Ok, maybe this blog thing didn't quite start out as planned. Sort of missed writing up about the last NPS, UXC round and various road races and in fact any semi-interesting thing I've been up to. But rather than leave it until I do something even a wee bit interesting to write about, I thought I'd just go ahead and stick something down for til occupy your precious time.
Shall begin with a little write-up of the Quarry Circuit club road race that I went down to last night. I like this circuit, the start is only 4mile down the road so it's one I can't really make any excuses for not getting to! About 3 miles of the 5mile circuit is a road I ride a couple of times a week to get into town, so I know every pothole and dip which is handy enough when you can't really see infront of you for the sweat in your eyes! Couple of wee kicker climbs and downhills mix it up a bit from the usual drags of circuits and suits me pretty good.
Left the house far too late as usual, so had a solid 4mile time trial to warmup! Down the first hill and realised I'd forgotten to take the huge limiter screw out of my rear derailleur so was going to be stuck in the first six rings of my cassette all night. Faaantastic.
Got to the start, got me name down on the sign on sheet, coat in the back of Ivor's car, and watered the nearest hedge, all in good time for the last minute shout before we were let off, does well! Noticed I'd still got two full water bottles on the bike, but my completely unwise side told me to keep both of them in for the sheer sensation of complete crazyness to the maximum; carrying round an extra 750mls weight on me carbon fibre bike. Na, to be honest I just couldn't be assed taking it out.
Off we went, a fairly large group of shaved legs and lycra on a pain pilgrimage for the line when(if?) the fifth lap came. Hard to believe but I actually enjoy these road races. Well, to a certain extent. I enjoy the speed and excitement from every attack and change in pace, and the occasional bit of craic had between the bunch. Also hard not to enjoy the occasional sideways moment atop 700c wheels and tyres thinner than me finger. Not that I have extraordinarily fat fingers, the point I'm trying to make is that the tyres are pretty thin and sketchy! In most road races I've ever competed in, some hairy bumcheek always ends up shouting at me or someone else in the bunch though. If you're one of them and you're reading this, give it up(give it up, baaaby give it upp) you only look like a complete fool, racing is racing, if someone cuts you off or comes out of their line a little bit in a corner, MTFU.
Back to the race, 1st lap was fairly high pace, strong bunch that worked fairly well together. Myself and a tvr lad shared a good bit of the workload on the front and most other people took their turn aswell. After starting 11mins behind the 1st group we had made 4mins on them as we crossed the line for the first time. Keeping the pace steady, we gobbled up the rest of the groups in good time, and by the last lap most of the strong riders in each group we'd caught were all hanging on to us. With about 4 miles to go we caught the boys on the front, and the intensity began to build.
Coming in to the last corner of the circuit, it's a downhill into quite a tight left hander. Then you rise up from the corner, and it's a good 300m sprint up the road til you reach the line. Unfortunately just before the last hill, I had let two boys come past me with the intention of sitting behind them and then jumping after the corner, but then as I went join back in behind them, the next rider asked me to let him past, I thought fair enough, and let him past. Little did I know/realize that there must have been another 5 riders tight on his wheel, and once I let him past, I had no option but to either Mark Cavendish them out of the way(ever wondered why I wear the pisspot in road races?) or let them through. Cycling club racing rather than MMA club fighting I thought it was probably best to let them through and then see what I could do to beat the fudgers(up) through the corner and up the other side.
As we came down the last hill towards the corner, I hear 'tractor' being shouted. Next thing I get my head round the boy(or the 10 boys that have now got infront and blocked me..) infront and see a flipping tractor coming up the road, right in my line for the corner! Thankfully my bunnyhopping skills are fairly tidy and my bike fairly light, so I knew if the worst came to the worst we could just put all those hours of watching Danny Macaskill into practice and jump the fook off the bike into the hedge. As in most cases in life, the worst didn't come to the worst, and we all squeezed into the one lane to get past the tractor. I then did my best to put the power down around the corner and sprint out of it, but sadly there were no heroics to be seen, (well, other than blocking heroics by some of the other lads coming up the hill!) and I could only salvage a couple of places to end up with a 3rd place on the night. Maybe I should have thrown off that water bottle when I had the chance..
A chat to whoever was standing about and a few congratulations to the boys who got 1st and 2nd and before I got cold me and my 6 gears were back on our way home.
Til next time, Monty.
Ps. Ever tried beans and pork sausages from a can? Don't bother.
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