Cyclopark 3rd Cats: 27th Aug
Toks
Posts: 1,143
September is looming, competitive 3rd cats are getting tetchy. Months of racing and still a little short on points. For some, the holy grail of 2nd catdom is within in touching distance... Oh but the angst and the tedium please let it be over!! Get those bloody points so we can do a proper British sport - summer beer drinking - ha ha - I jest!!
Now apologies to those racing - at the cyclopark today my brakes squealed quite alarmingly throughout the race and I must admit I almost felt like pulling out coz it was seriously off putting -
No ADDISCOMBE Team mates for this one, and just under 30 riders on the start line so bunch navigation even in such blowy conditions was a lot easier. On lap 4 someone from WindyMiller went off on a mission...50 metres maybe...its a bit early though?...The bunch pace is a bit too slow...and what if he stays away?? Hmmm ever the optimist it was time to go anaerobic I got across in just over half a lap but Windymiler man was already in recover mode so I sailed by and went on to do some wind catching on my lonesome
It's been a good few months since my last 2 X 20 - and I was definitly feeling it. Coming up short on threshold power and the windy conditions meant a stay away effort wasn't going to be sustainable.
Thankfully as I started to wind things down two guys bridged across. We barely had enough time to initiate our team pursuit impression before our party of 3 was bum-rushed by a load of other geezers on bikes.
Damn where did the time go? 15 minutes and 5 laps to go. Clearly nobody fancied leaving the bunch today. Lots of tentative digs but no commitment. So...two choices in such a situation. Try again to force a successful break away or try the last lap flyer. Tried the former a few times so I was left with no choice.
I reckon I attacked at least 7/8 times properly in the race. Two slightly wind assisted flyers after the hairpin; up the drag kicks into the finish 3 times and couple of opportunistic surges on the penultimate left hand bend at the bottom - no good! Point grabbing sprinter types and bunch engines were having none if it.
On the penultimate lap from 5-6 places back I kicked hard and the all too familiar "UP UP UP - ON
YOUR RIGHT rang out!! -
Quick glance under my arm and a dark blue skin suit was annoyingly close. I 'd bought the ticket so it was do or die time. If I couldn't shake him off I'd just blow up and drop out of the race...when it comes to sprinting I'm seriously not worthy.
A final last Max effort - blue man still there matching me pedal stroke for pedal stroke. GRRRRR!!! I kept it going past the 30 second mark whilst trying to bamboozle him by violently zig zagging all over the across the track. Yes, finally! - he was gone and there was now 20 metres of clear road between me and the bunch, The thighs were burning and an asthmatic attack felt imminent. I took the fastest line around the hairpin and crumpled my skinny frame into the smallest elliptical shape possible and flew around the rest of the circuit.
Such efforts can't be maintained for long of course and I glanced back to see the pack edging back towards me. The drag to the finish suddenly felt like Col de Joux Plan from this years Etape. No souplesse; I stomped pathetically on the pedals and begged the finish line to appear. Shit it was about 50 metres away... More leg burning stomping and a final breathless surge. Not for the first time I got to raise my the left arm. Another win for the Agreeables (Addiscombe CC)
Now apologies to those racing - at the cyclopark today my brakes squealed quite alarmingly throughout the race and I must admit I almost felt like pulling out coz it was seriously off putting -
No ADDISCOMBE Team mates for this one, and just under 30 riders on the start line so bunch navigation even in such blowy conditions was a lot easier. On lap 4 someone from WindyMiller went off on a mission...50 metres maybe...its a bit early though?...The bunch pace is a bit too slow...and what if he stays away?? Hmmm ever the optimist it was time to go anaerobic I got across in just over half a lap but Windymiler man was already in recover mode so I sailed by and went on to do some wind catching on my lonesome
It's been a good few months since my last 2 X 20 - and I was definitly feeling it. Coming up short on threshold power and the windy conditions meant a stay away effort wasn't going to be sustainable.
Thankfully as I started to wind things down two guys bridged across. We barely had enough time to initiate our team pursuit impression before our party of 3 was bum-rushed by a load of other geezers on bikes.
Damn where did the time go? 15 minutes and 5 laps to go. Clearly nobody fancied leaving the bunch today. Lots of tentative digs but no commitment. So...two choices in such a situation. Try again to force a successful break away or try the last lap flyer. Tried the former a few times so I was left with no choice.
I reckon I attacked at least 7/8 times properly in the race. Two slightly wind assisted flyers after the hairpin; up the drag kicks into the finish 3 times and couple of opportunistic surges on the penultimate left hand bend at the bottom - no good! Point grabbing sprinter types and bunch engines were having none if it.
On the penultimate lap from 5-6 places back I kicked hard and the all too familiar "UP UP UP - ON
YOUR RIGHT rang out!! -
Quick glance under my arm and a dark blue skin suit was annoyingly close. I 'd bought the ticket so it was do or die time. If I couldn't shake him off I'd just blow up and drop out of the race...when it comes to sprinting I'm seriously not worthy.
A final last Max effort - blue man still there matching me pedal stroke for pedal stroke. GRRRRR!!! I kept it going past the 30 second mark whilst trying to bamboozle him by violently zig zagging all over the across the track. Yes, finally! - he was gone and there was now 20 metres of clear road between me and the bunch, The thighs were burning and an asthmatic attack felt imminent. I took the fastest line around the hairpin and crumpled my skinny frame into the smallest elliptical shape possible and flew around the rest of the circuit.
Such efforts can't be maintained for long of course and I glanced back to see the pack edging back towards me. The drag to the finish suddenly felt like Col de Joux Plan from this years Etape. No souplesse; I stomped pathetically on the pedals and begged the finish line to appear. Shit it was about 50 metres away... More leg burning stomping and a final breathless surge. Not for the first time I got to raise my the left arm. Another win for the Agreeables (Addiscombe CC)
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Comments
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Nice write up, and well raced - you deserved the win yesterday. I had secret ambitions of a win for myself, but I am more of a sprinter and not very strong on breakaways. So my heart sank when you attacked that last time and I was still recovering from my last effort. I did a write up too, this is what its like to race against you!!!
https://cyclejames.wordpress.com/2016/08/27/cyclopark-summer-race-series-5-34-and-crits-at-the-park-8-3rd-cat-only/0 -
Hey nice work James - big congrats on making 2nd cat. Really interesting to read your take on the bunch sprint. I'm not sure even if I did have the sprint power I could be assertive enough to make a difference. Chapeau 0
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Cheers Toks. I do enjoy a good bunch sprint, but if I had the engine that you've got I think I'd enjoy making solo breakaways stick for the win even more! See you in the 2nds next year no doubt.0
