Back To It

A serious lack of motivation has been the main cause for not updating this blog. Inbetween cycling, racing, travelling, moving, studying and romancing I haven't had much time to do anything else. However, I feel my absence from this blog has stretched to an annoying period of time. I occasionaly visit it to look at how I've progressed since my junior days and think it's about time I gave it a spring clean and updated the wallpaper.

I'll start from where I left off last year.

The Rutland Classic ended in disaster. I was yo-yoing in the peleton, moving my way up to the top 10 to dangling at the back again and again, like a broken record. There were 150 riders in this race and compared to my usual field of sixty to seventy I was in serious intimidation territory. For the first part of the race, fitness wasnt too much a problem. I was capable of staying near the front but the chimp kept escaping from its cage, causing me to feather the brakes and slip into the embrace of the bunch. This race ended for me when I was caught up in a crash at around 45km in. I didn't come off but was held up by a crash which caused riders behind me to plough into the back of my bike. A puncture, broken spoke and a minute wait for a spare wheel put an end to my chances of at least making it to the first off-road section. Even my team managers attempts to tow me back behind the team car at close to 45mph at times didn't have much effect. The bunch was winding up for the first intermediate sprint so as I increased my speed, the peleton to no doubt was upping the ante. Not a great introduction to my first UCI race but I enjoyed it whilst it lasted.

Racing at York Sport

Continuing on, during the rest of the year I won an E/1//2/3/4 on the Saxton course from a downhill sprint. Difficult as I started this sprint from over 300 metres out, and on 52/11 gears! Somehow I managed to hold it to the line, my first win!
I won a further 5 races on the new York Sport circuit, in a variety of elite of second cat races. In the races I lapped the bunch.

Win at York in a 2/3/4.

Sprinting for 3rd in an E/1/2.

One-two with team mate Billy.

Win at York. The 'fishing rod'.

The sweeping hair pin bend at York is perfect for my small frame and aggressive position.

Tour Series team.

Half way through the season Dirtwheels snagged a guest spot in the Redditch round of the Tour Series.This was my second appearence on the national stage and was slightly more succesful than my Rutland adventure. I hung onto the very elite group on a hilly course for 35 minutes. Yo-yoing off the back. Getting dropped on the hill but getting back on the corners. I eventually got dropped and lapped by the break, in the process cheekily coupling onto the back of the trio, in full view of the TV cameras.

In action at the Tour Series.

In August I spent two weeks traversing various Cols around Lake Annecy in the French Alps. The weather was great, I got a tan, ate amazing food, all in the pleasant company of the King family who put up with my antics for the entire fortnight. Cols of note I climbed during my time included the Madeleine (2000m), Semnoz (1699m), Forclaz (1157m), L'Arpettaz (1581m), L'Epine (987m), Colombière (1613m) and many more.

Top of the Semoz.

Sign On At Rutland Melton CiCle Classic

Calpe - Col Du Tudons

Long Overdue Update

Bit of a rest week for me now, I think I need it. Motivation has been lacking and I've been knocking out twenty hour weeks on the bike previously so in tradition of my training 'regime' I've decided to call an impromptu easy week.

Since the year's began, I've done three races. The first one was BBM's spring road race over Selby way. The area was in a little pocket that wasn't too badly hit by the unseasonal snow but on race day it was still bitterly cold. Towards the end of the race by feet had gone numb and was impairing blood flow to the rest of my legs! Anyway, I got into the break on the second try and we stayed away. I was the strongest rider in the break, a good sign after a winter of steady, long rides and a glorious and much missed week in southern Spain. However, I bit more than I could chew, my head was bigger than my legs etc and I popped with too laps to go, from, doing too much work! Billy, my team mate was also in the break and he got 3rd after being outfoxed by a duo from BikeBoxAlan.

My second race was the very, very (bloody horribly) windy Sheffrec Elite road race. Once again I got into the race winning break, but the five pro's that were sitting on my wheel came over the top of me on the little incline before the finish, into the vicious crosswind. The last one pulled the ripcord for my parachute and I went back through the five echelons that hard formed behind and eventually pulled out. I felt tired, I admit, but the way I blew was spectacular. It was the first ever race I had to pull out of due to a lack of my ability. A huge blow to my confidence.

My third race was on the UCI Europe Tour, the Rutland Melton CiCle Classic. The team was taken down south and treated by Neil to a night in a surprisingly well kept Travel Inn. Race day came and the nerves started to creep in. On the start line we were surrounded by the creme de la creme of the British domestic racing scene, however this didn't unnerve me. It was the sheer size of the field that I was worried about, 160 of us packed at the start like lambs to the slaughter. What were we doing? We didn't belong here. We were a bunch of jokers, riding our bikes and happened to be half decent where we came from.
The race started and it was silly fast. I was constantly moving towards the front to stay out of danger, not easy when the bunch was easily cruising at 45-50kph. It was a 115 mile battle for survival, never mind about attacking! I was around towards the back and started to move up when a crash blocked the road and I melted my tyre to the inner tube skidding to a halt. Unbeknown to me at the time, I picked my bike up, skipped over bodies and wheels and jumped back on. Someone had gone into the back of me and a spoke had snapped, rendering my wheel useless. I waited by the side of the road for a minute and a half for neutral service but by that time the damage had been done. The team car tried drafting me back, but at 60kph you can only smash yourself for so long. My last hope was to get back through the traffic and convoy behind the race but my little ragtag group of casualties where sent the wrong way and so the race was over for good.
Team captain Mark Perry held in for as long as he could but with two punctures, and the chases back on, proved too much and he pulled out an hour before the finish. Ian Wilkinson won a spectacular sprint finish from the break to take his second title.

This weekend I've got two regional races, no professionals in them, so hopefully I can get some good finishes.

I haven't updated this blog for a while for one reason really, and that being me not doing too good in road races!
Luckily, I've got some publishable results since Otley.
First up is this week's race at Tameside on the Tuesday. Tameside is a very narrow and twisty circuit, and I've mentioned to a few people its like someone with a Scaletrix kit without any straight bits. In my first race on this circuit (the week before) I avoided two crashes and on one instance a rider fell onto my front wheel. Divine intervention must have been present because how I kept the bike up I will never know! The second crash happened on the last corner of the race. In had been raining and the rider in front of me kit the deck. The rider behind me panicked and forgot to turn, and ploughed straight into the perimeter fence. He was still KO'd when I came round on my warm down lap.

The next week, I went into the race with a few rules. The main one being stay top 10 at all times and on the last lap its better to go on the front than succumb to a crash and a broken collarbone!
The race was fast, very aggressive but also very elastic. All attacks were eventually brought back until an opportunistic youth A rider counter-attacked in the closing few laps. By the time we realised he was actually a strong rider it was too late and he won comfortably by 20 or so seconds. I came across the line 4th in the bunch kick.

The next day Wakefield beckoned for the Wakefield CC Midweek RR 2. Dirtwheels Cycles dominated this race from the off and half way through Graeme Rose and Matthew Bulmer snuck away on the fast straight and pulled out a demanding advantage over the short drag. Once they were out of sight the race was won. Alex Mitchell of We ♥ Mountains sprinted early and kept his speed to fnish 3rd. I was too far back to do anything and rolled across the line a disappointing 14th.

Today (Sunday), I travelled over to Boroughbridge to compete in Clifton CC's road race.
The circuit was flat, and had noticable winds in places. An early attack by Mike Marshall from the gun had the peleton flapping behind. Many people attempted to bridge but Mr. Marshall was too much of a monster and stayed away by himself for almost a full lap (8.9mile). Sensing that this may be a promising move I had a go at bridging. I opened up a gap and quickly got half way across. Then my legs thought better of it and gave up. My mind however was more determined and I fought claw and nail across the remainder of the deficit onto Mike's wheel. Here I took a few moments to compose myself but when I looked back to analyise the gap the bunch was breathing down our necks and I thought better of coming through. The next hour was fairly frustrating as the bunch refused to let anyone go. After a few early moves on my part and with no success I indulged into the armchair of the bunch.
Two more Dirtwheels riders had a bash at getting away and this time they succeeded. They disappeared out of sight and the bunch's hopes evaporated.
With two laps to go I followed a move by Nick Armistead (Yes, related to Lizzie) down a fast decent with a tailwind to a small group of hard working riders. Nick, however had other ideas and went straight past, in the hope that the bunch would be happy with the catch of the bigger group and ease off. A rider from the little break came to the front to do some work but completely overcooked a corner and kit the curb. I, sensing the confusion to come, powered round the corner and kept the speed up and me and Nick got a small gap over the non-plussed peloton. A few riders, including Giles Pidcock came across and I started barking orders to get everyone working smootly and quickly. We stayed away for half a lap but the bunch was more determined than us and caught us down a narrow wooded straight. Satisfied with their kill the bunch eased up. I was about a bike length off the front at this point and saw the opportunity. Slyly, I upped the tempo just a little bit and did a soft-attack (my favourite) and fairly quickly established an impressive lead for such little effort. Two riders, (Mark Perry of Dirtwheels and James Baillie of Langsett) came across and we started working as a solid unit. Three more riders (One being David Shackleton)  bridged and I once again took up the job of drill saergant as I barked out orders to get everyone working. We built up an impressive lead and within half a lap had the two lead riders within our sights. Half a lap later we caught one of the leaders. Mike Marshall's previous efforts proved to be his undoing and could do nothing as his teammate Graeme Rose powered on. With about two miles to go David Shackleton attacked and took another rider with him. They caught the lone leader and continued. Knowing that this move was too dangerous to let go I attacked but only got half way across before the wind laughed at my mortality and eroded the energy in my legs.
The remainder of the break pulled me back and another counter attack came. I tried to latch on but the speed in my legs had packed its bags and left for drier climes. Undettered I fought back and we all came together as one unit to the bottom of the finishing hill. Graeme and David started the sprint and got a gap. No-one wanted to chase from such a long distance left to sprint so I wound mine up. I approached the tiring Graeme and sensed an acceleration from behind, so I kicked again. Unfortunatly the line was just a bit too close and I couldn't come round the last too riders. David Shackleton rode across the line a proud man with his arms in the air. Graeme Rose gasped across second and I grunted across 3rd.