SCCU Road Race Championship 2008 - 20th July

[Keith]

Southern Counties RR Champs. EL/1/2/3

"The SCCU Road Race Championship this year will be a tough test to see just who is the best in the Southern Counties! It is an 87 mile romp over rolling terrain with a killer finish up a 1.2 mile climb (Leith Hill)."

Place Rider Club Age Cat Disc Cat Rank Pts Series Pts
1 Andrew Bye Sigma Sport, Specialized, Sportful Over 23 Elite 60 0
2 Daniel Patten PCA Ciclos Uno Under 23 Elite 52 0
3 Andy Betts Twickenham CC Over 23 1st 45 0
4 Toby Neave Southdown Velo Over 23 Elite 40 0
5 Thomas Crouch Felt Racing Over 23 2nd 35 0
6 Kevin Knox Dulwich Paragon CC Over 23 2nd 31 0
7 Ben Thompson Glendene CC / Bike Trax Over 23 1st 27 0
8 Andrew Mckie Norwood Paragon CC Over 23 3rd 23 0
9 Gary Dodd Sigma Sport, Specialized, Sportful Over 23 1st 20 0
10 Jack Adams Pendragon Sports Under 23 2nd 17 0
11 Wouter Sybrandy Sigma Sport, Specialized, Sportful Over 23 Elite 15 0
12 Adam Cotterell Trisportnews.com Under 23 2nd 13 0
13 Steven Saunders Kingston Whls CC Over 23 2nd 11 0
14 John Heaton-Armstrong Fit-For Over 23 2nd 9 0
15 Daniel Kogan PCA Ciclos Uno Under 23 1st 7 0
16 Ishmael Burdeau Agiskoviner Over 23 2nd 6 0
17 Anders Christensen Team Cycle Kingdom Over 23 1st 5 0
18 Steve Golla Sigma Sport, Specialized, Sportful Over 23 1st 3 0
19 Adam Norris Heron Cyclesport Under 23 Elite 2 0
20 Simon Lawn Sigma Sport, Specialized, Sportful Over 23 2nd 1 0

[Michelle]

Well done Adam, it's sounds like a killer course. Especially with Leith Hill at the end

Nice to see you in the front of the bunch with a fair sprinkling of Elite riders! You never know, you could get that call from the Pro Team soon!

Where's your write up? C'mon, we wanna know.

Seeing as you haven't updated your blog since May 22nd.......

[-Adam-]

Thanks, yeah sorry about the blog. I've just been so busy since then, with exams, then work, not to mention racing!!

The race was very tough indeed. 3 Plowman Craven riders there, including Tony Gibb. They all missed the break so when they set about chasing it down the pace was ridiculously hot! I'm talking 40mph+

In the penultimate lap the race was marred by a very very nasty freak accident. Basically a horse rode out onto the break of 8. Resulting in Jonathon Tiernan-Locke (A top level national rider, signed for Plowman Craven for '09) ending up on the floor having been kicked in the head by the horse. Apparently he suffered a broken jaw, broken shoulder, a few teeth gone and the ascosiated road rash. There was a lot of blood. It happened on the fastest and narrowest part of the course too. Had the horse come out on the bunch the result could have only been worse.

As a result the break continued on as only they knew how, we were still racing after all. As did a couple of riders who chipped off the front just before the bunch got to the accident. Only as the bunch had to slow a lot to get round, everyone got a good look at the rider, and understandably the pace slackened off right away as no one was quite sure what the protocol was. A lot of guys seemed visibly shaken by what they saw. Eventually the word was spread that the bunch would turn of up Leith Hill the next time, missing the last lap. Was the right decision as the break would have been well gone, like 5mins+ by that point as we had slowed to about 30km'h for a good couple of miles.

So as we turned onto Leith, I was about mid way back down the pack. But felt good, so I just kept on moving up until I was with the ''heads of state'', like Gary Dodd. At 1km to go the bunch had thinned considerably, I was riding up in the top 10 riders now. At 500m to go Gary Dodd launched a searing attack off the front that no one even tried to match. Moments later two more guys tried to chase him. Then with about 300 to go I still felt good. So I clicked up a couple of gears and made my move, and easily dropped the remaining guys I was with. That was for 4th from the bunch, so 12th overall. And yes, I dropped all the Plowman Craven riders, and several other elites!! Not bad considering you all think I'm just a sprinter huh.

As I descended back to the HQ I got the opportunity to witness the finish of the race I had just finished, if you see what I mean!? Bizarre I know, but like I say we got truned off one lap early so why we were battling the climb the break were still back on the circuit doing their last lap. Anyhow, Andy Bye easily dropped Dan Patten for the win, very impressive.

So yeah, probably my best result to date considering that was easily the strongest field I have raced against. But it's never nice to see someone down so bad. Especially given the nature of the accident, apparently the horse (and rider i presume) didn't even stop, so the police will probably be involved.

[-Adam-]

Oh yeah, and thats 124 points now for me this season... 84 as a 2nd cat, so only 76 to go for the 1st cat licence...

[tel]

Top man Adam, very impressive. You took a lot of good scalps there.

1st cat then elite I reckon.

Terry

[Michelle]

Yeah the horse took some scalps too by all accounts.

Hope the guy is ok. Fingers crossed.

[Toks]

Great stuff, well done Adam. There's more on the race and some video footage from the winner, Andrew Bye's, in his blog below. Its a shame you let your blog die like that Adam especially seeing as you're having such a great season
http://andrewbye.blogspot.com/

[-Adam-]

[quote="Toks"]Great stuff, well done Adam. There's more on the race and some video footage from the winner, Andrew Bye's, in his blog below. Its a shame you let your blog die like that Adam especially seeing as you're having such a great season
http://andrewbye.blogspot.com/

[carl f]

Exellent result Adam,well done
1st cat by 2009.....
Cheers
Carl

[Snoop Doug]

Well done Adam - sounds mega tough, you must be chuffed.

Neigh good about the other fella - hope he recovers well sounds awful.

Snoop