Race Reports 2013

wallace_and_gromit

Cat 4s at Dishforth yesterday. My second race after a less than successful debut at York circuit races last month.

Tactics were to stay towards the front until the final sprint, which is pretty much what I did, other than boxing myself in round the penultimate bend, leaving myself too much to do up the home straight. Finished top 10-15. Looking forward to the next one already, though it's likely to be next year.

Great fun and thanks to Ilkley CC for organising the event.

Toks

Aug 16th LVRC Dunton Event 8

Woohoo!...22 minutes into an LVRC crit race at Dunton and I'm out front riding solo; hands are off the hoods and my balance and aerodynamics are ensured by two skinny wrists glued to the centre of the bars. The effort is one I'm familiar with, just like one of those 2 x 20's I was banging out back in January. Only this time I'm not stuck in the kitchen looking at the clock but I'm on a quirky windy 1.7mile circuit watched by a dozen on lookers. Just 45 seconds earlier I'd forced the issue - Jens Voight stylie - rocking the bike and pushing down hard on the pedals. Jesus, I hate that speed sapping banked left hand bend. Its a deceptive little fuhker, a draggy 40 meters at 500+ watts. Ouch! Anyway I descended on to the straight at 30mph and in 5th position; one exaggerated side swipe and a bunny hop over the the lip that separates both tarmacked and concreted bits of the course and I was "whitesnaking it". Yes - here I go again on my own... but for how long?

Well it was only for a lap an a half as it goes. I eventually eased up as one of the bunch engines brought a whole load of forty and fifty something blokes right up to my back wheel. Nevertheless it was a nice confidence booster. Its been more than 2 years since (1) I've ridden competitively (2) I've been free from niggly hip and ankle pain. I say I haven't ridden competitively recently but things around Regents Park in the last three months have resembled unofficial mini races on some evenings... lol

Anyway that sameness and predictability we get when training isn't there when it comes to racing and perhaps that''s part of the attraction. As a slow-twitcher without team mates I tried my best to cover all the bases. As well as trying to transport myself up the road when ever the opportunity presented itself I kept my eyes on all the Eagle CC boys, the rather sprightly API guy and the jumpy chap from Southend Wheelers.

Now like many crit races this one had bunch finish written all over it. Even still it would be important to pay attention in the last 4-5 laps, right? Coz...if you didn't a couple of guys could just slip away just before the 3 laps to go board went up. Did I say a couple of guys could just slip away? Er...yeah? Off they went into the lovely summer night. Was anyone gonna chase? We're they heck! I had half a match left to burn and tried but 'breakway haters-r-us'' jumped all over me. Oh well, bunch finish for me then. Roll on race number two ;-)

Toks

LVRC Hog Hill: August 18

Unlike Dunton, Hog Hill demands greater technical ability from its racers. I didn't quite have that ability today. Just a cursory glance at my performance must have been amusing to watch. How I never got dropped in the first six laps I don't know. My problem? - cornering! A lack of racing over the last 2 years has robbed me of confidence so I was quite tentative both on the wide off camber sweeping bends and the one 90 degree left hander. Inevitably this led to huge gaps opening up and me pedaling frantically - wasting valuable watts - just to maintain contact with wheels ahead.

The race was lively to say the least; that's what ya get when close to forty odd OBG's (Oldie But Goodies)who have nothing better to do on a Sunday morning than thrash around a snakey circuit in Essex. I think two London Phoenix guys+1 were the first to really get going. They seemed to have a few laps on their own before being brought back. While I 'struggled' at the back I could also see Mike Holloway (Southend Wheelers), Damien (EagleRC), Dave Farrow (Eagle RC) and Bob Downs (Condor) all have a few digs but with such a fresh legged pack nobody was going nowhere; at least not for now

Meanwhile I was tiring of my mini sprint sessions at the back of the bunch and took advantage of a let up in pace and had my first dig. Blimey, it almost killed me! The view from the front of the bunch was preferable - choosing your own lines seemed to be so much quicker - but it cost me and I went right to the back to lick my wounds and recover from oxygen dept. A few laps later we left the lower circuit for a preem up the hill. I recovered well from my first effort and was only 3 places back from the first preem. By the 2nd ascension of the climb some 20 minutes later I was feeling good and ready to party at Threshold.

One launch in superman mode and I was away for a lap - bunch engines purred noisily behind me but didn't roll thru. The pace dropped so off so I went again - another lap and I purchased a 10 second gap for my troubles. Some of the big dawgs rolled past, Damien (Eagle RC), Bob (Condor) Phil (Southend). A quick glance back and the gap had been closed. Damn those horrible pack spoil sports; to ensure the split I went for a possibly a suicidal move . I hadn't quite recovered but was convinced drilling it on the front for another half a lap would do the job; well... by the time I had recovered there was indeed a seperation and 3 guys were away. Excellent! I then watched Phil Holloway (Southend Wheelers) and Dave "I-never-miss-a-breakaway- Farrow" (Eagle RC) bridge across to them. Damien (Eagle RC) is also a whiley old fox and immediately made his bid to join the exclusive party now taking place some 70 meters up the road.
A lap later I tried too but the bunch-engines wanted to come with me. Now I'm all for inclusion as a policy but towing people across to promising looking breakways is clearly not the done thing; I swung off and ignored the cussing from behind. The breakway teased us for a while with tantalizing rotations; then finally and irreconcilably they showed us all the middle finger and slip away.

Someone from Glendene tried to organise a chase. "Come on lads lets work together " I returned to my inefficient riding at the back of the bunch and brooded to myself for a few laps. Once again Glendene guy tried to engender a collective effort but the bunch was hampered by the big 3 - excessive blood lactate, muscle fatigue and threshold limitations. I glanced down at the watch 55 minutes - not long to go. Once again I tried to make friends with the wind and left the bunch. When I glanced back after half a lap I was pleased - not a single MAMIL insight; bang on my threshold, I pressed on. After what seemed liked forever (X number of laps) the lapboard appeared showing the number 5. By the bell lap I was about 15 seconds down on the break; with half a lap to go I watched as two riders (Bob and Phil) jumped away to duke it out for the win. I finally caught the rest of the break at the beginning of the climb. My anaerobic tank was empty of course and all four rider pulled away. 7th place for me; getting better ;-)

Toks

LVRC: Hog Hill (07.09.2013)

Ground hog day again – the bunch all lined out and yours truly at the back trying to reconnect after the left hand switch back. Eight seconds of pain, a smidgen over 700 watts and I’m back behind the Cyclos Uno rider that gapped me after the turn. Shhit, my refusal to practice sprinting continues to be my Achilles Heel in criterium races. Out front, this automaton on wheels is absolutely killing it. In theory a circuit featuring so much headwind shouldn't allow someone to ride away from the bunch in the first few laps and take the win. It's not as if us mortals in the bunch were riding at club run pace either. Nevertheless, the automaton, bionic man or to give him his official name, Antony Wallis (Cyclos Uno) continued to kill us softly. Singularly none of us had the threshold power to get close; and collective, team and two-up efforts were also sadly lacking in juice. Once the lap board went up with five to go, I jumped, the big guy in green followed. We took turns for 2 ½ laps, three others crawled across, they sat on, I got dropped briefly, then chased back and annoyingly I crossed the line 7th again. Oh well, 3rd B cat so got some prize money ;-)
Average Watts 3.75w/kg
Average Speed: 24.5mph

proto

Toks, bit late in the season for many more, but love your reports. Keep going please.

outofpuff

Yes great write up again Toks...I feel I living every lap with you, without the effort or pain of course.

Toks

Thanks a lot guys, I'm glad you enjoy the reports. I've got a club race (Addiscombe CC) next weekend and the last race of the season -an LVRC Road Race on October the 6th. So perhaps there will be one more hard-boiled, slightly amped up account of me pretending to be a half-decent Road Racer :oops:

Toks

Nothing to report apart from a DNF. After a week off its time to get my winter training head on :evil: In the meanwhile, check out Tao Geoheganhart's blog for some of the best race reports I've read in a while
http://taogeogheganhart.blogspot.co.uk/ ... chive.html

DavidJB

Time for the 2014 race reports now ?

okgo

Aye, but I don't think there is much of note happening till March on the road?

DHTT

First Crit Feb 9th, 3 weeks of Handicap RR's then the proper Road racing begins.