Puncture!

Well after a few days downtime, I was ready to race today. The race was actually the East Flanders Championshiop but since I had been allowed to start the European Championship at the weekend I figured I'd be OK today, that was the case, I was fine. I was told I could win the race but not the championship, again.

Weather was OK, quite warm 22c I think, but with the threat of very localised showers. The course was a real beast. a longish lap at about 9km and started with a 2km climb, that pinched up quite steeply at the end, a long fast descent through a town, swing right 90 degrees, a bit of flat then a wicked wicked steep narrow winding descent on a concrete road that was still wet from earlier showers, certainly Andy Schleck would have been squeeking about it! Then a long slow ascent to the finish, straight for 2/3km rising all the way, so the circuit was relatively straightforward.

I managed to get lost doing a warm up / siting lap but fortunately I was following a local who at least had the advantage of being able to ask directions, he had some English and was very good, making sure I was with him to the finish. So I had a decent enough warm up but didn't see most of the course, especially that very fast swooping downhill but then I always liked to race the place to place races, so you get used to taking what comes.

I don't know whether I have explained what happens with the course, marshalls etc. Some days before the race, signs go out on all the course roads indicating no parking, temporary one way's and any other changes of that nature. About one hour before the race the police will tour the course shifting any cars parked where they shouldn't be, there is always somebody that loses track of the time and I have seen cars towed away before now. 30 minutes before the racing is due to start the marshall's will have been briefed and all be in place, Police will generally marshall significant junctions (this is the sensible time to go for a warm up!) A few minutes before the racing is due to start the lead police car will drive the making sure everthing is good to go, then the race will start.

Where my pal and I went wrong today, apart from going out before the corners where marshalled, was I think due to the fact that there must be another race in the vicinity at the weekend which had its road signs out so we couldn't tell the difference cos we were certainly following the signs.

There was a lot of confusion, for me at anyrate, at the start. I think there must have been a late decision to combine a bunch of races together? Possibly due to relatively small fields. 3 bunches of 20/25? Nobody bothered to explain to me so I started blind, assuming that we did indeed have three races on the go today. I have to admit that I am not generally in favour of this approach although it normally is beneficial to me cos I can go with the faster riders. That was the case today we were flying up the hills so fast it was just a case of keeping on top of the gear, much easier.

However the downside was that the yellow numbers were trying to stay in front of the green numbers and the white numbers where trying to stay in front of everybody. Consequently some of overtaking was a bit desperate since although there a clear age distinctions, the ability level isn't that clearcut. So I wasn't all that impressed with some of the ducking and diving going on on the flat and downhill only to have to unwind it on the hills cos I was climbing better.

Anyway problem solved, I punctured coming off the winding down hill section and abandoned. There did seem to be a few punctures today, I didn't see any particular issues but there must have 4/5 punctures in the first laps.

In my own race, run seperately not with everybody else, I think I would have been OK, certainly in the money again, at the end of the first lap the field was down to 30/35, I didn't see where it happened but I think the split must have happened coming out of the fast downhill.

So having sorted out a race programme for the next two week, my next race would have been Sunday, its all change, I'll now race on Saturday and see how it all shakes out.