Guilliers – Pass’ Cyclisme - 25th April 2010
Sorry, this race report is out of order, but as I’m in the mood, I thought I’d let you know about my first ever proper cycle race - bloody disaster as it turns out.
Background:
They have been hosting a cycle race in my village for a few years, and ever since I bought the house I have wanted to give it a go, but earning a crust and renovating the house has always taken priority. Anyway, there was always next year.
So, after the lounge was finally renovated, and upon receiving a letter of parole from Jan (my beautiful wife) allowing me out on the bike, I finally managed to get a good winter training season under my belt.
At the start of the year I gave myself a target to complete 1000 miles before the end of May and I even reinforced the goal by telling all the family about it just to give me an added impetus. As it happens, I reached that target by 12th March. It turned out that the winter season, although cold and occasionally snowy, was abnormally dry, allowing me to get out regularly during the week. I work for myself and the boss is very generous with the annual leave (sic).
In actuality, I managed to complete over 2700 miles (4320 kms) within in the target period, so I felt quite confident by the time I joined T.C. and obtained my Cycle Race License – and that’s not a simple in France as you’d think. It necessitated a medical certificate!
So after a visit to the GP (cost: 22€) and, believe it or not, a cardiologist (cost: 109€!), I finally received my Pass’ Cyclisme license to race. Armed with that rather expensive bit of plastic, I entered my first ever race.
The Race (Part I):
Guilliers hosts two races: a long ride of about 120 kms, and a Sprint of 65kms. Thinking that the shorter one would be right up my alley, that’s the one I entered.
The long-course incorporates a large lap out in the country, and finishes with 5 laps of the Sprint Course.
The Sprint Course takes place over 8 laps, and passes right in front of our house every time. Furthermore, the Start/Finish line is about 300m up the hill from us so I had to give it a go, didn’t I? The Sprint Course is designed to start and finish before the long-course riders return and start their laps. No problems then, are there?
T.C. club mates Ian Cushway (English), Yves Oger and Sylvian Doré were also entered in the sprint event.
The start point was just outside the Guilliers Village Hall and T.C. President, Mickael Crete, had given us a little race briefing as we lined up. According to Mickael, the first part of the ride would be quite sedate and would take us from Guilliers, along the back part of the course and along to the actual Start/Finish line. This was a sort of ‘rolling start’, a la Formula 1. Mickael also suggested that the start would be relatively slow, giving us time for a reasonable warm-up – Yeah!
As Ian and I, somewhat nervously, waited at the faux-start line for the gun, Yves and Sylvian, pushed their way towards the front of the waiting pack; about 65 strong. We waited and waited.... then we were off......
Each lap is 7.2 kms long and the course is quite hilly. The day was also windy; very windy.
Bloody hell!
I was barely able to hang on to the very back of the group while we wound our way along the circuitous, hilly and tree lined back part of the course. A vicious and very cold headwind made the going even more difficult, especially on the exposed areas where the trees fell away to rolling fields.
By the time we reached the long drag up the half-mile hill to Start/Finish line I knew I was in trouble – deep, deep trouble.
The group’s speed ratcheted up and up as the line approached. I was dropped instantly. At the Start line I was already a hundred metres back and falling with unseemly rapidity.
You see, I didn’t really know what to expect. I was clueless. It turns out that the ‘Sprint Event’ is notorious locally for being really, really tough.
Hilly and tough and usually windy; oh and did I say tough?
At this early stage I tried to convince myself that I had plenty of training miles in the legs and the others would tire before I did and I would catch them up later in the race – pitiful wasn’t it?
Cycle Racing Tip:
Until that point, I’d almost never ridden in anything like a peloton or large group; the one exception being my participation in the notorious Paris-Roubaix Classic (but more of that another time).
When I competed in Triathlons (1989-1997), it was still classed as an individual endurance event and drafting (riding close to each other or in a group) during the cycle phase was banned. Since that time, partly due to the difficulties of marshalling cyclists over a 25 mile stretch of country road, cycle road racing rules had been introduced and Triathlons have become a very different animal indeed.
I’ve since learned from bitter experience that the effort required to ride quickly is significantly reduced when you are in a large group, especially when riding into a headwind. This means in effect that the peloton will always be able to travel faster that a solitary rider when it wants to, i.e. when the front riders are working together and taking turns in front (see my earlier blogs).
The Race (Part II):
It was soul-destroying.
Despite the fact that I was bringing up the rear, I kept on working my ever-weakening legs off, dumb schmuck that I am. Lap after lap I dropped further behind. The few cyclists I could still see stretched further away from me until on the fourth lap I was totally alone to face my demons - the bloody hills and the incessant howling wind.
Each time I struggled blindly past the house, Jan (who was religiously timing my laps with a stop-watch) and a small group of neighbours cheered me on. Bless them!
I couldn’t give up, not with all that support behind me now could I? No – I bloody well couldn’t!
It turned out that Ian was just one place ahead of me, strongly battling away in the driving wind, desperately intending to finish, but not last – that place was most certainly reserved for me.
The first real ignominy occurred half way round lap 5 when the peloton lapped me; heartbreaking. It was just like being kicked in the stomach, especially when they passed me just outside the house for all my friends to see!
The second ignominious thing was when I was overtaken during the eighth and final lap by the front-runners of the long course! Why not add insult to injury? Hey ho!
Well, somebody had to finish last:
Yep, I did actually finish last, but at least I finished; not everybody did. A dozen or so dropped out, including Yves (see later).
I averaged just under 19mph, whereas the leaders were lapping at just below 23 mph! See what I mean about race speeds and group riding? I later worked out (thanks to Jan’s timekeeping), that the lead group were just about two minutes faster than me per lap. I didn't stand a chance!
To say that I was gutted is an understatement.
Lessons Learnt:
Work your nuts off to keep with the group! Being dropped on a race of that duration and intensity spells disaster. Granted, the other riders were simply better and stronger that I am so the writing was on the latrine wall before the race had even begun.
Excuses:
· Yours truly was probably about the oldest in the race – most of the others were considerably younger than me
· Despite that age differences, the others were, almost to a man, more experienced than me - this was my first (and maybe last) effort at this category of race - Pass' Cyclisme
· I only started training properly last September. I had a good few mile under my belt since then (over 3,000), but very little speed work
· I only joined T.C. in March, and had yet to do any speed work in a group
· My legs are old and weak
· I am carrying too much body fat - I need to lose at least another stone in weight
· Oh yes, finally the kicker - I am absolutely crap at sport, but at least I give it a go, I suppose
T.C Results:
| Name | Race Position | Comments |
| Sylvian Doré | 30th | Bloody marverous – and he’s only 18! |
| Ian Cushway | 55th | Like me a first timer - beat me by around 2 minutes, despite the fact that, by his own admission, he had managed very little training in the winter months. |
| Kerry Donovan | 56th | As I said, somebody had to finish last! |
| Yves Oger | DNF | This was his first time at the Guilliers race. I don’t know what happened to him, but he has since made up for his DNF at Lamballe and other races (see my earlier blog) |
In Summation:
So, what could I do?
I could either give up racing altogether and just cycle for fitness or try something else. Believe me, for a little while I was considering the former. Then Daniel Dunot told me about Cyclo Sportifs and the rest, as they say......!
Next Race:
Malestroit, 130 kms, 4th July!
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