As I arrived my first thought was "what a pretty village to have one's asre handed to oneself". I tend not to bother looking round everyone else at races, just get on with my own routine. Arrive. Sign on. Sort bike out. Pin number on. Get changed. Go for a short warm up. Get to start line, and make sure I'm in the middle/front somewhere. However, it was impossible to avoid the varying team cars, and riders in matching kit on their sponsor provided bikes. There was some seriously nice kit on display. But difficult not to feel a little intimidated. The guy in the car next to me told me how he had got dropped on the first lap last year, up the mile long 9% hill out of Stocksbridge. Just what I wanted to hear as the course had looked "rolling" to me from the profile.
Anyway I rolled down to the start and got chatting to Richard Prebble from Motorpoint. He's a Northern lad (former national time trial champion and one of the top UK pros for a number of years) and rode for Pinarello for a number of years, so has loads of Pinas. He was quite interested in my black on black (he had a white Dogma) as he also had a Prince, although he reckoned the Dogma was a lot better. Thanks, that helps my budget, but didn't help him either as he did not finish.
So the race rolled out with a very sedate neutral and was neutralised all the way up the first climb. They kept it really slow which just made the climb go past slower and feel even longer. It probably was a mile long so was something like a 3 1/2 min effort at race pace I would guess. The flag went down over the top, and the bunch was doing 34 mph in about 15 seconds.Nice. The course was up and down all the way. After that descent was another mile long drag, followed by another descent and another long climb - probably a mile and a half but not a steep as the main climb. We then turn onto the main road which was dead straight with several 6/7% drags on it and into a nasty headwind. The descent back into Stocksbridge was a couple of miles long, but main road and super fast - my max was 53.8 mph. So all in all a nasty circuit, but one that I was better suited to than others I think.
The first lap was all together. The main road was very quick and hard and it was really quick into the bottom of the climb. The bunch was lined out doing 40mph - it felt like what Paris Roubaix must fell like into the Arenburg. So we hit the bottom of the climb hard, and then it just got harder as someone got the hammer down at the front. The bunch just smashed to bits, and out of the wreckage a group of seven formed. I got clipped off the back a couple of times. I was right on the limit but actually felt ok, and got a couple of good wheels over the top and the bunch reformed. The remainder of that lap was pretty hard too as people constantly attacked from the bunch who had missed the move - and presumably knew the calibre of the guys who had made it. Next time up the climb I made sure I was nearer the front. There were a number of attacks, but I rode reasonably comfortably near the front and was never in danger of getting dropped.
The next few laps everything settled down a bit. It was hard but steady ish, and I rode near the front most of the time. The thing about being in a race is that you don't know who most people were. As it turned out there were three elites in our group, and as the race progressed and thinned out it became apparent who the strong guys were who were constantly attacking and getting brought back. Various groups would go up the road and stay there for half a lap but eventually it all came back together. I was feeling better each time up the climb, and dishing out some pain on the 3rd and 4th ascents whilst still trying to leave something in the tank for the last lap (the finish was at the top of the climb)
I had discovered that the main bunch had been whittled down to 11 riders which came as something of a shock! As it turns out there were 4 groups up the road in total by now so it really was a bit of a war. I tried to get away a couple of times on the last lap, but then just started to bonk, and my legs went with about 5 miles to go. It wasn't bad but with the finishing climb it was enough. For the first time in my life I actually needed a gel - I may have to address this in the future. I would like to see my heart rate data for last time up as I suspect I didn't get beyond about 185bpm which is a long way short of flat out, and would explain why I didn't win the "sprint". I was the strongest - or close to strongest - up the climb and yet came in 5th/6th in the "bunch". Slightly frustrating but that's life.
Here is the only photo I can find taken on the climb
These are the BC points of those up the sharp end:
Winner 368 pts
Second 458 pts
Third 568 pts
Fourth 956 pts (ranked 9th in the country)
Fifth 332 pts
Etc
On reflection I am still delighted to get round. The race was self evidently very difficult, and some real stars did not finish (about 25-30 did in total). It showed me that the 1st cat and Elite boys are better and stronger, but not unbeatable. They were unbeatable by me, on that course, on that day, but not so far out of reach as to be unattainable. My whole body feels like it has been in a fight as I write. I was pretty tired last night, and my legs are pretty sore this morning. Mistakes? I rode too near the back early on, and too near the front late on. I did too much work in the last couple of laps. Attacking was probably a bit daft too. Not being fuelled correctly is careless.
In some respects it would be nice to end the season on that race, as I have come a long way this year. I have over achieved against the goals I set myself. I am stronger than I was as a junior, and can still pack a decent sprint. I am turning into a pretty good climber too. When you put that together you have someone who has the potential to be a decent bike rider. Yesterday shows me that there is no reason why I can't attain my 1st cat licence next year if everything goes well. That is one of my objectives now I think, along with riding a sub hr 25. It would be nice to crack 50 minutes up ADH too but we'll see. I need to go into next year with a decent winter behind me, and well rested. It feels like everything is to play for. If I can have a solid year in 2012 then who knows what lies beyond. I would love to ride a Premier Calendar race, and to be competitive on a national scale. There's some way to go to get there, but I think it is attainable given time. That's not something I thought at the beginning of this year and is perhaps the best reward for my hard work this year.
Anyway I rolled down to the start and got chatting to Richard Prebble from Motorpoint. He's a Northern lad (former national time trial champion and one of the top UK pros for a number of years) and rode for Pinarello for a number of years, so has loads of Pinas. He was quite interested in my black on black (he had a white Dogma) as he also had a Prince, although he reckoned the Dogma was a lot better. Thanks, that helps my budget, but didn't help him either as he did not finish.
So the race rolled out with a very sedate neutral and was neutralised all the way up the first climb. They kept it really slow which just made the climb go past slower and feel even longer. It probably was a mile long so was something like a 3 1/2 min effort at race pace I would guess. The flag went down over the top, and the bunch was doing 34 mph in about 15 seconds.Nice. The course was up and down all the way. After that descent was another mile long drag, followed by another descent and another long climb - probably a mile and a half but not a steep as the main climb. We then turn onto the main road which was dead straight with several 6/7% drags on it and into a nasty headwind. The descent back into Stocksbridge was a couple of miles long, but main road and super fast - my max was 53.8 mph. So all in all a nasty circuit, but one that I was better suited to than others I think.
The first lap was all together. The main road was very quick and hard and it was really quick into the bottom of the climb. The bunch was lined out doing 40mph - it felt like what Paris Roubaix must fell like into the Arenburg. So we hit the bottom of the climb hard, and then it just got harder as someone got the hammer down at the front. The bunch just smashed to bits, and out of the wreckage a group of seven formed. I got clipped off the back a couple of times. I was right on the limit but actually felt ok, and got a couple of good wheels over the top and the bunch reformed. The remainder of that lap was pretty hard too as people constantly attacked from the bunch who had missed the move - and presumably knew the calibre of the guys who had made it. Next time up the climb I made sure I was nearer the front. There were a number of attacks, but I rode reasonably comfortably near the front and was never in danger of getting dropped.
The next few laps everything settled down a bit. It was hard but steady ish, and I rode near the front most of the time. The thing about being in a race is that you don't know who most people were. As it turned out there were three elites in our group, and as the race progressed and thinned out it became apparent who the strong guys were who were constantly attacking and getting brought back. Various groups would go up the road and stay there for half a lap but eventually it all came back together. I was feeling better each time up the climb, and dishing out some pain on the 3rd and 4th ascents whilst still trying to leave something in the tank for the last lap (the finish was at the top of the climb)
I had discovered that the main bunch had been whittled down to 11 riders which came as something of a shock! As it turns out there were 4 groups up the road in total by now so it really was a bit of a war. I tried to get away a couple of times on the last lap, but then just started to bonk, and my legs went with about 5 miles to go. It wasn't bad but with the finishing climb it was enough. For the first time in my life I actually needed a gel - I may have to address this in the future. I would like to see my heart rate data for last time up as I suspect I didn't get beyond about 185bpm which is a long way short of flat out, and would explain why I didn't win the "sprint". I was the strongest - or close to strongest - up the climb and yet came in 5th/6th in the "bunch". Slightly frustrating but that's life.
Here is the only photo I can find taken on the climb
These are the BC points of those up the sharp end:
Winner 368 pts
Second 458 pts
Third 568 pts
Fourth 956 pts (ranked 9th in the country)
Fifth 332 pts
Etc
On reflection I am still delighted to get round. The race was self evidently very difficult, and some real stars did not finish (about 25-30 did in total). It showed me that the 1st cat and Elite boys are better and stronger, but not unbeatable. They were unbeatable by me, on that course, on that day, but not so far out of reach as to be unattainable. My whole body feels like it has been in a fight as I write. I was pretty tired last night, and my legs are pretty sore this morning. Mistakes? I rode too near the back early on, and too near the front late on. I did too much work in the last couple of laps. Attacking was probably a bit daft too. Not being fuelled correctly is careless.
In some respects it would be nice to end the season on that race, as I have come a long way this year. I have over achieved against the goals I set myself. I am stronger than I was as a junior, and can still pack a decent sprint. I am turning into a pretty good climber too. When you put that together you have someone who has the potential to be a decent bike rider. Yesterday shows me that there is no reason why I can't attain my 1st cat licence next year if everything goes well. That is one of my objectives now I think, along with riding a sub hr 25. It would be nice to crack 50 minutes up ADH too but we'll see. I need to go into next year with a decent winter behind me, and well rested. It feels like everything is to play for. If I can have a solid year in 2012 then who knows what lies beyond. I would love to ride a Premier Calendar race, and to be competitive on a national scale. There's some way to go to get there, but I think it is attainable given time. That's not something I thought at the beginning of this year and is perhaps the best reward for my hard work this year.
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