Our 2nd Road Race win this week goes to...

[Toks]

[DavidKennett]

Who won the first one? Know Steve won the circuit race at Palace

[Toks]

[quote="DavidKennett"]Who won the first one? Know Steve won the circuit race at Palace

[DavidKennett]

Who won at Hillingdon/Hog Hill then?

Struggling to hold my breath much longer Toks

[Toks]

[quote="DavidKennett"]Who won at Hillingdon/Hog Hill then?

Struggling to hold my breath much longer Toks

[DavidKennett]

[quote="Toks"] Hang in there, a full report on the circuit race win is coming...

[Toks]

North Road CC
3/4th Race
Hog Hill (Redbridge Cycle Centre)
60mins + 3 laps

OK so how do two non-climbers, non sprinter types ensure they get a decent result at the infamous Hog Hill? Hmm…well I said to Kieran I’ll try and animate things and go with as many attacks as possible and you just sit on chasers and get away when our group gets pulled back. Kieran, unassuming as ever, smiled and said he hoped we’d have a good workout; perhaps he didn’t have a lot of faith in my tactics.

North Road CC had the largest contingent of all the racers so I thought I better keep an eye on them. I sat on the front for the first two laps just to size things up and remained in the top three for at least the first 6-8 laps. Two London Phoenix riders and a guy from Chelmer CC seemed pretty lively members of the bunch so I marked all their moves. I then slowly and perhaps naively began burning my moderately size box of matches: an attack on the climb here, an attack on the decent there, a surge into the headwind, and numerous jumps out of the hairpin. Ok you get the picture!

With fifteen minutes to go a slightly smaller but ever watchful bunch still remained. We’d managed to shake off a few lightweights from North Road CC and I was now kinda tired. I tapped one of the London Phoenix riders on the back and hinted that we should unshackle ourselves from the rest; a lap before the preem myself, him and his club buddy dug deep and secured ourselves sometime in the freedom zone; I was pipped into 2nd on the preem and 2 ½ laps later ‘breakaway-blockers-r-us’ arrived on mass. Hmm!...A short recovery and then with three to go I gave it the 53/19 treatment on the climb and winced as I almost popped my calf muscle. Yes…I finally had a gap, surely this was the one. No chance! Welcome to - head wind, searing quad pain and a bunch of blokes who hadn’t paid a tenner just to make me look good.

The penultimate kick up the climb bought me 15metres and to my right Kieran showed up right on cue. With the din of the bell still within earshot I shouted, “Go Kieran Go” as he negotiated the short sweeping left-hand bend after the finish line alone; crouched down in pursuit mode he quickly disappeared down the decent. The bunch inevitably accelerated up to my back wheel and I parked myself a few places from the front.

The strong Chelmer CC guy who had mistakenly sprinted for the finish with 3 laps to go (Doh!) stepped on the gas and the gap towards Kieran looked in serious jeopardy. As we hit the headwind section after the hairpin I rolled to the front and faked a little jump out of the saddle. I then switched to Saturday club run pace which bought Kieran a few more metres. It seemed like the circuit was now twice the distance and the effort had take its toll – I heard a rider shout “oh no” as his legs finally shut up shop. Upfront Kieran was now literally creeping up the climb to the finish. Seeing his chance, one of the Phoenix riders turbo-charged his way out of our depleted bunch. I jumped and held him briefly as sprightly looking Cevelo’s, Specializeds, Treks and Giants swarmed past me. I managed one more pitiful revolution of the pedals before the legs finally ceased, but all the pain was assuaged by the fact a gold, black and white Jersey met the chequered flag first.

[kieran]

Hi Toks, I think my win was mainly due to the bunch being afraid of pulling you up to me and were hoping I would tire out before the end without them having to chase too hard. So definitely a club win rather than a solo victory.

[Toks]

[quote="kieran"]Hi Toks, I think my win was mainly due to the bunch being afraid of pulling you up to me and were hoping I would tire out before the end without them having to chase too hard. So definitely a club win rather than a solo victory.

[Antloony]

Well done guys, brilliant tactical riding by you both and great write up Toks. ACC is really on a roll at the mo

[Andrew G]

Great result and couldn't go to a more deserving rider, well done Kieran.

[Keith]

[quote="kieran"]Hi Toks, I think my win was mainly due to the bunch being afraid of pulling you up to me and were hoping I would tire out before the end without them having to chase too hard. So definitely a club win rather than a solo victory.

[Sylv]

Well done Kieran!! (modest as always) - and Toks too. Great result at the Hog!

[EdO]

Awesome guys well done.

[Toks]

North Road CC Olympic Meeting 3/4 results

1[size=150] Kieran Brennan Addiscombe CC 3rd cat[/size]
2 Richard Law Cycle Club Ashwell (CCA) 3rd cat
3 Tom Bishop London Phoenix CC 3rd cat
5. Richard Price London Phoenix CC 4th cat
6 Dylan Kenneway London Dynamo/Prologue 3rd cat
7. Tim Brown 4th Cat
8. Toks Adesanya Addiscombe CC 3rd CatVet
9. Steve Sexton Hampshire RC 3rd Cat
10. Raymond Smith Essex Roads CC Commissaire

I think the guy who finish 4th was on a day licence