It's always tough to quite know how well I’m going before the first race of the season. Yes, I've had a good winter and yes, I set a very good 20 minute power benchmark the other week but with nothing tangible to compare myself to, I just can't quantify how well I will race.
It's been a few years since I've done Capernwray but it's one of the most challenging UK courses. Eight, 13km laps with a 3 minute, 7% hill and grippy back half make it hard all day. Personally, I wish it was later in the season when I'm properly pinging because it really suits me but I'm still building form in March.
As it was early season, I wanted to race conservatively. I don't quite have those diamond legs to be aggressive yet. On the day we were spoiled with moderately dry weather rather than the heavy snow the UK was subjected to days earlier. There was however a stiff >15 mph wind making the twisty back half particularly tough going.
It's been a few years since I've done Capernwray but it's one of the most challenging UK courses. Eight, 13km laps with a 3 minute, 7% hill and grippy back half make it hard all day. Personally, I wish it was later in the season when I'm properly pinging because it really suits me but I'm still building form in March.
As it was early season, I wanted to race conservatively. I don't quite have those diamond legs to be aggressive yet. On the day we were spoiled with moderately dry weather rather than the heavy snow the UK was subjected to days earlier. There was however a stiff >15 mph wind making the twisty back half particularly tough going.
We got de-neutralised at the top of the main road descent and with a tailwind it was dauntingly rapid. Slightly shocked at being in a peloton again, I was a bit hesitant to move forwards at first but once we started the back half, I started to to get into the groove.
Not so much happened in the first half of the race. I did absolutely nothing but hide and get positioned at the front for Sunny Bank. People were climbing hard and but the pace was staccato generally. As a peloton we were so disorganised which let Ollie Peckover and Jack Crook who got away somewhere on lap 1, establish a two minute lead after the first 3 laps.
If we were going to catch them, then we would have to get organised and chase now.
As we approached the climb to start the fourth lap, three riders jumped away and started with a small gap. This was the initiation we needed. Now the race properly started.
Not so much happened in the first half of the race. I did absolutely nothing but hide and get positioned at the front for Sunny Bank. People were climbing hard and but the pace was staccato generally. As a peloton we were so disorganised which let Ollie Peckover and Jack Crook who got away somewhere on lap 1, establish a two minute lead after the first 3 laps.
If we were going to catch them, then we would have to get organised and chase now.
As we approached the climb to start the fourth lap, three riders jumped away and started with a small gap. This was the initiation we needed. Now the race properly started.
Now the race properly started
This lap we climbed hard. I'm hardly a poor climber but I was in difficulty by the top. I said to my teammate, George, "stick with it here" and I hopped across a small gap to crest with the front 5-6 riders. It was the quickest ascent of the race with me doing 440W for the 3 minute tester but the pace didn't drop off yet.
The race had splintered and us at the front pressed over the top through the main road descent but the chasers got organised and we didn't so it came back together.
As the headwind on the back half was so stiff, there was no way I was wasting my energy fruitlessly chasing. The others thought the same and our lack of urgency here let most of the riders regroup before the climb again. There was the odd attack but only right at the end of the headwind did four guys manage to jump away. It was a great move, it gave them a bit of breathing room before the climb so they could go slightly easier than us.
We didn't climb as ferociously as the previous lap and we didn’t catch the group of four. But with 150m to go it kicked off again and the group began to split. I was well positioned and crested in the top 10. Just after the crest, there was the smallest lull and a Zappi rider pushed slightly harder than everyone else, giving himself a tiny gap ahead us. Ben Granger spotted this and stealthily bridged to him.
I saw Ben start to churn a big gear, so I also snuck across to him with a Saint Piran rider behind me. No one followed us and once we spotted we'd got a substantial gap, we started going full gas. With the tailwind, we hit nearly 80kph and I was struggling to spin a big enough gear to pull turns. I was laughing because Ben said "I've only got a 48-11" so his cadence was bigger than mine.
We hadn't caught the group of four yet, but could see them just ahead. After a hard chase we pegged them back on the headwind section a few kilometres later. Just after we caught them, we got caught by another group of 4 so now we had a solid group of 12.
I don’t have my racing legs yet and was suffering a quite a lot now and wanted to save energy so backed off my turns. I pulled soft turns and skipped where I could. I had no teammates with me whilst others did, so it wasn't down to me to chase hard and bury myself. The group was fairly strong and I thought/hoped this was us until the end.
We hit the climb for the third from last time and I got distanced slightly, but sprinted over the top to keep up. I was really feeling the fatigue now but surely everyone else was too. I didn't quite see how it happened, but another group caught us up just afterwards making us about 25 or so strong.
There was a flurry of attacks but plenty of chasing and counter attacks but nobody was letting anything get away. This suited me just fine.
As we approached the climb for the penultimate time, I was really feeling the accumulated fatigue. When I saw Leon Mazzone and Jacob Smith attack into the turn before Sunny Bank,I thought “that’s a great move” and bridged across to it. I needed the slipping room for this ascent and this would give me just that. I sat on the guys up the climb but started to lose the wheel over the top and paced myself within my limit.
There was no more than 2-3 second gap at the top but as we hit the tailwind section I started to blow and couldn’t close the gap. I looked back to see the peloton only a few seconds behind me and made the call to wait for them, assuming they would catch Leon and Jacob.
I was absorbed and just hid. This group was tiny and there were some underwhelming attacks into the headwind but we approached the climb together having not caught Leon and Jacob. They were flying to be fair and they even caught Jack Crook from the break.
I was absolutely gassed now and just hoped I could hang on up the climb. There wasn’t a single attack, Jimmy the Blade just set a hard tempo which was enough to distance Damien Clayton and then myself. I couldn’t climb any more and just suffered to the top. Clayton caught and passed me and I rolled in 17th place.
I'm not disappointed with 17th, I read the race right and if I'd have had the legs could have got a really good result. I just didn’t have the form to win. It was a hard race though. I did 320np for the whole thing and 220TTS, which for 100km is mega. Solid start to the season.
The race had splintered and us at the front pressed over the top through the main road descent but the chasers got organised and we didn't so it came back together.
As the headwind on the back half was so stiff, there was no way I was wasting my energy fruitlessly chasing. The others thought the same and our lack of urgency here let most of the riders regroup before the climb again. There was the odd attack but only right at the end of the headwind did four guys manage to jump away. It was a great move, it gave them a bit of breathing room before the climb so they could go slightly easier than us.
We didn't climb as ferociously as the previous lap and we didn’t catch the group of four. But with 150m to go it kicked off again and the group began to split. I was well positioned and crested in the top 10. Just after the crest, there was the smallest lull and a Zappi rider pushed slightly harder than everyone else, giving himself a tiny gap ahead us. Ben Granger spotted this and stealthily bridged to him.
I saw Ben start to churn a big gear, so I also snuck across to him with a Saint Piran rider behind me. No one followed us and once we spotted we'd got a substantial gap, we started going full gas. With the tailwind, we hit nearly 80kph and I was struggling to spin a big enough gear to pull turns. I was laughing because Ben said "I've only got a 48-11" so his cadence was bigger than mine.
We hadn't caught the group of four yet, but could see them just ahead. After a hard chase we pegged them back on the headwind section a few kilometres later. Just after we caught them, we got caught by another group of 4 so now we had a solid group of 12.
I don’t have my racing legs yet and was suffering a quite a lot now and wanted to save energy so backed off my turns. I pulled soft turns and skipped where I could. I had no teammates with me whilst others did, so it wasn't down to me to chase hard and bury myself. The group was fairly strong and I thought/hoped this was us until the end.
We hit the climb for the third from last time and I got distanced slightly, but sprinted over the top to keep up. I was really feeling the fatigue now but surely everyone else was too. I didn't quite see how it happened, but another group caught us up just afterwards making us about 25 or so strong.
There was a flurry of attacks but plenty of chasing and counter attacks but nobody was letting anything get away. This suited me just fine.
As we approached the climb for the penultimate time, I was really feeling the accumulated fatigue. When I saw Leon Mazzone and Jacob Smith attack into the turn before Sunny Bank,I thought “that’s a great move” and bridged across to it. I needed the slipping room for this ascent and this would give me just that. I sat on the guys up the climb but started to lose the wheel over the top and paced myself within my limit.
There was no more than 2-3 second gap at the top but as we hit the tailwind section I started to blow and couldn’t close the gap. I looked back to see the peloton only a few seconds behind me and made the call to wait for them, assuming they would catch Leon and Jacob.
I was absorbed and just hid. This group was tiny and there were some underwhelming attacks into the headwind but we approached the climb together having not caught Leon and Jacob. They were flying to be fair and they even caught Jack Crook from the break.
I was absolutely gassed now and just hoped I could hang on up the climb. There wasn’t a single attack, Jimmy the Blade just set a hard tempo which was enough to distance Damien Clayton and then myself. I couldn’t climb any more and just suffered to the top. Clayton caught and passed me and I rolled in 17th place.
I'm not disappointed with 17th, I read the race right and if I'd have had the legs could have got a really good result. I just didn’t have the form to win. It was a hard race though. I did 320np for the whole thing and 220TTS, which for 100km is mega. Solid start to the season.
Things to improve
I do need to work on my handling. I appreciate this was literally the first ride on my race bike since October so when I've done a bit more on it that will come back. I did feel like I wasted beaucoup energy with that. I do need some kick, with a few weeks of VO2 I'll be reet. It is early March My other big error was wearing a gilet. It was only 7-8 degrees and threatening rain so I wrapped up. This was alright until I actually needed to eat. Faffing around with the gilet trying to get out gels was Things to be happy about. I know how to race.
I do need to work on my handling. I appreciate this was literally the first ride on my race bike since October so when I've done a bit more on it that will come back. I did feel like I wasted beaucoup energy with that. I do need some kick, with a few weeks of VO2 I'll be reet. It is early March My other big error was wearing a gilet. It was only 7-8 degrees and threatening rain so I wrapped up. This was alright until I actually needed to eat. Faffing around with the gilet trying to get out gels was Things to be happy about. I know how to race.
