ACC Road Race champs 2009

[huw williams]

Reports to follow - results here:

Race A)
1)Sylvain Garde
2) Keith Lea
3) George Brent
Prime: Keith Lea

• Adam won the race in some style but doesn’t qualify for Club Championships as a 2nd claim

Race B)
1) AJ Khandelwal
2) Serge Hunt
3) Andy Clark
Prime: Brian Nolan

Women
1) Chloe Thomas
2) Bridget Malarkey
3) Maria Balbi

[Keith]

Thanks Toks, Huw and crowd for organising this.

Thanks also to everyone for delaying the start by 10 minutes to give me a chance to get there.

(The M25 was in full car-park mode, with people out of their cars as the Police shut the road to drag crashed cars on to the hard shoulder. Fortunately it looked to be just expensive rather than potentially fatal.)

[Sylv]

Photos from today : http://www.flickr.com/photos/patronchou ... 411763766/

Well done to Adam - now I know i'll never win a 2-man sprint against him.

And thanks to Toks & Huw and all who came and raced or spectated. Not too impressed with the mysteriously absent Nicole Cooke jersey though

[Marek]

So, this is how it went from mid race. Unfortunately, due to a big smash on the M25 I was 30mins late so did not get to the start line on time, but Toks and Huw kindly let me join in on the agreement that I pull out of the race before the finish.

I jumped in with the fast boys, not sure what lap they were on but they were doing a bit of through and off. I was wondering what the heck was going on, I could not imagine that a breakaway had taken place with the likes of Adam, George and Sylv still in the pack. After a lap warm up I went to the front and put in a bit of a dig as thought it was about time to shake things up. I then got an earful for not keeping it smooth and that we would not catch the group, huh, I was then informed that the race was handicapped and that there was another group up front that we were meant to be catching.

Now it all made sense, so I started taking turns. After another lap or so we could see the group, I went around to the front and told the guys that I would nail it down the straight to reel them in. I opened the afterburners but before I knew it we had dropped George, Keith and Steve. Adam had gotten onto my wheel and then Sylv got across. We caught the other group just as we reached the finish hill and Adam wisely came around me and the group and put in a dig to get off the front. Sylv went after him and I was a bit cooked so thought that Keith and co would soon be in attendance to nail them back. I was wrong.

The earlier acceleration had left George and Keith with a gap to close and they were no where to be seen for about a lap. I slowed down a bit and let the slower group go past and then joined up with Keith and George and we started to up the pace. Sylv and Adam by now had started to pull out quite a good lead. George and I put in some real hard turns on the front to try our best to get them back but the gap was just too large. Serge was also having the odd go as was Keith but we just did not have enough firepower to bring back the fast boys.

At one point we picked up Sean in his resplendent white. I indicated to him that he was not trying hard enough as his kit was not translucent enough, indicating a lack of sweat. This got him to then take a turn on the front, fantastic effort.

After a few more laps I dropped off the back of the group in readiness to drop out and watch the finish, was surprised to find George hanging off the back. Got him on my wheel and tried my best to drag him back up to the group as best I could and then I stopped and watched the finish.

Fantastic early sprint from Adam meant he opened a big gap on Sylv and he came over the line with what looked like plenty left in the tank. Keith came in 3rd with George not too far off his wheel.

After the race got to take my eldest daughter for a practice ride around the track on a mtb. She really enjoyed it, might see if I can persuade her to start training and racing soon, she is nearly 7.

Was good workout, really enjoyed it, just a shame about not arriving in time as would have liked to have competed properly, maybe next year. Well done to Toks and all those that helped with the organisation.

Cheers

Marek....

[MJ_1993]

well done everyone who took part, and those who podium especially. technically does this still mean i'm unbeaten since 2007 for the junior thing. hahahaa. or did someone sneakily take part...

[Paul H]

Well done Sylv thoroughly deserved.

It may be just me, but shouldnt the race only contain riders who are eligible to win the club championships? I have no problem with 2nd claimers (Adam) riding but they should be allowed to win otherwise its all a bit of a farce.

For the last 2 years, riders that are not eligible for the win have altered the most critical part of both races:

2008 - Adam and his mate organising the chase of the break of George and Marek. Im pretty sure it would have stayed to the end and one of those two would have been club champ rather than Stu (sorry Stu).

2009 - Marek & Adam forming a break with Sylv eliminating all of Sylv's competition (I suspect Sylv would have probably won anyway but it would have been close with Keith).

It also sounds a bit unfair on the handicapped group if somebody in the fast group who missed the first part of the race is prepared to bury himself to pull them back. At a Surrey League race in March, when I had a mechanical and joined in again after waiting a lap I was told quite clearly that I could not go to the front or get in breaks.

[Keith]

[img]http://i36.tinypic.com/ojm5g7.jpg[/img] [img]http://i37.tinypic.com/28a847k.jpg[/img] [img]http://i36.tinypic.com/33c0v1d.jpg[/img] [img]http://i35.tinypic.com/208h7i9.jpg[/img]
Adam, it looks like one of your fans started to paint you name on the road, but ran out of time! Well done on the win.
[img]http://i37.tinypic.com/35cr9c3.jpg[/img]

[adrian]

A good day out in fabulous weather. I was disappointed with my own spineless - one might even say craven - effort: I stayed with the lead group in the B race for the first three laps or so, but didn't fancy keeping that level of effort up for the next hour or so, so capitulated, crumbled, folded and buckled. Couldn't see the point of punting round once I was out of the race, so DNFed after about 25 minutes. Pathetic.

Still - thanks to Huw and Toks for putting so much into making this happen, and well done to the winners. Hope everyone got home safely - and, given the traffic that Alan, Mark F and I had to hack through as we rode home - before nightfall.

[Sylv]

[quote="Sean Hogan"]....hmm I decided to go off like a bloody firework and burned brilliantly for just over a lap.....then as Gerge glided past with the rest of the Bs I faded.

[Andrew G]

You should have been disqualified for those shorts Sean .

[Marek]

Adam got a good round of applause, I think he should take part, it is good to have strong riders in the race, he is second claim and does his bit for the club so I don't think it is that much of a big deal. Never know, one day one of us might beat him.

Cheers

Marek.....

[Dominic]

Does Huw get an award for the best outfit of the day?

[Mark F]

What a great day out - a special mention to Toks and Huw for pulling it all together and having a great set of prizes and even organising perfect weather - but thanks to everyone else who turned up. Undoubtedly the more the merrier - let's push for a bigger turnout next year.

It may have only been the B race but it was too much for me - lasted for 20 minutes with the group (and probably would have been less without AJ's encouragement) before pootling around until told to come into the pits. My heart rate hasn't been that high for a long time - putting aside the two weekend drivers in Putney who within a period of three minutes made serious attempts on my life as I cycled out there. I was very glad to have Adrian's and Alan's company on the way back.

Anyway, 67 miles in total and some serious training for my end of season challenge against my rather younger brother-in-law.

M

[Keith]

[quote="Paul H"]It may be just me, but shouldnt the race only contain riders who are eligible to win the club championships? I have no problem with 2nd claimers (Adam) riding but they should be allowed to win otherwise its all a bit of a farce.

[Snoop Doug]

Well done winners and all the racers and supporters. More importantly, well done organisers , particularly for the superb weather (assuming it was as good as the weather I enjoyed whilst catching up with some great old mates, drinking beer, playing tennis, bird watching etc etc). Some good pics too - this will make a good story for the Advtertiser

It would be great to see this and other sporting events supported more effectively by the club as a whole, and the reason it doesn't happen is staring us in the face. Too blind to see it? I don't think so.

Snoop