Topic Title

A trip out for me and Rich D today in Halifax AT Greetland .A rolling parcours saw good weather with a stiffish breeze going along a false flat into the main drag of the day.The pace varied with the terrain and direction so groups were struggling to get away.Myself ,i was feeling ok and went with a few efforts then had a big effort to get to a group into the wind just before the climb,the pace went up and so did my HR.Then my seat post started to go down every time i hit a bump so was left riding out of the saddle for about 4 laps not good.About lap 6 saw what lookjed like a bad crash at the back of our group and after passing 3 times the race was stopped.I hope everyone were not too seriously injured.A bad end to an otherwise good race.cheers

I spoke briefly to the organiser after the race. Two riders were injured and the initial assessment by the ambulance crew was a broken sternum for one and collarbone for the other. Right decision to stop the race. It was on the fastest part of the circuit and there was traffic and riders trying to pass the parked ambulance. Usually the LVRC races are very safe and I have never seen a crash at one of these races before. Was generally trying to stay near the front of the race and had a decent view of the road most of the time. At the location of the crash there was a dry stone wall and other debris and a large stone or two that 'appeared' on the road after a few laps. They were called out by riders but could easily have caused someone with a limited view to fall in the bunch.

Had entered the We Love Mountains 2/3/4 race on Sunday sometime ago. However, after a circuit race in Sheffield popped up on BC website for Saturday I thought I would have a go at this as well. The circuit race was part of the White Rose League. It looks like there’s going to be quite a few races in this series now so I needn't have been so impulsive. But, in my shameless pursuit of BC points it seemed like a good idea at the time! The circuit at Forge Valley school is a brand new circuit ..purpose built – only 1 km long.. 2 straights with a sweeping right followed quickly by a sharp left at each end. Made a little more interesting with a stiff cross wind and a a bit of a rise at the finish. Great for young riders starting out and old farts like me trying to get to 3rd Cat! Saw young Rob – warming down on rollers and he said he came second in earlier race – so well done Rob! I arrived in plenty of time to warm up but hadn’t reckoned on the hilly terrain of Sheffield. Whichever way I went there was b****y great hill. There were a few rollers laid out on the circuit. Having never used rollers before (being a turbo man myself) I made a pathetic, half-hearted attempt and soon realised that – discretion being the better part of valour - I would be better off not warming up than trying to warm up on rollers and falling flat on my face in the process. Only 22 toed the line in the 4th cat race. A mix of abilities really. There were opportunities ‘to do something’ on the circuit however and it was a good test of nerve and bike handling skills. Field did split and I managed to get in a break with 3 others. Came down to a sprint and found myself leading going into last sharp left with finish less than 50 metres up a rise. Rather stupidly changed gear mid sprint (who does that?) which probably cost me and got pipped in the last few metres getting 3rd in the end. “Still...that’s 7 points (I think) which is 6 more than I managed last season!”. I actually shouted this out loud – such was my excitement – as I crossed the line

Come yesterday, felt a tad tired but not too bad. Compensated with an energy bar and a caffeine gel before start and got another 4 gels down my neck in the race. This one was on the Walkington Circuit. Cross/ head wind up the long, long draggy bit up to the mast made for a very ponderous start by the bunch. Managed to get the lethargy out my legs after a little while. By Lap 5, with 6 guys up the road I managed to get into a break with two others. Felt pretty strong and we worked well together. Stayed away from main bunch for over a lap before, alas, bunch reeled us back in. I then thought I would try and gather my resources and look to follow a good wheel (i.e Damien's ) for the sprint. On the last lap, 2/3 up the climb, riders started riding off the front to get away. I considered jumping across ( I probably thought I didn't have enough in my legs) but thought we would reel them back in on the fast decent. That proved to be the wrong decision as 6 stayed away so bunch scrapping for places 13 to 15. Sprint ended for me when someone unclipped in front of me and swerved horribly but remained upright ...just. But I lost too much ground so just sat up..Damien just out the points. Tough race really with about a third of the field DNF’ing...but all great fun

I also took part in the Walkington race albeit briefly - I was one of the DNFs Cam mentions.

The three mile drag into the crosswind seemed like it was going to be pretty brutal; however, I was surprised that we seemed to crawl up it first time round. It felt so steady that I thought we were still neutralised (we weren't). I couldn't believe it when riders began going backwards and were getting shelled out of the back. This isn't going to be so bad, I thought. How wrong I was.

The second time up the drag - I don't even think the pace had increased dramatically - I found myself off the back momentarily but caught in the wind. I had to kill myself to get back and couldn't do it. Race over. Pretty gutted really as my race at Seacroft finished in almost identical circumstances.

Well done to Cam and Damian for finishing well up there in a tough race. Back to training for me. More high end stuff needed I think. My problem is that I don't like to hurt myself too much - probably chose the wrong sport!

Martin