by MattD » Thu May 03, 2007 5:47 pm
This week Acc were represented by Rich V and my good self. Tactics were again just to survive, and maybe mix it up again for some points!
As always the sun bought out a large number of riders. Rich v looked like he had taken some lessons from George, and blasted off the front from the off ….good play to him , but the evitable steam roller would always roll on through
The pace seemed a lot harsher for me than previous weeks, with some severe cross winds adding significantly to the work load. Plan was to attach a few times to warm the legs up , but with the increased workload , and added concertina affect of the wind , all my concentration was being used at just to stay on the bike .
Half way through the race tempers really started to flare up , the wind was taking its toll on the form of certain riders , and with lots of tentative breaking the inevitable happened - there was a pile up on the finishing straight. It involved 5 or more riders, but with MTBing skills to the fore I rode off road for 50 metres or so , before joining the chase to catch up with the leaders .
During the last third breaks started to occur as the peleton began to split - interestingly the wind was even taking its toll on the 1/2/3 category riders as we were being regularly joined by them taking refuge !
As the 3 lap board was raised I began to up the pace and again try and position myself in the top 10 in preparation for the last lap , however this strategy was scuppered when we were overtaken by a breakaway of cat1 on the 2nd from last lap … back to the concertina affect !!
Seeing as I was now ¾ of the way down the peleton coming into the last lap , drastic measures were required . So …..deciding to test my tire grip to the limit through the tight back curvescurves I was able to undertake and overtake … until powering through the last bend before the back straight I realised that perhaps I had been too enthusiastic …. I had a 50 metre lead on everyone !!
This was new territory for me , but before I could really work out which tactic to deploy , adrenalin took over , and head down I went for it , digging deep, trying to hold off the swarming pack , don’t look back I told myself , have belief i should have said , last bend , still on my own , maybe I can do it …. Then bollocks the headwind down the straight hit me as the leading group swallowed me up !!
Managed to dig in , caught the wheel of a cat 3 (who was trying to lead out a fellow club member) , and finished in the top 15 - dejected , but with another lesson learnt for next time !!
Damn these pedants!
going round corners 
