A decent turnout for today's race despite the 'footy' grand final rematch. I was sticking to C grade after already having been for the SPR bunch ride this morning. 8 or 9 punters headed off around the course in quite windy conditions. We settled into a rough version of rolling turns and this was the order of the first couple of laps.
I think it was about lap three that Blair took off on his own and had a gap of about 150m. It took us around three-quarters of a lap to reel him in. T'was around this time that our little group was reduced to five with the others disappearing off the back somewhere. Back to rolling turns with a few little spurts that didn't dislodge anyone. Young Jamie was doing a lot of work and the more experienced Daryl also very strong. Blair was recovering from his efforts and then there was me and Carl, not skipping turns - but not the strongest riders in the group. All was going well until with about three kilometres to go Blair took off again. I couldn't latch on and if it wasn't for Daryl then I would've dropped off right there. As it was he towed me back and powered into the headwind on the long finishing straight. It was Blair, Jamie, Daryl, me and Carl coming over the line with about 25 metres between each of us.
A well deserved win by Blair and a hard ride in windy conditions.
51km
35.5kph avg
Further details here or here.
Showing posts with label PDCC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PDCC. Show all posts
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
PDCC PK Cycles Serpentine Handicap
After participating in my first handicap several weeks I was keen to ride another one. I quite enjoy the standard road races but it's good to mix it up every so often. This handicap was 5 laps of the dead flat Serpentine road race course.
Several groups were let off before my name was called. I was in a group of seven riders with (I was to find out later) a 5 minute & 30 seconds head start on scratch. After a kilometre or so of fluffing about we got ourselves organized and starting rolling through. We were managing 39kph and I was happy we were rolling rather than pulling turns.
Sometime after the first lap the pace was too hot for Clint and he disappeared. Three quarters of the way round the second lap, our group reeled in a bigger group that had started off nine minutes. We didn't have the firepower to just blow past them so things were a messy for a time after the junction. Quite a few from this group managed to hang on and some integrated into the roll through. It was here I started to struggle as we headed out on the 3rd lap. Not being very experienced with handicaps I was a bit suprised that the riders from the group ahead of us seemed to have more legs than I thought they might. Some had dropped off but others were quite fresh it would seem.
Approaching the finish to the third lap I popped. I'd spent the last half lap having to get out of the saddle just to keep on and it proved too much. I drifted off the back and spent most of the fourth lap by myself save for passing a few fellow stragglers. I thought I was doing ok, checking behind from time to time and couldn't see the scratch markers, when they appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It was a large group and I entertained the possibility of getting on for about ..oh, a good four or five pedal strokes :) before realising it wasn't going to happen. They were doing better than 42kph on the home straight and I couldn't hold that.
My fifth lap consisted of me chasing Kelly, who had just popped off the back of the express, for a bit before catching her and riding to the finish with her and two guys. There was no sprint for our quartet and we rolled over the line.
It was a tale of two races for me - 39kph average before being dropped and then two laps at 35kph. Happy that I'd had a good hit out but dissapointing I wasn't able to hang on to the bigger group that formed after we caught the nine minute group. The rain that I was expecting never eventuated either.
1hr 11mins
44km
Several groups were let off before my name was called. I was in a group of seven riders with (I was to find out later) a 5 minute & 30 seconds head start on scratch. After a kilometre or so of fluffing about we got ourselves organized and starting rolling through. We were managing 39kph and I was happy we were rolling rather than pulling turns.
Sometime after the first lap the pace was too hot for Clint and he disappeared. Three quarters of the way round the second lap, our group reeled in a bigger group that had started off nine minutes. We didn't have the firepower to just blow past them so things were a messy for a time after the junction. Quite a few from this group managed to hang on and some integrated into the roll through. It was here I started to struggle as we headed out on the 3rd lap. Not being very experienced with handicaps I was a bit suprised that the riders from the group ahead of us seemed to have more legs than I thought they might. Some had dropped off but others were quite fresh it would seem.
Approaching the finish to the third lap I popped. I'd spent the last half lap having to get out of the saddle just to keep on and it proved too much. I drifted off the back and spent most of the fourth lap by myself save for passing a few fellow stragglers. I thought I was doing ok, checking behind from time to time and couldn't see the scratch markers, when they appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It was a large group and I entertained the possibility of getting on for about ..oh, a good four or five pedal strokes :) before realising it wasn't going to happen. They were doing better than 42kph on the home straight and I couldn't hold that.
My fifth lap consisted of me chasing Kelly, who had just popped off the back of the express, for a bit before catching her and riding to the finish with her and two guys. There was no sprint for our quartet and we rolled over the line.
It was a tale of two races for me - 39kph average before being dropped and then two laps at 35kph. Happy that I'd had a good hit out but dissapointing I wasn't able to hang on to the bigger group that formed after we caught the nine minute group. The rain that I was expecting never eventuated either.
1hr 11mins
44km
Sunday, September 5, 2010
PDCC Dog Hill road race
Presented for another bash at C grade today. I don’t mind the Dog Hill circuit, it’s pretty flat and usually fairly fast. Roads are a little rough but not as bad as the Serpentine course. A dozen or more punters in C including fellow SPR stalwart Lisa (who had already smashed out 80km or so in the Hills this morning!)
It was a race of fits and starts with a solid core of riders doing most of the work. Elliot seemed to have ants in his pants and seemed keen to get out in front and Clint wasn’t much better, both of them having short dashes off the front. Geoff (KD Cycles) was also involved in some good pulls but seemed to have a bit more patience. Lisa had a small dig on one lap which seemed to take a few riders by surprise but it was short lived.
Nobody was able to get away with everyone generally chasing down any accelerations. In the second half of the race Lisa seemed to be a fixture on the front with nobody really coming through. In fact for the whole race there was never any organisation or roll through – it was more a case of just waiting for the rider in front to drop the speed before doing anything about it.
Completing the third (or fourth – can’t remember..) a selection of 3 or four guys got a gap of about 50 metres. Pretty sure it was Clint, Elliot and 2 other stronger riders so it was certainly a danger. In my mind I felt it could’ve been the critical move of the race if they were allowed to get away. I had a plan and was prepared to chase them later on in the lap if they got away but my hesitation (did I say that? I meant well considered risk/reward decision-making process….) paid off. The bunch chased and brought them back not long after. In hindsight here would’ve been a good spot to have a dig myself but it honestly never entered my mind till now. Knowing what to do and having the legs to sit off the front for a lap or two are two different things….
Last lap was a bit ridiculous. On the back straight I found myself on the front and it wasn’t where I wanted to be. Tried pulling off once, twice, three times to no avail. No one was coming thru. Swung waaaay out over to the other side of the road, still no one biting. Back on the front, soft pedalling letting the speed drop 35kph,…. 33,… 30.. all the way down to 23 before someone came past! Onya Daryl ! Daryl was the most hated man in the peleton attacking fairly regularly to cries of ‘Bloody hell! not again!’
The bunch was all together heading into the sweeping curve left about a kilometre before the finish, riders jostling for position and streaming by on my right. Lisa was still at the front or near it. I was sitting about 8th or 9th wheel, with maybe 600 to 800 metres to go when I went for it. (I looked on Google Maps and think it was about that far but it’s easy for recollections to be wrong…). The bunch was drifting towards the centre of the road leaving some room on the left. I powered up the inside, still seated, but giving it heaps. I don’t know who was behind me but after I hit the front I glanced behind and had a gap. I kept going, a little surprised that no one had come with me (maybe jumped too early?) The finish line seemed an eternity away and I felt myself tiring and losing speed. Another quick glance behind and I could see the angry bunch catching. I had to stand and sprint to hold the closers off and crossed the line about five lengths in front!
Flat handicap at Serpentine next week. Only ever particiapted in one handicap before so I’m keen to have another go.
It was a race of fits and starts with a solid core of riders doing most of the work. Elliot seemed to have ants in his pants and seemed keen to get out in front and Clint wasn’t much better, both of them having short dashes off the front. Geoff (KD Cycles) was also involved in some good pulls but seemed to have a bit more patience. Lisa had a small dig on one lap which seemed to take a few riders by surprise but it was short lived.
Nobody was able to get away with everyone generally chasing down any accelerations. In the second half of the race Lisa seemed to be a fixture on the front with nobody really coming through. In fact for the whole race there was never any organisation or roll through – it was more a case of just waiting for the rider in front to drop the speed before doing anything about it.
Completing the third (or fourth – can’t remember..) a selection of 3 or four guys got a gap of about 50 metres. Pretty sure it was Clint, Elliot and 2 other stronger riders so it was certainly a danger. In my mind I felt it could’ve been the critical move of the race if they were allowed to get away. I had a plan and was prepared to chase them later on in the lap if they got away but my hesitation (did I say that? I meant well considered risk/reward decision-making process….) paid off. The bunch chased and brought them back not long after. In hindsight here would’ve been a good spot to have a dig myself but it honestly never entered my mind till now. Knowing what to do and having the legs to sit off the front for a lap or two are two different things….
Last lap was a bit ridiculous. On the back straight I found myself on the front and it wasn’t where I wanted to be. Tried pulling off once, twice, three times to no avail. No one was coming thru. Swung waaaay out over to the other side of the road, still no one biting. Back on the front, soft pedalling letting the speed drop 35kph,…. 33,… 30.. all the way down to 23 before someone came past! Onya Daryl ! Daryl was the most hated man in the peleton attacking fairly regularly to cries of ‘Bloody hell! not again!’
The bunch was all together heading into the sweeping curve left about a kilometre before the finish, riders jostling for position and streaming by on my right. Lisa was still at the front or near it. I was sitting about 8th or 9th wheel, with maybe 600 to 800 metres to go when I went for it. (I looked on Google Maps and think it was about that far but it’s easy for recollections to be wrong…). The bunch was drifting towards the centre of the road leaving some room on the left. I powered up the inside, still seated, but giving it heaps. I don’t know who was behind me but after I hit the front I glanced behind and had a gap. I kept going, a little surprised that no one had come with me (maybe jumped too early?) The finish line seemed an eternity away and I felt myself tiring and losing speed. Another quick glance behind and I could see the angry bunch catching. I had to stand and sprint to hold the closers off and crossed the line about five lengths in front!
Flat handicap at Serpentine next week. Only ever particiapted in one handicap before so I’m keen to have another go.
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