Following from last week's Lancaster Grand Prix, we were at now at the formidable Ryedale Grand Prix. British continental have a good preview here, but basically it's 3 big laps with 3 tough climbs and then 5 small laps with 2 per lap. The first and main climb, North Moor Lane, (featured on every lap) is the longest at 1.5km and averages 7%, it's a killer late into the race. The second is Milking Hill and only features on the long laps. It's the toughest with 1.2km at 8% but has a with a 20% ramp in the middle. The final climb is through Ampleforth College, it starts at the feed zones and features on every lap but is the easiest with 2km at 4%. In all it was due to be 150 very hard kilometers in the saddle.
With nearly a two year gap since the last prem, I'd forgotten how hard they are and last week was tough, I did 320TSS in 4 hours. We were expecting the similar if not a harder race at Ryedale. Crimson are currently ranked second in the national road series with a fantastic performance last week and were pumped to perform again this week.
I'd not felt amazing at Lancaster and throughout this week I was generally lethargic and found training tough but brilliantly when I woke up this morning I felt amazing. I'd had such a good rest over night and I just knew I was on a great day. I didn't want to say too much to the team before just in case but I was ready to race.
Strangely the first climb was neutralised until half way up, I don't know if someone punctured or not but we weren't released from the base so it wasn't the infernal pace I was expecting. I kept it steady and moved forwards towards the top. Having raced Ryedale 3 times before I knew the roads pretty well and could move up craftily when others were more cagey on new roads. I had made up a lot of ground before the first ascent of Milking Hill. We climbed quickly but again wasn't infernal. I did 430W for 3 mins but it wasn't unreasonably quick and I was pretty much in the front 20 riders at the top.
Just after the top we go down a narrow, extremely muddy and poorly surfaced road, it's basically a farm track. Low and behold I hit a series of potholes and my rear bottles ejected, falling to the floor. We passed back through the start and prepared to ascend the main climb for the second time.
Now this time the pace was infernal! But I had this strange sensation with my bike. It felt so squidgy and when I got out of the saddle to climb, my front rim started to rub the ground. I had indeed punctured... But what else could I do but carry on riding? Because the pace was infernal, all 150 riders were lined out with many riders getting spat. I just carried on with my flat tyre, being careful not to lose balance. I was running a tubeless setup so it wasn't completely flat, just like 10psi. I could keep with the front group, fairly handily to be honest, as I said before I was on a mega day and I crested in the first group with Toby just in front of me. I did 430W for the 4 minute ascent but I couldn't get out of the saddle and with such low pressure, it was incredibly slippy around corners. I had to go so cagey around them to avoid crashing which is hardly ideal.
Now I was on the descent with the front group of about 40 but I needed a new wheel. I can't ride around corners at 40mph so at the top of the little kicker halfway down the descent I pulled to the side to wait for my team car. My logic for stopping here was that I was immediately descending and as I was at the top of the climb my team car would easily be able to see me. As I pulled over I looked back and there was not a single car in sight, just group after group of riders who had been spat. Eventually the cars came into view and Jonathan Bridge jumped out to give me a new front wheel. It was a quick change and with a solid push off the chase back began!
Firstly Dave from Giant Sheffield gave me a tow and then my team car caught me up and I hopped onto their bumper to get a draft. I checked afterwards and it was three minutes from me pulling over to me to getting a new wheel. This wasn't the teams fault at all, I just punctured in probably the worst part of the race. It was so strung out that every team car was literally miles behind. The chase started well, I had to get used to how the new wheel and tyre cornered but adapted quickly. With experienced Jason Ridehalgh driving I was in safe hands, he held a really good pace for me to follow, not surging out of corners and indicating for upcoming obstructions and turns. Don't get me wrong, I was still railing it and it was very hard but the team car gave me a fantastic windbreak.
We started to pass small groups but I couldn't see the front of the race at all. They were miles ahead. We quickly approached Milking Hill for the second time and had joined the rear of the convoy now but they were still stuck behind dropped groups so were actually nowhere near the front of the race. I overtook my team car at the base and started to climb as fast but sustainably as I could. I overtook every car and even passed Josh Whitehead (who won Lancaster GP last week) as his chain was wrapped around his rear wheel.
For some reason I rode it in the big ring but this was a stupid decision as I was at 70rpm at some points. Regardless, I climbed quicker than the previous lap and averaged 440W for this ascent. Over the top of the climb the road opens up and I could see for probably a kilometer ahead, unfortunately I still couldn't see the front of the race. There was still a lot of chasing to do.
The team car caught me up once again and I hid behind them for the next few kilometers. It was a tad scary descending at over 50mph 1 meter behind the car but they are experienced and did a really great job pacing me. We turned onto the narrow road approaching the feed zone and I was back in the convoy of cars and could finally see the front of the race. This was a blessing and a curse. I was blessed to be this close but cursed because I had to overtake the cars one by one on the narrow climb to try make it back. Matt yelled at me out of the window "get them before the top of the climb". I tried but the gap was too big, I could see them but it was still at least a minute gap. As I passed through the feed and yelled "I punctured!" to my Mum to her dismay!
I had passed every team car yet again and was now chasing solo. I rode hard but didn't race too deep into the red because I knew my car would catch me and give another tow once the road opened up. I caught a Wheelbase rider and started to chase with him before catching (and quickly dropping) my mate Archie. After a few kilometers the car with Jason, Matt and Jonathan caught me up and gave me one final tow before the main climb. They gave some final encouragement, I graciously thanked them and set off for one last attempt to get back in.
As I got to the base and started ascending, the front was in touching distance and I did one final sustained effort and eventually caught them about 100m before the top! I did the climb only 8 seconds slower than the previous infernal ascent at a power of 400W but I was back! Closing a three minute gap in a prem is outrageous, obviously I had the car for help but it's nothing like a free ride. My normalised power for the 38 minute chase was 365W, I was on a flyer but even with my good legs there was no way I'd finish after that effort.
Once back in, I immediately ate two caffeine gels, took a minute or so to recover, moved forward and prayed the pace would chill for a lap or two. Feeling more confident in the bunch than last week I managed to sneak to the front for the final ascent of Milking Hill. This was actually to allow myself some sliding room in case it kicked off but once we started climbing I felt great again. I didn't need the sliding room at all and actually gained places. I knew I wasn't going to finish but as I'd been chasing I had no idea what the race situation was. I wanted to use my form for something so after I was briefed by the team, I knew there was a 2 man break which had a 3 minute gap. Following a discussion with Adam I was ready to use my legs reserves to chase it back.
The next thing for me was to get to the front and begin the chase. The biggest problem with that however was that I couldn't get to the front! The roads were narrow and windy and I simply couldn't get there. I had moved up to about 20th by the time we hit the main climb but was not feeling as good anymore. This wasn't ideal because once again the climb was lit up. I did what I could and used my slipping room to good effect but I was really starting to suffer at the top. I was gapped slightly and couldn't quite keep up with the front group. A few riders passed me and with an extremely helpful shove from one of them I was in a chase group. We used the descent and convoy to chase back in once again.
I immediately tried to get to the front, I was genuinely ready to bury myself in the chase but as we hit the climb through the abbey it was railed AGAIN. This was my last reserve and that was it for me. I couldn't hold on anymore and with my location on the course, there was no easy way for me to chase solo. I got into a small group but they dropped me quickly and I rolled back to the HQ to DNF with 3 laps to go.
I wasn't too disappointed, I was mainly frustrated. Unfortunately punctures are a part of racing bikes. It was infuriating that it happened at probably the worst moment in the race but I gave it my all to get back in. Not many riders would have made it back after puncturing where I did and afterwards everyone said how shocked they were that I'd actually managed to make it back!
Yet again the team did a phenomenal job. Toby made it into the lead group of 6 and came second! He was about 30cm from winning, it was an outrageous and rightly deserved performance from him. Isaac once again had a flyer and came 8th making him 2nd overall in the national road series. Leon "sprinted" to a respectable 16th with Adam and Joey just behind in 22nd and 27th respectively. I wasn't the only one to have wheel issues. Toby broke a spoke on lap 2 and rode the entire race with a buckled wheel, Isaac snapped a spoke in his sprint for the line and tragically Ed broke a spoke with 3 laps to go but managed to chase back in and finished a very respectable 30th.
Team moral is sky high and I so happy to be a part of this amazing set up. Bring on the next one!