Another wet day at the office - Reading CC RR 29th Apri

Having pestered the organizer all week for the possibility of a ride I awoke Sunday morning to the gentle thrum of rain on the roof outside. Brilliant! The Reading CC Road Race was full, with ten reserves, so the only chance of an entry on the line was a bit of rain. The Big Fella had kindly obliged. So in a calculated risk I headed off for Woodcote nr Reading for a 2/3/4 race. Sure enough after a bit of waiting around I got my ride.

The circuit was really quite tough, and made tougher by the torrid conditions. Not only was it raining heavily, but there was a lot of standing water and the cross to headwind in places was verging on the dangerous. The circuit was broadly out along the main road where the wind played the biggest part being cross to head, and giving everyone a really tough time, followed by a sharp left turn and a really quick section in the tailwind to the foot of a 800m finishing climb which steepened towards the top. On a clement day it would be tricky circuit, on a day like today it was very tough indeed.

I later learned that only 18 of the 70 odd starters made it to the finish.

It is often said that it is the riders that make the race not the circuit, and almost from the start it was an attacking race. I believe the bunch split to bits first time up the main road where the only shelter was in the left hand gutter, trying desperately not to get blown into the verge. It was really quite unpleasant on all counts and only the strongest and better bike handlers survived. First time up the finishing climb I was riding in the first 20 or so, and felt lousy. I used the length of the bunch to slowly slip backwards thinking all the while about the subsequent 4 ascents to come!

 Second time along the main road a break went away and the bunch splintered further. I was probably in the second group on the road and actually felt ok. I seem to do ok in those sorts of conditions but it became pretty clear that a lot of riders were not going to finish. It was also clear that if you got taken out the back it was going to be almost impossible to get back on. Nick Baker from Zappi’s was one of the main protagonists driving things along. Next time up the finishing climb was not too bad and I was beginning to feel a little better. Obviously I was soaked and cold but riding ok.

The next lap a break of 5 went away along the main road including some decent riders. There was 8 in my group I think and it was only the fact that we organized a chase quickly to which most people contributed that we caught them back up round the back of the ciruit. A really tough 10km of riding though and I paid for it later. It was sometime around this stage that the race winning move went and ultimately lead to Alec Baskaya time-trialing to a well deserved victory.

Next time up the main road was proper purgatory. I came very close to getting dropped as that man Baker drilled it. I understand he has made 1^st Cat already this season so he’s evidentally flying. It felt like it, and I only just managed to hold on to the group to the left hand turn. Nick Baker’s attacks eventually paid off as one resulted in everyone watching each other and away he went. I suspect others were feeling the pace as badly as I was and didn’t really have the stomach for the chase!

His work left a group of 10 riders and having made the selection (thank goodness) something of a truce was called over the next lap or so (yours truly in the black in the photo below - see www.grahamrobins.net for more pictures).

Had we continued to ride at the limit I fear I would have been dropped as my legs were really feeling it. However, at one point in the tail wind it was almost pleasant! The penultimate time up the climb was relatively steady and yet I was towards/at the back of the group. Not hanging on but certainly drawing the conclusion that I wasn’t going to be fighting it out for the win! The last lap stayed relatively steady until we hit the bottom of the finishing climb. My tactics were to make sure I didn’t blow and just ride steady and hope to pick up a few places over the top. That all went out the window as an attack went near the bottom and it quickly became every man for himself. My legs were shot and I was out the back pretty quickly trundling over the line in 12^th place overall.

Looking back I’m glad I made the effort to go. It was a very tough for the second race of the season and the conditions made it more so. There was some pretty strong riders there, but ultimately I made the final group and just failed on having the legs for the finish. (Lack of race miles perhaps?). Nevertheless I am pleased that I made it that far and chalked up the first points of the year. Here’s hoping for a drier slightly warmer race next weekend!