I couldn't believe my luck! today I managed to turn up at one of only 2/3 races in the annual calendar with real hills in it, that was lucky wasn't it. However it was a warm sunny day with only a light wind blowing so that was good, the road surfaces were all good as well so I ran my tyres at what I would normally for a race for the first time.
Due to some cancelled races in other places there was a big field in the race with riders 'guesting' from other associations. The course was 6.8km around and started straight up hill and kept climbing for 2.5km, with a real steep 'pinch' at the top lasting about 200m then it dived down hill for around 1.5km before climbing, more gradually this time, for around 1.5km then a flat straight of about 1.5km before diving down to the finish. The finish line was about 100m up the hill.
I dreaded the start and just as I feared we were straight into it with the bunch going into a pretty long line almost straight away up the hill, although I had been chatting at the back I managed to move into a decent position before we got to the final steep ramp. As we hit that all the climbers took this as their opportunity to attack, sprinting away as skinny little climbers can do, me I hate it when I have to climb out of the saddle, I'm generally not good at it. I managed to stay close and as we turned the corner at the top the climbers slowed having not really got clear. For some reason I attacked at that point, why I don't know but I much prefer going down hill and fast is good, although I didn't really get to far off the front I did seem to chop a few guys off the back who had struggled on the climb and never managed to rejoin.
That was pretty much how the race went really, lots of attacks and I must admit after 3 times(with 9 to do) up that hill I was feeling I couldn't go the full distance today but eventually I found a technique that worked and kept me at the front of the race at all the important moments of the race. Basically I would go to the front approaching the steep bit and then sprint as hard as I could for the really hard bit and only the real climbers would come past me but not so as I didn't manage to jump on a wheel. Inevitably splits were appearing there and I felt it was only a matter of time before one stuck.
Personally I was much happier on the more gradual climb that came after the downhill or even better the flat bit that ran across to the final drop down to the finish line. I did think that the finish might suit me if I could stay at the front, a fast down hill with a short uphill sprint with no corners to deal with was more my sort of thing.
Anyway the race kept splitting and reforming on both hills as well as the flat straight and even the downhill run to the finish, shedding a few riders each time. It paid to stay as close to the front as you could, but each time up that steep pinch I thought would be my last, I really hated that bit.
At two laps to go a group of six riders moved clear on the hill and at the point that they went I didn't have the legs to follow but eventually pulled some big turns as my legs recovered a bit so along with 3/4 others we were keeping the gap manageable but not closing it much. Of course by this time there were also riders that hadn't been seen until this point, firing off the front trying to bridge on their own. They all failed but did serve to keep momentum on the front of the bunch.
Last time up the big hill was pretty full on and the gaps started appearing pretty early, I managed to bridge a few small gaps as riders fell away to hit the front about 400m from the top and did my by now usual fast lead in to the steep bit, then sprint as hard as I could. Five riders came past me but I managed to grovel onto the last wheel as we came to the turn for the really fast downhill, as I made the turn I realised we actually had a good gap, so I stuffed into the 11 sprocket and went as fast as I could down the hill while still allowing myself to recover a bit before we hit the next bit of climbing. Now I'm not sure whether the guys I was with were pulling turns or attacking but the nett result was positive and we stayed clear of the strung out bunch, towards the top of the gradual climb we started to lose momentum so I went back to the front pulling as hard as I could.
When we got onto the flat stretch we picked it up again, two guys had managed to get across to us so we were now 8, although not all pulling. We started to look at each so I jumped it hard and pulled us through the last corner and onto the final down hill run to the finish, about 1.5km away, now only 100m behind the leading break. Predictably my chasing 'pals' attacked me as I pulled over to let someone else have a go at the front, I had been expecting it and had saved a little to grab a wheel. The individual attacks were coming left and right and I was gradually coming back to the front of our group, unbelievably at 528m to go, still with a 50m gap to close, they 'propped' to have a look at each other. I didn't, I launched immediately, I mean carrying speed and downhill what else would I do, my group hesitated so I was clear and catching the break 'hand over fist', not quite fast enough though I only managed to get past one of them to take 5th.
You may well ask why 528m? the answer is of course my SRM power meter records all that stuff and I was able to review it all this evening. Still after thinking I couldn't do that hill again on each lap after the third time up it, I was actually pretty pleased with that.
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