Start: Twenty-nine of us lined up for the 14:00 start of this dedicated D3/4 race. A light rain had been falling off and on through the night and the bad weather meant that only ‘serious’ racers (and I), had bothered to turn up. I knew right then that I was in for a tough ride.
The course was pretty flat overall, but the middle third contained some very slow corners on gravel-strewn and narrow roads. To make matters worse the light but persistent drizzle increased in intensity during race making the course more and more treacherous.
To my absolute horror I was dropped in the middle of the twisty section on the very first lap. I simply failed to negotiate the sharp turns with any degree of skill and soon found myself alone at the back of the race. I thought about dropping out at the end of the first lap, but decided to carry on regardless. What the hell! I was already soaked through and I certainly need the training.
As it happens, I managed to catch and overtake a couple of riders during the next two or three laps which gave my confidence a bit of a boost. When I passed the podium at the end of lap five I noticed a couple of riders had already called it a day and pulled up.
What do you know? I’d moved up four places in five laps and I could see another rider about five-hundred metres ahead; I had another target. I set off in chase but this guy was made of sterner stuff and it took me the next five laps to reel him in. After that, the two of us spent the remainder of the race together, taking turns in front. I can’t be certain, but it felt like I did the majority of the work, especially on the gentle uphill section on the last third of each lap. However, I am sure if you asked the other guy he would say that he had pulled me around the course – perceptions hey?
In the middle of lap twelve we were finally caught and passed by the leaders. Being lapped was a real blow to my morale. I had hoped that the two of us working together would be enough to keep us away - fat chance! Once passed, the two of us carried on swapping turns in front until the final lap.
I attacked on the final lap. I took my chance just after the uphill section, even though I’d led for a previous few hundred yards. I must have surprised him because I took the line quite easily in the end. Maybe his heart wasn't in it, we were, after all, a long way behind the rest of the race. Perhaps he was acknowledging my work at the front, or the fact that I’d managed to catch him in the first place - I’ll never know
Overview: I was hugely disappointed to have been dropped and lapped, but at least I finished; some riders didn't.
Result: I finished 19th; average speed 32.2kph.
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