Surrey League Handicap - Kitsmead Lane - 1st May

[Keith]

I thought I must still be in the wrong place. I'd already pulled up at the Hounslow TT only to be told that "The Addiscombe must be getting desperate if you're doing our 10. The Surrey League race is a mile further down the road." A bit further along and parked by the signing-on desk was an Astana team car with Belgian plates. Nope, not the wrong place. The Yates brothers had already signed on . 3rd cat Vetrans, apparently!

That was my first ever Road Race, and also I sincerely hope that was my wettest ever race. On lap 3 the heavens opened. The weather was only just getting started though. After easing off a little on we had thunder, lightning and flooding. Then the hail started .

The race? The 3rd's through and off kept slowing down. I reckon many of the 3rd cats are just there to wheel suck until the 2nds come through and there's some faster wheels to suck. I think I'm going to be a frustrated racer.

The results? Not a bl@@dy clue. The was still a full on sprint for the combined 2nds and 3rds, even though we'd not hoovered up everyone in front.

[Sylv]

did it really rain then

i was hoping to be there, then got drawn into a tasting session - which is best, Crystal, Dom or Veuve still not sure ...

[-Adam-]

Sylv, Dom for me everytime, only if someone else is paying mind

Yes it rained, big time, the hail was actually quite painful. I opted against knee warmers, which was ok as it was warm enough. But... the hail has actually left physical marks on the tops of my knees/thighs. It's almost like I went riding through croydon and some GTA4 playing hoodlum has shot me several times on the legs with one of those little BB gun thingys.

There was also a lightening strike that was alarmingy close overhead, I was wondering wheter my carbon frame would mean the rider next to me on a steel frame would take the hit!?

And yes, the Yates brothers, quite awesome. Was pretty cool riding by the Astana team car every lap. Even cooler when I saw Sean himself had packed and was changing by the car

Was good to race in such weather, if just for experience. But some of the riders took the sprint (for maybe 9th or 10th!?) just a little too seriously. Given the water cascading over the road it was really quite dangerous sprinting conditions. Two guys in front of me were properly barging into each other with about 100 to go. Luckily they satyed upright as I would have been right on top of them otherwise. I then managed to make up a few more places. I know it seems silly to sprint for the sake of it, but it really is good practice. Sprinting for the Charlwood signs is so simple by comparison to sprinting in a road race.

[Ian A4size]

Rain? We got 30 miles in last night on a lovely sunny evening, I think we also spotted Del out as well.

Well done to you both. I thought Yates had given up racing.

[George]

That was pretty hardcore riding last night, some of the worst conditions I've ever ridden in, but it was good fun and you just had to see the funny side of it when riding.

Set off with the 2nds, there were alot of us all together and the gaps they set us off were too large, I thing we only managed to cattch up with the 3rds group with Keith in , there were lots of stragglers who had got spat out the back on the way round.

The Yates brothers were up the road with the 3rds, I believe Sean even went off before that with the 3rd vets, Paul T asked Sean what he was thinking of in that group, well he replied on the line" I've paid my money, it says 3rd cat on my licence and I'm a veteran"

We were tonking along as a group although not as fast as we really should have been, there was no real through and off going, on a number of occasions I would come through to the front then find I was there for a few mins, I didn't mind as it was really good training.

The rain and hail stones started and it was vicious, by the 6th lap my glasses had steamed up so much I saw Stu walking back to the start with a puncture so I threw him the glasses.

A few laps of hardcore rain and I was starting to enjoy the training and soaking, I pushed on the front on a few occasions and on the last lap hit the front to get the speed up, then round the corner and the insane bunch sprint started for the teens positions
[quote]Given the water cascading over the road it was really quite dangerous sprinting conditions

[Tony]

It sounds as though the seeding was completely stuffed up yesterday evening. If the seeding / timing is done correctly handicaps can be great fun, proided it doesn't rain of course. I guess Keith Butler wasn't doing the handicapping yesterday, then.

[-Adam-]

[quote="Tony"]It sounds as though the seeding was completely stuffed up yesterday evening. If the seeding / timing is done correctly handicaps can be great fun, proided it doesn't rain of course. I guess Keith Butler wasn't doing the handicapping yesterday, then.

[Toks]

Wow that was fun last night

"...The Yates bro's kept things just on the right side of 'intense' such that each pull ensured that you redlined only for a few brief seconds. By the 3rd lap of the three mile loop all the early shift workers had taken a back seat and only about six of us..." http://theademerckx2008racingfiles.blogspot.com/

[Stu Merckx Man]

i knew things wouldnt go well for me when i was given number 13.... and sure enough 2.5 laps in a i punctured and had a nice long walk back

[Daniel Gee]

R u having any luck at all at the monent Stu?

[Stu Merckx Man]

just a few minor blips in the early part of my 2008 season

[Marek]

Well Christian has been riding in the early season races and I saw him at that 1st cat race and he was putting a few decent first cats into pain on the flat sections. He is looking to try and peak for the national ten TT, so setting him off in the early groups was a bit cheeky. Ah well you take your chances when they arise I suppose.

Cheers

Marek......

[Andrew G]

Sean was told by his doctor to stop racing last year. He was still doing the odd TT when he was around but did his "last" one a while ago saying (something in CW if I remember) that the doctor had told him he shouldn't be pushing himself to the limits anymore.

[-Adam-]

He's a big Boy.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote="Andrew G"]Sean was told by his doctor to stop racing last year. He was still doing the odd TT when he was around but did his "last" one a while ago saying (something in CW if I remember) that the doctor had told him he shouldn't be pushing himself to the limits anymore.