Well my SatNav paraphernalia turned up in today's post and I've proved that I did have the right files, phew, but being able to interrogate it with the software on my PC I have discovered that unit has a terminal software error and with no fix on their website the unit is stuffed. So I think I will have to go shopping tomorrow I'm fed up with getting 'misplaced' on the roads, I always sort it out in the end but its so time consuming and probably a bit dangerous driving with a map on my lap.
Managed a lazy morning, I'm good at lazy, since today's race started at 3:00pm, it was in a place called Koecklare which is up towards Oostende quite near the coast. I only got lost once on the way there, so was there in good time and parked up. Found the sign on, there were signs "Inschriving" I think, and that was a fair give away. Today's race was with the OWVF and I hadn't raced with them before and it was very easy as usual, the lady doing the sign on had enough English and my Flemish vocabulary is coming on, maybe 10 words now!
I managed to sort of chat with some of the racers before the start, they seemed much more interested in me than in other places I've raced. One of them told me he'd been World Champion 3 years before, so I immediately marked his number!
The old dudes were off first, although I'm not sure what the start age was, since there were definitely under 60's in the race, and I should say that although it was very sunny the wind was absolutely howling and we were racing in flat open country side. We had 10 laps to do, and there were some intermediate sprints for 'premies', I tend to ignore them I prefer to focus on the race.Some of the guys spoke some English and I was given some 'instructions' on the start line from some of the riders which went along the lines we want to start steady I think for the first 3 laps or it might have been twee (two).
As it turned out we started pretty steadily and I just sat on the back of the circa 50 rider field. The course was fairly typical made much much harder by the very strong wind. Starting on the finish line (we don't always) into the wind, we did a 180 degree corner in about 100m to pick up the tailwind through a really fast winding bit, slaloming left and right, which turned as we headed out across the fields on a really narrow bumpy track, this was a tough left side cross wind for about 2km, turn tight at the end pick up the tailwind again for 200m before turning into a cross wind on a wider road with the wind off the right this time instead of the right, another really tough straight, last turn right bought us into the home straight for about one and a half k of block headwind, it was like hitting a wall.
I'm not really good in headwind sprints so I was wishing that we were finishing the other way, however they weren't going to change the course for me!
Anyway back to the race, there was a sprint prize at the end of lap 2 which I decided was going to be the start of the race proper, I let a couple of guys blow their doors off sprinting into the wind and as they sat up on the finish line I went, fast, through the tailwind section and hammered through the cross wind bumpy lane, not even looking around, I swung over in about 2km as we picked up the tailwind again, there were 5 of us left, you beauty job done; lets go guys, nobody would come through. When I started having a go at them I realised it wasn't so much wouldn't as couldn't, red faces and hanging heads told its own story! We never saw half the race again, we seemed to stabilise on about 20 riders, several riders came along side and told me I was number one, initially I thought they were taking the P... but I think they were acknowledging that I was strong. One guy even gave me tips on who I had to beat, pointing out a rider with an impressive pair of legs and definitely was not over 60. Remember this tip for later.
The race went on I was in every break or waited and jumped across to every break, I was very strong, we whittled the bunch down alarmingly with each acceleration but the headwind was tough and bought the survivors back together each time, indeed whilst I was good in the tailwinds and crosswinds I didn't fancy my chances on my own into that headwind.
The ex World Champion went off the back in the crosswinds of the final lap.
So we had a sprint, the finishing straight was so tough I wasn't really worried about anybody going long ,that was suicide and I felt confident I could cross any gaps quickly enough. Inevitably some of the non sprinters started popping off from about 500m, I was calm and maneuvered onto the wheel of the guy that had been pointed out to me. Sure enough he fired off at about 350m and he was kicking very strongly, a really punchy rider, he was making the back wheel jerk with each pedal thrust, but he was in a big gear, I hadn't even changed up at this stage and knew that I wasn't going to go myself until the barriers started at about 80/100m to go, headwind sprints go short is my rule.
Well I changed up and came of his wheel right where I wanted to and slammed straight into the side of another rider who hadn't been there when I looked through my legs seconds before! He and I spent the last 80m banging elbows, hips and shoulders but, having jumped a fraction before me he carried a tad more momentum and got me by inches! Bugger.
Of course the funny thing is it was the chap that had told me I had to beat the guy with big legs! He set me up a treat and obviously keyed off my last look to get his jump in before mine, I am disappointed but I have to say I would have done the same thing so Chapeau to him.
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