What better a way to kick off my 2017 season with the Woolly Mamil crit series. I could only do the first and last butfollowed my now, regular path of starting to race in January.
The race is an E/1/2/3, hour long criterium around the Stourport circuit. For the first one I was feeling good, if a little apprehensive of having to go this hard in January but I got in a nice warm up and was feeling fresh on the start line. The field wasn’t fantastic with a smattering of Cat 1’s and 2’s but mainly Cat 3’s, so my plan was to drive it to wear them out then get in a breakaway and hold it to the line.
This kind of went out of the window when a two man break got away after 10 minutes. I didn’t even see them go! The duo up the road meant that everything else got chased down and it became really negative. Each lap we’d mess around and they’d consistently put time into us. After about 40 minutes I attacked solo and got a decent gap initially. I committed to it but was brought back after 4 or so laps leaving it to be a bunch sprint for 3rd.
I tried to get into a good position for the sprint but struggled and never really got going leaving me to roll in 16th place.
Two weeks later I was back! Having done some cross-country as a joke the week before; I was eager to get bike racing again. Enhanced by the bleak conditions I was motivated to make it hard. From the start I was on the front driving it,trying to get it to split and after 15 minutes I was off the front. Joined by 5 others we worked hard and held the gap. Our pace was taking its toll on the break as some of the weaker riders kept missing turns, causing me to do far more work than needed. I didn’t mind much as I wanted it to stick and I was using it for training. Once we were organised our gap kept extending more and more and the bunch lost motivation to chase in the rain. We were up to half a lap ahead towards the end. After 40 minutes the whistle blew for a prime lap, I saw £ and went for it early. I was marked so slotted nicely in the break when another rider went early and should have won it. He 100% would have done, had he not eased up and looked right as I went to his left taking the £10. Money well earned.
With 2.5 laps to go our pace eased off and I attacked, immediately followed I knocked it off and let it flow. With 1.5 laps to go I went again but was marked out of it leaving us to have a 6 man sprint. Coming into the final corner I was in 4th wheel, primed to sprint. When it did kick off however my sprint was lackluster and I was pipped on the line to get 6th place out of 6. I know what I need to work on now!
The race is an E/1/2/3, hour long criterium around the Stourport circuit. For the first one I was feeling good, if a little apprehensive of having to go this hard in January but I got in a nice warm up and was feeling fresh on the start line. The field wasn’t fantastic with a smattering of Cat 1’s and 2’s but mainly Cat 3’s, so my plan was to drive it to wear them out then get in a breakaway and hold it to the line.
This kind of went out of the window when a two man break got away after 10 minutes. I didn’t even see them go! The duo up the road meant that everything else got chased down and it became really negative. Each lap we’d mess around and they’d consistently put time into us. After about 40 minutes I attacked solo and got a decent gap initially. I committed to it but was brought back after 4 or so laps leaving it to be a bunch sprint for 3rd.
I tried to get into a good position for the sprint but struggled and never really got going leaving me to roll in 16th place.
Two weeks later I was back! Having done some cross-country as a joke the week before; I was eager to get bike racing again. Enhanced by the bleak conditions I was motivated to make it hard. From the start I was on the front driving it,trying to get it to split and after 15 minutes I was off the front. Joined by 5 others we worked hard and held the gap. Our pace was taking its toll on the break as some of the weaker riders kept missing turns, causing me to do far more work than needed. I didn’t mind much as I wanted it to stick and I was using it for training. Once we were organised our gap kept extending more and more and the bunch lost motivation to chase in the rain. We were up to half a lap ahead towards the end. After 40 minutes the whistle blew for a prime lap, I saw £ and went for it early. I was marked so slotted nicely in the break when another rider went early and should have won it. He 100% would have done, had he not eased up and looked right as I went to his left taking the £10. Money well earned.
With 2.5 laps to go our pace eased off and I attacked, immediately followed I knocked it off and let it flow. With 1.5 laps to go I went again but was marked out of it leaving us to have a 6 man sprint. Coming into the final corner I was in 4th wheel, primed to sprint. When it did kick off however my sprint was lackluster and I was pipped on the line to get 6th place out of 6. I know what I need to work on now!