Flat tyre at the Finsbury Park road race 9th Oct 2011

Punctures, the bane of all cyclists. There is little that is less pleasant than crouching at the side of the road in the freezing cold and driving rain, attempting to get a tyre off with numb hands. In a race the situation is slightly different. If there is a neutral service then you can get a spare wheel and attempt to rejoin the race. If not then it is a long walk back to the HQ. The Finsbury Park Road Race at the weekend was a race of many punctures. I know of at least 6 people who were unlucky, only one of whom got back in the bunch, with yours truly being one of those with an expensive tub to replace.

The race was held over the Whitwell circuit in Herts. The circuit is about 10 miles round, with the finish is at the top of a 3-stepped climb - perhaps 8% maximum gradient, but it goes on a bit. There is a bit of a descent, and then a long run down the main road (which was into a headwind), followed by a 2 mile drag up the back of the course (cross to head wind), with a fast descent to the bottom of the finishing climb. The race was 2/3/4 and over 6 laps. Given it was the last race of the year there was a full field, and I was only a reserve. The best 2nd cats in the region were riding - particularly Adam Coterill and Flavio Zappi both of whom are actually first cats, and Richard Prebble ex UK National Time Trial champion - so it was likely to be a tough race. 

As it turned out it was a bit of a war of attrition. Adam Cotterell resplendent in WindyMilla pink attacked all race. He ensured he didn't miss the winning break by simply being in every single thing that went up the road, the first attack coming in about the first 3 miles! He was super strong, very aggressive and deserved his eventual win.

The first lap was reasonably quick, and the course was slippery in places after the downpour overnight - I'm slightly surprised no one crashed. On the second lap someone got the hammer down up the long climb. He didn’t attack, just rode threshold so the bunch was strung out in single file and I suspect a lot of people got dropped. I felt ok and was never in any great difficulty. There were various attacks thereafter, and the pace remained reasonably hard for the next couple of laps. Breaks went up the road - including one that got out to a minute and a half - but all were caught and none looked terribly threatening.

With two laps to go Adam Cotterell attacked for the umpteenth time with another guy. They got perhaps 40-50 seconds, with a chasing group of six looking to join them on the long climb at the back of the circuit. All of a sudden the complexion of the race changed. The bunch was perhaps only 30 odd strong at this stage (from 60 odd starters) so a break of 8 was dangerous. My legs felt pretty good at this stage, and I resolved to use the penultimate ascent of the finishing climb as a springboard to try and get across to them. I figured the best way to do this was to ride hard on the first two steps, and then to really rip it up the third step and push on over the top. Another guy attacked on the bottom of the climb and was a little way up the road. I rode on the front of the bunch at 95% up the first two steps and then rode hard up the last one. I got the gap on the bunch and really pushed on over the top. I looked back and there was no one there. I quickly caught the guy who had attacked at the bottom of the climb, and shouted at him to get my wheel. The gap was probably 25-30 seconds to the break, and 15 seconds to the bunch. 

Over the top of the climb there was a descent, with a left hander under the trees, and then a mile straight to a dead turn. Everyone had been taking that turn very gingerly so I reckoned I could easily get 5 seconds back there. I almost lost the back end on the descent but just managed to hold it all together. The guy I had caught did two turns and then couldn't hold the wheel so I was left on my own. I pushed on hard, conscious that I had to turn into the headwind soon. I hit the main road with maybe a ten second gap to the break. I was conscious that someone was on my wheel but didn't really have the energy to look over. I signalled for him to come through, and he attacked me!! Turns out it was Flavio Zappi. Flavio is an ex Italian pro who wore the young riders jersey in the Giro some years ago. Real class. He doesn't give you anything, and is very aggressive. His jump caught me by surprise. Combined with the fact that I was at my limit meant I couldn't go with him, but what he did do was to give me a psychological bridge to the break. I then had a couple of those desperately unpleasant minutes that define racing. I was riding over my limit, so if I did not make the junction quickly I was probably sunk. The group were just starting to work together again which made it more difficult, but on one of the rises in the road I made it. Phew! 

That made 10 of us and we pushed on hard along the main road. It felt as if the group was too big, and it seemed to me that someone would try and split it. That is exactly what happened towards the top of the big drag at the back of the circuit. My legs had been feeling it a little bit at the bottom of the climb, and then Adam Cotterell attacked hard with Flavio Zappi on his wheel. It was clear to me that this was a break not to be missed and I scratched my way to the wheel of one of the other guys and we bridged first to one other chap, and then to the two leaders over the top. The descent was super fast and the 5 were working well. I'm not entirely clear how we got caught but we did. I'm not sure if everyone was still in the group, but as it reformed Adam Cotterell attacked again taking one other with him. The timing was perfect. There was about 2 miles to go to the finish and everyone in the group looked at each other, as the two rode away in what proved to be the race winning move. 

It was apparent that it would be decided by a charge up the finishing climb, and as we hit the bottom the pace was hard but no one wanted to be the first to go. I was riding about 3rd/4th wheel on the outside of the bunch so there was no chance of getting boxed. On the second of the three steps Flavio Zappi attacked on the left of the road. Now I had a decision to make (and I'm still not convinced I made the right choice). I could try and get his wheel in the knowledge that if I fail to do so, I'm probably going to end up getting spat out the back of the group, or I wait for the 3rd step in the knowledge that I think I've got the beating of everyone else in the break. They say fortune favours the brave, so I decided (coward I am) to wait!

As we came over the top of the 2nd step I saw that the front two had split. The second guy looked like he had blown so I reckoned he could be beaten. Flavio was maybe 7-10 seconds up the road. As we hit the bottom of the third step I took a couple of deep breaths and launched on the right hand side. Almost immediately I knew that no one was going to get on terms and I set about reeling in the guy from the front two. I caught and passed him with about 100m to go and thought I had a half a chance of catching Flavio for 2nd when I heard the noise that no racing cyclist wants to hear. Tsssssssssssssssssssst, tst, tst, tst, tst, tst, tst, tst, tst.... I'd punctured. I had probably 50m left and just kept powering on. I could feel my rear wheel going down but thank goodness it held out. I could hear my little girl shouting as I crossed the line in 3rd place* now riding on my uber-expensive carbon rim.

So my season ends. On returning to racing after 20 years my goals for this year were to enjoy my racing, and to get my 3rd cat licence. As it turns out I got my 2nd Cat licence, amassed 84 pts, rode and finished 2 E/1/2/3 races, won once, was second three times, and am probably riding at upper 2nd cat standard. The question now becomes what to aim for in 2012?

* Flavio Zappi was subsequently disqualified for crossing the white line in the middle of the road. Commissaries are red hot on this at the moment, and almost all the rider briefing at the start was along the lines of "cross the solid white line and you will get disqualified". It seemed harsh to me, but the record books will record me as having placed 2nd.