No Frills Racing – Race 1 – Solihull Circuit – Cats 2/3/4 – 7th May

A relatively quick turn around between races this time and heading back to Solihull only a few days after racing there.

This race in Solihullwas a new experience, racing with higher categories – around 40 riders raced across three different categories, I was very much the small-fry in this race with not many 4th Cats apparently giving this one a go.

Solihull No Frill Race

To get things off to a bad start, I realised in the queue that I’d forgotten my race licence and potentially couldn’t race. Luckily however I remember I’d taken a clear picture of my race licence to show it off and had it on my phone. Quick check later of the massive screen on the phone and I was ready to go.

The photo of my licence that scraped me onto the starting line…

From the off it was clear that this sort of racing at Solihull was completely different to what I’d experienced a couple of days before. People immediately went off hard and I found myself following someone who didn’t take the corners hard or fast enough but also couldn’t get round due to the strong winds. The end result was being dropped very early into the hour long race.

Two other people ahead had also been dropped and I put in a long turn to create a group of four. We carried on, the winds making us progressively slower and eventually conceded two laps to the main field. I had a few goes on the front where after a lap of effort the other three would drop back making it pointless – I sat on 4th wheel waiting for the bunch to come back round again. We’d probably spent 20 minutes of the race together as a four and another 15 as a five as another rider was caught.

When the bunch came round again, it was missing a group of 2nd Cats who’d raced off the front and after making an effort I managed to get attached to the back of the bunch. I spent the final 20 minutes of the hour long race racing around on the back of the main bunch and eventually finished there, albeit 3 laps down. Definitely a learning process racing in Solihull.

Waiting for the train home

Naturally I didn’t feel great about the result having been lapped 3 times, but did learn a lot from it. Mainly that some races start very quick, especially with non-4th Cat racers in them and some wheels are better off not following. The 20 minutes I did spend with the bunch of primarily 3rd Cats showed that I could hang with them with the right positioning. I outsprinted a few too for good measure, being 3 laps down it was somewhat irrelevant though.

This definitely turned out to be a learning experience rather than a race for me. With the wind being as strong as it was that day, it was essential to stick in the bunch – as it was I didn’t come last, the other 4 riders I’d been with all finished behind me as they weren’t in the finishing bunch.

35th out of 40 on the Solihull circuit sounds pretty bad but there are positives!

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No Frills Racing – Race 1 – Solihull Circuit – Cats 2/3/4 – 7th May was originally published on Me vs. Pro Cycling

University of Birmingham Criterium – Solihull – 3rd May

My first race since the Leamington Victoria Park Crits 3 weeks before took place in Solihull on the Tudor Grange Park cycling circuit – another new track to learn!

The race was a 40 minutes + 5 laps type and the track itself was quite interesting – there’s barely a straight line on the circuit, lots of sweeping bends and little kinks to be aware of and also a nasty kick of a bump to make things interesting.

I’m not in this picture…

Keen to avoid a repeat of Leamington’s wobbles and antics, I drifted around at the back for most of the race sticking to a line on the outside – the race itself was a 4th Cat Only race and as such not a lot really happened. A couple of people tried to move away only to not get far off the front, someone attacked and I went with him but we were caught within a lap. Deciding that was a pointless endeavour I drifted back to the back.

I managed to avoid the crash by the skin of my teeth – someone on the inside on the sweeping bend on the fastest part of the circuit wobbled, the person on my left shoulder pushed outwards and I had to make a detour onto the grass. Straightening up and sprinting out the saddle on the bumpy grass I only lost a second or two and recaught the bunch. The next time round though, a couple of people were off their bikes and were resigned to their race being over. I’d just about avoided the same fate.

Sweeping bends…

Coming towards the end of the race, the Garmin was saying 38, 39 minutes of racing completed I found myself back right on the front – scenarios played themselves out in my head and went with powering round as fast as I could at the front thinking that I’d make the top 10 (and points) if I could hold it until the last lap.

As it was, I held off the pack in the gap between 6 laps to go and 1.5 laps to go – being caught on the steep kick as I began to struggle. Almost immediately a counter attack went and my chance was gone, I’d effectively spent 3 miles at the front going flat out.

I stayed in the bunch and overtook a couple at the end – I can’t give an exact finishing position but 20th seems about right from 40. Again, I was strong enough to never be in danger of being dropped but just need to be better at finishing off races.

University of Birmingham Criterium Race – Solihull – 3rd May

My first race since the Leamington Victoria Park Criterium 3 weeks before took place in Solihull on the Tudor Grange Park cycling circuit – another new track to learn!

The race was a 40 minutes + 5 laps type and the track itself was quite interesting – there’s barely a straight line on the criterium circuit, lots of sweeping bends and little kinks to be aware of and also a nasty kick of a bump to make things interesting.

I’m not in this picture…

Start of the Criterium

Keen to avoid a repeat of Leamington’s wobbles and antics, I drifted around at the back for most of the race sticking to a line on the outside – the race itself was a 4th Cat Only race and as such not a lot really happened. A couple of people tried to move away only to not get far off the front, someone attacked and I went with him but we were caught within a lap. Deciding that was a pointless endeavour I drifted back to the back.

I managed to avoid the crash by the skin of my teeth – someone on the inside on the sweeping bend on the fastest part of the circuit wobbled, the person on my left shoulder pushed outwards and I had to make a detour onto the grass. Straightening up and sprinting out the saddle on the bumpy grass I only lost a second or two and recaught the bunch. The next time round though, a couple of people were off their bikes and were resigned to their criterium race being over. I’d just about avoided the same fate.

Criterium Sweeping bends…

Coming towards the end of the race, the Garmin was saying 38, 39 minutes of racing completed I found myself back right on the front – scenarios played themselves out in my head and went with powering round as fast as I could at the front thinking that I’d make the top 10 (and points) if I could hold it until the last lap of the criterium.

As it was, I held off the pack in the gap between 6 laps to go and 1.5 laps to go – being caught on the steep kick as I began to struggle. Almost immediately a counter attack went and my chance was gone, I’d effectively spent 3 miles at the front going flat out.

I stayed in the bunch and overtook a couple at the end – I can’t give an exact finishing position but 20th seems about right from 40. Again, I was strong enough to never be in danger of being dropped but just need to be better at finishing off criterium races.

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University of Birmingham Criterium Race – Solihull – 3rd May was originally published on Me vs. Pro Cycling

Race 2 – Woolly Mamil Winter Series 2 on the Stourport Circuit – 25th January

After last week’s close encounter, I decided to have another stab at this series in my effort to get some early season points taken care of. Some poor timekeeping meant that we (Sangita and mum, soigneur and chauffeur) arrived just about in the nick of time, with an all out team effort to get my bike re-assembled, signed-on and dressed correctly in time for the race off.

Turns out the E/1/2/3 categories race beforehand was over-running (like last week) so there was plenty of time to stand around in the cold and be drizzled on. Eventually we were allowed on the track for a final spin round before the start. As we did so the rain and wind intensified and everyone seemed to groan as one. Going up the hill past the start/finish line for another spin round I had a weirdly strong premonition that there definitely was going to be a crash in this race, the track was greasy already, it was a big field of over 40 riders and it wouldn’t take much for something to go wrong.

As I rolled down the hill, I looked for another and shifted up, nothing, couple more clicks of the shifter and then woah, something goes snap, the back wheel locks up and fixes in place and I’m wobbling before coming to a stop. Unclipping off the bike and looking down, it turned out my rear derailleur was hanging off and wedged in my wheel spokes…closer inspection showed that it was bent beyond repair and using technical language ‘fucked’.

I had to lift the bike onto my shoulder and walk back round the rest of the circuit to the exit gate to my adoring fans. A quick point of the finger and they were made aware it was definitely game over.

So all in all, another frustrating visit to Stourport, one day I will smash it here!

The bottom left part is supposed to be in line with the wheel on the bottom right..

Race 1 – The Woolly Mamil Winter Series 1 on the Stourport Circuit – 18th January

I’ve ridden a lot this winter so wanted to get the hump of the first race out of the way as soon as I could. There were many firsts, I’d never been on a proper cycling circuit before, first British Cycling race for proper points, first time representing a club, first potential sprint finish and so on – the number one aim, don’t get dropped!

I took up position on the start line behind the first row of riders not wanting to zoom off straight to the front and having to pull the bunch along for the full 35 minutes + 5 laps. The first few laps were spent getting used to the speed and the circuit, working out how fast you could realistically go in the corners and making sure that I stayed somewhere in the front half of the bunch to avoid the sapping concertina effect. Once the bunch looked like it was about to snap in half with me the wrong side of it but a short sprint rectified that.

The race settled down and followed a familiar pattern, 3 Worcester St John’s riders decided to work a proper team, sending one person zooming ahead with the other two sitting up at the front, I sprinted after the attacker the first time this happened as I was on his wheel but left all the other chases to other people. What I learnt from this display was that in 4th Cat riders generally can’t last off the front on their own for very long.

I was sat around 3rd-6th wheel of the bunch for most of this section of the race but as the last lap bell went off, I fell back as the pace quickened up the previously sedate hill and out of the top hairpin. I bust a gut trying to get back up the line and tucked in before reaching the clubhouse hairpin and was back at around 5th wheel again. Annoyingly though this appeared to be my last effort, I was unable to go with everyone else out of the hairpin and could only watch the bunch go with me a couple of bike lengths off the back going into the final corners. With noone behind me I sat up and resigned myself to my placing which turned out to be 14th.

I was frustrated by the result, because I’d been up there in the placings the whole race only to end up with nothing to show for it because of hitting empty two corners from the end. I only needed to be 1% stronger or 1% smarter and I’d have picked up a point or two.

On reflection, I achieved my aim of not getting dropped and had featured near the front for most of the race. With a bit more to eat nearer to the race start and a bit more conserving energy in the bunch instead of thinking everyone is going to disappear once they go off the front, I should have enough to get a result next time out.

(Result: 14th out of 40)

Stourport on Severn Woolly Mamil Series 1 18th Jan 2014

Race 1 – The Woolly Mamil Winter Series – Stourport Circuit

I’ve ridden a lot this winter so wanted to get the hump of the first race out of the way as soon as I could. The Woolly Mamil winter seriest at Stourport seemed a good start. There were many firsts, I’d never been on a proper cycling circuit before, first British Cycling race for proper points, first time representing a club, first potential sprint finish and so on – the number one aim, don’t get dropped!

Woolly Mamil Series #1 Race

I took up position on the start line behind the first row of riders not wanting to zoom off straight to the front and having to pull the bunch along for the full 35 minutes + 5 laps. The first few laps were spent getting used to the speed and the circuit, working out how fast you could realistically go in the corners and making sure that I stayed somewhere in the front half of the bunch to avoid the sapping concertina effect. Once the bunch looked like it was about to snap in half with me the wrong side of it but a short sprint rectified that.

The race settled down and followed a familiar pattern, 3 Worcester St John’s riders decided to work a proper team, sending one person zooming ahead with the other two sitting up at the front, I sprinted after the attacker the first time this happened as I was on his wheel but left all the other chases to other people. What I learnt from this display was that in 4th Cat riders generally can’t last off the front on their own for very long in this Woolly Mamil series.

I was sat around 3rd-6th wheel of the bunch for most of this section of the race but as the last lap bell went off, I fell back as the pace quickened up the previously sedate hill and out of the top hairpin. I bust a gut trying to get back up the line and tucked in before reaching the clubhouse hairpin and was back at around 5th wheel again. Annoyingly though this appeared to be my last effort, I was unable to go with everyone else out of the hairpin and could only watch the bunch go with me a couple of bike lengths off the back going into the final corners. With noone behind me I sat up and resigned myself to my placing which turned out to be 14th.

I was frustrated by the result, because I’d been up there in the placings the whole race only to end up with nothing to show for it because of hitting empty two corners from the end. I only needed to be 1% stronger or 1% smarter and I’d have picked up a point or two.

On reflection, I achieved my aim of not getting dropped and had featured near the front for most of the race. With a bit more to eat nearer to the race start and a bit more conserving energy in the bunch instead of thinking everyone is going to disappear once they go off the front, I should have enough to get a result in the next Woolly Mamil race.

(Woolly Mamil #1 Result: 14th out of 40)

Stourport on Severn Woolly Mamil Series 1 18th Jan 2014

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Race 1 – The Woolly Mamil Winter Series – Stourport Circuit was originally published on Me vs. Pro Cycling