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San Fairy Ann Spring Crits
So 1 week till the start of hopefully a successful 1st season having a bash at racing,
Slightly nervous, took the plunge and very excited, booked into race in a cat 4 crit and wondered if anyone has raced at the cyclopark in gravesend? Any tips or guidance from the more experienced racing fraternity on here most welcome. Hoping to do CCA proud...
Slightly nervous, took the plunge and very excited, booked into race in a cat 4 crit and wondered if anyone has raced at the cyclopark in gravesend? Any tips or guidance from the more experienced racing fraternity on here most welcome. Hoping to do CCA proud...
Comments
Peter
I whipped round a lap, nice surface very quick and flowey and its dry so there tonnes of grip, got a bit carried away and thought that I had time for another warm up lap but misjudged and I finished on that last straight, and found the start was jammed with riders everywhere, so I end up on the inside and at the back...
we set off and a few things hit me, wow this is quick, like really quick and whats also a bit nervy is everyone jams on the anchors around every corner... all in tyres screeching smoke making skidding and my mind is racing as I am trying to figure the track, keep my line but also worry about the folks in front of me braking like loons,
This is my first time racing and we're flying along in the peloton and it dawns on me, wow I'm racing, wow this is fast and wow I'm being far too nice, not nice in a sportsmen way but to sum it up it's almost like I've got me club head on and I'm letting folk in by opening gaps and generally being so respectful of people space and movement etc with no thought of drafting I'm literally pleased to be there but all the time I'm dropping through the pack, everything so fast, your decision time is split to instinct reaction, my heads buzzing, but I'm slipping, then another corner all brakes on, congestion around the bends is a joke but I'm trying to coast a line and conserve my legs but its impossible, and after every corner it's like a head down flat out sprint...
I'm stuck in the bottom 3rd of the pack, and I'm cursing myself as everyone said don't end up here and I'm here how did that happen??? I know where this is headed...
Damn damn damn......but I continue on, but the problem is as we lap we turn into 1 long elastic band, with the corners being the stretching points and I'm stuck on the end like right on the......turn round and realise theres no one behind end....and i'm more or less doing the interval session from hell.......... And I keeps getting harder...
It hurts, I mean really hurts I'm in agony, my chests heaving and I just can't seem to make it further up the pack its like I'm clinging on for life, I can't breathe, each time I try to get back we run into another bend and its same thing again,
I'm tiring and I can't sustain this, as we turn the bend on the final straight I drop off, the wind catches me full in that face the incline feels like a mountain and the peloton disappears in front of me, gutted......but I have nothing in the tank, and by that I mean empty I am ruined, I end up retiring and coming away with a few clear lessons, objectives even...
train more and harder and longer, sounds stupid but I want to be twice as prepared when I do this again,starting position is important, especially it would seem in a crit but what a fantastic sport.... Fantastic....
When you ride with a club you soon reach a performance plateau, it can be hard to climb up off this plateau no matter how much training you do or how many club rides you do. The only way up is to race, you will probably take a beating to begin with but stick with it and you will see massive gains and it can be hugely rewarding. It sounds like you enjoyed the experience and the improvements will come for sure.
Next time you race, make your goal to stay in the first third. You constantly have to fight for that position but it is much easier near the front, the corners are smoother and need less energy to negotiate if you are near the front. Riding near the back is much much harder.
Looking forward to seeing your progression, and remember the best training you can do, by far, is to race.
That's a tough day to start racing.
I was there as support with the Welwyn Academy and Joshua for the E123 race later on.
The uphill section had a solid block wind against it as well with all but the strongest riders looking for shelter.
From the trackside it looked like a hard day in the office for everyone.
Next race is Braintree at the end of the month on open roads which gives a moth to prepare and I imagine at 58m won't be quiet as frantic as its not on a track
Keep going...
Daniel
I watched you going up those climbs yesterday and from what I can see it won't be long before you are having your own successes too...
Be patient,carry on doing what you are doing and believe.
I've got my eye on you......