Well I woke up with a face like quasimodo, swollen and sore from my wasp sting, the left side of my face and gum were not pretty, I do hate wasps that sting indiscrimanetely!!!!!
That and the fact that it was p...... down with rain made me think that perhaps I should go back to bed and not race this morning. However the weather forecast I looked at categorically said it would be good by midday, so I went and signed on and was ready to race at the appointed time, two undervests, arm warmers and plenty of oil on the legs. First two laps were wet then the sun came out!
The course was pretty straightforward, starting with a long straight, maybe 2km. 90 degree right across cobbles, 50m, 90 degree left still on cobbles then another long straight maybe 1.5km, 90 degree right another straight about 1km, 90 degree right onto a 750m straight, 90 degree right onto a straight about 2km, 90 degree right onto straight about 350m, finish line back through 110 degree corner, that was the lap. Two comments, the straights weren't exactly straight they meandered left and right and most of the roads were pretty much concrete with that dreaded concrete gully, 'valley of death', which needs to be respected at all times especially when the roads are wet. The consequence of this is that riders moving across it make a really exagerated switch, pay attention! The other thing is, when you are turning off a narrow road onto a narrow road (3m), there is usually only one viable line!
We started like it was a one lap race, right of the bat a group of around 10 moved off the front and looking at the composition of the group I made a BIG effort to get across, it came back together, this happened again towards the end of the lap, again I made BIG effort, again it came back together. I've known some quick starts but the first lap was the hardest in the race, my SRM says so! About half way through the second lap I saw the first crash that I have witnessed in the racing here. Mind you it had to be a Brit, there were 3 riders about 20m off the front and he failed to respect the 'valley of death', it was quite specatacular it flicked him high in the air and body slammed him like a sack of s..., well spuds anyway. On the wet roads he and his bike just slid neatly into a ditch! I spoke to him afterwards he was OK, which was good, but he actually thought he was in the race winning move, get real!
Anyway half a lap later I drifted backwards to take a drink and realised that I was at the back, wheel 15? we then had a touriste ride for half a lap and another 20 riders caught up! From there on it was a normal race, attack - chase, attack - chase and so on. To be honest I didn't feel particularly special and spent the whole race doing as little as I needed to to be in the 'selection'. I hope the problem was my wasp sting.
Bell lap and there were two riders 20 seconds of the front, with one of the riders having 5/6 team mates in the race, who were hanging around the front neutralising everything. By this stage I had decided I would just sprint from whatever group I was in and that the Belgian Champion would be my reference point, he's not champion for no reason and is a very canny bike rider. I am usually quicker than he is 'my' type of sprint.
Down the last straight one of the Belgian champs team mates 'buried' himself to close the gap, so with a 1km to go we were all together. I was sitting pretty with 750m to go, one back from my 'target' back wheel, when for reasons I didn't understand, we did a 90 degree right turn on the straight! I was on the pavement taking avoiding action and lost a whole heap of places, effectively so had most of the 'sprinters'.
Consequently I was fighting to make up places going into the last corner, that was 'exciting' I can tell you, but long story short I came out of the last corner too far back and it was total mayhem down the last 350m, at first I didn't make any ground but as I hit the 'straps' I was slaloming through the field, made 10 places in the last 100m, but needed another 100m really, 4th! Give me a run I seem to be hold 'it' longer than most.
My 'friend' who I thought was having a 'go' at me, won, but immediately got into altercations with at least 4 guys for the style of his riding, as best as I could judge they seemed to think he had pulled himself off of them on the way though. So it's not me, everyone has a problem with him.
Spoke to the Brit that flipped himself at the end of lap 1, he thinks the rest of us were lucky, yer right! but his pal was a guy that I raced against 30 odd years ago, he was a Milk Race rider in his time, I think he was a bit miffed when he realised I was 15 years older than him!
If this entry doesn't make too much sense its because instead of my usual glass of red wine with dinner, I had a bottle. Be fair Cadel deserves at least that!
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