Thursday, 22 May 2008

Wallace Hill Road Race

This weekend I went up to Ayrshire to take part in the Wallace Hill Road Race, one of the Women's National Series events. After my warm up I was coughing so much some of the other competitors were looking slightly worried, and asking me if I was okay...'I'm fine, in fact, a good hard race is going to be the best thing for me', was perhaps not the truth, but what I needed to be telling myself.

The field was pretty small for a National Series event, with the majority of girls not wanting to travel that far north, so just over 20 riders lined up to race. After an extremely long neutralised section due to a road traffic accident where we should have been starting the race got off to a start.

Everything was going well until one of the decents (it was a pretty hilly course), where I shifted into the big ring and my chain came off, and wedged itself nicely so I couldn't pedal in either direction to get it unstuck. With this sorted a long chase ensued to get back onto the bunch, however I was dropped shortly after getting back on. I rode for a while with another rider who had been dropped, then I dropped her and chased onto another rider who I rode with for the rest of the race.

I actually had no idea what was going on during the race, because we ended up being taken off the loop to finish, there wasn't a lap board, and the circuit was pretty long, there were only about four laps (I think), but we kept arriving at the same junctions from different directions. It was fairly enjoyable, once we realised we weren't going to be able to chase back onto the bunch we road steadily the whole way - and the weather was really good!

I ended up with 14th place, some miles in my legs and 9 national points to my name, which is the most I could really have expected with this lurgy have dragged me down for the last month.

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Season Off to a Poor Start

Having not posted for a while I thought it was time I gave an update of how things are going this season. After waiting until the end of April for my first road race, I was hit by a cold two days before, but I rode anyway and was pretty pleased with my time trial result, although dissapointed with my result in the road race, having to drop out after four laps, deciding it was better to pull out than tool around in the rain after being dropped.

Since then I have had to dissapointedly turn down rides in the Bedford 2 Day Women's Stage Race, which was gutting, with an awesome field to race against and some really tough looking courses it would have been good, and in the Olveston Road Race, one of the women's national series. Unfortunately my cold turned into a chest infection which has dragged on for the last three weeks, and I'm still not fully over it. I do feel I am getting back to where I was though, time trialling tonight on Bassenthwaite I felt as though I was definately not up to scatch in the lung department, but my legs felt really strong (even if, or perhaps because they resemble the legs of a man...).

My first race back is going to be this weekend, the Wallace Hill Women's National Series event in Ayrshire. Hopefully I'll be back on form by then, and 'the black lung' as I have christened it will have retreated.

Well done to everyone for some awesome results in the Fred Whitton, very impressive!

Fred Whitton Results for Keswick Bikes

3rd. Ben Bardsley - 5:53:55

11th. Andrew Wrigley - 6:12:07

18th. Chris Hope - 6:23:19

20th. Richard Houghton - 6:23:40

181st (3rd Lady). Cheryl Frost - 7:26:09

510th. Philip Malcolm - 8:46:40

Friday, 9 May 2008

Aughton road race

this weekend i travelled down to aughton near lancaster, my intention was to do the stan robson trophy in the north east but due to not feeling 100% i decided a 3/4 cat race was a better choice.
driving down the weather looked ominous, with thunder and lightning on the m6 and heavy rain at the HQ. it was shaping up to be a pretty good race. after my win the previous weekend i was a marked man and throughout the race any attempt to break away on my own or any break i was involved in seemed to get chased down pretty quickly, after doing this for several laps and being left on my own to chase breaks i decided to leave a break of 2 riders up the road. after which the group seemed to settle and ride steadily towards the finish, the finish line was at the top of a climb and after fighting my way through several lune valley riders desperate to block me i managed to win the bunch sprint taking 3rd overall and the last few points needed to gain my 2nd cat licence.

next weekend its off to do the fred whitton, followed by a well earned week off racing then back to the campaign chasing points again, i think the competition will get a little tougher from now on, i also promised myself i would start time trialling, but it can wait....... for now im hooked on road racing.

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Recent Race Results

It's been a busy few weeks with revision for GCSE's, weekday and weekend races, and the chest infection I managed to picked up around four weeks ago! I decided after 2 weeks of struggling to recover from my training and racing that a trip to the doctors was needed, and of course the doctor put it straight and simple..."Yes, you have a chest infection". Antibiotics where perscribed and after a few days off the bike, I was feeling fit again and ready to train, even if it had taken some of my zip away.

With VC Cumbria holding there weekly club time trials on a tuesday night, I am now managing to get a god few racing miles in my legs. Last Tuesday (not yesterday) the event was the Keswick 10. Still recovering from my chest infection, I managed to do a 24.04 which was quite disaopointing realy but i was happy to be able to race again! Ali managed to clock a superb 21.55, winning the event!

The day after (wednesday), Alii and I headed up to Carlisle to do the 2-up 25 held by bordercity wheelers. After a nice warm-up in cold, windy conditions, we headed to the start. My legs felt terrible on the out leg, so ali was doing long turns to help me recover. After the turn howverer, i was starting to feel much better and started to pull for longer to try and help Ali recover. We clocked a 59.19 over the undulating course. A respectable time considering the conditions and the fact it was out first time racing together!

The weekend was a trip to the isle of man for me, as the isle of man international youth tour was taking place. The friday night was a 1.5km prologue, in which i managed a 1.57mins, placinf me around 27th place. Saturday was off to the hills for the road race. 45km of racing later, and with legs some what numb, i was in 22nd overall. I was extremly pleased today as, alothough I was dropped from the main bunch, I rode strongly and could realy feel my form coming back after my chest infection. Sunday was a circuit race by the sea front. It rained hard, which made racing very skittish and nervous. I had a good race, finishing in the bunch and keeping my 22nd place overall out of 87riders!

with the whitton coming up next sunday, i decided to make the most of the time i had on the island and try and get in a long ride on the monday. This however, had to be cut short as my legs where screaming! what was going to be an 80mie ride was finished at a respectable 60 hilly miles, very tired and very hungry!

Of course this left me feeling abit fatigued for the next VC cumbria club time trial yesterday. a 25mile time trial from Cockermouth-Keswick-Cockermouth. the night was perfect, and with a good 40min warm-up i was ready. Tonight i was going to break the hour. And how i did! crossing the finish line, i had clocked a 58.41. Half dead, I was over the moon! i had managed to knock over 2 mins off my previos best time for 25miles.

lets hope the season just keeps getting better from here on in!

And congratulations to Dave who's form seems to be coming through very well! 2nd cat licence seems only a stones throw away pal!