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Results & report: Lee Valley Youth CC Circuit Race - Winter Series #3
There was so much water falling from the sky and lying on the road surface that it was perhaps fitting that CC Ashwell was represented at Hog Hill on Saturday by its three young triathletes: Lottie (U14), Helena (U12) and James (U10) - for a while it looked like the ability to swim might be quite an advantage.
It really was absolutely hammering down with rain. With 20+ mph winds to contend with too, and a temperature of 5 deg C, the scene was set for some hard racing.
This was the third and final event of the Lee Valley winter series. First up was James in the Under 10 race. There were thirty riders on the start line and James knew that a top-three finish would probably give him second place overall in the series. He had a fast start and then spent quite a few laps doing a lot of work on the front of the leading group of nine riders. It looked like he was doing far too much work, in fact, and I expected he would fade In the final lap charge up the big hill to the finish. He must have known what he was doing though, and he was only just pipped for second place at the line. Third place on the day did indeed give him second place overall in the final standings of the series.
Next was Helena in the Under 12 race. All forty-two (!) riders were getting pretty cold waiting for the start, but plenty of running on the spot kept her warm enough to race. Knowing that the race might be flat out from the gun, she started hard and made sure she was still with the main bunch once it settled down. Twenty minutes later she crossed the line as 8th girl. This was only her second ever road race and there are unlikely to be many as tough as this one.
With rain still bouncing six inches off the tarmac, Lottie raced next amongst the Under 14s, using the full Hog Hill circuit including the steep hill every lap. At this age the gap between the physical capabilities of boys and girls starts to open up, so it's a particularly tough challenge. Lottie had a truly gruelling thirty minute race, but she stuck to her guns and finished strongly. Again, there won't be many races that combine the climbing and the weather conditions of Saturday's event, and she will be all the stronger for her next race by overcoming the conditions.
Well done to Lottie, Helena & James.
Mark F
It really was absolutely hammering down with rain. With 20+ mph winds to contend with too, and a temperature of 5 deg C, the scene was set for some hard racing.
This was the third and final event of the Lee Valley winter series. First up was James in the Under 10 race. There were thirty riders on the start line and James knew that a top-three finish would probably give him second place overall in the series. He had a fast start and then spent quite a few laps doing a lot of work on the front of the leading group of nine riders. It looked like he was doing far too much work, in fact, and I expected he would fade In the final lap charge up the big hill to the finish. He must have known what he was doing though, and he was only just pipped for second place at the line. Third place on the day did indeed give him second place overall in the final standings of the series.
Next was Helena in the Under 12 race. All forty-two (!) riders were getting pretty cold waiting for the start, but plenty of running on the spot kept her warm enough to race. Knowing that the race might be flat out from the gun, she started hard and made sure she was still with the main bunch once it settled down. Twenty minutes later she crossed the line as 8th girl. This was only her second ever road race and there are unlikely to be many as tough as this one.
With rain still bouncing six inches off the tarmac, Lottie raced next amongst the Under 14s, using the full Hog Hill circuit including the steep hill every lap. At this age the gap between the physical capabilities of boys and girls starts to open up, so it's a particularly tough challenge. Lottie had a truly gruelling thirty minute race, but she stuck to her guns and finished strongly. Again, there won't be many races that combine the climbing and the weather conditions of Saturday's event, and she will be all the stronger for her next race by overcoming the conditions.
Well done to Lottie, Helena & James.
Mark F
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Daniel