Tuesday 5th May
With just two road races under my belt so far in 2015 I'm woefully unprepared for the upcoming circuit race season. And for round one the weather Gods are chucking in an unhelpful hand.
Windy! the course is strewn with debris. I have to make a hasty change to the bikes set up, the carbon deep dish wheels will send me up like a kite in this so they must come off. I have to swap freehub body, fit cassette, and swap out the carbon pads for alloy ones before re fitting the classic wheels.
Really I needn't have bothered. Probably a little pee'd off with the weather and mechanical work I was in a poor mindset to race.
We get the gun and the race is a out of the saddle sprint from the off. Team Corley and Velo Equipe cause the damage with us mere mortals gasping to stay in any form of race.
Two laps in and Pssssshhhh....puncture.
Not a good day in anyway, but we live and learn, Mainly learn.
Tuesday 12th May and round 2.
The suns out, the Lightweight Standards are back on, the winds not so bad. And I'm 1/2 an ounce lighter! And I'm not going to get dropped. I need to forget about not racing in 2014, and find the form that led to a win in 2013.
I have a good warmup and ready myself in a good position for the start. I need to be a bit tougher today, do my share but don't get taken advantage of. We're off. Like the Virgin Active I feel good and find a spot near the front, but in a place where I can slip in behind a wheel if needs be. I feel nicely in control of my own race and the halfway point comes without issue.
Then halfway through another section of the circuit is opened up. And then the familiar pattern reappears. I've done well so far, but when the winning break goes I can't quite hang on, and again I find myself the front man of the trailing group. I chase round the bends and find the lead group just up the straight, but without a committed effort from my small group we'll have to concede defeat and race our own race.
We settle into through and off, I say we as it's just myself and a Verulam rider doing the work. Annoying, but in a way good as we'll be riding ourselves race fit and there's a long way to go this season.
We swallow up dropped riders as our disciplined riding pays off, and the group swells. Myself and the VCC rider get a little saucy on the only incline just to drive home the message to those on our wheels.
We see the race out in this way, it's been good. I can now see were I need to improve and hopefully get back to 2013 form.
Also present and racing that day where Dave Brown and Andrew Martin who both race in different age bands. And than's to Justin Naylor for his marshaling duties.
I was unable to race round 3 on 18th May.
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