Race Reports 2013

DHTT

Well I've had 2 proper races so far, they've been ok. Anyone else started their season yet?

My most recent race was the Springtime Pursuit 2 which is here:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ber-2.html

DL1987

First race yesterday down at the Forza Llandow crit. Lasted two laps before being spat out the back of the lead group, but luckily found myself with a group of 5 or 6 others which I worked with to get through to the finish. Thoroughly enjoyed myself and know what aspects I need to improve on for the rest of my season.

okgo

I've only done a TT so far, but all of my races etc will be in my blog (in sig) as usual. Hopefully some decent results this year with any lucky.

DHTT

I raced the third and final pursuit this weekend. Please check it out :-) Managed 18th after it all came back together which considering it was up against a field of 80+ In the finish I'm quite pleased with.

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... its-3.html

calbelfield

Had my first race today at the Tameside Cycle Circuit (4th Only) was hard work with the wind but was a great race, came 7th. Report from my POV: http://thesegmenthunter.blogspot.co.uk/ ... -wind.html

everydayimriding

did my first Cat3/4 at Darley Moor on Saturday. Enjoyed it, much better standard than I was expecting, very windy, lots of expensive bikes and kit on show (I was the only one to rock up in an Aldi top). Was comfortable enough staying with the bunch but didn't have the legs to contest a sprint despite positioning myself quite well. Looking forward to next week but expecting the same again.

wilky27

calbelfield wrote:

Had my first race today at the Tameside Cycle Circuit (4th Only) was hard work with the wind but was a great race, came 7th. Report from my POV: http://thesegmenthunter.blogspot.co.uk/ ... -wind.html

That's me you're following in the picture. I hope it wasn't me you was referring to as the wrong wheel to follow :x

Only kidding, mine was definitely the wrong wheel. It was also my first race, but I got lapped, twice. Well done on getting 7th pal!!

samg123

We've been racing since February- various reports here: http://www.uobcc.com/results.html

calbelfield

wilky27 wrote:

calbelfield wrote:

Had my first race today at the Tameside Cycle Circuit (4th Only) was hard work with the wind but was a great race, came 7th. Report from my POV: http://thesegmenthunter.blogspot.co.uk/ ... -wind.html

That's me you're following in the picture. I hope it wasn't me you was referring to as the wrong wheel to follow :x

Only kidding, mine was definitely the wrong wheel. It was also my first race, but I got lapped, twice. Well done on getting 7th pal!!

Hahaa well found! As long as you had a good-ish time I think thats all that matters, it felt really good to experience so Im sure you'll feel the same. Are you going to do the one next weekend? I was planning on doing but I've been bogged down by some virus-y feeling illness since monday (may have been the cold on sunday, not sure) so might have to give it a miss .

wilky27

No I can't make the next, it's the same day as the Cheshire Cat sportive which I've entered. I'll be doing the Tuesday night ones though!!

DHTT

My first race report of this weekend, will try to get the Brentor one up later. My first attempt at an E12 race:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ace-1.html

glasgowbhoy

Raced in the Maureen Bain Memorial E/1/2/3 on Saturday with the likes of big Maggie Backstadt and Dean Downing. Tough course and conditons. 4 times up the Ryals.

DHTT

Glasgowbhoy wrote:

Raced in the Maureen Bain Memorial E/1/2/3 on Saturday with the likes of big Maggie Backstadt and Dean Downing. Tough course and conditons. 4 times up the Ryals.

How did you get on?


Also the second installment of this weekends racing can be seen here, it was the Brentor Stage race I was holding off in hope of finding some pictures but no luck yet:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... e-234.html

glasgowbhoy

DHTT wrote:

Glasgowbhoy wrote:

Raced in the Maureen Bain Memorial E/1/2/3 on Saturday with the likes of big Maggie Backstadt and Dean Downing. Tough course and conditons. 4 times up the Ryals.

How did you get on?


Also the second installment of this weekends racing can be seen here, it was the Brentor Stage race I was holding off in hope of finding some pictures but no luck yet:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... e-234.html

All got lined right out as Maxifuel were instructed to shut down the break on the 3rd of 4 laps at about 55 miles and was in the gutter in one of 3 groups. Snapped before the climb. Will see where I was once results are out (if they ever post more than the top ten) Not many were left at the end. It was only my 2nd race of the season in probably the toughest field I'll race against,so, I'm sure the suffering was good training for races where I hope to be challenging.

gattocattivo

My season's been very slow to get started after snow cancellations and stuff. I got tonsilitis before Easter and only finished the antibiotics on Thursday so I wasn't go into this with any great expectation, but just wanted to get some racing in my legs. Drove over to Hillingdon and got held up on the North Circular - only just made it in time (I got onto the circuit about a minute before the race was due to start). There was a big field (maybe 60?) for a 4th cat race and maybe 20 women riders in a separate race set off a minute behind us.
It was very sketchy today: one guy was lapped after just 2 or 3 laps and caused havoc, we must have come past him at least five times by the end. After maybe 30 minutes or so there was a crash, a guy in pink got brought down (but somehow rejoined later on) and I had to escape onto the grass. Then we had to overtake the women's race on the chicanes. Then with 4 or 5 laps to go there was a nasty big crash with bikes flying everywhere (in exactly the place where I was brought down in a crash two seasons ago: viewtopic.php?f=40041&t=12761673&start=222 . Again, I managed to escape onto the grass and chased back on. As we came round a lap later I think there were still some casualties lying in the road and then suddenly there was another big crash in the bunch. Again, I had to go cross-country and then chase hard to get back on. By this point I was expecting a crash on every lap so I'd lost any appetite for a sprint and just rolled in at the back of the bunch.

Toks

Jesus what a terrible race!...Are the race organisers giving enough advice to people at the start of the race? On my first ever race as a 4th cat at Hillingdon I remember one of the organisers saying "Everyone has to go to work on Monday so don't do anything in the race that you wouldn't want done to you" If you're nervous stay near the back and use it as experience, follow the racing line blah blah etc" Maybe they should put a 'spotter' to help out in 4th cat races when there are such large fields. I hope all involved in the crashed are OK

proto

Hmmmm. I was brought down in the crash with 2 (or 3?) laps to go, on the downhill section. Not sure what happened but I saw a couple ahead of me on my left wobble into each other, then the guy front and left of me tumbled off his bike and hit the tarmac in front of my wheel. Nowhere to go, braking as hard as I could in the time available (not much), hIt him and went over the bars. Cuts and bruises, walking wounded, but my LOOK 586 is totalled, carbon drop out is snapped off and I'm informed these can't be fixed. Not a happy bunny at all, it'll cost me £2000 for a replacement. Particularly pissed off as the crash was really nothing to do with me, an innocent bystander you might say. At least no broken bones which would have been disastrous, but I did see an ambulance there afterwards, so maybe someone was not so lucky. Anyone know anything?

The riding was again shocking, the worst I've seen there. People just down seem to understand (or care) that if you try to go for the apex from an outside position somebody down the line is going to get squeezed, and I suspect that is what happened yesterday, several times. Three crashes?

As an observation, From a racing point I like the clockwise direction, but the anticlockwise races seem to stretch the 4th cat field a bit more and in my opinion seem a bit less crowded, and thus safer.

jibberjim

First sunny and warmish day of the year... often seems to have good sense leave the fields unfortunately and you get lots of crashes. I heard of at least one broken collarbone in the crashes. But it's mostly just sense and lack of risk awareness. It's hard enough to get club run guys not showing a complete lack of sense when there's a lot more margin for error.

Longcross today from the sound of things had a crash in the womens 3/4 but not one in the mens 4th's with 90+ in the field, so hopefully it won't take too long to calm down, Longcross is an even easier circuit than Hillingdon too to stay on, but pretty technical and easy to get wrong with gearing on the rollers or just fear on the fast descent. Or maybe it was just luck!

jibberjim

jibberjim wrote:

Longcross today from the sound of things had a crash in the womens 3/4 but not one in the mens 4th's with 90+ in the field, so hopefully it won't take too long to calm down, Longcross is an even easier circuit than Hillingdon too to stay on, but pretty technical and easy to get wrong with gearing on the rollers or just fear on the fast descent. Or maybe it was just luck!

Okay... but the 3rd's had 3 crashes, and the race stopped to be shouted at by the Commissaires... So no better...

gattocattivo

Sorry to hear about your bike, proto. I think that's the way it goes (re: it not being your fault) - once one rider goes down in the middle of a pack their bike goes flying randomly and can take out anyone nearby. After being taken out this way myself I hate riding bang in the middle (even though it's easier) as I don't feel I've got any escape route. Re: bad riding, I noticed several people just before the tight left hand bends who tried to flick out to the right first and then cut in tighter - fine if you're on your own, but not sensible in the middle of 50 others.

DHTT

My bad luck continued at National events with the Junior Tour Of Mendips. Hopefully that'll it be the last of it and it will go right one day:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ndips.html

samg123

DHTT wrote:

My bad luck continued at National events with the Junior Tour Of Mendips. Hopefully that'll it be the last of it and it will go right one day:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ndips.html

Are you going to make the Newquay Velo RR? Saw your name on the startlist but the frame issue sounds pretty terminal!

calbelfield

A great day of racing yesterday at the Lewis Balyckyi Memorial Crits in Blackpool. The 3/4 race from my perspective: http://thesegmenthunter.blogspot.co.uk/ ... orial.html

oldhairylegs

jibberjim wrote:

Okay... but the 3rd's had 3 crashes, and the race stopped to be shouted at by the Commissaires... So no better...

It was carnage in the 3rd cat race at Longcross today. 3 big crashes, many riders (and bikes) messed up, two of my clubmates taken to hospital with broken bones and much of this caused by riders who don't understand that you have to ride a constant radius around corners when riding in a bunch. Unfortunately, the culprits usually escape the mess they have caused behind them as they cheerfully sprint from apex to apex.

Such a shame as this is a great racing circuit, but after today, Surrey League will probably not be invited back for a while.

DHTT

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ndips.html[/quote]
Are you going to make the Newquay Velo RR? Saw your name on the startlist but the frame issue sounds pretty terminal![/quote]

I've managed to borrow my mate's bike which is luckily exactly the same frame so am hoping to be there :-) I rode it yesterday, just got to tilt bars down and it should be fine.

maryka

oldhairylegs wrote:

much of this caused by riders who don't understand that you have to ride a constant radius around corners when riding in a bunch.

I often wonder if these people drive cars on the M25 and go around a bend cutting across 4 lanes of traffic to hit the apex... no seriously! Then I see people driving at me in the Surrey lanes and cutting across the centre line to go on the inside of a bend because they can't be arsed/don't have the skills/are going too fast to keep to their side of the road and I realise this is the attitude of many cycle racers too -- they are just ignorant and careless.

jgsi

Surely this has to be a priority for commissaires via good marshalling 'eyes' at these pinch points and start with disqualifying these riders who can cause mayhem?
I know they are vigilant elsewhere like having a word about photo on my licence not up to scratch...

I raced at Sundorne recently but have to admit didnt feel that 'threatened' by poor manoeuvring despite it having some serious cornering requirements.

samg123

DHTT wrote:

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/junior-tour-of-mendips.html

Are you going to make the Newquay Velo RR? Saw your name on the startlist but the frame issue sounds pretty terminal![/quote]

I've managed to borrow my mate's bike which is luckily exactly the same frame so am hoping to be there :-) I rode it yesterday, just got to tilt bars down and it should be fine.[/quote]
Have you done it before? Any tips?
Looks like the roads are nice and wide, with a good grass verge to bail onto

DHTT

Afraid not I'm a first year junior so all the Road race courses so far are new to me until they start to repeat courses later in year as I haven't been able to race open road until this year.

DHTT

My 'local' road race today, some pretty grim conditions but my first race in shorts.

http://duncanheywood.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... lo-rr.html

Lynx_516

Had my second race of the year (and ever) last Saturday. It was a 3/4 race at Hillingdon. My first race was Cat 4 only so I was expecting a tougher race compared to last time.

I was right, with a field of 78 and plenty of Cat 3 guys it wasn't going to be easy. The pace started quickly and stayed high. Every lap someone would try to jump off the front going down the back straight only to be reeled in on the home straight which was straight into a big headwind. This made for some "interesting" situations where the entire field would sit up down the home straight then string out again down the back.

I found it hard to move up in the field, there didn't seem to be many holes with so many riders. As the race progressed the riding got a bit sketchy and I had to take to the grass at one point to avoid being hit by the guy next to me (not their fault). It was good to see people being dropped throughout the ride with about 20 sitting by the side by the end.

One lap from the end I got dropped after getting behind a bad wheel. All in all encouraging that I have the fitness for a 3rd cat race just need to improve the race craft. Looking forward to the next race on Saturday.