Chloe’s first race - Chertsey MOD Feb 22nd

[thePinkDreamMachine]

Chess on wheels... Or maybe more of a game of Draughts

Today was the 4th and 3rd cat ladies beginner race at Chertsey MOD, hosted by London dynamo. Chertsey has never seen so much lip gloss as at least 40 girls turned out.

I left the house that morning saying ‘what have I got to lose? Lets give it a go’ whereas the kind person I live with pointed out.. ‘ your teeth, a fair amount of skin, maybe acquiring a plaster cast for the spring…..’ thanks for that.

I’m used to running events where all you do is start with a constant pace, get to the front and hold on, the most tactical it gets is sitting on someone’s shoulder before making a move. So the whole bike racing malarkey is all very new to me. It began with a few training laps, in groups of 15 or so, getting the riders used to the group and how to rotate with lots of shouting from the leader trying to organise us. With a fair few wobbly girls we eventually got down to business.

10 laps to do (20 miles) and we were off, moving very precariously around each other, lots of little screams and near misses as girls leaned up against each other around the corners. Up the back straight we slowed to a tediously slow pace, then as we turned to the left, missing the huge pot hole.. (Monty would be proud, I shouted out that pot hole every lap) the pace would suddenly pick up, all structure would go out the window and a mass group would climb both little hills.

Now again in a running race, most girls are thinner than your catwalk model at London fashion week and running knickers hang off their bottoms.. so starting this race was a novelty. I wouldn’t say I was exactly boney but I must have been one of the smallest there!! Which made the down hill blooming hard work. I quickly got over the tendency to brake down hill and my fear of the -% went out the window. We were flying by the time we got on that home straight of the lap and I was loving it.

We… (I refer to my pink machine and I as ‘we’) got in a break at about the 5th lap, and had really got away.. Woop, woop, I thought, when the bloody men came around and the safety car slowed us down to a snails pace allowing the group behind to catch up and the men to pass. All the girls muttered ‘bollocks’ as a whole flock of them passed us. (read that how ever you like

Apart from my little sprint to catch up down the hills, it was all a little bit easy, I spent far too much time checking out the other girls kit and comparing my bottom size to their’s. At one point I had a little chat and I was dreaming about dinner and thinking about kittens !!! I know I know..

The last two lap was where it got very exciting, a girl I knew from a training day and I tried to make for a break as no one was coming through for the rotation.. (I can hear you crying at me all ready saying what were you doing on the front! )Well some one had to. (I know I know again ) The girls soon caught on to this and we enter the last lap as a full group. Knowing full well my down hill was going to leave me at the back I though I’d power up the hill and then hopefully hold on down the hill, into the home straight.. it didn’t work.. I’m over 20 girls back. I can hear michelle in my head shouting ‘dig in’ ..

Not really sure of the wind or the length or anything really. I wasn’t sure if I was to hide at the back and for how long. Pushing my legs as hard as possible I flew forward and couldn’t believe I managed to get to the font few and finished in 3rd with not a pearl out of place. woop de woop again.

Felling rather chuffed and amazed with my self it was all over and I didn’t even feel that tired. I had completed my first race and I still had all my teeth. That evening, talking to my house mate Huw, I coolly mentioned a small fault - that the whole way around, I had ridden in the little ring… I hadn’t used the big ring AT ALL. I completely forgot it was there… Only Realising the significance of my error , as his despairingly shaking head disappeared in to his hand, I said, arguing back, “well I got told off last summer for riding the whole of the Dragon Ride in my big cog and you told me to start using my little cog in training”, you just cant win.. Oops….

Bring on next Sunday race 2…

Totally addicted Chloe

[Michelle]

Well done Chloe, you sound so excited by the racing in your post. I am pleased you enjoyed it so much, but I was hoping you would give me a year to rest on my laurels.

Not so sure that is going to happen now

[Jon H]

Well done Chloe. Great result, and a write-up worthy of inclusion in the new website re-vamp.

[quote="thePinkDreamMachine"]At one point I had a little chat and I was dreaming about dinner and thinking about kittens !!!

[Andrew G]

Great write up, very amusing, and a top result - particularly as you were sprinting in the small ring.
[quote="thePinkDreamMachine"]I left the house that morning saying ‘what have I got to lose? Lets give it a go’ whereas the kind person I live with pointed out.. ‘ your teeth, a fair amount of skin, maybe acquiring a plaster cast for the spring…..’ thanks for that.
[color=#4000BF]He's a wuss though [/color]

With a fair few wobbly girls we eventually got down to business.
[color=#4000BF]Finbarr overload (I'll get me coat)[/color]

[huw williams]

Coach's analysis
[size=150]SHE’S F***ING USELESS![/size]
Swaning around Chertsey in the little ring thinking about make-up, kittens and how easy it is?

Not really, she's amazing and that was a great result – There’s nothing I like to see more than novices doing well in their first race because they’re likely to come back for more, and Chloe is already talking BIG about the next one... Hopefully some of the growing band of female ACCers on the club run will see what's possible and follow her example

On reflection it was clear that she was the strongest rider in the race (which I thought would be the case before the start). I didn’t think it was wise to fill her head with tactics ‘what if’s’ and ‘maybe’s’ before her first race as she had enough to think about just staying upright in a 40-strong group of shaky fourth category women - and she’s learned more from the ‘real-race’ experience and the mistakes than she ever could from me telling her the ‘virtual-race’ ins and outs of what might transpire.

Next weekend of course, that all changes. She’s now a hardened racer with a 3rd cat license up for grabs and a RACE-HEAD on, so we're working on a proper preparation week and a race strategy will be in place. She won’t be streaking past the group up the hill to get on the front mid-race, she’ll understand that ‘big gear’ means more than a large coat, and she’ll look at what’s happening in the race around her rather than the flowers at the side of the course. AND she’ll finish with a big angry face on in a sprint which feels harder than a club run with the 15s...

QUOTE: "I coolly mentioned a small fault - that the whole way around, I had ridden in the little ring…"
This is possibly my fault as when she asked what gear she should be in I replied "your best pearls and pink jacket"

[-Adam-]

So the win is there for the taking next week then.

Use your head.

If you can't go downhill fast, get to the front on the climb and control the pace downhill, then peel off for the straight. Only return to the front when you hit the little hills again. And for the finish of course.

[Sylv]

Good read

There you go Chloe - now you're almost a pro you can't race in a plain jersey anymore but I doubt you'll dare be seen in ACC colors, so go get yourself one of these - kittens, bit of pink, and a foxy team pedigree to live up to

[img]http://gallery.mtbr.com/data/mtbr/1185/vanderkitten_cross_jersey.JPG[/img]

[Toks]

Fantastic effort Chloe! Easily the best race report of the year so far - well done "Pink Chick" I hope you keep racing and don't disappear down that Newbie Vortex that sucks in victims around early April and doesn't release them until the ACC Club Road Race in September.

[joyce]

great stuff.here's to next week end when you will be up for more.I hope you remember what your teacher has told you.
have a great season.
joyce the boss.

[Roy Green]

With such a splendid report, full of such interesting detail, I think you can be assured of a large ACC supporting contingent next race, Chloe! With a third place first time out, and a nice Christmas day sea swim, you're showing 'em all up as softies. Really well done indeed!
Roy

[Sylv]

[quote="thePinkDreamMachine"] Knowing full well my down hill was going to leave me at the back I though I’d power up the hill and then hopefully hold on down the hill, into the home straight..

[George]

[quote="Sean Hogan - 何祥"]Chloe caught training for her next race earlier today....

[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhatch/2529416453/[/url]

[-Adam-]

[quote="Sylv"]I never remembered the downhill was that steep?!? Are there different circuits?

[Mike I]

[quote]I spent far too much time checking out the [other] girls kit and comparing [my] bottom size

[Sylv]

[quote="-Adam-"]
There was that day...