In reality I knew I shouldn't race today, the racing's hard and I know from past years that 3 races in 5 days is not sensible, my body doesn't recover.
However when I decided that I would race I was thinking of two factors, one that due to my lack of racing this year and particulary no racing for a month just prior to coming here, I know I need some racing in my legs to sharpen up. Secondly since a day of heavy rain was forecast I decided that if I was going to get wet I might as well race! As it happened it was a dry race. Of course I love to race, that's why I'm here, its just better fun when you are competitive.
The drive over was easy, a bit longer in K's than I normally do but all on the freeway until the last few K so a really easy journey. So I was in deepest West Flanders, home to many of those iconic Belgian 'bergs', like the Kemmel. Today's course was pan flat. As I drove into the village, I realised that I'd raced there before, in fact I was 2nd the last time I rode when the sprint suited me fine, about 2km straight run into the line. This year different course, totally different finish, not so good legs either!
I went to sign on, the ladies running the sign on remembered me. I had been a bit sneaky with the sign on inasmuch for reasons not clear to me they ran the O50 race first followed by the O60 race and finally the U50 race. So by turning up at the sign on after the O50 race had started sticking me in there was not an option. So after a conflab with the chief official, he agreed I should start in the O60 race. Not sure why they started the O50's at 3.0pm, there were only 20 in their race, but surely most of that field will be working? The O60 race had I think 49 and started at 4.30pm, the U50 race started at 6.00pm and had about 70 starters. In both the other races the winning break went off the line and were never caught.
The weather was very overcaste but didn't rain, pretty cool about 16c and very windy.
The course was quite frankly a bitch! Immediately after the start/finish line was a 90 degree right hander down a straight that meandered left and right and had street furniture alternating left and right side, every 50m, for about 750m. At speed this straight had only one line for a single file bunch because you couldn't move either side to move up cos you faced a wooden post and some vegetation. At the end of this straight was a 90 degree right followed by another 90 degree right in about 50m, onto a headwind straight slightly shielded by a grove of trees, this was about 300m long followed by a 90 degree right onto a narrow road that was straight into the headwind for maybe 500m, 90 degree right onto a 300m stretch that bent left, then into a 90 degree right, 30m into a 90 degree right, straight into a left, leaving a 131m to the line (measured by my SRM). So you can see why it was a sprint that didn't suit me very much at all with 3 corners in the last 200m.
The circuit was supposed to be 3km (I think it was 2.8k) and we definitely had 20 laps to race. I was also paying attention but we got a lap board from about 8 to go.
My legs were not good from the start, I felt really flat, analysis of my SRM shows that whilst it wasn't very hard in terms of wattage, my heart rate remained low, for me a sure sign that I am tired.
Anyway, I was thinking after 7/8 laps that I would pull out but then reasoned that I was still in the mix, holding in about 10th place but not really enjoying it but that I should knuckle down.
In short although I felt pretty average it would have been better if the race had been harder. Time and time again a 'selection' of 8/10 of the strongest riders forced itself off the front, only for it to ease up and some of the lesser lights rejoined. Problem was the rejoining riders kept coming round and trying to slot in at the front, so there was a continuous selection of dead wheels to worry about everytime it arced up,very irritating. I would have been much happier if the pressure had stayed on, it would have been easier as well.
So we had a bunch that was a nice manageable 8/10 riders one lap and unwieldy 25 riders the next. It was such a narrow course, moving up was very very difficult almost everywhere.
We were moving quickly through 4 and 3 to go, with the hardcore of around 10 maintaining the leading places, everybody else in their rightful places, behind and out of the way. Really flew through 2 to go and then as we were coming through the headwind section coming up to the bell we stopped, so savagely riders needing to break hard to not run into wheels, consequently we are swamped with a bunch of riders that quite frankly from there just got in the way, so difficult was it to move up.
Going through the bell we had one rider about 50m off the front 20 chasing hard so that we are in a line with me way to far back, picking of riders in each corner then we got into the last k it was just so difficult, with that complex of corners in the last 200m, you had to be there or very brave. So all of a sudden we had riders deciding they were opting out of the sprint coming back at you whilst others, me, are still trying to press forward.
To cut it short, I was never in a good enough position to win, we blew past the breakaway rider and by straightlining the last left hander by bunny hopping the curb, using the pavement for 20m to pass riders, passing one rider in the short straight, I managed 6th. I think on another day I might have been strong enough to take it out from about 1000m out but not today. So from feeling pretty average I think I'm quite pleased with the result and now I'm definitely going to have 2 days break before my next race, I hope I'll be fresher by Saurday.
No comments:
Post a Comment