French racing

[Sylv]

So racing season started last week for me, with the 157km/3100m sportive "la Scott 1000 bosses" in the hills just outside of Lyon. Last year it was cancelled due to freak weather, and it was almost the same this year. Snowfall on the previous day, lots of rain and cold. You could enter at the last minute and even on the day so numbers were down, but we were still about 300 for the longer distance (2000 overall).

[img]http://www.au-primerose-hotel.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cyclo-sportives-1000-bosses-lyon.jpg[/img]

As it started from town centre for the first time, the first 7km were neutralised. Then the hostilities started .. some guy even attacked! Didn't last long, but the pace on the first of five main ascents was faster than I'd expected. On the second climb I even struggled at the back and lost contact with the (depleted - about 20 strong) group within sight of the top of the 6km climb. Two guys caught me there and two of us did a frantic through and off on the descent, we made contact entering a small village. I was pretty worried though!

Between the climbs the pace was manageable but on the next one the fireworks started. The group split in two and I didn't make the cut. By then two guys were also away. We had snow falling off trees onto us, and melted snow on the road! I immediately felt better within this group and started taking turns at the front - we could see the group ahead on the hairpins but soon enough it was clear we wouldn't see them again. Just a few of us were able (or wanted) to work. So on the final climb (still over 30km from finish) I thought i'd push the pace to skim the group a bit. But before that was a long, twisty and dangerous descent and when a couple guys shot off I did too, thinking we might get away there. We did, but the road was long to the base of the climb, and a lot less twisty, so we eventually got caught, and I didn't have the legs then for the climb.

Still we dropped quite a few, and pushed on the mostly downhill road back to Lyon, working quite well together. Then there was a nasty 15% wall and one guy attacked and managed to stay away from four of us, despite working hard to get back to him for the final 6km. We sprinted for the line and I only managed 3rd of 4, finishing 15th, two minutes behind my team-mate (6th), who'd made the first group but then got dropped and rode some miles solo. Winner was Benoit Luminet (9min ahead) who was ranked first amateur rider in the country.

Good hard ride, shame about the conditions, think it was nice in the UK on that day!

[Sylv]

This weekend Trophée cycliste de Lyon.

[img]http://www.ultraboucledelasarra.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/trophee-cycliste-de-lyon-2013.jpg[/img]

This was a 1/2/3/J race, and the categories work differently here. There are two different federations with one providing licences that are roughly equivalent to 4th cat, then with numbered categories, basically 1st is the level below Pro, and include only the top 300 riders in the country. And there were quite a lot of them in that race!

Started on wet roads with a 800m hill climb. Not really my kind of gradient, first bit was about 10% but then quickly went down to about 5%, and you could do it all in the big ring. Still I was disappointed with coming only 32nd/80, 11 sec down. We were a mixed team and others were 24th, 30th, 56th, 63rd.

After lunch we had a 107km crit in town, roughly a rectangle on streets cleared of traffic and with loads of spectators. I'd realised before I last did this kind of thing in Aug 2011, and that was only 1h racing! Pace was fast with 44km/h average and some laps at almost 47, despite the strong wind, which gave a bit of respite inside the bunch on one leg of the course. On the tailwind one though, it was often a long string of riders, super tough. I got some of my crit reflexes back, and soon worked out which side to sit in for the wind. It seemed to turn a bit during the race though!

A few short-lived breaks but all brought back but it was all gearing up towards a massive sprint - and on the same line as this year's tour de France stage no less. A proper sprinting avenue, many riders wide! Bunch was getting nervous though and I decided not to take part if it looked like it was going to be to hairy. But on the penultimate corner I tried one of my special manoeuvres, taking the outside line and managed to make loads of places, finding myself in the top 15, and neatly tucked behind a giant guy. So I went for it, but sadly the guy in front of him lost got dropped after the final corner, which left a long 200m pretty much solo sprint. I got passed left right and centre, but still managed 23rd, pretty happy with that. Team mates that finished were 19th and 33rd. Winner was a local guy who was junior cyclcross world champion a couple years back.

Then today last stage, a 100km crit in another part of town, a much shorted circuit (1.8km vs 3.1) with more corners and requiring a lot more kicks. The pace was frantic from the off with loads of attacks as the GC was all to play for with a few seconds separating the first guys. We'd been gridded according to bib numbers and our team was almost last - on those narrower streets it was almost impossible to make up places, and took me many laps to do so. But it was even windier than yesterday, and required permanent concentration. I couldn't even find time to take in a gel, so focused on drinking loads - lots of powder in my bottles. But I could slowly feel my energy levels going down, some of the corners were almost start-stop when you were in the wrong place, and it was taking its toll. I just wanted to finish, but could feel it was going to be a tall order. Not to help, the pace increased, as there was a break ahead, and the yellow jersey team were trying to bring it back. Eventually I lost a wheel out of a corner, and for 3/4 of a lap gave all I had to come back, which I did, but by then I was so knackered it didn't take long for me to snap again, after 1h40 at 43km/h.

I carried on till the finish, picking a few stragglers on the way, most of them were riding at snail pace though! Got lapped twice (but did a long lap when I failed to take a turn in the haze of my mind). Just one of our guys finished, the others dropped early on. I was ok on the bike but when I got off I felt broke! Hurting everywhere, not able to sit down, and with a mighty cough. So, it was a tough day!

Wednesday is bank here and there is the regional champs, which will be not such a high level, so I might go along to try help the team, if i'm recovered by then!

[Paul H]

Sounds like you need to do more training sylv

[Antloony]

Great write up as usual Sylv. Nice to catch up with your exploits in France. Racing sounds good

[Toks]

Sylv you hard man, I love it. Keep the reports coming. Chapeau

[Phil H]

[quote="Toks"]Sylv you hard man, I love it. Keep the reports coming. Chapeau

[Sylv]

[quote="Paul H"]Sounds like you need to do more training sylv