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Eagle Road Club Good Friday Circuit Races
We had five youth members racing at the Redbridge (Hog Hill) circuit today:-
U10 - James
U12 - Adam
U14 - Gareth
U16 - Jonny & Dan
Rebecca & Dan M were racing too, in Welwyn Wheelers colours.
Oddly it was neither raining nor snowing, and there was an unfamiliar yellow object showing in the sky. I'll add results and a report later if I get a chance, but here are a few photos.
U10 - James
U12 - Adam
U14 - Gareth
U16 - Jonny & Dan
Rebecca & Dan M were racing too, in Welwyn Wheelers colours.
Oddly it was neither raining nor snowing, and there was an unfamiliar yellow object showing in the sky. I'll add results and a report later if I get a chance, but here are a few photos.
Comments
U10 race
The race was entirely on the pan-flat bottom circuit, so it was always likely to end in a bunch sprint. The usual fast start thinned the field out, and soon there were only seven or eight riders in the front group, which included James. With a couple of laps to go this had reduced to five. In the final 200m straight to the finish James mis-timed his sprint a little and finished slightly disappointed in fifth place. The winner and the second placed rider are ranked number one and number two in the country, though, so he shouldn't be too hard on himself.
U12 race
Adam was in a big field of quality U12 riders once again. A sharp, slow corner added to the bottom circuit was the key feature, and it broke up the bunch every lap. Half way through the race a rider in front of Adam let a gap open up when the bunch was lined out jumping out of the corner, so he was detached. He chased what was left of the bunch alone until he was able to team up with another rider. The last lap included the tough ascent of the hill, and Adam rode it hard all the way to the line. A tough race which was a valuable addition to his growing circuit racing experience.
U14 race
Gareth once again took on the full circuit including the hill every lap. I don't know what his total climbing was but it must have been the equivalent of a small Alp. I didn't get to see much of the race itself so I hope Gareth will be along here later to add his own first-hand report. Just like the rest of our youth riders, he has already clocked up a lot of experience in the first couple of months of the season which will prove invaluable later in the year.
U16 race
The quality of racing at Hog Hill is very high, with riders travelling a very long way to race there, so Dan & Jonny found themselves rubbing shoulders on the start-line with a national champion and plenty of highly-ranked riders in a large field. The bunch was climbing the hill very fast and soon many riders lost contact. Both of our riders acquitted themselves very well, riding hard and with determination until the chequered flag. It was Dan's first circuit race (I think) and maybe Jonny's too, so they are to be congratulated and should feel proud of themselves.
Mark F