CYCLOPARK 3rd cats: Aug 27th

[Toks]

September is looming, competitive 3rd cats are getting tetchy. Months of racing and still a little short on points. For some, the holy grail of 2nd catdom is within in touching distance... Oh but the angst and the tedium please let it be over!! Get those bloody points so we can do a proper British sport - summer beer drinking - ha ha - I jest!!

Now apologies to those racing - at the cyclopark today my brakes squealed quite alarmingly throughout the race and I must admit I almost felt like pulling out coz it was seriously off putting -

No ADDISCOMBE Team mates for this one, and just under 30 riders on the start line so bunch navigation even in such blowy conditions was a lot easier. On lap 4 someone from WindyMiller went off on a mission...50 metres maybe...a bit early maybe?The bunch pace is a bit too slow...and what if he stays away?? Hmmm ever the optimist - time to go anaerobic baby!!! I got across in just over half a lap but Windymiler man was already in recover mode so I sailed by and went on to do some wind catching on my lonesome

It's been a good few months since my last 2 X 20 - and I was definitly feeling it. Coming up short on the threshold power and the windy conditions meant a stay away effort wasn't going to be sustainable.
Thankfully as I started to wind things down two guys bridged across. We barely had enough time to initiate our team pursuit impression before our party of 3 was bum-rushed by a load of other geezers on bikes.

Damn where did the time go? 15 minutes and 5 laps to go. Clearly nobody fancied leaving the bunch today. Lots of tentative digs but no commitment. So...two choices in such a situation. Try again to force a successful break away or try the last lap flyer. Tried the former a few times so I was left with no choice.

I reckon I attacked at least 7/8 times properly in the race. Two slightly wind assisted flyers after the hairpin; up the drag kicks into the finish 3 times and couple of opportunistic surges on the penultimate left hand bend at the bottom - no good! Point grabbing sprinter types and bunch engines were having none if it.
On the penultimate lap from 5-6 places back I kicked hard and the all too familiar "UP UP UP - ON
YOUR RIGHT rang out!! -

Quick glance under my arm and a dark blue skin suit was annoyingly close. I 'd bought the ticket so it was do or die time. If I couldn't shake him off I'd just blow up and drop out of the race...when it comes to sprinting I'm seriously not worthy.
A final last Max effort - blue man still there matching me pedal stroke for pedal stroke. GRRRRR!!! I kept it going past the 30 second mark whilst trying to bamboozle him by violently zig zagging all over the across the track. Yes, finally! - he was gone and there was now 20 metres of clear road between me and the bunch, The thighs were burning and an asthmatic attack felt imminent. I took the fastest line around the hairpin and crumpled my skinny frame into the smallest elliptical shape possible and flew around the rest of the circuit.

Such efforts can't be maintained for long of course and I glanced back to see the pack edging back towards me. The drag to the finish suddenly felt like Col de Joux Plan from this years Etape. No souplesse; I stomped pathetically on the pedals and begged the finish line to appear. shoot it was about 50 metres away... More leg burning stomping and a final breathless surge. Up goes the left arm - the skinny ADDISCOMBE dude wearing race number 1 is now officially number 1

[Dominic]

Nice ride/report again and a good bit of late season form, keep it up Toks!!

[Toks]

Thanks Dominic
Here's another take on the race
https://cyclejames.wordpress.com/2016/0 ... -cat-only/