ACC Newchapel Handicap 20 May 2010

[George]

Thanks everyone for helping provide a great evenings sport, here are the results from the race.
George
[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/d5ttv.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/30s7iif.jpg[/img]

[EdO]

Cheers for organising this George very agreeable. I thought I made through before the other groups came in but I can't really remember now.

Rocked up at Race HQ 7.08 registered at 7.10 and had my bike ready by 7.14 on the starting line. No warm up although I'd cycled to and from work earlier.
8 laps of a 3 or so miles course was that all I knew. Being a 4th CAT I was in the first group off. was in the lead car. Around 10 in our group. Very relaxed. I think we had two and a half minutes advantage (??) on the next group. There was mainly three or four us rotating at the front. Andy W was chipping in with some strong turns on the front. Pearsons guy was doing alot of work as well.

Course was pretty much flat all the way round with only a couple of rises. Great course. The weather was superb and we were motoring along effortlessly. This is how it's meant to be. I positioned myself in the first 5 and never drop lower than that. Any time the pace dips I'm trying to get on the front to pick it up. 7 laps pass and I'm feeling good. There are a coulpe of attacks up the only rise but they get snuffed out. We're half way round the last lap. Things are looking good.

All the way round I've been hearing a noise. I know what it is but I've chosen to ignore it. I replaced my chain and cassette on Wednesday night but don't remember tightening up the lock ring (12T) properly. It was done in a rush. I would have spotted and fixed this if I'd got to HQ earlier. We're coming up to the final turn 1k to go I change gear then it happens. My cassette comes loose and my chain jams. It's over so I put my hand up. I get a few "ah bad luck mate" going past (and they really meant it) and I'm gutted. After a few moments I get off try and walk back to HQ. Then I pull the chain out and it's going round again so I hop back on. I can hear shouts from the other group behind they're closing in. I spin it for the last 800 meters in a low gear and cross the line before the main pack.

Checked my mobile there's three missed calls from work so I'm straight off down the M23. I'm so preocuppied with work that I don't even have time to get changed or talk to anyone. Not very agreeable so I apologise about that.

Would be good to get a report from one of the other guys as I missed the last bit of action.

[Antloony]

Unlucky Ed, sounds like you could have been up there near the top.

Good turn out for ACC and some nice results. Well done guys, wish I could join you but no where near fit enough at the mo.

*Edit. Sorry, where are my manners. Well done also to George and co for putting on what sounds like a great race.

[Dominic]

Glad it went well. You had a really lovely night for it. Bit miffed that I missed it but family duties called. Did some intervals round there this morning. Not quite the same on your own though.

Unlucky Ed, next time!!

[Sylv]

[quote="EdO"]Would be good to get a report from one of the other guys as I missed the last bit of action.

[Andy W]

I’d also like to say a big thank you to the organisers and helper of ACC for holding a great racing event.

It was my first race on the road (for at least 24 years anyway) having done a couple of circuit races at Goodwood earlier in the season I wasn’t quite sure what to expect last night.

Having rushed back from work in town, literally chucked my bike, hat, shoes – the important bits in the car and headed off. It wasn’t until I arrived at Holmwood that I realised I had left my water bottle at home, and on the hottest day of the year too. Rob W kindly offered me his spare bottle which was gratefully received, thanks again Rob.

We headed off at a good steady pace with myself Ed and 3 or 4 others doing turns on the front to keep the pace up knowing that if we let it drop the chasing groups would soon be on us.

Things were going fine for me apart from the worryingly loud rattling noise I could here every time I took Ed’s wheel (now I know where it was coming from, sorry Ed).
Then when pushing out off a corner of the penultimate lap I cramped up in both legs! I managed to spin it off while remaining with the bunch, and on the final lap, made my way back to the front to do a final turn before the finish. Unfortunately at this point the front wasn’t a popular destination and I ended doing more than I intended on doing.
Maybe it was naivety or knowing that if we slowed we’d be caught - so I kept going until the big chap in the Pearsons kit offered some help. I’ll know better next time when pushing to the front to soon.

Then just as I was getting my legs back a chap from East Grinstead decided to make a brake. We managed to pull him back, then suddenly about 4-5 guys that I hadn’t seen all race appeared from nowhere and out positioned me in to the final corner. I push hard in a seated sprint but didn’t have the legs to get back past them for the final 100 yards sprint.
Mark put in a good sprint at the end to take several positions in the final 50, including one off me.
8th in the end, not disappointed with that, but there’s still a little voice saying you should have done better looser. That’s probably a good thing, it will make me train harder.

On to this Sunday for a SEERL 80K 3/4 cat in Edenbridge with Rob and Toby.

Looking forward to the next Handicap!

Cheers

Andy

[quote="Andy W"]
Things were going fine for me apart from the worryingly loud rattling noise I could here every time I took Ed’s wheel (now I know where it was coming from, sorry Ed).

[Keith]

The 5th(scratch) group only had 2 riders in it, so our 4th group which should have been off at a 6:15 gap got demoted to 6:45.

We got a decent rhythm going, with almost everyone doing their turn. A few gaps, but nothing major. This pace and rhythm was only disrupted as we picked up the 3rd and 2nd groups on the road. People joining the chain, then not riding through and off.

With one lap to go the gap was still a minute to what was reported to be a group of 17 up the road, so the pace backed off further.

A great Millar-esque lead out by Adam on what must have been his last day as an U23 rider - Happy Birthday Ad - got 6 of us a small gap on the bunch at the finish.

Average speed 27mph.

Once again, thanks to George and all the helpers - the race simply can't happen without you.

[Andrew G]

Nice to see this at the HQ, reminded me of all those Bernard Thompson pics of people going to races in the 60s when people couldn't afford cars.
[img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/andrewgreen23/ACCSLHandicapweb.jpg[/img]

From the lead car it looked as Ed and Andy say, only a few doing the work. There were a lot of sitters in and it looked like a few were getting frustrated with them from time to time.

I saw the odd yellow jersey at the front along with Simon (TSN winner), Mr. Pearson, and a Redhill or two. no-one else was doing anything. Mr. Pearson looked the strongest, and Simon said afterwards that he was very strong, however he didn't ride very sensibly as he kept pulling off the front and hanging about 10 feet in front of the group. He should have saved his legs a bit and put in a proper effot to escape and then I think the others who were working might have had one or two jump across to him and leave the non-workers to get swallowed up.

A good win by Simon who rode well. He attacked along the long straight and one other chased him. Not sure if they just stayed clear or had to go again after they'd been caught by a couple of others as I shot off ahead on the finishing straight to get out their way and block the road.

Was a bit hairy when that tall lorry thundered down the road without a care in the World and then got in the way a bit by the HQ, but other than that 'twas an easy job in the car.

[Toks]

Well done all ACC racers, promotors and helpers

[Sylv]

Oh and Adam was looking very PRO