Race reports: bumper edition

[Kyle]

Eight days, five races, four and a half Beacon riders… so plenty to report!

First up was the Paramount Road Race on Sunday 3rd July.

Set for five laps of a rolling course near Telford, Jon Bills, Kit Buchanan (Beacon member racing for first claim club Solihull CC - and the half for those wondering) and I set out as part of a field of 65. Conditions were pleasant, if slightly chilly as we clipped in, although this wouldn’t last though and by the time the bunch pushed up the 2km drag to the start/finish line to close out lap two the rain had really started to fall.

The rolling course and that drag to finish meant it was always going to be tough for a couple of 80kg guys like Jon and I. It also meant that the field gradually thinned out, so I was pleased to still be there as we took on the climb for the final time. I really enjoyed the circuit which was challenging, felt safe throughout and was part of a really well organised event.

All three of us finished in the bunch.

Up next, Mallory Park on Thursday 7th. I said at the beginning of the year I had unfinished business at Mallory having been pulled after being lapped the first and only time I had raced here previously. So off I went with one goal in mind: finish in the bunch.

It was tough. I am quite sure the wind was in our faces for the entirety of each lap and the bunch - which was small to start with (30ish) - reduced by a third or more by the halfway point. One rider had got away and wasn’t going to be caught, meaning it was a race for 2nd, but not before the commissaires stopped the race while they death with some plonkers who were moving vehicles from the in field mid race!

So a three lap shoot out. I positioned myself well for the uphill sprint, jumping on a strong wheel and coming in second from the bunch. Pleased with 3rd.

A couple of weeks after Huan Dong’s first race he and I were back at Darley Moor on Saturday 9th. Could Huan improve on an excellent 17th place from his first outing?

It was windy. It is always windy there. This time it was a cross tail for two of the triangle-shaped circuit’s sides and a block headwind down the back straight. This meant that no real break was established in either the 4th cat or 3/4 race, and the few who attempted to go off the from were left hanging for a lap or two before thinking before thinking better of it.

Huan was looking great in the bunch, although he tells me he was hanging on for his life in a few of the early laps. Despite this he settled in and was still there come the final lap; just the final corner and a sprint to the line then! 14th! Well done Huan!

I felt quite good and sat close to the front for most of the 3/4 race before dropping back to shelter for the penultimate few laps. Coming onto the final lap I was gifted a very generous wheel that took me the top 10 for the hairpin, a position I held coming down the back straight allowing me to sprint out of the final corner to the chicane that comes in the last 100 metre. I learnt last time that this is the decisive point giving choice of line and making it very difficult to come round before the line.

Two had got 20, maybe 30 metres clear so may second from the bunch meant 4th place!

Rounding out the week on Sunday 10th was - for me at least - a choice between a tough rolling circuit just south of Birmingham for the Solihull CC Road Race, or a pan flat, Kermesse style circuit down in Oxfordshire for the Mickey Cranks Road Race. I choose pan flat (and to avoid any Cat 2s).

However, Jon and Kit pinned numbers on for the second consecutive weekend at the Solihull RR alongside Fiachra O’Hare. I hear this was a particularly tough gig and invite either Jon or Fiachra to add to this should they wish.

As for my day trip to Oxfordshire; I had a plan. I figured a flat circuit, no wind and a 75 strong field would make getting away really tough, and that I would sit at the back and see how the race unfolded. I don’t think I came out of the last 10 until the final couple of km, and while it was a little dicey at times further up the bunch I was able to sit far enough back to not stress too much, averaging 42km/h for with an average power of just 184W. Top lazy skills!

Sure enough, it was all together for the bell lap and still I sat back. Waiting for the final 2km when I moved up effectively through the bunch making my way to the top third as the pace was upped with a kilometre to go. My legs were feeling better than expected despite rationing half a bottle for the final 90 minutes of the race having lost one early on… not ideal in 30 degree heat. The problem with coming from the back like is that you need to find a way through and when it came to final couple of hundred metres the opportunity wasn’t there. At least not a straightforward one and I didn’t fancy forcing the issue. Finish in the bunch.

[jonb]

Thanks for the excellent reports Kyle. Great to hear you’re getting some placings, surely a win isn’t far off. And well done too Huan on a solid ride.

Fiachra and I turned up for the Solihull RR, a cat 2/3/4 race held on the rolling Inkberrow circuit - 4.5 laps totalling 62 miles. The race was hot, and very fast right from the start. I focused on positioning myself in the front third of the bunch, a good vantage point to monitor the repeated breakaway attempts and respond to the resultant surges, which went well for the first couple of laps. However, with lap speeds averaging nearly 28mph and frequent accelerations, it was a battle to maintain position, and sketchy riding in the bunch meant moving back up was tough and fraught with risk. Around halfway I found myself out of position near the back, distractedly fumbling with a gel wrapper - I really ought to know better! This inevitably led to me losing the wheel in front, never to see the bunch again, eventually retiring with a lap to go. A disappointment given I’d been feeling ok, but some useful lessons to take away.

Fiachra had a similar experience, eventually succumbing to the relentlessly hard pace. Still, another race, another lesson, and more hard miles in the legs!

Results here: https://www.velouk.net/2022/07/11/rr-re ... oad-races/

[George]

Thanks for the report and congratulations on the placings, Kyle. Points to follow for the others soon, I'm sure.