Give us A Race Report Rob!!

[Toks]

Oi Mr fallon you've done 2/3 stage races and no reports!. For us less experienced racers and novices it would be great to read what its like to do a stage race. I always read the londoncyclesport reports but I'd love to know what its like from the inside. In the recent 'Army 3 day' What was that Box Hill time trial like, how did you do you feel on the the other stages, how much did you suffer etc etc

[Rob]

ok, here goes

tuesday to friday, i was filming a commercial, long days(up at 3, bed at 11) are not the perfect prep for a race!! but the money was good! friday evening, i raced over to boxhill from the station, up box hill with some heavy ass bag on my back, dropped off my stuff, and raced back down box hill to find i missed my start time by about 30 seconds!!

so i stood around for 25 minutes in the rain and cold waiting for a new start time!
it came...and off i went! i hate hills, and i was in no shape to climb em! saying that, i finished only 30 secs down on teh leader, and most people were only a max 15 secs ahead!

stage 2
dunsfold...for the first 6 laps, i non stop attacked...but i was non stop chased down! people sat on my wheel, wouldnt work!!..i decided to recover and joined the back of the bunch.when i did, an attack went, and half of it stayed away!! great i kept riding, and got 13th!

so now ive gone from 16th overall to 17th overall!

stage 3, i knew i had to bitch the time trial to stand a chance!! and i did! only 6 of us beat the 27 minute barrier on a hilly/rolling course...11 mile tt. i got 6th outta 50

so now ive gone into 7th place overall..with the people in front of me literally seconds!!

with the overall g.c points for 7th, and my 13th place..i would of been a 1st cat..if not...a point or two off!!!

i did stage 4 around ockley...... i sat at the front all race!! i chased too much down!!! and i gave everything on 2nd to last lap(and wasted all my water cos i thought it was the last!!)
i felt great until we got to the bottom of leith!!!

only one mile to go, i was feeling ok...jaco ehlers attacked....i followed..i blew...and i managed to go from 7th on g.c to 23rd ina mile!!

a lesson to all new road racers

be smart
dont get over excited...
be reactive..not proactive!!

i cocked it up...its this years biggest mistake!! worse than going to the alps and training like a bitch mid season!!

im gutted!!! i feel like a twat!!!

7th to bloody 23rd!!

john wants me to go from 3rd cat to 1st this season..i nearly did it.....now....i cocked up, ive got 4 months to find 50 points!!!

im not gonna give up!!

it means nothing next year as im leaving the country, justa personal goal! ive got a contract for next year, but also, john thinks it would be better to go to belgium as a first cat rather than a 2nd cat!!

next year im going to race flat land...im goign to train like a bitch over winter on hills, then not race them all year

so many people think ill do well in belgium because of my power and sprint ability(notice how i said ability) its there somewhere!!!

if you read this...well done!!! you are obviously bored!!! now lets wait for the comments from brett putting me down!!! hey maybe ill bump into brett next year over in belgium..wont that be fun!!!he can be my little gremlin, always putting me down!!!


if i make 1 st cat..party at mine!!!

[sylv]

A first cat user of the exclamation mark that's for sure

[stevefunkster]

well done rob, make 10 mistakes a day thats ok, just never make the same one twice and you'll be winning them all, what shirt you be wearing sunday so we know which ones you?

[Rob]

ill be in my fit for kit, on my super fly bike going woooooooosh

[stevefunkster]

you gonna be going for any sprints or just the big one?not decided where to stand yet.

[Rob]

i didnt realise there were sprints!!! all decisions liek that will be made while im racing

[stevefunkster]

saying that i know the TOB race has sprints on the waterfront so im presuming(proberbly wrongly)that the support races will too, anyway make em look like 5 year olds and win by a long way

[Toks]

Well done dude! I was very impressed with your TT result on a rolling course like that!! Shame about stage four you obviously over cooked it! I'll be shouting for you on sunday. Bring it On!!!!

[Brett P]

I look forward to seeing you in the land of beer & fritters Robbie.
My mate who just returned from Belgium said he spent the first 3 months riding in the gutter on the drops..... hard as nails over there they are!

Oh, and apparently everyone can sprint.... even the non-sprinters!!!!!

See you at the Bob Chicken Rob, i'll be looking for your wheel.

Just a tip, don't go anywhere near the back of the bunch..... I did last year & managed to avoid two crashes BUT not a third. Oh, and I jumped off the front after about 3 laps...... Big mistake

[Rob]

brett are you feeling ok? you write a whole sentence and didnt insult me once see you sunday big man!!!

as for belgium, i cant wait to trash my bike!!!