Hillingdon 3/4s 19/5/07

[-Adam-]

Well there were four of us agreeables out today, Matt D, Keiran, Keith Knight and myself.

Was an interesting race in that there were 3 primes to go for worth a tenner each, and being a student i was up for some of that! Other than that there was just a few attempts at break aways but never by a group big enough or strong enough to stay away. I must add Keith was particulalry active at the front and was unlucky not to get in a good break.

So prime 1, four guys had broke away. I managed to bridge the gap inside a lap to go. Then had the perfect lead out from an Easter 3 Day friend of mine, Mark Matthews who claimed afterward to have 'let' me have the prime. But i just edged him out to claim the 1st prime. Result!

Prime 2, Mark and his AW Cycles team mate made a brilliant team manouvre of the front which i just couldn't get onto. Thus Mark grabbed the 2nd prime of the day.

Prime 3, i can't exactly remember what happened in this one all i know is i somehow ended up on the front on the back straight and subsequently got well overhauled come the home straight

So into the finale and with two laps to go a couple of lone guys were off the front. Meanwhile i was lurking near the front of the peloton. Then in the second last lap three guys went off the front, and it looked serious, really serious. So i bridged across, just. Then sat on, as the three guys in front of me looked at each other the peloton snuck back up to us. B0!!0cks i thought. So i was in limbo, i had gas in the tank, but three dead guys in front of me coming into the last bend. So how many guys hould i let through to lead me out!?

Well as it happened i badly misjudged it and too many guys got through, so i started sprinting knowing i wasnt really in with a shout. The half hearted sprint nearly nabbed me a top ten, and man it was tight. But commisaire Stuart Benstead assured me i was a somewhat dissapointing 12th. Well i say dissapointing, im not really that dissapointed as i know the the Crawley Crit was weighing heavily on my mind so probably had an effect. Plus i am coming back still after my ear infection and a subsequent cold, so its not the end of the world. But i think i deserved a point or two today, but hey, im not gonna lose any sleep over it! And the tenner earnt from the prime was nice too. First time ive raced for primes, made it a lot more interesting having something to attack for.

Im just anxious to see if i can do anything in Crawley...

[Marek]

Well done Adam, sounds like you are going well so tonight should be interesting, I will try and get up there to give you a shout.

Cheers

Marek...

[kieran]

Well, I planned to go racing at Hillingdon at 4:30pm, but first I logged on to the computer to book travel arrangements for mid –term trip home to Ireland. There I was chatting away to customer service, looked at the time and saw it was 3:07pm!!! Alarm bells rang and quickly handed the phone over to my wife. Got changed, grabbed some food and hopped on my bike. A tight deadline to make, 20miles through London to get there at 4:30pm. I might be just about able to do it I thought. I spent the next hour and a bit racing through London, not looking at my watch trying to keep my heart rate from going too high as I wanted to have something left for the race. On the long drag up to Hillingdon on the A4020 I faced a headwind, damn, would this slow me down too much? I finally turned the corner into Springfield Road and looked at my watch, 4:27pm!! Maybe the start had been delayed?? Zoomed in and headed for the sign-on, yes! There was a rider in front of me signing on and the guys rang ahead to the start line, where the other riders were already lined up and asked them to hold the race. I paid my money and grabbed my number, no time for the loo, aah! Got to the start, dropped my bag and a marshal pinned on my number, nodded to the other ACCer’s, and was ready (only realised later I’d left my pump on my bike). Race on!, obviously I was right at the back, with Matt D, Adam was a bit ahead, and I didn’t know Keith was there at first. Race size was good, only about 53 (my number). Anyway I stayed either at the back or mid bunch for a lot of the race, that headwind I’d met on the way re-appeared on the back straight every time, only it seemed worse. The laps went down and break-aways came and went. I saw an ACCer try a move with around 5 laps left? Realised it was Keith later. Coming to the last lap I tried to move up on the hill and gained a few places, then the pace really picked up, swept into the final bend and started to sprint up the hill, I felt really good, and hiding in the bunch I had recovered from my travels, but hadn’t gained enough ground when the rider in front of me lost his legs, I gained a few more places, enough for a clear view of Adam (?) sprinting for the finish. Did a warm down lap and then at 5:50pm headed home, we were going out and had to be somewhere at 7:30pm – so another mad rush home through the traffic. Got home in less than 1hour 10min, faster than the outward journey, and harder than the race! So from 3:10pm to 7pm, I managed to get in what seemed like two 20mile time trials and a race. My legs were dead that night.

[-Adam-]

Thats dedication for you Keiran!

Indeed it was me trying to sprint for the finish...

And Keith was certainly active throughout the race!

[kieran]

[url]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/news/article/mps/UAN/2284/v/1/sp/[/url]

Keith in action!