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Paul Simon Holmes RR
Finchley Racing Team moved their race to early season this year and instead of being on the Whitwell circuit they had it on the (rather odd) Panshanger circuit. I rode down there in the wind and rain and got into my (old) kit for the race (those whites will never be white again...).
It was hard, went off pretty fast and stayed that way till the last lap. With several no shows, there weren't enough team riders from any club to help a break stick do none did. Everything got chased down and we rode round (averaging 25mph) for the whole race as a bunch. I tried to get away at the beginning and attacked a lot without any success. My legs were a bit wasted when somebody lost a wheel halfway through the bunch into a headwind and myself and an Arbis rider had to work hard to pull it back together (serves us right for having a chat at the back when we should have been a bit closer to the front).
One rider (with a HUGE beard) attacked in the bell lap and managed to hold it for the lap as the rest of the bunch slowed down and got themselves ready for a sprint. I came in 11th with Barron not finishing due to a mechanical just over the halfway mark.
A very grotty morning on a very grotty circuit, not really the most fun I've had on two wheels but it was better than no race! Imagine riding the hardriders but with a load of road spray and doing 7 laps instead of 2... My Garmin clocked my fastest 40k at 58 mins.
All we needed were some cobbles and a few fat Belgians to wallop us around and it would have been a classic.
It was hard, went off pretty fast and stayed that way till the last lap. With several no shows, there weren't enough team riders from any club to help a break stick do none did. Everything got chased down and we rode round (averaging 25mph) for the whole race as a bunch. I tried to get away at the beginning and attacked a lot without any success. My legs were a bit wasted when somebody lost a wheel halfway through the bunch into a headwind and myself and an Arbis rider had to work hard to pull it back together (serves us right for having a chat at the back when we should have been a bit closer to the front).
One rider (with a HUGE beard) attacked in the bell lap and managed to hold it for the lap as the rest of the bunch slowed down and got themselves ready for a sprint. I came in 11th with Barron not finishing due to a mechanical just over the halfway mark.
A very grotty morning on a very grotty circuit, not really the most fun I've had on two wheels but it was better than no race! Imagine riding the hardriders but with a load of road spray and doing 7 laps instead of 2... My Garmin clocked my fastest 40k at 58 mins.
All we needed were some cobbles and a few fat Belgians to wallop us around and it would have been a classic.
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