“La Coeur de Bretagne” at Malestriot – 3rd July 2011 - (130kms)

A slightly long blog this time, but then, so was the race!

08:40: To tell you the truth I was just a little nervous as I lined up for the start of another broiling hot day in the rolling hills of the Morbihan. I felt decidedly under prepared for this race.

Since completing winter training my rides this season have largely been limited to the 70-to-90 kilometer mark. Admittedly, my training and racing speeds have been higher, but as I waited at the starting line I didn’t know whether this would stand me in good stead for a 4-hour undulating ride; time would tell.  

About 150 riders lined up for the start, somewhat fewer than the 200-odd that started in 2011. Another change was the 20kph speed restriction that was put in place for the first 5 kms; a safety feature installed to protect us from all the street furniture that littered the roads throughout Malestroit. This suited me, and allowed me plenty of time to warm up properly before the start of the climbs on the first circuit.

Circuit 1 (48kms): A few long slow climbs, a couple of sharp bumps, fast descents but nothing too serious.

When the lead car and safety-motorbikes eventually pulled away to allow the real racing to begin I felt strong. The main group stayed together for about 20kms until a detachment of strong men (including my mate Andy Shaw) pulled away on one of the long uphill drags towards the brewery town of Le Roc St-André. I worked hard and, to my surprise, managed to remain in the middle of the second 30-strong group.

By the time we completed the first circuit and found ourselves back in Malestroit to start the second circuit our average speed had clicked up to over 34kph; not bad considering the earlier speed restriction. This shows the advantage of being able to stay with a pack. I was pleased at my progress and still felt quite. There were only two things of concern during Circuit 1.

The first was a couple on a tandem that kept being dropped on the climbs and then overtaking us on the flats and descents. That wasn’t too much of a problem, but they kept cutting me up as they overtook me. The ‘Captain’ (the guy on front, the one in control), obviously didn’t realized that he needed to give more room before cutting back onto his racing line. Unfortunately I don’t have enough French to get my point across without using hand signals (if you see what I mean), so I decided to keep my council, and my hands on the bars.   

The second thing was the sharp little climb into the village of Caro. I regularly train on this part of the course so I knew that the preceding descent was fast and a little technical (twisty). I managed to get to the front of the bunch and attack the hill to give myself the chance of staying with the group. I knew I’d be caught before the top and that’s exactly what happened.

However, as we swept through the village at the top of the climb I had managed to stay with the group; success. My quads were on fire as we sped through the villange and onwards into the countryside, but I recovered over the following few kilometers by staying at the back of the group and doing almost no work. I like it when a plan comes together, (I don’t know who said that first[1], but it’s true).

Circuit 2 (50kms): Gently undulating and quite fast.

This was the long, fast circuit, identical to the 2010 race. We motored along and our average speed ramped up above 36kph. Nothing of note happened until were caught by the leaders of the 98kms race a couple of kilometers before the race split onto the 130kms circuit. They had started about 15 minutes after us and were motoring.

Surprisingly, as they reached us, it gave me a real boost because I was able to measure my progress from last year. There were a couple of reasons for the uplift in my spirits.

Firstly, when they joined us our group doubled in size and our speed immediately increased. Secondly, in the 2010 race, I had been caught by the 98kms leaders a hell of a lot earlier than this, confirming that I was riding so much better, and what’s more, I still felt really strong. I was riding well within myself and felt confident of being able to put the hard miles in towards the end of the race.

All too soon though, the bifurcation of the route arrived and the 98kms riders turned off to the left while my group turned right onto the final loop of the course.

Circuit 3 (32kms): Fast, undulating and, the return of an old ‘friend’. 

This is where the organizers changed the route from 2010. They more or less reversed the loop from last year and added a nice little surprise 15kms from the finish.

We rode through the pretty villages of Treal and Reminia and I was able to keep towards the head of the group, covering any potential breaks and looking forward to the sprint finish. How’s that for optimism, eh? Then the course took a sharp left up a hill and a road sign told me we were 5kms from, yes, you guessed it, Caro.

We were on our way back to bloody Caro again!

The race organizers, acting out of a particular form of sadism had included a second bite of the Caro cherry; the ‘friend’ mentioned in the section heading! I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach.

As we approached the descent before the climb I tried to attack again as I had on the first Circuit, but this time I simply didn’t have the strength to break to the front of the group. I tried, but there was just no real strength left in my legs and by the time I crested the hill into the village I was well off the back of the bunch. My hopes of a grand sprint finish were shattered, as were my poor old quads; on fire again. With fifteen kilometers to go I was on my own; just like old times really.

This year though, I am stronger so I buckled down and punched the pedals. Before long I actually had a couple of stragglers from my splintered group in my sights. This spurred me to make a greater effort and I actually managed to pass half a dozen riders on my way to the finish. I can take some solace in that, but I am still disappointed in failing to keep with the group.

Falling back like that probably cost me about 20 places and about 5 minutes. Such is the help you get when riding with a bunch. Hey ho!

Round up: Position: 107^th (out of 134 finishers) - Time: 3:43:32 - Average speed: 34.9kph (official).

Compared with last year’s race this was a real success for me despite the hill-climbing blunder. I was faster, placed higher and if you do a little bit of ‘Top Gear Maths’ (the winner’s time was 9 minutes slower than 2010), I was some 18 minutes faster than last year, and the weather conditions were about the same!

Reasons to be cheerful then!    

No race next weekend, but the dreaded sportive, ‘La Ange Roussell’ in Remungol is coming up on the 24^th July – my nemisis! (See last year’s blog for reference).

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[1] Hannibal from the ‘A’ Team – Ah, the memories of a misspent youth - Ed 

Guegon - Randonee - 26th June 2010 - (91kms)

After the hammering I received at La Crouais (see my last blog), I came down with a bit of head-cold so I’ve been out of the game for the past couple of weeks. As a result I missed the race at Questembert on 12^th June, which was out to be a real shame because the course is flat and would have been ideal for me. As it happens a chap finished tenth at Questembert that I actually beat at Lizio – ho hum. Missed out there I think.

Vay (44): I thought I’d shaken off the cold by the time I’d entered a PC at Vay but what a disaster it turned out to be. The circuit was short (32 x 2kms), very fast, and it was blowing a gale. I was well and truly destroyed. Overtaken by the seventh lap, I was waved off the course (in disgrace) by the marshals. I eventually managed to convince myself that the bad performance probably down to the remains of the head-cold - easy to fool yourself isn’t it?

After another week of recovery with only a few cycle miles in my legs, I entered the ‘gentle’ Randonee at Guegon again this year (Ref: Guegon Rando Blog - 2010).

Start: As is the way for Randonee’s, the less competitive riders had been setting off for about an hour and were already spread wide along the route on a gloriously sunny and still morning. The more serious riders set off at around 08:40 with a race car lined up to show us the way. So, there would be no straining to look for race signs, and no getting lost - yeah!

A couple of dozen riders grouped at the start including eight of us from the Taupont Cyclisme club. These included my mates Ian Cushway (he of the strong legs and garish orange flash on his cycle helmet), Andy Shaw and the luckless Loic Guimard (who crashed out at Lizio and was only just returning to form). Bob Jones fresh from competing in a PC the previous day was also in the group (a real glutton for punishment is our Bob).

We took it quite steadily most of the way round a course that was completely different from 2010. I was able to keep towards the front with the leaders all the way around the course until we hit the big hill at Plumelec. We reached the hill after about 65kms so we were well a truly warmed up, but what a sod the hill is! Not monstrously steep, but long; bloody long.

I put in some real effort on the preceding descent and led the way onto the climb. I was trying to limit the damage that I knew the climb would cause me but it was of little use. I was soon being overtaken by: first Ian, then Andy, then a chap from AC Pontivy, and finally by Bob. Curses, my plans foiled again!

By the time I crested the top of the climb the leaders were out of sight.

I tried to console myself that I was nominally in fifth place overall at this stage, but a Rando is not really that competitive. In actual fact, I was pissed off that once again, I’d been seriously lacking on the climb.

I didn’t really have time to dwell on things because I was being chased down by another club-mate, Vincent. I allowed him to catch me after a few kilometers; honestly! We spent the rest of the ride taking turns at the front, trying without much hope or expectation, to catch up with the leaders.

Finish: Guess what? Remember I said the race car was showing us the way? Well, not only had I been dropped by the race leaders, but they had also taken the lead car with them and, yes, you’ve guessed it! Vincent and I had our heads down. We were concentrating on trying to chase down the lead group and missed a signpost. We took a wrong turn!

We ended up cutting about 6 kilometers from the route and actually found ourselves back at start in Guegon before the leaders! We spent a few minutes searching for them before we realized our mistake. So, what did we do?

We went out again to make up the lost kilometers – well, we’d signed up for 91kms and were determined to complete that distance. By the time we returned to Guegon, the others had returned and we explained out mistake, much to their obvious delight. We’d averaged around 30 kph – not bad for ‘gentle’, but hilly Rando.

Next week the Sportive “La Coeur de Bretagne” at Malestriot (130kms)

Le Crouais (35) – Pass’Cyclisme (4.1kms x 16 laps)

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. 

Fay de Bretagne (44) – Pass’Cyclisme (3.1kms x 22 laps – 68 kms)

Fay de Bretagne (Loire Atlantique - 44) is about an hour and a half away. The circuit had been promoted as a flat, fast course and after last week’s monster hill at Taupont, I needed a flat one. I hooked up with English mate Bob Jones on the way to the early morning start.

Start: Well over sixty of us lined up for the start of the dedicated D3/4 race. 

I was really surprised at the rather sedate start. In 56 they usually go off like there’s no tomorrow and I always have to work like stink to avoid (not always successfully), being dropped on the first lap. Not so in 44. The fairly gentle pace was just as well really as it took me ages to clip my left foot into the pedal. I eventually sorted my feet out and managed to catch up with the pack; 1 lap down, 21 to go!

As promised, the course was flat with fast corners and nothing too technical for a novice (read - coward) like me. The speed ramped up as the laps counted down, but, to my great surprise, I had little trouble keeping up with the leaders.

From the middle section onwards the race became tactical with local teams closing down anyone who attacked, keeping us all together as a large group. To my shame I did no work at the front. I was happy to allow the others to pull me along. Well, in my defence, I am still learning the sport and I'm not all that strong yet - that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

I was nearly dropped with 14 laps to go when I was edged into some curb-side gravel. I managed to stay upright but had to really dig deep to reattach to the main group – scary that.

Attack: There was only one obvious place on the course for a serious attack; a gentle 800m uphill section just after the finish line. Bob had been edging himself into a clear place towards the front of the main group for a few laps, so I was waiting for him to make his move.

He attacked with five laps to go. I was right behind him at the time, toward the front of the main pack (yes - that's right - I was still in the main pack after 17 laps). When Bob went, I thought (for about a millisecond) of trying to go with him, but I bottled it and stayed with the pack. His break was decisive - he rapidly bridged a 50 metre gap to two leaders and they rapidly edged away from us.

Finish: I finished in the main bunch, very satisfied that I was still in the mix although not exactly strong enough to figure prominently in the sprint (where’s Eric Coue when you need him?).

I did manage to pass a couple of riders on the sprint into the finish but my legs were cooked by that stage and I couldn’t do much damage to the bunch. Bob finished way ahead of us in a very strong second place and received a nice cup for his troubles.

Statistics: Result - 38th (out of 58 finishers); Average speed - 37.5 kph; Race duration: 1:49:55. 

Not a bad day’s work – am I becoming an actual cyclist at long last?

Post Script: Charlie and Max Cushway were in the mix again in a race near Redon. A very proud dad, Ian, emailed me this morning saying – “Max came in a close fourth and Charlie romped to another win.” Well done lads!

Taupont Pass’ Cyclisme – 22nd May 2011 – 5.1kms x 13 Laps

There was absolutely no doubt about it! The course was far too tough for me – a 5.3 kms circuit with a really stiff 1.5 kms climb into the finish.

Overview: Taupont Cyclisme hosted the race and, as always, did a wonderful organizational job on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Much credit for this must go to our excellent President Mickael Crete. It was another great achievement that matched our organisation of the Morbihan Cyclo Cross Championship. “Well done Mickael and everybody else who helped!”  

The race:  Despite my pre-race preparations, I had no idea how hard the other riders would attack the hill on the first lap. They went off like startled bunny-rabbits and I had fallen back to last place before I was even half-way up that first climb.

By the time I reached the top I could just about see club-mate Yves Oger in the distance, but the other racers were already out of sight. I did eventually catch Yves and we stayed together for the next nine laps or so, trying desperately to keep our speed up. We managed to overtake a few desultory souls along the way, but there were not many of them to lift our spirits.

We were caught by the leaders on lap eight and stayed with the main bunch until the next hill. Then guess what happened? Correct - I was dropped again!

Yves managed to stay with the group until the top, but soon dropped away and I managed to haul him in again fairly quickly. We continued our sad little progress for a couple more laps until Yves decided he’d had enough and pulled out at the end of lap ten.

I continued doggedly on (I am an idiot sometimes). Anyway, it was a nice sunny day with a tailwind pushing me up the hill and I resigned myself to treat the race as hard training ride - again.

Other Club riders:

Ian Cushway – As usual, Ian finished way ahead of me, but even he struggled around the course and finished in a group at the end of lap 12.

Old Fart – I stopped at the end of lap 11 when I crossed the finish line just ahead of the leaders at the end of their final lap. I averaged around 32 kph for the 58.3 kms I did complete (not bad considering the hill).

Yves Oger: Finished at the end of lap 10.

Andy Shaw: Entered the ‘big boys’ race as a Category 3 rider. Even Andy struggled and pulled up on lap 13 (of 18). In his defence Andy is busy these days renovating his house so cannot do the training he’d like to.

My apologies to the other TC rider who entered the senior race, I did not catch your name. 


Post Script: It was good to see Loic Guimard a the end of the race - he looks to be recovering well after his spill at Lizio. 

Chateaugiron – ‘La Marc Gomez’– 14th May 2011 – 100kms Cyclo-Sportive

Chateaugiron is another pretty place southeast of Rennes. Club-mates, Daniel Dunot, Yves Oger, Ian Cushway and I arrived in plenty of time for the 09:15hrs start. I’d had to set the alarm for 05:30 in order to meet the team car – yuck! A moderate easterly wind lowered the temperature considerably and I shivered a little in the weak morning sun.

Start:  Interestingly, there was a speed restriction of 30kph imposed for the first 30 kms of the course. This safety feature created a few problems as the 300 or so riders remained tightly bunched together on narrow roads that wound through small towns and villages. Every so often the group had to split quickly to avoid an island or roundabout. We had to brake hard every few minutes as the bunch concertinaed together, then sprint hard after the obstacles were passed. It was quite scary at times, and I could see a number of riders shaking and flexing their hands to ward off the cramp caused by the constant braking.

Released:  At 30 kms the lead car finally pulled far enough away for the racing to begin.  There was one benefit of the speed restriction tough - we were all well warmed up by this stage and the speed ramped up quickly.

We rolled along on lovely country roads winding through woods and villages at a good speed. I had to work hard, but by 55 kms I was still with the main bunch and feeling pretty strong. I could see the damnable orange flash on Ian’s bike helmet just ahead of me; I was determined to stay in contact with him for as long as I could.

I was finally dropped on a long drag at about 65kms. I tried my best, but my quads were on fire by the top of the climb and I simply had to ease off. I found myself in the second group of twenty or so riders, including Yves. We worked hard for the next few kilometres trying to reattach to the leaders, each taking turns on the front, but we were just not strong enough to catch them.

Yves and I took our turns at the head of the group and our average speed crept up as we tried to maintain the pressure. In a worrying moment I fell back on a hill at 85 kms, but Yves passed me and called for me to follow him. I managed to catch his wheel and he dragged me back the group. It was touch and go though, and I only just made it in time for a long recuperative descent.

I don’t quite know where it happened, but after 95 kms Yves was no longer with us, somewhere along the run in to home he had dropped off the group; fatigue and the lack of training miles had taken its toll. Yves is a busy man these days; a young family and running a large business enterprise leaves him very little time to train.

Wrap-up: I managed to attack and pass a few riders on the uphill sprint into finish which pleased me no end. As ‘La Marc Gomez’ is a charity sportive and not an actual race, the organisers haven't published the results so I don’t know my actual finishing position. As for our team times:

Ian Cushway - 3:01:30 (34kph) – Finished with the leaders and was almost certainly inside the top twenty – an excellent result from this strong-man (who cut his cycling teeth on Time-Trials in the UK).

Old Fart – 3:08:00 (33kph) – Quite happy with this result. The course was undulating and predominantly flat, no monster hills, but the wind was tricky in places. I probably finished in the top fifty.

Yves Oger : 3:12:30 – a good effort but his lack of training showed during the latter stages.

Daniel Dunot: He came in some time after us – he deserves an honourable mention for cheerfully driving us there and back in the club car. Merci Daniel. 

Lizio – 8th May 2011 – 9 x 7km Laps (Pass' Cyclisme)

Lizio – 8^th May 2011 – 9 x 7km Laps

Lizio is a beautiful little place half an hour away from my home. Perched on top of a hill, it has old stone buildings, a magnificent church and a well-maintained cobblestone road wound through it.

Start:  My race started at 10:02; I don’t like early starts. I sat on my bike, shivering in the early morning chill, waiting for the race to begin. Then we were off in a mad dash for the first corner!

The course was quite technical with narrow roads, tight turns and sharp little climbs. To make things worse, early on the roads were damp after the overnight rain and I was a little tentative on the sharper turns. However, the sun soon broke through a blanket of light cloud and the roads dried out enough for me to relax a little after the tricky start.

With three or four tough little uphill climbs, most of which were into a moderate headwind, the Lizio course was a hell of a lot tougher than last week’s event in Penvins.

For the first two laps I found it easy to stay with the main group, which included club-mates, Eric Coué and LoÏc Gouimard. Then there was the inevitable split. It happened on the hill through the village at the start of lap three and it was entirely my own fault. A burst of speed from the pack took me by surprise. I lost the tail for a split-second and the gap formed. 

Accident: The gap continued to grow for half a lap but I did catch up with LoÏc and before long a group of about fifteen had formed around me. After a lap of modest work, our speed began to ratchet up. Each time the road opened up we could see the leaders in the distance not too far away and I genuinely thought we had a chance of catching them. By this time we had even caught a couple of the D1/D2 riders including another club-mate, Jean Bernard Leblay.  It looked to me like our group was large enough to reel in the leaders if we worked as a team. Then disaster struck!

Four riders, one of them the luckless LoÏc, collided and took each other down in a mêlée of arms, legs and bike parts. We were travelling fast at the time, but there was no real reason for the accident. It was a relatively flat and open part of the course and the road surface was now dry.

How I managed to avoid the fall is beyond me. I jammed on the brakes, darted to the right, luckily there was a large enough gap, and ended up on the grass verge. I managed to stay upright though, and soon found myself in the clear alongside Jean Bernard.

I wondered about the fate of my friend and eventually managed to signal to our motorcycle escort who alerted the medical support, so I knew he and the other fallers were being looked after. I had had a lucky escape and was shaken by the experience; narrowly avoiding crashes in successive races can affect you like that.

By the time the group reformed we had no chance of catching the leaders so we settled down to our work. For me, the race had now become a tough training ride.

Finish: By the time we reached the finish my group had been whittled down to three. Along the way, we had even managed to pass a few riders, which lifted my spirits at the time. I eventually finished 20^th out of 31 starters; an adequate result but no more. Eric Coué finished in the main group in a very creditable 13^th place. My English friend Bob Jones finished 9^th, an indication of how tough the race had been; he normally manages a podium spot, but the presence of an aggressive Tandem team caused him some discomfort.

Wrap-up: I caught up with LoÏc after the race and although he was battered and bruised and not at all a happy bunny, no bones were broken and for that he must be thankful.

Race Stats: Distance: 63 kms; Average Speed: 33.5kph (20.9mph); Race Time:  01:53:00 (approx).