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Tour of Malta 2017
Greetings from Malta! Me, Jenny and Dave are all well after Stage 1 of the Tour of Malta.
Every CCA rider would love to do this Tour!
We all arrived safe and bikes intact earlier this week. We’ve all opted to stay in the official hotel as it’s conveniently located and the source for all the Tour stuff. It ain’t the Ritz, but this is a race not a holiday!
Breakfast time is interesting as everyone is playing mind games and eyeing each other up. There are many pocket rocket looking Italians. And lots of elite, tall, very slim Brits who look like walking torpedoes, eating a few grapes. I freely admit to being lured into the endless buffet and going a bit fried egg crazy. But will be on the muesli only for the brutal road race stages ahead. To be fair: all the teams and racers are really polite and friendly, if not a bit nervous now and then. Most people have no idea where Ashwell is, and pretend to know where Cambridge is. Then, someone sees our jerseys and comes up to us and asks where Carmelo is! And we meet a friend of Taff’s who was an ex-Hitchin Nomad who moved from Stevenage to Malta and now races for Mosta, one of the big Malta clubs - who are now good friends of CCA through an intro from cousin Stephen, along with Jenny’s forthright, “Do you mind if we use your turbo to warm up?” ice-breaker.
This morning’s first stage was a 9.5 miles TT. Dave had done enough research and data analysis to get the FBI interested. It is basically a very similar effort as our Club 10, but in three laps, along a smooth brand new EU funded road that clings to the east coast of the island. It’s very close to the hotel and some set out on bikes with the cars and motos flashing, parading and beeping their way from the hotel to the start, but I waited a while, as I was placed quite down the list from the 140 or so riders; about 45 in the Elite race, approx 55 Masters and about 35 Ladies. Everyone does the same TT stage, regardless of race class. Chatting to others, some have trained a lot for Malta, others are kick starting their season and treating it like training.
Jenny is off first, then Dave, who finishes as I get ready to start. It’s great to go down a proper ramp, complete with flowers and broken timer. Luckily, for the first time, ToM are using transponders with real-time results. I set off steady enough on the uphill, inevitably overdoing it a bit but soon levelling off to a steady rhythm. Along the way, some ex-Milk Racer chap goes past me, but not too quickly - and I use him as a focus to keep going. Then another rider from I think Swindon way goes past me, but then I take him on the uphill. We are neck and neck and it did look a bit dodgy. I go wide to show I’m not drafting, and a moto follows us for a while to make the point we are being watched. On the flat, he manages to put in some distance on me, but not much.
We’ve made friends with a Geoff Butler Cycles ladies team, again through Jenny chatting really. The team is led by chaps who helped a junior Nicole Cooke win this event way back. They give Ashwell a cheer as I go by on the third lap, now feeling the uphill climb so much, that negotiating the twisty roundabouts is pretty easy on the TT bars. A huge lorry goes alongside me on the open half of the road as I come into the finish. Though quite far from the other side of the motorway barrier, I swear it gave me an aero boost. Or maybe I was simply relieved the pain was soon to be over. Anyway, I whizzed over the line feeling I could have had better positioning and technique - but satisfied I’d emptied the tank well enough.
We three CCA then regroup, struggle to pull off our sweaty Velotoze rubber sock things and send my soigneur dad off to buy tuna butties from the ice cream van up the road, while we sit out the remaining riders and results on the warm beach wall. I start to feel the heat now and am happy when the last rider comes in and the results are formally announced and podiums done, with remarkably impressive Stage win medals.
Stage and GC results then: Jenny 17th - doing well among many triathlon TT specialists. In the Masters, Dave is comfortably in the top half in 22nd and I grabbed 12th, 10 seconds off 10th with a 23:31, 24.2mph av.
This evening, we talked tactics in a local restaurant for Stage 2 before walking back to the hotel past the lively pubs to watch BBC World News and drink tea. Bah! It will be hard to keep in any kind of bunch on Stage 2, as it’s basically up and over a massive hill and back 6 times. Think like doing the Weston Hill tunnel to the roundabout the other side and then back again. It’s a bit like that. None of us have raced anything like this. Exciting and a bit scary. It starts off on a downhill. And apparently, the Italians defy gravity. As do the Maltese, occasionally, with a helpful hand. Allegedly.
Every CCA rider would love to do this Tour!
We all arrived safe and bikes intact earlier this week. We’ve all opted to stay in the official hotel as it’s conveniently located and the source for all the Tour stuff. It ain’t the Ritz, but this is a race not a holiday!
Breakfast time is interesting as everyone is playing mind games and eyeing each other up. There are many pocket rocket looking Italians. And lots of elite, tall, very slim Brits who look like walking torpedoes, eating a few grapes. I freely admit to being lured into the endless buffet and going a bit fried egg crazy. But will be on the muesli only for the brutal road race stages ahead. To be fair: all the teams and racers are really polite and friendly, if not a bit nervous now and then. Most people have no idea where Ashwell is, and pretend to know where Cambridge is. Then, someone sees our jerseys and comes up to us and asks where Carmelo is! And we meet a friend of Taff’s who was an ex-Hitchin Nomad who moved from Stevenage to Malta and now races for Mosta, one of the big Malta clubs - who are now good friends of CCA through an intro from cousin Stephen, along with Jenny’s forthright, “Do you mind if we use your turbo to warm up?” ice-breaker.
This morning’s first stage was a 9.5 miles TT. Dave had done enough research and data analysis to get the FBI interested. It is basically a very similar effort as our Club 10, but in three laps, along a smooth brand new EU funded road that clings to the east coast of the island. It’s very close to the hotel and some set out on bikes with the cars and motos flashing, parading and beeping their way from the hotel to the start, but I waited a while, as I was placed quite down the list from the 140 or so riders; about 45 in the Elite race, approx 55 Masters and about 35 Ladies. Everyone does the same TT stage, regardless of race class. Chatting to others, some have trained a lot for Malta, others are kick starting their season and treating it like training.
Jenny is off first, then Dave, who finishes as I get ready to start. It’s great to go down a proper ramp, complete with flowers and broken timer. Luckily, for the first time, ToM are using transponders with real-time results. I set off steady enough on the uphill, inevitably overdoing it a bit but soon levelling off to a steady rhythm. Along the way, some ex-Milk Racer chap goes past me, but not too quickly - and I use him as a focus to keep going. Then another rider from I think Swindon way goes past me, but then I take him on the uphill. We are neck and neck and it did look a bit dodgy. I go wide to show I’m not drafting, and a moto follows us for a while to make the point we are being watched. On the flat, he manages to put in some distance on me, but not much.
We’ve made friends with a Geoff Butler Cycles ladies team, again through Jenny chatting really. The team is led by chaps who helped a junior Nicole Cooke win this event way back. They give Ashwell a cheer as I go by on the third lap, now feeling the uphill climb so much, that negotiating the twisty roundabouts is pretty easy on the TT bars. A huge lorry goes alongside me on the open half of the road as I come into the finish. Though quite far from the other side of the motorway barrier, I swear it gave me an aero boost. Or maybe I was simply relieved the pain was soon to be over. Anyway, I whizzed over the line feeling I could have had better positioning and technique - but satisfied I’d emptied the tank well enough.
We three CCA then regroup, struggle to pull off our sweaty Velotoze rubber sock things and send my soigneur dad off to buy tuna butties from the ice cream van up the road, while we sit out the remaining riders and results on the warm beach wall. I start to feel the heat now and am happy when the last rider comes in and the results are formally announced and podiums done, with remarkably impressive Stage win medals.
Stage and GC results then: Jenny 17th - doing well among many triathlon TT specialists. In the Masters, Dave is comfortably in the top half in 22nd and I grabbed 12th, 10 seconds off 10th with a 23:31, 24.2mph av.
This evening, we talked tactics in a local restaurant for Stage 2 before walking back to the hotel past the lively pubs to watch BBC World News and drink tea. Bah! It will be hard to keep in any kind of bunch on Stage 2, as it’s basically up and over a massive hill and back 6 times. Think like doing the Weston Hill tunnel to the roundabout the other side and then back again. It’s a bit like that. None of us have raced anything like this. Exciting and a bit scary. It starts off on a downhill. And apparently, the Italians defy gravity. As do the Maltese, occasionally, with a helpful hand. Allegedly.
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Intrigued by the sponsor Buff.. Is that a local Maltese beer?
buffmalta.com/dog-buff--collection.html
Cloudy, threatening rain. Originally 6 laps, then told 8 - it's fine, just the way it rolls here, go with the flow. All good on the start line, elite men, then masters men, then women. 22 of us on the start line. Within half a lap I realised there is no chance, some superb racers giving it full gas. Hang on for almost one lap (3.3 miles). Realise this is going to be long and lonely. Sit in for a long time trial, so hot praying the clouds will drop their rain, which they do eventually. As double back on the course I can see a couple of other women have dropped too, one clearly going home with her rucksack on. So I won't be last!! That gave me enough of a boost to dig deep and keep going. I managed my original aim of not getting lapped (within 6 laps, the original distance planned), then after that a couple more laps a bit steadier to stretch the legs for tomorrow's onslaught.
Clearly disappointed not be be riding the Ashwell jersey to glory (in our heads we can all climb like Contador, right?), but keep reminding myself I didn't think I'd even be in one piece to ride, so happy just to be here competing rather than supporting. By the end of the season I hope to look back at this and smile.
Amazing to see the boys riding so strongly, I sure they'll share their thoughts later so won't spoil their stories, but they're definitely doing us proud. And this is an amazing event, so much support from all the spectators, Martin's dad holding out bottles at the side of the road like a seasoned pro.
Sorry to be missing the Primavera tomorrow. Best of luck for a successful event, and to the riders, and we look forward to reading the race report.
The usual schoolboy errors of racing- was enjoying freewheeling past the bunch on the downhills, when the familiar cry rang out from my teammate "geeeet ooofff the frooont Daaaave!!!" - the advantage of getting on the front was going through the dead turns on my chosen line, but all went pear-shaped (obvs) when i found myself pulling the bunch up the hills... The pace was horrific for the parcours, and i blew up after a particularly nasty fourth lap; just couldn't cling on up the climb. Found a couple of obliging Italians to work with, but this partnership failed as one of them got rather angry that we weren't able to put out 800w on the hill like him- he dropped me, and shortly afterwards the other on imploded.
Sickeningly, afterwards i found out it was all a ruse- shortly after dropping me, the bunch sat up and relaxed, content they'd blown apart half the field. I stayed just about in eyesight, but there was no way i could catch up and rejoin the bunch. Forgot my gels, which might have helped. Still, tomorrow is another (pain-filled) day - across the water to Gozo...
https://www.strava.com/activities/931550833
In our race, me n' Dave were doing well for the first half. Quite comfortable. But these racers are smart. The leaders started to twist the knife in, in the middle - absolutely turning up the heat on the fourth lap. I was determined to stick with the [Maltese] Red Jersey, a Greek fella, and stuck to his wheel as much as possible. To say it hurt after the dead turn on the south side is an understatement - like racing up the start of the hill near Royston McDonalds - for half a mile or so.
I caught Dave in the corner of my eye on one turn, meaning he was part of a break in the peleton. I wanted to try and ease the peleton back for him and me - but it wouldn't yield. The Italians are good and were doing that weaving thing across the road to snake up and encourage others to bite to the front. I thought I'd blow but made it with the lead bunch on lap 5; and Dave shouted support from the other side of the closed dual carriageway as he was now trying to scoop up a following bunch and/or TTing it. Never far off the back.
Then, on lap 5, it was party time. Having broken the group into pieces, the bunch totally eased up. They were happy to reduce the numbers. They were also already saving themselves for lap 8. It was still hard, but doable. I'd hoped my hill climbing would pay dividends as it did for the Spring Chicken Road Race - but there are some seriously good Masters in this group, including former National champs, Milk Race riders and Premier Calendar riders. On lap 7 I came detached with a few others of the 20 or so in the bunch. But, a Chorlton CC rider came through on the brief flat like a train and hauled some of us back on to the bunch. I was very grateful and patted him on the back in thanks.
And so to lap 8. It took the first climb easy, coasted down and turned to the final climb. It was totally in the red but I was holding on. Then, on a brief level bit, the power men split us in two. As it turned up again, I managed to claw back, but the finish line was coming up - and the front guys are strong. End of.
I did a comedy lunge for the TV cameras in relief and caught up with Dave and Jenny. I came 14th and moved up one place in GC to 11th. 10th place and a magical BC point dangles just 5 seconds away as we head to a similar looking race on the island of Gozo tomorrow. It will be very hard though. The riders in the top 10 are pretty special. Dave is nicely in the middle of GC. And Jenny put in a supreme effort to TT so many laps at an astonishing power. Let's remember she was on the floor at Hog Hill 4 weeks ago.
In the evening and all eyes are glued to Malta TV for the evening sports news. Sure enough, there are flashes of CCA blue on the box. Can you spot Dave here? God know what they're saying on the telly. But it'll all be good stuff.
It made for a great race though. The sprinters loved the flat, the climbers did damage going up. 8 laps like yesterday, for me and Dave in the Masters, and Jenny in the Ladies. It has to be said: the Ladies race is tough! The standard is extraordinary. And everyone has teammates in support: except Jenny. She will come back so strong and with recalibrated levels of what hard racing is when back in the UK. It will serve her so well.
Like yesterday, the first three laps were pretty ordinary and like a pacey Club Run! Then, the Swindon lad who I quite liked yesterday, decides to lead a breakaway attempt on the big climb. So, it's grit your teeth time and time to dig deep. Loukas, the Greek chap in the Red Jersey shouts, 'Va! Va! Va!' and ignites the top 5 in GC who are glued to him to go too. They are putting everyone into a very dark place and eventually the elastic snaps. The front 9 riders make a small but distinct break and from then on, as they turn for the downhill and see what they've achieved, I know I'm in the second bunch. I think about going into the mega-red to make the leap, but think it too risky. I could bounce out of the second bunch. So content myself with this.
So it turns into a race within the race now. I'm strong in this group and accidentally find myself on the front. Dave, who came off into a third bunch when we were put into the red, sees me on the other side of the closed road and takes great delight in poking fun, laughing his head off, shouting, 'Get off the front!'. I do eventually, but not before leading the group up the hill to shell a few more off the bunch - and to pretend to the others like I wasn't really trying. Mind games!
Turning down the hill and the tailwind, we hit 50mph, and control needs a lot of concentration. Overall, the standard of riding among everyone is brilliant, and I suspect it has much to do with the veteran status of the group. I was led to believe the Maltese riders were a bit inexperienced, but not at all. The roads in Gozo are rubbish and I was expecting a few punctures. But everyone is fine.
Every lap sees an increasing amount of race watchers. It turns out the curious locals turned up, along with tonnes of church school and sporting academy kids. Very sweet. Everyone cheering the racing. Our bottle soigneur, Nick, tells us it was brilliant spectating with the three races all splitting and much drama.
I manage to create a break in my group and a Malteser yelps, 'Let's go guys!' in a Maltese way, on the turn downhill, but it doesn't stick. Not least as I am outgunned on the long powering straight. In the three stages, it's all got a bit United Nations and really lovely to see people communicating together through the language of chaingangs and tactics. Dave has a new Cypriot mate in his bunch, who is really funny. He's got more strategies than D-Day.
The strong wind takes the edge of the hot sun coming through now as we hit the bell lap. The finish is on the flat and I knew from the start I'd be on the backfoot for this. All the same, as we approach the final bend, I give it full British beans to get near the front, a good 40 seconds down from the front 9, who eased up once they'd made a clean break and chain-ganged.
Against expectations, I find myself working through the bunch after the final turn and into the run in. Later, I'd find out some thought the finish line was on the other side. They snooze, they lose. So I squeeze through the 20 or so riders in our bunch to claim 15th place overall. 23.5 miles, 2,000ft @ 21.8mph. Dave comes in soon after, 26th.
Dave goes to 26th in GC too. While I slip down two places to 13th. I'm happy with that. I can tell by the TT times of the people ahead, I'm doing as good as I can. 10th place is 20 seconds away and two riders I have taken time off - so I will try my best all the same on the last stage tomorrow.
The mood is really upbeat afterwards. Every rider gets a free lunch. New friendships are being made. I get some pats on the back for doing my bit in our bunch. Soon, we drift off to almost deserted Nadur town square for pastizzi, coffee and beer, the place feels like it's been undisturbed for hundreds of years. Gozo is very different to Malta with a unique charm. Dave and Jenny opt to ride back to the ferry and then the hotel: they don't want to waste the day and the opportunity. Can't blame them.
Back to our room. Feet up. Watch weightlifting on German Eurosport. Use that daft leg roller thing. Wash kit. Put out beetroot juice. Review the final stage profile in hilly Saint Martin on the west coast. And read the paper to see me n' Dave on the back page of The Malta Independent!
Good luck all CCA racers in the Primavera!
Another beasting on climbs today - fortunately only one, but still a bit of a 'character'. Was determined to stay well hidden in the wheels today, and managed to stay off the front. Legs felt ok, and was managing the climb better than some- fairly crazy speeds going up, and frankly terrifying (45mph) on the way down on one of the worst, most pot-holed roads I've ever ridden on, and i live in Hertfordshire. Sadly got stuck on the deadturn at the top of the climb on about the 3rd or 4th lap, then used up so much energy catching the bunch again, that my legs went pop, and i shot out the back on the next climb. Worked with the two guys just above me in GC for the rest of the race, but got pipped by both of them on on the line after starting my sprint about 100m too early. Contraversially, the transponder system says only one of them beat me, so i move up to 27th on GC, with 6 seconds needed in tomorrow's stage to get me 26th overall...
Now if we thought that was a hilly stage, after tomorrow's final stage, we'll fondly look back on it as being a bit like Norfolk...
https://www.strava.com/activities/932939873/overview
Good luck with the Primavera tomorrow, everyone that's involved!
Paris Roubaix tomorrow and im not that bothered, TdM is much more interesting. Go CCA.
The riders here are amazing, safe wheels, so different to the recent crash-fests at home. Shoulder is holding up amazingly well (I definitely recommend Patrick at The Osteopaths in Bishops Stortford if anyone needs treatment).
Let's see what the final stage brings, hopefully a cold beer at the end!
Best of luck for the final stage.
But finish 19th out of 22 who started the first stage, totally outclassed but having learnt a huge amount (no, I don't like coming last, but I WILL finish!) and absolutely back next year to improve on this year's performance. C'mon...who's in? A brilliant experience and better than any training camp.
With nothing left in my legs this morning, my aspirational goal was to complete one of the 6 laps with the bunch- before TTing at my own pace to the end - anything more than that and i was going to blow up so spectacularly that i would never be able to even ride back to the hotel.
The first lap in the bunch wasn't actually that bad, and sheltered in the middle, even the howling headwind seemed quieter. Managed the climb without going backwards too much, but at the top I knew it wasn't sustainable, so i crept quietly out the back. Soon bumped into my old/new Cypriot friend Doros, a classy but injured rider who has been within about 6 seconds reach of me in GC- he was insistent we worked together, and we made a deal not to attack each other at the end, in the spirit of this 'Tour of Friendship's, as it's branded by the Maltese. It has to be mentioned though, that whilst nursing 6 broken ribs from a crash on the Motirola, Doros is a classier and more powerful racer than I'll ever be, and led me a merry dance keeping up on the flat and downhill - at one point we were weaving through traffic in both directions at 47mph (me on completely inappropriate 60 rims in blasting crosswinds). Stopping of traffic seemed to be a bit sporadic if you weren't in the main bunch, so I was regularly encouraged to sprint to get the draft of cars - I nearly blew up after the command of 'We need to catch ze busss', but to be fair, it did give us a couple of miles miles' respite from the by then howling headwind. After the horror of the bottom section, weirdly the climb felt like a relief- I could have gone quicker, but I needed help on the flat bits in the wind, and without Cypriot help, it looked like i might be on my own, as it was, I was right on the limit. After a textbook bottle hand-up from our soigneur/DS Nick Lawless on the penultimate lap, I was concerned that Doros might have been about to do me over at the finish, having towed him up the hill. Fortunately, we finished with linked arms for the cameras, shortly after the main bunch. Unfortunately for him, the transponders recorded that I beat him by 0.3 seconds to get 26th place, Overall 25th on GC, but you can't argue with a computer, can you...?
https://www.strava.com/activities/934411727
Like the profile on Strava - nasty