Town Centre Races (incl. Croydon!)

[Sylv]

These dates from the Surrey League handbook, not much other info available yet though. Sounds like it should make for exciting racing.

* Crawley Sunday 20th May, youth @ 17.15, 2/3 @ 18.50, E/1/2 @ 19.45
* Guilford Sunday 11th July
* Sutton Sunday 29th July
* Croydon Sunday 21st Oct

This report from our own website:

[quote]Sutton CC Town Centre Criterium
4/W/J Sunday 3rd June – 25 x ¾ mile – 16miles

Can you believe only 14 riders took part? I already had my highest position if I just finished!

At the start, the front of the grid was all juniors and the rear all over 28 (ok me and then guys in their 40’s plus). We looked at one another with the ‘you know what’s going to happen look’ and sure enough it did. The Lord Mayor dropped the flag and the ‘Juniors were gone’, the rest of us, the more mature riders struggled to get our feet into pedals, turn the gears and just get into it. By the end of the first lap the juniors were half a lap ahead. Juniors!!!!!! Impatient, over eager, energetic little @L:#{s We just needed one neutral lap.

Basically it was pretty tough because of the constant climbing, but the corners, metal barriers and hay bales became part of the fun, after a few laps you knew where they were and just pushed it a little bit further each time. I even took a chunk out of a bale raising a collective ‘ooh’ from spectators. There was actually only one minor accident. Well anyway I just kept going, noticed a few riders quitting etc so knew I wasn’t last and enjoyed myself.

Soon I was being yelled at by Chris Colford and brother and then Phil Nash (who was just watching and took a few laps to recognise that I was riding, but their vocal support was fab). Anyway by lap 15 I really was catching riders all the time , the leading trio had lapped us all. Soon I was on the wheel of a line of 5 who were going so slow I decided against resting and went for it, only one could hang on. The PA system was poor but he was doing a good job of naming everyone who went through, Phil heard him give a David Duffield style Addiscombe introduction. The best thing I heard was him commenting on my steady pace and the fact that if I continued catching riders as they tired I could turn it on its head. He was a little excitable.

3 laps to go and I was lapped again, I had been trying to get my partner to share the riding but with 2 laps to go he was pulled out by his team. Ok so at the time I thought that was pretty pathetic I have now worked out that if they were giving positions to lapped riders from 5 to go and that if he crossed the line before me on that particular lap that he gets the placing even if I rode to the end!!!! (We were in a racing situation!) Anyway I got 5th or 6th I think, actually pretty stoked with that, the oldest guy to finish. Phil and I then made it a true Italian cycling crit by drinking coffee outside with our feet up in the blazing sun, watching the kids race and trying to get the women interested in men in lycra. We discivered that the young ones have no interest, the older/wiser woman strangely seems drawn to the lycra shorts… Also thanks for the fish cooking suggestion Phil.

People have noticed the ‘TAL’ symbol on our jerseys and asked what its for, well we all know it is name of the club level manufacturing division of Endura. What it obviously stands for on the Addiscombe CC jersey is ‘The Agreeable Lot’

[Sylv]

Just what I love

[img]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/editorialGallery/galleries/ixworth_07_34s/MC070507-0609.jpg[/img]

I did something similar in Geneva ages ago but it was on mountain bikes, so on top of the hay bales and spectators inches from the sides you had to go down some stairs and other tricky bits. Great fun

[Sylv]

Guilford next - 2005 vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdHEA7IAd7k

[Andrew G]

Blimey they're shifting! That looks a nasty drag up to hit every 50 seconds.