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braintree velo spring race report
A freezing start of the morning meant that the race was delayed by half an hour for the salt to have some effect on the ice.
With a start line of 60+ we had a strong team of 5 ashwell riders including Carmello, Theo, Ellis, tom and myself. the plan was to try and get Ellis some points, possibly get into a couple of breaks. I would have guessed that the breaks wouldn't stuck at the start, but a break went, it seemed to have stuck but then the peloton just wheeled them in. Many attempts later of endless attacking one break seemed to have formed. a group of 4-theo was in this one, it went into the distance, the peloton worked non stop to try and bring it back, it was attack after attack as everyone wanted to get wining the possible break, they soon appeared in the distance then they released that was it and they sat up. now i think it was at this point where tom got squeezed out onto the grass verge due to the peloton suddenly breaking because of a man which some alsations, which meant the end to his race, bad luck.
now a cambridge fella was up the road for quite a while, theo decided to try and bridge the gap, he was just dangling out there about 300 metres in front of the peloton then then new that he wasn't making any ground any more as the peloton gradually upped the pace, soon after theo joined the peloton the cambridge guy was caught. now counter attacks were flying everywhere, ellis was in one attack but every one was eager to be in one of the breaks in the closing miles this lead the peloton to just bring it back straight away.
now on the final lap my leggs are starting to seize up-due to me not eating or drinking enough, lead to cramping going up one of the final hills to the finish, ellis and theo were at the front of the peloton where the final break went, they were both in it, they got a gap on the peloton, i was thinking will just pull away from the peloton, but the peloton where just relentless at attacking, even when they had caught them up, in the closing corners the pace increased as everyone was fighting for posision, i was able to move up the group to find my self not that far away from theo and ellis, then coming to the second to last hill, i was falling back through the peloton as i could feel my legs saying "no no i cant do it anymore" and my brain saying "shut up legs, do what i tell you" (jens voigt) and then a little push from carmello kept me in contention. meanwhile theo was at the front and now its the final effort to the finish line, i squeezed passed ellis when he blew up then i blew up shortly after i passed him, now i was trying to cruel it to the finish line, doing my best now of loose any more places then carmello passed me at about 20 metres before the finish line.
theo finished 7th
carmello finished 28th
i finished 35th
and ellis finished 37th
With a start line of 60+ we had a strong team of 5 ashwell riders including Carmello, Theo, Ellis, tom and myself. the plan was to try and get Ellis some points, possibly get into a couple of breaks. I would have guessed that the breaks wouldn't stuck at the start, but a break went, it seemed to have stuck but then the peloton just wheeled them in. Many attempts later of endless attacking one break seemed to have formed. a group of 4-theo was in this one, it went into the distance, the peloton worked non stop to try and bring it back, it was attack after attack as everyone wanted to get wining the possible break, they soon appeared in the distance then they released that was it and they sat up. now i think it was at this point where tom got squeezed out onto the grass verge due to the peloton suddenly breaking because of a man which some alsations, which meant the end to his race, bad luck.
now a cambridge fella was up the road for quite a while, theo decided to try and bridge the gap, he was just dangling out there about 300 metres in front of the peloton then then new that he wasn't making any ground any more as the peloton gradually upped the pace, soon after theo joined the peloton the cambridge guy was caught. now counter attacks were flying everywhere, ellis was in one attack but every one was eager to be in one of the breaks in the closing miles this lead the peloton to just bring it back straight away.
now on the final lap my leggs are starting to seize up-due to me not eating or drinking enough, lead to cramping going up one of the final hills to the finish, ellis and theo were at the front of the peloton where the final break went, they were both in it, they got a gap on the peloton, i was thinking will just pull away from the peloton, but the peloton where just relentless at attacking, even when they had caught them up, in the closing corners the pace increased as everyone was fighting for posision, i was able to move up the group to find my self not that far away from theo and ellis, then coming to the second to last hill, i was falling back through the peloton as i could feel my legs saying "no no i cant do it anymore" and my brain saying "shut up legs, do what i tell you" (jens voigt) and then a little push from carmello kept me in contention. meanwhile theo was at the front and now its the final effort to the finish line, i squeezed passed ellis when he blew up then i blew up shortly after i passed him, now i was trying to cruel it to the finish line, doing my best now of loose any more places then carmello passed me at about 20 metres before the finish line.
theo finished 7th
carmello finished 28th
i finished 35th
and ellis finished 37th
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Mark F