This week the weather has been awesome, i've been out on the bike tanning in 30 odd degrees every day. Can't complain really, training seems much easier when the weather's like this. At the weekend i had a first category race on Sunday, and with no elite cat race anywhere near, the field was large and a good quality. The first 50kms or so was absolutely pan flat, and so holding position was difficult in a big field but my team mates helped to keep me near the front for this section. A break of 10 or so riders went up the road very quickly but i was in good company with most of the favorites still in the peloton ahead of the five stiff climbs in the last 80kms. On the first climb, which was around 5-6kms all of the favorites were watching each other and one team was setting a moderate pace on the front, so i decided to attack and by the top i was with around 15 guys.
Now i told you that i did a bit of reconnaissance in the week, well i clearly didn't remember the route very well! as we descended there were a few attacks and i was a few seconds ahead with four other guys and the motorbikes who normally do a great job of directing the race, didn't do a great job. And so me and the other four missed a left turn and continued down the decent in the wrong direction for around a kilometer. i was pretty pissed when the guy on the motorbike told us this, so i had a good shout at him and got on with trying to get back to the peloton, it was a fair task, but i was on a damn good day, and after climbing back up, doing the decent( and having to stop after almost going wrong again) climbing the next 5km climb in the big ring alone after i'd got rid of the others, the team car came back and gave me a tow back up to the peloton which had regrouped behind the break of 10. At this point i was pretty stuffed and it was less than a kilometer to the next 5km climb, but i managed to hang in with the front group here and we were closing in on a break-away which was depleting in numbers. after this we had two steep 2km climbs which i was managing to feel better on and so gave an attack on the last climb, we separated to 5 guys over the top but a large amount of rain had fallen on the decent just ahead of us, so we were forced to crawl through the last 5km and it regrouped a bit. In the end i came in just behind the 5 remaining breakaway riders in a group of around 20 and ended up 16th.
It was frustrating as i felt good, but it must be difficult for the motorbikes to cover every turning and obstacle in a point to point race and so like everyone they will make mistakes sometimes, i just wish they wouldn't affect me.
Ah well same again next weekend except the course isn't as challenging, but i'm starting to get some form so i'll give it a good dig.
a bientot!