Lazonby Road Race Course

DHTT
DHTT Posts: 345
edited June 2013 in Amateur race
Hi just trying to gather some information on this course as the National Junior Championships are on this course in a few weeks I'll be coming up from Cornwall so trying to get some course knowledge before doing a physical recce it the day before, I have found a map of course and gone through it on google street view which is a bit jumpy, does anyone have a video of the course? Plus any advice from previous people's experience of racing there, any danger zones key sectors etc.

Thanks
Duncan
http://duncanheywood.blogspot.com/

Comments

  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    Most of the course is quite flowing, the section on the main road is quite long. Key to this circuit in my opinion is the descent before the left hander onto the finishing climb. You want to be in the first 10 wheels down here each time, particularly for the finish. The finishing climb goes up through the village and passing slower moving riders can be difficult if a reasonable sized group. The line is (as usual) about 200m further on than most people tend to think so timing your finish is pretty important.
  • Thick Tester
    Thick Tester Posts: 380
    Ard as nails,
    Coming from cornwall you should be ok if you live in a rolling part..
    Crosswinds are brutal and be prepared to go round near 90 degree corners with stone walls either side at well over 40mph. Its a proper honest RR course and very very little traffic.
  • DHTT
    DHTT Posts: 345
    Thanks for the information guys, sounds good and hopefully I'll be able to get a good result!
    http://duncanheywood.blogspot.com/
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    DHTT wrote:
    Thanks for the information guys, sounds good and hopefully I'll be able to get a good result!

    Good luck. Smash it. Have a reccy of that final descent onto the finishing climb (presume they'll finish on the climb). If you're in contention on the last lap that could be key.
  • DHTT
    DHTT Posts: 345
    Ok awesome, street mapped it all hopefully be able to get a physical / car recce too but really appreciate all the advice.
    http://duncanheywood.blogspot.com/
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    How was it Duncan?
  • DHTT
    DHTT Posts: 345
    It went ok-ish.. Depends how you look at it really. First lap was a bit of a fight for position with everyone trying to get to the front, I found some good wheels and just made sure I stayed safe, 2nd lap the attacks started to come so I was just making sure I followed any of the big splits, 3rd lap a break had got away and was up the road by about 30-45 seconds with the eventual winner in. There was a big lull in group coming through the down hill S-Bend, I got to the front and decided to try and bridge the gap. I went off the front got a decent gap and a rider from RST came with me, we did a 2-up to get across, got to about 5 seconds off them but no closer, ran out of gas a bit and was recaught by bunch, hoped to recover but counter attack from race favourite strung it out in one long line at mental pace, managed to cling in but then had been too long in red so was put out back on the next steep climb.

    So was a DNF in end, which isn't great but at least I got involved and tried to be part of the race rather than ride negatively in the pack and do nothing. Gives me confidence to try in future. Was hoping to be this weekend at Tom Simpson caught a bug in past few days and now feeling terrible, so few days off the bike to try and recover in time for Belgium.
    http://duncanheywood.blogspot.com/
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    Good effort. It's good to hear you had a go and didn't just loaf about in the bunch all day. I really wonder why some people bother entering races sometimes when their grand ambition is to get to the finish with the bunch.

    Much better to have a proper go at it and actually do some racing. Fortune favours the brave.
    Hope the bug clears up quickly.

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