. Some people though it was a good race that tested the pure sprinters and strong men, while others thought ,'what a shit little criterium that was.' Basically, the course was two 500metre straights linked by two hairpins. The lighter people generally did better on this course because they could get down lower on the nasty corners and open up a fair few metres on the bigger lads coming out of them.
There was a field of about 60 on the start line, but this was reduced down to around 20 after thirty tedius laps on this peculiar shaped track.
In the opening stages of the race, I launched a few probing attacks to see how the bunch responded, and nothing really stuck or got away until roughly half way through the race when a duo slipped away and where joined by two other riders in the following laps. This proved to be the decisive move and they maintained a slim lead of around 15 seconds on the rest of the field. Often there would be an attack from my group to try and bridge, but they where always reeled back in, resulting in surges of speed. Whenever we passed the breakaway on the opposite straight, you could easily tell that they where giving it their all to stay away.
On the final bend, I was in the first ten into the corner, and I knew that with my sprint I could take home some points at the very least, if not some money. Unluckily for me, someone had to crash in front of me on that last corner. I switched to the outside line but two other crashes had to develop there. So, starting to panic as other riders slipped through the carnage and seeing my chance of points starting to die, I unclipped and frantically scrambled onto the grass verge, round the pile up and back onto the track. Jumped back on my bike and opened up an all out sprint. I passed a few riders but was just half a bike's length away from the riders that came in 10th and 11th, meaning that I missed out on those increasingly precious points.
There was a field of about 60 on the start line, but this was reduced down to around 20 after thirty tedius laps on this peculiar shaped track.
In the opening stages of the race, I launched a few probing attacks to see how the bunch responded, and nothing really stuck or got away until roughly half way through the race when a duo slipped away and where joined by two other riders in the following laps. This proved to be the decisive move and they maintained a slim lead of around 15 seconds on the rest of the field. Often there would be an attack from my group to try and bridge, but they where always reeled back in, resulting in surges of speed. Whenever we passed the breakaway on the opposite straight, you could easily tell that they where giving it their all to stay away.
On the final bend, I was in the first ten into the corner, and I knew that with my sprint I could take home some points at the very least, if not some money. Unluckily for me, someone had to crash in front of me on that last corner. I switched to the outside line but two other crashes had to develop there. So, starting to panic as other riders slipped through the carnage and seeing my chance of points starting to die, I unclipped and frantically scrambled onto the grass verge, round the pile up and back onto the track. Jumped back on my bike and opened up an all out sprint. I passed a few riders but was just half a bike's length away from the riders that came in 10th and 11th, meaning that I missed out on those increasingly precious points.
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