Completely different race this week - the worst wind I've ever experienced (on the course not out of my rear
)Either the handicapper got this completely wrong or he had a brilliant sense of timing which resulted in three separate races which never came together.
4ths and vets went off first in a huge group then 25 or so of us 3rds in our own group after a huge delay. Behind us the E1,2s
It was obvious from the start that with a nightmare headwind down the start straight we would never be able t catch the lead group (we didn't) or that the scratch group wouldn't catch us (they didn't). So we had a genuine 3rd cat which was excellent. Very lively with loads of attacks and serious attempts at breakaways, and it was really brutal in the wind. Banked over round the bottom bend guys were suddenly getting switched a yard sideways as the wind came in from the side and if you found yourself on the front for any length of time you risked your race being over it was so hard.
We quickly shelled the hangers on which reduced our group by half and it was hard work right up til the last two laps when the 'selection' happened. I saw it coming - you know that felling when you're already on the limit and half the group pulls away and the other half drops back and you're in the middle?
Decision time
Fortunately this week I had just enough legs to bridge the gap but it took absolute and total burial for a few hundred yards and I thought my race might be over but just as I got back on, the break slowed a little and allowed me to recover. Then it was two laps of rapid fire attacks which kept us away from the chasing groups. There were three riders each from I-Team and Brighton Mitre in the group plus a couple of us individuals (seems like the whole of ACC were at Palace) so they tried to work us solos over, but nobody was getting away after such a battering in that wind. Got about 10th in the sprint out of our group but lord alone knows what they'll do with the results because there were three different races going on.
Great to spend the whole race in the lead group (of the 3rd cat race) and heart rate was right on the limit for over an hour with a peak of 186bpm during my bridging effort, so a much appreciated, high-quality workout... which hurt... a lot!
Now, that's enough racing for a while - some BIG sportive action in the next few weeks...
