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General Category => Road Races => Topic started by: Paul Nicholas on March 13, 2016, 05:49:34 PM
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Nice and sunny this morning, Short shorts on and over shoes left at home. Had no clue what to expect today, although Steven had given me a few helpful pointers that got me through the experience (I listened to most of them!). A bit more stop start than I expected and lots of freewheeling, couldn't really get a rhythm going. I was basically in the cheap seats most of the race trying to avoid a visit to the bike shop. I knew I should be up in the first 10-20 riders but this was easier said than done! I managed to avoid 2 crashes on the first lap one which was a close call, that was the worst thing about the race and really threw me. Felt weird passing riders on the floor and not stopping but that's racing I guess. The race was stopped at the end of the first lap, black flag. Everyone got told to sort it out, before we started Lap 2.
Second lap was a bit more sensible, I felt a bit more comfortable on this lap and started to move up on the outside and following some wheels. A group of riders split somewhere around Death Valley on this lap. Coming off the roundabout at Llantwit I decided to move up to the front and had a punt at catching the riders coming into Cowbridge, it was too windy and a really stupid move (I should have listened to Steven's advice, but it was fun while it lasted!). The group caught me and I stayed at the front and recovered coming into Lap 3.
There was another close call on lap 3 with a crash along the coast road. I got a feeling at this stage that everyone had been saving themselves for the final climb, and waiting for the group in front to pop one by one. Coming onto the A48 on the final climb I tried to move up on the outside but just didn't have the legs in the last couple of hundred meters and popped off the back of the main group. I lacked fitness and had to move from too far back at the wrong time. The group surged forward and I couldn't recover enough to go again. In the end I came in 18sec behind the winner in 32nd place.
Well done to the Bristol rider who won it Ross Phelps.
I think I enjoyed it, it's not nice being around riders coming off their bikes, but the experience of riding behind the cars and having the motorbikes whizzing past and crowds supporting you along the way was worth it.
The pace of the thing threw me as I thought it would have been a lot smoother by the second lap with the pace increasing to drop people off the back. You could easily swing out to the right and ride up to the front, and on every climb the pace just seemed to fall away. Saying that I was just getting dragged around for most of the race so who am I to judge!
Thanks to Cardiff Ajax for organising a really well run event. All the staff were really helpful and friendly at the HQ and the event was really well marshalled.
I'm having some beers next week, a rethink, then back on it. Have a good time in Mallorca!
Ta
P
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Great report and well done!
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Second that - a very good read.
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A really good write-up Paul. Well done for having the guts to have a go at road racing and describing it so well. I look forward to reading your next report.
Mark