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Well done Weeksy, sounds like a pretty good first go! You've got to be a special talent to turn up to your first one and win it, everyone gets dropped on their first crit bar a gifted few. Speed work comes with more races, as does knowing where to sit in the bunch.
My race isn't until 4pm so I'm just waiting getting progressively more nervous. Just bought a tighter jersey and Aero helmet for MOAR AEROZ
So Weeksy had me worried this morning. For him to show up in such a public fashion meant he was confident. Whilst it's been a long time since it happened, the sight of Weeksy riding away from me is not one I wanted to repeat in a hurry!
I got there absolutely carbed to the max! There was no chance of a bonk today that's for sure!
I did my best not to be rude to Weeksy whilst going through my pre-race routine so hopefully I managed it 😉
A few steady warm-up laps were on the agenda as I didn't ride yesterday and I felt like I hadn't ridden a bike before!
The only slight spanner in the works was I forgot my arm warmers! Now, this is pretty insignificant in the great scheme of things but it still annoyed me. I ended up wearing both jerseys and wasn't out there long enough to overheat too much 😉
My plan was to start at the front right from the pace car which I did. After the sighting laps, I ended up second row. Luckily, the guy in front clipped in ok so it was all good.
I managed to be brave for about three laps I think. Sat right in the bunch it was positively cozy. But as people began to stretch their legs, it started getting hairy. I lost my nerve and was soon 'Nathing' the edges 😆
A couple of spirited attacks had taken place, a solo, a double and even a quartet but all had been reeled back in by the behemoth of a bunch.
I hadn't seen Nath or Weeksy but MrB had stopped by for a chat to say he was just about out of Z1 😀 I was @ threshold at the time 😆
Anyway, another lap or so went by and I was doing ok. Not cruising but coping and taking every chance to move forward- my game plan for this race.
I was being defensive through the corners, staying wide and not braking but still having to put an un-necessary dig in each time to keep contact.
Thankfully (although not for my confidence perhaps) this paid off and someone lost it on the apex at the Southern end of the course- taking about 12 others with them. Heading wide, I was glad I did as the inevitable sympathy crash took a few more out in front!
Right on the grass, I hoped there were no hidden holes! I made it back on and sprinted to keep up with the inevitable post-crash surge.
I hooked up with several others about 40yards off of the back and tried to stabilise my HR.
The gap was closing incredibly slowly but closing nonetheless. This continued for a lap and I had recovered enough to start thinking about making a dig on the stretch that suited me best- from the start line to the bottom turn.
As we approached the last corner though, one of the guys in our groupetto sat up and pulled right across my line.
Race over!
I sat up and awaited the bunch to try and get back on. Looking across, there seemed to be a split with a group of 8 and a slightly bigger one. Accelerating to join the front group, I slotted back in and was relieved to see Nath still upright.
This group was strung out and caning it so I was already slipping back. As bikes continued to pass, I realised the two halves had re-formed and this was it! S**t, too late 😀
I hadn't spotted Weeksy so guessed he was still going. I sat up again and waited and finally joined him.
I had zero motivation at this point to do anything but tried to keep Weeksy in a small group or two.
Soon, 45 mins was up so we awaited the finish.
Two to go and MrB was drilling it on the front! Niiice! Nath was sitting at the very back of the hardcore survivors.
One to go and they had switched, MrB at the back and Nath holding about 4th wheel.
Rounding the last bend, I was sure Nath had the win! He was the only one still accelerating. Then a moment and everyone gasped thinking
he was going down! Luckily a touch of opposite lock had Nath's rear-end back in line and he gassed it for the finale.
He was roughly a bike length from the winner and half a wheel behind second. Sooooo close but well done- a great result!
Good fun that. Might have even scraped a point. Happy with that having not raced crits in ages.
A few tactical blunders. Got stuck behind a huge crash that lead to the winning break. Had a long solo chase to get back on.
Took a poor line on (I think) the penultimate lap and took a lot of wind, I was at the front (I was half contemplating going for it but it was too late in the race really and the pace was up) round the top bend and should have gone to the outside of that track to force the bunch up the inside. Oh well, lesson learnt.
Final couple of corners I took Martin's wheel (last weeks winner) as tactically I reckon he's pretty good but he got forced off line on the outside as someone misjudged the final corner and most of the break came up the inside. I should have trusted in team STW and gone for Nath's wheel instead! 🙂
Congrats to Nath on 3rd and promotion. A good race. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and very disciplined with his effort.
Congrats to Weeksy on popping his crit cherry.
Well I went into the Soens knowing that I was pretty unfit - I've had probably my lowest ever January mileage, a couple of colds, zero top end work other than one or two track sessions (which showcased how little top end speed I had!) and on top of that I've not done any road racing for a couple of years now.
Still, it was a nice day: chilly, bit of a breeze and damp roads but far better than it was last time I did it! So they set the 4ths & Women off first, 3rd Cats (me) off a minute later, 2nds a minute after that and then E/1 90 seconds after that. Sitting there in the bunch was fine, we caught the 4ths fairly quickly and there was a brief flurry of activity before everyone realised that the "little breeze" was actually a bloody annoying headwind and trying to work into that was pointless. So the bunch was yoyo-ing a bit, slowing into the wind and then stringing out down the other straight. Must have been about 120 in the group at that point and I was sitting there mid pack quite happy, getting used to the flow of the race, reading the lines and so on.
We were averaging about 26mph and then on about lap 8 there was a crash mid pack, just a touch of wheels that took 3 or 4 people down and I had to swerve onto the grass. Stayed upright, got back onto the tarmac and had to absolutely bury myself to get back to the bunch. I'd just made it back when the Elites came through us at 31mph! They use the catch as a distraction technique, try to force a breakaway, split the group up a bit and obviously they want to drop any 4th Cats that are still in there so the pace went mental and I was still trying to recover from making my way back on. Lasted another lap then got caught up behind other riders being shelled out and that was that.
To be fair I'd expected to last half way at best so I wasn't too far out in my estimation. And there were plenty of people dropped before me so it's given me a rough idea of where I'm at and kickstarted a bit of training.
Same again tomorrow, another flat race but just a 3rd / 4th Cat so hopefully it won't be averaging >30mph!
Good report CH.
Nice work crazylegs, sound mental.
One to go and they had switched, MrB at the back and Nath holding about 4th wheel.
Ha that was just before I got my positioning all wrong for that stretch into the wind and went from front to back as there was nowhere to slot in. I then got onto Martins wheel hoping he'd do the business.
I should probably have attacked the group with about 10 mins to go as it was a small group and not many were working. Would have been a good opportunity to roll the dice!
Nice to meet people finally (weeksy/tomvet/mrblobby)!
Just treated the car to a wash with some of my prize money 😆
Thanks for the comments guys! Bit annoyed I was so close to 1st, but on reflection I'm just glad I stayed upright on that last corner. I thought I had pedal strike but my pedals have no signs of this!? All I know is that back wheel came out on me, luckily I was over the front wheel otherwise it would have been game over!
@weeksy - well done for trying mate, glad you understood my hand signals (CH doesn't 😆 ). Once you come out of that pack it only takes 2-3m and it's game over.
@mrblobby - I think we did too much work in that group, took a lot of willpower not to try a break from it, particularly as those guys were complaining about people not working at the front (sorry if one was your friend lol). I was primed though in case anyone made a move, I had my business head on though 😈
@crazylegs - that sounds bloody dangerous to me!!! Fair play & well done!
How appropriate is this, my racing bike "R66" just hit 1,001 miles. Time for a gold chain 😆
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Should be a bronze chain really..............
😆 Sorry 😀
Ah! I've just discovered the West Drayton series @ Hillingdon stating on the18th.
Here's one for you guys then- should I just ditch my periodised plan and keep racing?
I still think I have fitness gains required to get competitive but I also have experience ones to make too.....
How feasible is improving through racing and fitting some training in around it?
I like the periodised model as it focuses many weeks of effort in on one or two events. However I also like racing!
I've already cheated by racing in Base.....
Just uploaded my info to Strava.
Best lap. 2min 17s
Other laps solo
2 37
2 29
2 31
2 47
2 50
2 41
2 43
Just shows the difference between being IN and being on your own...
Weeksy, conversely, with the exception of the final lap, my fastest lap was the one on my own after the crash chasing to get back on to the lead group!
And Weeksy, I did do a double take when I got back onto the lead group as the first person I saw just off the back of it was you 🙂
Hee hee. That must have been when they caught me and I thought, I wonder if I can hold them. As you can imagine, that concept was short lived!
I got caught behind the crash, chased back on with a few others, that ended up being my fastest lap, hung on to the group until the final lap found myself near the front but couldn't follow an acceleration and lost the wheel in front and got shelled out the back. Really disappointed my legs couldn't hold on for another lap. That's three weeks build up of Oxfordshire s finest mud on the car btw CH! Horse vetting takes its toll on my poor cars!
Sorry I missed you tomvet, which one were you?
White cannondale caad8 black morvelo Jersey with jazzy yellow arm warmers and a screwed up red face with gaping mouth !
Ah yes 🙂
Tomvet- which practice? My wife was an equine vet nurse for 9 years until I dragged her away to Berkshire 😀
Hook Norton vets in North Oxfordshire, only been there 3 years though!
Ah right. She used to work for Endells in Wiltshire.
Ah you're username makes sense now @tomvet 😆
My legs are dead this evening, which is odd as I don't feel (and the numbers back this up) that I put 75% of the effort in as I did last week, particularly on the sprint. Spent more time on the drops this week too.
Need to do some saddle adjustment (nose down), now I'm stretched out a little more... 😳
Re the Hillingdon race: 34 miles /38 laps sounds interesting.. but I kind of feel I need a couple of weeks to reset things and do life things. May aim to do the last one?
Well done to all those who raced today, especially nath with your promotion! I managed 5 laps in the front group then punctured after being forced onto the grass.
Needless to say the pro ones are off back on tomorrow and I'll save the turbos for warmer weather
Thanks flange, were you at Abingdon too?
Congrats on the points and promotion Nath.
Didn't take long 🙂
Well done on the 3rd cat! And to the others too
Im still 4 weeks off my first outdoor race - and its going to be back to back with an APR on the saturday then a crit on the Sunday. Hope to do a stage race later in the year so will quickly see if that is a good idea or not.
Thanks guys!
I've got a question, I'm a little confused...
As a cat 4 I got 17 points.
Does that mean to reach Cat 2 (40 points) I need to get 40 points as cat 3 or 23 points more?
You start from zero again.
😥
Thanks!!
When's the new hardware due CH?
Two weeks for the important bit. Boxes of goodies arriving on Mon/Tue.
Woo so I don't have to keep it a secret/ spoil CH's thunder anymore 😆
It wasn't really a secret 🙂
Until it's ready to race, there's not much to say 😉
As a cat 4 I got 17 points.
Does that mean to reach Cat 2 (40 points) I need to get 40 points as cat 3 or 23 points more?
Neither, unless its changed in the last year you take 12 points off your total, so carry 5 over to your 3rd cat points.
I wouldn't be in a rush to make it to 2nd's, there's not much racing you can't do as a 3rd. Get on and do some Road racing, it's a whole different ball game!
@CH there's always lots to say about a new bike build haha
@rossp - thank you, makes sense! 35 points to go then 😆 I don't have the same desire to get up to the 2nds asap as I did with the 3s - but we shall see what happens!
I'm going to revisit the BC calendar and see what's about, there's some up north I want to try and get a spot in for when I'm visiting my folks 😆
I think CH on his new bike will be at the pointy end of the racing now 🙂
Nath, get this one in your calendar...
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/158244/Ridgeway-Spring-Classic
[s]Rossp, I didn't think the points carried over unless earned in a race with 3's. Not that I've really looked into it.[/s]
Quick bit of googling, looks like Rossp is right. You lose the points you used to gain 3rd and carry over the rest.
@mrblobby have you got a link, my google skills are lacking today 😆
Not that it makes much of a difference to be honest 😛
Not being impatient here but:
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😈
I've lurked on this thread since it started.
Keep up the good work and congratulations Nathb on your imminent promotion (I'm sure you've passed me a few times in Watopia).
My own racing is going to be largely triathlon flavour this year, but thanks for the inspiration.
Matt
I looked at that on YouTube MrBlobby and the first video I found was a crash at the finish line 😀
I know it's hard work and all that but I'm not sure why roadies are so desperate to lay down all the time!!!
😆
HANG ON
crosshair, you've not told us what you're buying yet
Well I'm sure I've done wetter colder races in the past but if so I've blocked them from my memory as being too horrific to remember.
Pimbo is a short, almost flat circuit round some industrial estate service roads in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. It's not glamourous at the best of times but it's a really popular circuit cos traffic is virtually non-existent on a Sunday and it's all one-way roads - no oncoming cars to worry about!
80 people lined up in the 3rd/4th Cat race in drizzly grey cold conditions for 50 miles. By the end of lap one, people were pulling out and this continued all the way through the race.
I dropped out after 12 miles, too cold to brake or change gear. I went back to the car to change gloves and after a couple of laps out (it's only a 3-mile circuit), got back on and joined in again which the Commissaires were OK with.
The bunch continued to get whittled down and at some point a break of 6 went, then 3 chasers. The rest of us just sat there - no-one could be bothered even trying to chase and people were dropping like flies. I bailed again with about 6 laps to go, the supposedly waterproof replacement gloves having long since objected to the unfair description of what waterproof was supposed to be. The weather was only getting worse as well.
After getting changed I went back to watch the last lap and saw a depleted bunch of 18 have the most half-hearted sprint for 10th place you could imagine. When I returned to my car, one of the racers who had finished was trying to get into his own vehicle but he was shivering so violently he couldn't even get the key out of his pocket. I had to open his car for him then I went to mine and got a space blanket for him. He was blue and literally shaking so hard he couldn't open the car door.
80 starters, less than 30 finishers.
The women's race after ours was cut from 45 miles to 25 as it would have been insane to have them out there for any longer. I'd have stayed to watch but I was far too cold for that!
So my record this year is 2 races, 2 DNFs.
Go me!
That sounds horrendous Crazylegs!! Fair play for having a crack at it!!
(I'm wondering if that's the race my cat 2 friend took part in...)
Turns out I can get my heart rate up to 202 varified by 2 HRMs...all that untapped power 😆
Wow! Sounds awful 😀 Big up respect for having a go though!
Scaredypants- it's not very original so I haven't particularly wanted to mention it in Naths thread 🙂
After lots of looking around and weighing up of prices- not to mention stealing all Naths meticulous research, I've ordered the same frame.
I also had a spin on it at Hillingdon and loved how it rode. Ok so no doubt anything else would have felt night and day against the BTwin but for the cash, I couldn't get close. 1700g wheel set and full Ultegra for £1300 all in. And that was without shopping too hard.
STW race team issue bike now 🙂
With some unique styling cues 😆
Some interesting, and horrifying stories up there! Congrats though guys!
I guess here is a good a place as any to ask..Is there any reason not to pick up a propel for this sort of thing?
Thanks in advance!
Also curious as to the team issue bike....!