My form is coming good now. I know that if I can do 400W for 10 minutes I'm going well. So when on the Wednesday before Lincoln GP I did 400W for 10 minutes 3 times, I knew I was going alright. It's been a few years since I last did Lincoln and even then I barely raced it having a mechanical first lap so it was pretty much a new race to me.
I understand that positioning is absolutely vital for this one. The cobbled Michaelgate climb itself isn't obscenely hard, it's the sprint over the top for the next few km that's where it stings. The peloton goes from 8 abreast on the main road, to 6 abreast just before the climb, to 3 abreast on the climb to single file over the top. If you are start at the back then you end up being 30s behind the leaders at the top and have to catch up. A one off effort of this is tough enough, but 13 times is impossible.
As with any prem, the first lap was quick (45kph actually). Everyone is fresh and fighting for that front (for reasons as highlighted above). The break is trying to get away and it's generally chaos on the road. My plan was to just hide, get to the front when I could but aiming to save energy for the 100 miles.
I wasn't too horrifically positioned first time up the Michaelgate but had room for improvement. I still had to come to a complete stop at the base as people bunched up in front of me. I managed to track stand and pedal slowly but every second we waited here we had to catch up over the top. I did this and all was well.
My bike felt really weird on the descent, the handling was so spongey and indeed I had punctured my front tyre. I carefully rode on it as long as I could and called for my team car. It was less than one minute from stopping to getting a wheel and I set off chasing. Paul and Matt in the car did a great job pacing me back in and after 10 minutes in the convoy I was back in the main group. At the cost of my first match, I'd had to average 340W and 50kph to get back in!
The most annoying part of this was that I only caught them right at the base of the climb so had to repeat the chase over the top to catch the leaders up again.
This was significantly harder to do. I ended up in a small group off the back and we pulled hard turns until we got back. It's not that I can't do the chase it's that everyone else in the race is doing 200W at this point.
After more than a whole lap and over 340W average I was actually back! From here not a lot happened. I hid, ate, drank, ran out of water, got some more, did a little attack off the front but there wasn't much to note except my teammate George sliding out on a gravelled corner.
The attack I did was actually extremely helpful for me. As I was at the front at the base of the climb I managed to crest in the top 40 riders and didn't have to chase over the top. It was SO much easier.
I'd found my groove now and the race was settling down with a small breakaway ahead and many riders having to pull out with the high pace. However, my legs decided differently and for some reason my left calf went into full on cramp. It was actually extremely painful, I couldn't even pedal! I was grabbing it and pulled out of the line as everyone passed me. I don't really know what caused it, I could understand cramping after 100 miles of racing but we'd only been going 90 minutes. Either way, I managed to rescue it and kept within the peloton.
Unfortunately during this spell, someone in front had let a gap go and a small group of us got distanced again! Of course this meant we had to chase down the front for the umpteenth time. Two of my teammates were in this group as well, we all pulled strong turns and annoyingly long time later we got back. Again it was just wasted energy.
Onto lap 8, we were ticking off the miles nicely and I was feeling as though I could finish. I was suffering but not at risk of a DNF just yet. This was when there was a loud POP and I realised my replacement front tyre had burst. My second puncture!
Once again Matt jumped out of the car to give me another new wheel and my chase back began... again! I was going hard and got really close to the group but not quite there. There were about 5 cars in front of me before the climb but when they turned off (they don't go up it the cobbled climb) I was solo again. I climbed as hard as I could and it was really hurting but by the top I couldn't see anyone.
I did actually manage to join the convoy again but didn't get a tow from the cars this time and they left me. :(
The broom wagon caught me up and told me to pull out in the feed zone. I wasn't having this so I said "can I do Michaelgate once more?" to which he said "go on then" with a wry smile.
Now was my chance. I set off on my final ascent with a huge grin and soaked in the crowd. I got a bit carried away and started waving my fist cheering. The crowd loved it and so did I. It was like I was both doing and spectating a hill climb. I honestly think it was one of the best experiences I've ever had on a bike. They we cheering so loud; I just loved it. This moment was captured perfectly by Gary Main. His instagram post of the moment is here.
In all, the race was an unfortunate disappointment. I'm just not good enough to have two mechanicals and still finish a prem. Looking at the data I spent just under 40 minutes at over 400W, it was clearly really hard! (especially being poorly placed for the climb)! Once I get some better fortune (and/or tyres) the results will come.