Broomwagon! Where were ya!
Good Clifton team presence - Iain and Chris in the first group off, Arthur, Steve, Andy Johnson and me in the second group, and Paul B back in the scratch group. Five minutes (I think) from front group to scratch group, 30 miles twice up and down the old A1 from Boroughbridge to Walshford.
The middle group hammered along at a brisk pace, a rather lumpy through-and-off interrupted by an early crash from a touch of wheels, and all three groups came together on the third of the four legs of the race. After that the pace yo-yoed around a bit until it cranked steadily up for what turned out to be The Sprint For The Roundabout, and those with their nerves still intact battled out the sprint back up the rise to the finish.
I followed Paul B who went early down the outside, and had a brief spell of thinking "top ten - yessss!" before my legs gave up and I gasped over the line somewhere between 15th and 20th. Paul had had a few goes at it throughout but ended up in the just-outside-the-placings bunch which also contained Steve, Arthur, Andy and me. Iain did well, staying in the final bunch until a late jump in pace shook him off, and Chris did a gutsy ride to complete his first road race only a couple of minutes down. Average 26mph, so not hanging around.
And it didn't rain! Same time, same place (but different course), two weeks' time. Who's giving it a go?
