I wasn't intending on racing Palace this week but the thought of travelling over to Hillingdon and back instead seemed a bit pointless. Get my kit on and roll up there in less than 15 mins
So I pull away from the start, mid to back of the pack and ride round for the first few laps pretty relaxed. My Bottechia is much faster than a steel framed Ritchey cross bike and I seem to have overcome my fear of that bottom bend - getting the feel for when to turn and when to put the power down up the back straight.
A few more laps I'd moved up to around tenth position.
Then the pace starts upping it a bit and on the climb I'm hanging in for dear life and I'm losing places. I can't seem to recover quick enough for the climb. A few more laps pass and I'm slowly moving to the back and can't fight my way back. 10 laps in I pull over at the top of the hill and watch from the sidelines. In one way I'm pleased that I've done much better than last year when I managed a pathetic 1½ laps but I'm desparate to finish a race there by the end of the year.
Well done to Steve who took 2nd in the 3/4 race and to Toks for keeping going. I think alternate Tuesdays here with Hillingdon is now on the cards
.
Ed