The Race Reports Thread 2011
Comments
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Hibbs wrote:
Would you look at how much 'training' the Dulwich boys have been doing!
In other news, my race reports from the weekend are on my blog. Far too long and boring to past the lot here. WARNING! ALSO CONTAINS TRIATHLON CONTENT
http://blog.nuclear-dawn.com/2011/03/pa ... triathlon/0 -
Congrats Miles.....when I saw you out last night I didn't realise you had got your first win.Plymouthsteve for councillor!!0
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Nice write up, I really hate missing my way on the bike (especially badly marked out sportivs) you did well to stay so coolSurfr wrote:Hibbs wrote:
Would you look at how much 'training' the Dulwich boys have been doing!
In other news, my race reports from the weekend are on my blog. Far too long and boring to past the lot here. WARNING! ALSO CONTAINS TRIATHLON CONTENT
http://blog.nuclear-dawn.com/2011/03/pa ... triathlon/0 -
Last weekend was a bit of a disaster: my first road race on the open road and I was off the back quicker than I could possibly have imagined. My first mistake was to think there was warm up time after the riders' briefing - there wasn't, so I got to the start right at the back of the bunch. I knew I should try to move up, but I also knew there were potholes on the left (as I'd ridden 80 miles round the course in training) so it was better to do it on the right. Except I was naive enough to think that when they said "don't cross the white line in the middle of the road" nobody would cross it, but in reality plenty did. I didn't fancy doing that so just stayed in the middle where I was.
My clubmate drifted back to find me, had a quick chat and told me to move forward before the hill as it might split there, then effortlessly drifted forward through the pack. I started to move up on the right on a descent, but there were a couple of oncoming cars so I had to ease off. Then we were immediately on the climb and a gap opened in front of me. It's not even a 'climb', to be honest, just a brief effort you can punch up in the big ring, but with a draggy false flat afterwards, but there had been an attack off the front and the bunch was in full cry. The gap went from ten yards, to twenty, to thirty and then suddenly the commissaire’s car came past us (there was another guy desperately clinging to my wheel) and gave us up for dead. We had only gone about four miles!
I chased as hard as I could, but the gap kept widening and after about three more miles the bunch had disappeared from sight. I worked with the other guy for a bit, but he was in a worse state than me and disappeared behind at some point. I did the first 10-mile circuit at 23mph, but the bunch must have been going at 25mph so there was no chance whatsoever of getting back on. I did another circuit desperately trying to chase down another dropped rider who stubbornly stayed about 10 seconds ahead of me for 10 miles. Then I despondently went back to the HQ to call it a day. Except when I got there I found a guy who had had a puncture – he got a spare wheel and was wondering about rejoining the race (although obviously we couldn’t actually contest anything). He had been one of the riders who had attacked off the front when I was busy going off the back. We decided the commissaire wouldn’t be very happy if we interfered with the race, so when the race arrived we let it go past and then chased from behind the cars. I lasted for about 5 miles of this, then lost contact on another uphill section and finally gave up.0 -
Today I went to Hillingdon for the first time and did the 4th cat race. I finished bang in the middle of the bunch. I don’t know my exact position, because the camera at the finish line broke down on the final lap and they were reduced to asking people where they thought they’d come and then trying to verify it from spectator’s photos, but I’d guess about 15th out of about 35ish. Average speed at the end was dead on 25mph.
I think we all finished together, but there might have been a lone breakaway who stayed away: one guy went clear just as I was moving up the bunch and I tried to chase after him but couldn’t reach him and I don’t recall him being brought back. Apart from that there weren’t really any breaks – I joined a couple of early moves, but nothing ever got more than a few yards clear and I decided to just sit in the middle of the bunch most of the time. I’d heard about numerous crashes in bunch sprints at Hillingdon, so I was a bit wary on the final lap, but it was fine – if I race there again I’ll make more of an effort to be further forwards at the end, but today was just about getting my confidence back after last week.0 -
gattocattivo wrote:Today I went to Hillingdon for the first time and did the 4th cat race. I finished bang in the middle of the bunch. I don’t know my exact position, because the camera at the finish line broke down on the final lap and they were reduced to asking people where they thought they’d come and then trying to verify it from spectator’s photos, but I’d guess about 15th out of about 35ish. Average speed at the end was dead on 25mph.
I think we all finished together, but there might have been a lone breakaway who stayed away: one guy went clear just as I was moving up the bunch and I tried to chase after him but couldn’t reach him and I don’t recall him being brought back. Apart from that there weren’t really any breaks – I joined a couple of early moves, but nothing ever got more than a few yards clear and I decided to just sit in the middle of the bunch most of the time. I’d heard about numerous crashes in bunch sprints at Hillingdon, so I was a bit wary on the final lap, but it was fine – if I race there again I’ll make more of an effort to be further forwards at the end, but today was just about getting my confidence back after last week.
Top tip: to avoid crashes in bunch sprints, either be right at the front or right at the back. In the middle is the worst place you can be.0 -
This weekend’s outing was the Thames Velo Road Race (3/4), I love this course but hate the finishing straight. After promising that I wouldn’t allow myself to get boxed in for the sprint, I allowed myself to get boxed in for the sprint. Again. Great race, crap finish.
There was a crash on the final descent of Clare Hill, I hope those who got caught up in it are OK, I heard it was nasty, being at high speed and all that.0 -
i did two races this weekend, first up was the 2,3,4 circuit race at hillingdon, i spent the first 10 or so laps in the bunch so not to burn myself out too soon and see how the race turned out, it wasn't very fast and there wasn't any hard attacks so i decided to move up to the front. As i got there a few riders rode off the front, it wasn't really an attack they just were let a gap so i followed them pulled through for my turn and crank it up a bit but none of them bothered holding my wheel so i then spent a few laps ahead of the bunch on my own not going too hard as there was still about 20 miles to go and i knew i wouldn't stay out the whole time. Eventually as i eased up a bit someone bridged across but he didn't really show any purpose so i just sat on him until the bunch caught us. Then with 14 laps to go my team mate went up the road with another guy, who he then dropped after a few laps so it was down to myself and another team mate to cover any attempts to bridge across, there were a few attempts but nobody seemed willing to do a turn for more than 30 seconds on the front. As my team mate started fading a bit we decided to let one rider bridge across to him otherwise the whole bunch would have caught him. Coming through for the bell lap they had about 15 seconds if that, another rider tried to jump across the gap, i waited and waited until i closed down the gap to this third rider to try and not catch the two ahead and tow the bunch to the finish. With half a lap left i hit the front fairly hard caught the rider who had just attack and drove it to the finish, one rider managed to come around me in the sprint meaning i was 4th and my team mate got 2nd having spent 14 laps basically on his own.0
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i did two races this weekend, first up was the 2,3,4 circuit race at hillingdon, i spent the first 10 or so laps in the bunch so not to burn myself out too soon and see how the race turned out, it wasn't very fast and there wasn't any hard attacks so i decided to move up to the front. As i got there a few riders rode off the front, it wasn't really an attack they just were let a gap so i followed them pulled through for my turn and crank it up a bit but none of them bothered holding my wheel so i then spent a few laps ahead of the bunch on my own not going too hard as there was still about 20 miles to go and i knew i wouldn't stay out the whole time. Eventually as i eased up a bit someone bridged across but he didn't really show any purpose so i just sat on him until the bunch caught us. Then with 14 laps to go my team mate went up the road with another guy, who he then dropped after a few laps so it was down to myself and another team mate to cover any attempts to bridge across, there were a few attempts but nobody seemed willing to do a turn for more than 30 seconds on the front. As my team mate started fading a bit we decided to let one rider bridge across to him otherwise the whole bunch would have caught him. Coming through for the bell lap they had about 15 seconds if that, another rider tried to jump across the gap, i waited and waited until i closed down the gap to this third rider to try and not catch the two ahead and tow the bunch to the finish. With half a lap left i hit the front fairly hard caught the rider who had just attack and drove it to the finish, one rider managed to come around me in the sprint meaning i was 4th and my team mate got 2nd having spent 14 laps basically on his own.0
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i did two races this weekend, first up was the 2,3,4 circuit race at hillingdon, i spent the first 10 or so laps in the bunch so not to burn myself out too soon and see how the race turned out, it wasn't very fast and there wasn't any hard attacks so i decided to move up to the front. As i got there a few riders rode off the front, it wasn't really an attack they just were let a gap so i followed them pulled through for my turn and crank it up a bit but none of them bothered holding my wheel so i then spent a few laps ahead of the bunch on my own not going too hard as there was still about 20 miles to go and i knew i wouldn't stay out the whole time. Eventually as i eased up a bit someone bridged across but he didn't really show any purpose so i just sat on him until the bunch caught us. Then with 14 laps to go my team mate went up the road with another guy, who he then dropped after a few laps so it was down to myself and another team mate to cover any attempts to bridge across, there were a few attempts but nobody seemed willing to do a turn for more than 30 seconds on the front. As my team mate started fading a bit we decided to let one rider bridge across to him otherwise the whole bunch would have caught him. Coming through for the bell lap they had about 15 seconds if that, another rider tried to jump across the gap, i waited and waited until i closed down the gap to this third rider to try and not catch the two ahead and tow the bunch to the finish. With half a lap left i hit the front fairly hard caught the rider who had just attack and drove it to the finish, one rider managed to come around me in the sprint meaning i was 4th and my team mate got 2nd having spent 14 laps basically on his own.0
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Hey nice work, and decent result, well done. What happened in the other race?0
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on the sunday we went down to devon for the kingsbridge 3,4 road race, having spoken to a few locals before the start we knew the course was rolling with the biggest hill coming just after a petrol station, so we decided being hilly it would be a good idea to sit in, however with nobody wanting to ride hard once we got to this hill my team mate rode a fairly hard tempo up the climb then over the top i came around him and drove it hard over the top and down the other side, this split the group about in half after only 3/4 miles of racing, we continued to ride hard at the front with help from a few other guys but then when we got to the round about where the course turned back on itself we noticed our other team mates was way off the back of everybody having punctured and he needed to wait for everyone to come past before he could get a wheel from the first aid car. We decided not to ride on the front with the aim of giving him more of a chance of getting back on, as we were sitting in a mid devon rider went up the road gaining quite a substantial lead on the group as no other teams seems to care that the win was riding away from them, after about 10 miles of sitting in we realised our team mate was unlikely to get back on so we went to the front and started to drag the break away rider back, with only one other rider willing to give the two of us a hand and that only being a brief few pulls it took about 8 miles to get him back(apparently this guy ahead has done a 19 minute 10mile tt). Once we got him back the 11 mid devon cc riders started attacking us but they were fairly easy to keep tabs on.
Coming into the finish a few more riders started moving forward and despite not really knowing where the finish was(i don't think many did) as someone moved to the front on the inside i attacked with a k to go but died about on the drag up hesitated a bit not knowing how far i had to go to the finish then got caught with about 200meters to go, my team mate was a bit boxed in but managed to get 6th.
It was a bit frustrating and looking back i maybe would have ridden differently as i think i was one of the strongest riders in the race, but i can't change that now.0 -
No worries
Did you try to jump across (with a small group) to this 10mile TT guy or did you just work at the front pulling the bunch back up to him? 0 -
we kicked a little bit over the climb but then just ended up towing the bunch back, there was so many other mid devon cc riders getting away with a smaller group was unlikely0
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Made trip from Cornwall to National Youth Series on Sunday, with the races running late due to entry to circuit + heavy showers where they had to sweep course race ended up being two hours late. Did my warm up before first heavy rain shower, thinking we'd be next... Feeling nice and warmed up, they call off the current race, wait for rain to end sweep course about an inch of standing water. Lucky we had a awning. Sit on turbo pedalling for next hour to keep legs spinning. When finally our race, manage to hang in bunch for a couple of laps then get dropped off and lapped, once lapped with some intensity in legs am able to hang on to bunch! Finish race thinking I haven't qualified for final. Then go to watch next heat which a team mate wins, the qualified numbers are shouted when I'm not there. Watch the final, team-mate ends up 10th after puncture but while watching race notice theres guys I beat in the final so think I actually qualified, but didn't race, bit annoying but a lesson to be learnt. Good day out, few niggles to sort out such as my warm up! The race was at Hengrove park which was a tight circuit, but you can pedal through all the corners. Good experience be back next year be on of the older ones so hopefully be more of a force in the race!
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DHTT wrote:Watch the final, team-mate ends up 10th after puncture but while watching race notice theres guys I beat in the final so think I actually qualified, but didn't race, bit annoying but a lesson to be learnt. Good day out, few niggles to sort out such as my warm up! The race was at Hengrove park which was a tight circuit, but you can pedal through all the corners. Good experience be back next year be on of the older ones so hopefully be more of a force in the race!
The conditions from a club mates report sounded horrendous! With as well as the wet mud there were also pothole-y gravel everywhere.
Well done for racing, and next time don't assume you've not qualified - being lapped on a 900m circuit can still have you very close to the top!Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
The conditions weren't great a large down pour before our race, The circuit was quite good, until you got to the back straight which was like riding waves were the tarmacs lifted into triangles disrupted rhythm. Will probably doing another round of National Youth Series at Thruxton so will see how I fare at that!0
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Did the 3/4/J race at Hog Hill this afternoon in gorgeous sunshine. I normally get slaughtered up against 3rd cats, but today went better than usual. I stayed in the bunch for 25 minutes with plenty spat out the back before me, then the guy whose wheel I was on lost the wheel in front and by the time I realised he wasn't going to close the gap I wasn't strong enough to close it down myself. I spent most of the rest of the race in a group of four, with a group of six or seven tantalisingly about 10-15 seconds ahead of us, and the bunch about the same distance ahead of them. After about 45 minutes my legs started cramping horribly on the climb (which I'd been big-ringing because there was a tailwind), and after an hour the leaders finally came round to lap us on this climb: there were still two laps to go, but I just did one more and then stopped so I could watch the finish. There was a women's race going on on the circuit simultaneously with quite a big field - we definitely lapped them at least once, but it was very difficult to tell what was going on in that race as it seemed to fracture into lots of small groups.
Edit: photo here from London Cyclesport
http://www.londoncyclesport.com/index.php?option=com_jphoto&view=image&id=3957:img-3115001&Itemid=79
Me at the front, presumably still just about in the bunch at this stage0 -
Did the 3/4 hainault road race today. The finish is on one long drag up to a bridge over the m11, man that hurt!
I managed to hang with the bunch for all 5 1/3rd laps with attacks going off the front the whole time. On a couple of occasions there was a brief split - but no one was prepared to work together to make it stick so we couldn't get away.
Got my positioning wrong coming into the last climb to the finish and so ended the race well down.
I thought I was feeling strong - but got absolutely destroyed by the end!0 -
Lancaster CC 10 tonight at Salt Ayre (OK, it's not a race, but I did it on a road bike, no TT bike or tri-bars etc., so I reckon I can get away with it
). No wind, but the damp air as the evening drew on really got to my lungs. In the end I clocked 28:49, which is 9 seconds slower than my PB, but I'm pleased with that because for most of the past 6 months I've been struggling with asthma, so I was just hoping to finish and get around 30 minutes. 0 -
Did the 4th cat race in the Eagle crits at Hog Hill and got my best result so far. We started off with a field of 38, but judging from the results the bunch was whittled down to just 18 of us by the end. There were quite a lot of lapped riders and we nearly had a mass crash on the downhill bend (shortly after the finish line going anti-clockwise) overtaking one of them.
With just over two laps to go I tried a dig off the front on the straight before the bottom of the hill. I was hoping two or three would come with me as there was no way I could hold everyone off for two laps, but I looked round at the top of the hill and I was on my own with a gap of maybe 5 seconds. Predictably enough I got reeled back in half a mile later. Then it got a bit cagey and I lurked in second place while everyone looked at each other. Then on the hill there was a big attack which I just couldn't go with and I found myself sinking rapidly back. I chased down the descent at 40mph to get back on and for the first time ever managed to take part in the sprint finish up the 'Hoggenberg', landing 13th place.
Next time round I think I'll finally get some points on my licence: I was only a handful of seconds away from first place and might have got in the top ten today if I'd saved my legs instead of launching that doomed attack (but you've got to try it every now and then).0 -
gattocattivo wrote:Next time round I think I'll finally get some points on my licence: I was only a handful of seconds away from first place and might have got in the top ten today if I'd saved my legs instead of launching that doomed attack (but you've got to try it every now and then).
Well done - good to hear about your progress - and good luck with the points - you're still picking the tough circuits to try and earn the points.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
Just done my first ever race having only started riding in November and man was it hard... Some work to do on Sprint/Recovery, but thoroughly enjoyed it!
Read about it here: http://jbracedominate.blogspot.com/2011/04/lessons-learnt.htmlhttp://jbracedominate.blogspot.com/
My Venture into Racing in 20110 -
My latest musings including a write up of the Somerset Road Club Circuit Races at Ilton today - not a true race report but hopefully interesting nonetheless.
http://mattdowler.blogspot.com/2011/04/ ... lmost.html
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cleeve hill reject wrote:My latest musings including a write up of the Somerset Road Club Circuit Races at Ilton today - not a true race report but hopefully interesting nonetheless.
http://mattdowler.blogspot.com/2011/04/ ... lmost.html
here it is actually happening
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclingmrs ... otostream/0 -
That's the one, I'm in the black skinsuit on the white Canyon 2nd from right, I don't look very happy!0
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Had a crack at my first proper road race today, did the Fareham Wheelers Spring Road Race for 2nd/3rd & 4th cats over 64 miles. Maybe a little ambitious as Ive not been riding a full year yet and only have one other track race under my belt, still, i rocked upto the start line and gave it a go.
The course was a 5 mile loop featuring an uphill drag to start with, a bit of rolling terrain, then a bit of a climb followed by the descent and a blast back along the main road. I was pleased to hang in with the main bunch for the first 3 laps, I felt comfortable rolling along in the group and sprinting out of the corners but on the uphill drag on the fourth lap I found myself rapidly going back through the bunch!! Once back there I discovered a few others that were also getting shelled and rode another lap and a half working with them watching the lead group disappear into the distance!!
On the climb on the fourth lap my calf started to cramp and the legs in general were starting to go so fell off the back again and spent another lap rolling around by myself and upon crossing the finish line called it a day at just over half way. I was surprised however to then see about half a dozen or so come past between 1 and 2 mins behind me so kind of wish I had hung in there!!
I settled in to watch the rest of the race and the lead group of a dozen or so riders were smashing it round after a group of 3 in the breakaway who had about a minute on them. They were reeled back in by lap 8 and the group was down to about 7 or 8. On the final lap 2 had taken a jump somewhere on the course and the fella from Hargroves Cycles took the win.
It was then back to HQ for tea, cake and medals!!I I enjoyed having a go, now to find some 4th cat only races!!!!0 -
Sheffrec CC Spring Road Race
17/04/11
Regional B - 51 miles
Picked up my first win and 15 points towards moving up to 2nd Cat.
This was a fast race on a undualting circuit. The race stayed pretty much together and i sat in the first 10 or so riders watching what was going on. I did feel strong and i made a plan to go with 2/3 laps to go. I attacked on the 2nd to last lap with another lad and we stayed away. We worked well as a pair but i knew i could take him in the finale.
It felt ace to roll over the line with arms raised. We finished just under 30 seconds in front of the bunch.
15 points bagged and £60 for the missus to keep her sweet - you lads with girlfriends/wives will know what i mean
Cheers,
Mark Ollerenshaw - Richardsons RT/Cube0 -
Cornish Series Race 2:
Arrived on the scene at 11:30, signed on set up turbo to get warmed up, race started at 1, Did a few laps of the course to get feel for the day, headwind along runway 12:20- Start warm up 10min spinning + 20 min 10 second effort 50m rest. Ride onto circuit do a final lap with team leader, told to stick on his wheel no matter what. Race started with 2 neutralised laps then we were away, a couple of attacks nothing going anywhere. Then I'm glued on my leaders wheel and he pushes pace on hill, digging in manage to hold wheel, look back to see we have a 10 second gap. 'Go go' I shout letting him know I'm there. He starts to turn on the power, this is hurting. Then I can hear a strange noise. PUNCTURE! DAMN, leader sits up so the lap out doesn't go quick! Ride on a flat back round circuit including a sketchy right hand bend, run down the descent and back on the climb, at Start/Finish line grab my spare wheel bang change. Over to the left, number repinned as had come of on a corner, held up. Lap I'm out race has split! Jake (O+A) + Harry Loader (MDCC) up ahead, I'm put into the second group with a my team mate Joe and Kye (MDCC). The three of us work toghether well, then Joe punctures! Hes back in the race, he attacks then I let a little gap go then bridge. We're away lets get to the finish 15 minutes! We drive it for the next few laps making sure Kye won't get back. In the last lap I said I won't contenst the sprint, as we had agreed pre-race as he was going for the series, he'll pay me back in another race, crest hill for the final time shake hands and let him take 3rd , roll in 4th to learn Jake has won! So 1st (Jake) 3rd (joe ) 4th(Me)0
