Orwell Club League Race 07/05/09

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Jaysus - I'm in bits after the race this evening. Very windy out there.

I figure I should give a report, seeing as there were no other newbies from boards racing tonight (that I know of). Excuse my lack of writing skill/talent, but I know some of you are thinking about racing and any insight is good insight, right?

The circuit was 3 (short) laps around the lakes. Same circuit as 2 weeks ago with an extra lap thrown in for good measure.

There were a good few Limit riders out tonight so we weren't sent off with the semi-limit group as we were last week. I was the only person off boards in the group (AFAIK) which makes a change - usually there's 3 or 4 of us.

Anyway - pace was moderate for the first while and really had to cajole people to try and get them working. Myself and a couple of UCD lads were doing most of the work and one orwell bloke I'd never met. There were a few attacks from these guys - they really wanted the limit group to stay away and were trying to force the pace.

I thought to myself that there was no way we'd stay away - just not enough people working. Started to sit in a bit more than I had been up til then, in anticipation of being caught.

Stayed attentive and made sure not to get boxed in so I'd be able to latch on to the group behind once they caught us and put the hammer down.

Once we were caught (near the start of the 2nd lap, I think) I tried to hold position up near the front, and did as much work as I could - the pace was definitely higher.

At the start of the third lap I decided to sit in for a bit, and maybe attack on the drag near the finish if I had the legs. Holding position in the top third of the group was very tough - Found myself slipping further and further back - not because I didn't have the legs - just people were gradually coming around me and crowding me out. Eventually I was at, or almost at the back of a very big group (by my standards at least).

Then all of a sudden it got really dark - really quickly! So I took my sunglasses off, and threw them in my pocket. Literally 10 seconds later I got this horrible stinging sensation all over my face, in my eyes, on my legs & fingers. It took me a second to realise... HAILSTONES! In MAY FFS!

I couldn't see a thing - tried to just stay clear of people and not crash! Scrambled to get my sunglasses back on - and not lose contact at the same time. Darkness is definitely better than ice in the eye.

The hail stopped after a few minutes and then it was lashing rain. I then started working my way back up towards the front... When I got there, we were just coming to the bottom of a drag - "The last hill before the finish!" I thought to myself. Legs felt fine so I got out of the saddle and went straight off the front. Nobody came with me. Deadly! I thought, as I glanced back to see some distance between myself and the bunch.

I started trying to remember how far I had left to go to the finish. I glanced down and I saw 98% heart rate. I could barely remember I was in a bike race, let alone how far there was til the finish! I kept going anyway - really suffering but then realised there was another hill... "Hang on... this isn't what's supposed to happen... the finish was supposed to be there..."

I'd gone too early - the second last rather than the final drag up to the finish! You'd think I'd have known where the finish was after doing 3 laps but I remember finding it hard to visualise what part of the circuit I was on for most of the 3rd lap.

10 seconds later I was caught and people started coming around me. (maybe more than 10 seconds, maybe much less - any concept of time I have usually, doesn't exist in races. I don't know if that's normal, but I've experience it a fair bit in the few races I've done)

Tried to hang on in up the front but I was wrecked after the effort I put in. Couldn't stay with blokes coming around me for the bunch gallop - reckon there was maybe 15 that went up for it and I just didn't have the legs so sat down but made sure to not let anyone else come around me (to save SOME face, at least).

Once I'd finished, the "warm down" cycle back to my car was more like a "FREEZE down". Didn't realise how cold it was til my HR dropped to a reasonable level. Could barely move my arms and was shaking violently... I guess that's how you should feel when you finish a race.

Wow - I've been sh1ting on for a while now. Hope I haven't bored you to death!

EDIT: Sorry - I forgot to mention, the scratch group never caught us. I'm not sure if it was just a Limit/Semi limit group, or if semi-scratch were in there too.

Chips Lovell

Well done. Sounds like you've a lot of positives to take away from that. You stayed in contention when the group was caught and then picked a spot and made your move. Sure it didn't come off, but you got your gap and nothing ventured, nothing gained.

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I'd gone too early - the second last rather than the final drag up to the finish! You'd think I'd have known where the finish was after doing 3 laps but I remember finding it hard to visualise what part of the circuit I was on for most of the 3rd lap.

It's funny, but having raced there once and ridden around the course before the first race, it was only on Sunday when I was out there with my wife that I really copped on to that second little drag and realised that it was what really did me in the last time we raced there.

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el tonto wrote: »

Well done. Sounds like you've a lot of positives to take away from that. You stayed in contention when the group was caught and then picked a spot and made your move. Sure it didn't come off, but you got your gap and nothing ventured, nothing gained.



It's funny, but having raced there once and ridden around the course before the first race, it was only on Sunday when I was out there with my wife that I really copped on to that second little drag and realised that it was what really did me in the last time we raced there.

I was happy enough to get around with the bunch alright - and to have the legs to attack on the last lap was great. Last week I was very cautious of the fact that we were going out with the semi limit group. I spent a lot of the time sitting in waiting for them to line it out, or someone to attack. The speed never went beyond what I could handle and I was disappointed I hadn't attacked or ridden more aggressively. It's all experience though and it's a steep learning curve.

I have to say though, no matter how many times you watch races on TV and see someone go up the road on the attack... you never realise how tough it is. It's not just a short burst of speed to get away and then amble along to the finish - it's sustained effort... and it hurts!

Hungrycol

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I just didn't have the legs so sat down but made sure to not let anyone else come around me

Nice report. Not quite sure what you mean here.... How did you make sure no one else came around you?

RobFowl

Hungrycol wrote: »

Nice report. Not quite sure what you mean here.... How did you make sure no one else came around you?

? big arse ??

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Hungrycol wrote: »

Nice report. Not quite sure what you mean here.... How did you make sure no one else came around you?

I used my head:pac: :



no... I just mean I that once I decided I couldn't hang on with the sprinters I did my best to stay ahead of the rest of the bunch. I was a couple of lengths behind the main sprint, but a couple of lengths ahead of the bunch basically. I think... not that it really matters.

barrabus

i marshalled last night. the conditions were brutal, standing around in a hail storm. my soul along with my body was numb by the end.
aidan i think you were caught by all the other groups so that reflects well on how you stayed with the up near the front.

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barrabus wrote: »

i marshalled last night. the conditions were brutal, standing around in a hail storm. my soul along with my body was numb by the end.
aidan i think you were caught by all the other groups so that reflects well on how you stayed with the up near the front.

I just heard from someone in the scratch group that we were caught by semi-scratch, but still had about 50-100m on the scratch group at the finish.