5/6/07 crystal palace an ACC top 10 again!

[Stu Merckx Man]

there was another stunning A team out again, sylv, andrew G, polish andrew, richy V, hal, kieren, steve the shadow, and me (sorry if i missed anyone!!) and in the E,1,2s we had george and jon making there presents felt. and the A team support was just as bountiful, i could barely get round a corner without hearing 'COMON ADDISCOMBE'

there was a much bigger field today, with about 60 in the 3,4s.

tactic today- follow sylv again....

so the race got under way and i struggled to stick to sylvs wheel as there were so many people...i managed to stay in the top 17 or so, but with so many people all around it was hard to get a nice line through the hairpin and i still had to sprint like mad to get onto the bunch. i still had my eye on sylv, he was like a beacon i had to aim for

then it happened....tragedy struck when sylv got a puncture, it was more of a trajedy for me without sylvain to keep me remotely up the front i was sure i would be lost!! sure enough i started to drift back, and for a couple of laps i was near the back with kieren. slowly though i started to move up again towards the top 15 or so. it was very hard however, because as soon as i was in the top 6-7, where i wanted to be, people would surge around us and i would be spat back.

towards the end of the race i decided i had to get a grip with myself and use my own initiative...i noticed that at the very front , top 3-4 riders it almost never changed. so thats where i headed... so probably with about 6 laps left (although i didnt know it was that near the end, as i was not paying attention), i put in an extra effort and got up in lead, so i could do a spell on the front then tuck in. it worked a treat and i could stay in the top 4-5, MUCH easier ....

then out of no where the bell went! dam i wasnt mentally prepared!...well not at first but after the hair pin i was in positioning mode... after the hair pin 2 people broke away, a guy from dulwich paragon and another chap i didnt see his jersey. this left me about 6th back, and no one was chasing. i decided not to either...thankfully a much less selfish rider my age from in gear took control. i was on his wheel and he went for it out the saddle...i stuck to his wheel and sure enough he was eating into the 2 leaders gap. we had to weve in and out of lapped riders a bit but no biggy...up the hill and the in gear was still going for it!! then he caught them both and went straight past them at the top! i was still on his wheel. how much longer until he dies and im left in the wind?!?! not much! he died on the last bend before the sprint...some guys were coming on the right, but dam i cant get to them, my lead out man is dead and in the way!..i had no choice i had to dig in and mash my pedals towards austrailia.
i was giving it my all and i was in 3rd, but then my legs started to fizzle out and i saw a couple of people move up again on the right... i got lower on the drops and put my head down, the pain now nearly un bearable...and we are there! the line couldnt have come sooner. i think i got either 4th, or 5th, probably 5th.

that was the hardest i have ever sprinted, but it felt good. i new i had been given every chance to win, and thet i hadnt been pinned in or anything. so whats nice about whatever result i get is that it is the one i should have got and deserve if that makes sense, as in i have no reason to be frustraited with it ... i have no reason to think what might have been if this and that had not happened...i will feel satisified

in fact i was so dead after the sprint i couldnt make it round the hairpin and up the other side, i had to walk up the grass

avs 24.5 mph!!!! ----> at one point i thought we would catch the e,1,2s, and they never lapped us and we could see them most of the race

cheers
stu

[Andrew G]

Personally a disaster tonight. In hindsight one bike ride in a fortnight and spending the previous evening in Cologne drinking (for work purposes) was never going to be ideal.

Having been off the bike I expected a kicking, and got one. The start was called together earlier than I expected so I ended up right at the back for the start . Was sprinting out of every corner and hammering up the hill at 22mph to try and stay in touch with the bunch. Well that clearly wasn't going to work, my legs felt like lead so weren't being very co-operative and my lungs were ready to explode.

Therefore I was dropped very early, stayed with a small group in a similar situation for a while bit they weren't working together so it was doomed. I was feeling worse all the time so to my eternal shame I pulled out. First, and I sincerely hope last occaision this will happen.

Will have a couple of CRs, an Evening 10, and 2 weeks commuting before my next visit to CP so it should be more normal, still get a beating but with a bit more dignity.

A good turn out for ACC though. Sylv was looking good until he got a puncture , didn't look happy and I fear for those who'll be on the end of his wrath at Beastway tomorrow.

I think Stu got 5th, poss 4th but probably 5th. Another cracking result.

George and Jon were mixing it throughout in the E/1/2 race. Jon did a few long turns up front. Thy were being used a bit by some of the old hands but had a great race. Jon said he felt sed like cheap tart, and George was still smiling throughout the race and waving as he passed by.

[Stu Merckx Man]

good debut though andrew after all the trouble youve had with the crash and all!

1 Martin Kelly Gemini BC
2 Bradley Butler Evans RT
3 Jake Butler Sutton CC/De Ve
4 Stuart Chamberlayne Addiscombe CC
5 James Wilson
6 Matt Zeitz InGear RT
7 N/A (get in touch - john@londoncyclesport.com)
8 Don Wiley Mosquito Bikes
9 Jo Rowsell Global Racing
10 Andrew Eagles Dulwich Paragon

wahey i got the 4th, and my lead out man must have been playing dead! and jo got another top 10!

[Andrew G]

Good stuff Stu, my eyes weren't working either then .

Jo is damn fast, I noticed in CW last week she'd done a 10 and clocked a mid 22. Follow her wheel Stu, much more attractive than Sylv's.

[Steve B]

Wa hoo! I lasted 15 laps with the leading group tonight, and only dropped off when Sylv decided to put in a big effort up the hill to make a break. Up until then I felt, well I can't say comfortable, far from it, but at a level where I was at my limits but could keep going, unlike previous weeks where I couldn't

Anyway Sylv's break put paid to that and I was off the back, on my own with daylight behind me to the next little group. I took a little breather and then pushed as best I could on my own, trying not to get caught by the little group, which they didn't, but the main group did with about 6 laps to go.

Didn't know if I was allowed to or not, but I did anyway, I jumped on the back of the group, behind Hal, to see if I could hang on till the end. Better than that, I moved my way forward on the last lap and overtook at least 10 guys up the hill and in the sprint Oh well, shame about the being lapped bit
I'm just hoping now that no one says tonights race was slightly slower than last week, I'll be gutted.

Well done to Stu on his 4th place
Extreemly well done to Jon and george in their first 2nd cat race - great efforts
Unlucky to Sylv (puncture - £30 tub, ouch )

Great turnout again by the 'A TEAM'

Steve

[Hal]

Another sucessful week, my goal was to finish in the bunch.

After a slow start on the back a made a big push for the fist couple of laps to get up into the top 15-20 to avoid any breaks, then settled into a rythum. Slowly slipped to the back of the group and almost lost contact a couple of times mid race on the climb but stayed with it. Got more comfy later in the race as the group shrunk. Near the end joined by the lapped shadow and felt strong to pull in a 5 or 10 riders on the last climb and to the finish.

Good job jobbed.

[Sylv]

Well done Stu, and well done Jon and George who I had the leisure to watch during the second half of the race. They were near the front right till the end but George "fried" himself as he said on the second to last lap and didn't get to contest a sprint. Jon wasn't far off top ten. And Kieran and Hal, Steve and Rich who all finished the race.

Tactic on the day was: sit and wait! Seems to work for previous winners in the sprint, so I decided to try not to show at the front until the end. Like Andrew I started right at the back so it took a few laps to move up, then I stayed in around 5th-10th position where I must say I was quite happy to remain as the pace did seem quite high - confirmed when a guy went after 15 minutes "is it me being rubbish or is the pace high today" - quick flick of the computer showed over 25mph, think the fastest race had so far had been 24.

Sorry Steve for the attack but I thought I might as well show myself at least once at the front! I wouldn't have if I'd known ...

After I punctured my rear tub 28 minutes in Stu seemed to actually spend his time in the top 5 most laps and looked strong. I was quite annoyed not finishing the race but soon after I decided I would go to Beastway tonight (wasn't going to beforehand, as racing on Sunday too and last week got to bed at 1am after Bway) and race with gears in the Masters category. Which is great as I'm already excited about tonight.

Erick who won the E/1/2 and who according to Toks must be 16, is Jo's brother - she must be 17 or 18 - we should see her at London 2012 and I think her speciality is not even road race but time trial and track.

[kieran]

well, I'm very happy with CP yesterday. A very fast race and stayed with the group all the time. The race felt harder to me than the last few due to the lack of training and racing miles I think, not having raced or trained in over 2 weeks and not in Palace for 4 weeks plus a weeks holiday in ireland with no bike. It was good to see so many ACCers and especially up in the main bunch throughout, motivated me to keep going. George and Jon seemed comfortable in the E/1/2 for the last few laps I saw. Well done to Stu, a good result in a hard race and see you could do it without Sylv! (who would have been up there as well, pity about the puncture). Looking forward to next week already!

[Tamar Collis]

Great write-up Stu - my heart was in my mouth as you and your lead-out man charged up the hill in pursuit of the two escapees...and then when your lead-out man died and you nearly got trapped behind him I was just praying I wouldn't be reading in the next sentence that the whole bunch had come tearing past...what a relief to hear they didn't and you hung on in there. 4th place is brilliant!

[Stu Merckx Man]

cheers tammar,

i was praying i wouldnt be writing that the whole bunch came tearing past me

[Tamar Collis]

[quote]Unlucky to Sylv (puncture - £30 tub, ouch )

[Phil S]

[quote="Stu Bianchi Boy"]in the E,1,2s we had george and jon making there presents felt.

[Sylv]

Tamar the tub expert Rich said the cut looked too deep to have it repaired, might still enquire about it.

Thanks to Steve for the lift afterward, I did have a spare tub but no tape to fix it so would've had to ride back home in a straight line

[Andrew G]

[quote]the pace did seem quite high - confirmed when a guy went after 15 minutes "is it me being rubbish or is the pace high today" - quick flick of the computer showed over 25mph, think the fastest race had so far had been 24.

[quote="Phil S"][quote="Stu Bianchi Boy"]in the E,1,2s we had george and jon making there presents felt.