View from the old guy Part 3, 4 5 and 6

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Yosser
Posts: 327
Joined: 13 Jul 2009 13:33
Real Name: Dave Hughes

View from the old guy Part 3, 4 5 and 6

Post by Yosser » 06 May 2017 23:38

View from the old guy part 3.
Derby Track league Thursday 20th April. Landed from Mallorca on Wednesday night and decide to risk going to the track next day but didn’t feel very relaxed from journey etc. Managed to win both scratch races (bunch finishes) and win the points race so v pleased. However came down when lying 4th in the Elimination race. Literally, eliminated! Now lying 1st in Cat F and second O/A in over 60’s racing at the TL.

View from the old guy part 4.
Saturday 22nd April - DEREK SMITH MEMORIAL RR 10.00hrs, Halifax, HX4 8JG, Undulating!
This is part of the Over 65 year long series. I was first reserve for this and just got in. A reasonable field was assembled including some unfamiliar names that were local to the area. Read the course details with some considerable apprehension. When the organiser says undulating! Quite a long hill in the course and 10 laps so 10 x up the hill. And the finish? Yep you guessed it, finish up the hill. One for the climbers. One of the people I have got to know well pointed to a rider from CCLune and said with some quiver in his voice,â€￾he just sails up hills. He rode away from a good field the other week to win on his ownâ€￾ Great, just what I wanted to hear!
The race started with all being sensible, till that hill. Lap 1. Hanging on. One lap down, only 9 more to go. Each lap was a replica of the previous one. Unrelenting up the hill, recovery down it. Surely someone was going to just go for it (come on Mr Lune CC) and put me out of my misery. After 9 laps I realised that it was coming down to a sprint. Uphill mind but still, in with a chance of a placing. The last lap was a strange, quiet affair. The pace was brisk but no attacks. The hill came into view. The pace lifted and it only kicked off really as we went past the Yellow flag. I followed, followed and followed and then went for it. Over and past the two leading riders and waiting for the whirl of carbon wheels heralding the rapid climbers to come past. But no! 1st place and so far in this series two wins and a 2nd This one felt good. Not my terrain and not my kind of finish.

View from the old guy part 5
SATURDAY 29th APRIL
TUNSTALL WHEELERS – BRIAN ROURKE AND PRO –VISION Darley Moor
Met up with a few old and familiar face. Paul Kilbourne being someone I haven’t seen since Mallorca several years ago. Also on the card was Steve Davis of the Ferryhill Wheelers who comprehensively won the LVRC track Omnium at the start of the year. Super rider and no slouch in a gallop either. A mixture of E and F cats assembled on the line and we were off. The pace was brisk. The E cats were pushing for as break and eventually it came. I watched carefully but they were 3 Cat E’s so no need to chase. But I did! Failed and dropped back to the bunch. A cat F then attacked. I had no energy to go straight away so waited for his effort to fail like mine did. It didn’t, he got across. I attacked again with Steve Davis. Steve dropped off and I chase alone for a lap. Failed again. So to come second was the best I could do. About 5 of us worked with me trying to get some support from the back of the bunch. No Joy. A prime offer for “next lapâ€￾ destroyed any chance of pulling the leading 4 back as all refused to work with a prime on offer and that was it. A couple of E riders clipped off on the final lap and I just sat and waited. Half way round the last lap, two rather large E cat riders made their way to the front half of the bunch. Never seen at any other time in the race so it was clear what was coming next. The largest one had the physique of a rugby player and moved smoothly up to third or fourth wheel. Game on! Round the last corner and the finish line was fully 500m down the straight. And dead straight into the wind it was too. You need to hold your nerve for these. Wait for it, wait for it. Big guy hammers for the line but too early I thought, I sat on and looked round. The other sprinter guy was struggling and Rob Mattheson was glued to my wheel. With 150 to go I launched and hoped for he best. Good enough and another second place in the bag this season. However I had been well beaten by a very good rider. I made a note of his name. Someone to look out for next time.

View from the old guy part 6
Friday 5th May. Halesowen TL
Having got trapped in traffic the previous day I had not been able to race at Derby TL. This seemed like a good idea. It was so good to see the amount of riders that we have these days and for me it was a joy to have fellow riders to talk to in the famous RWG kit.So we had me, Jess, Adrian (our GL), Robin, Pete and Gavin. Also support and advice from Xavier. Then along comes Neil Jennings and that star of the track, Colin Edney.
The first race was a surprise for the massed ranks of the Halesowen contingent. “The Beacon have come mob handed. Hunting in packsâ€￾ Which was a bit rich considering they resembled a purple crowd scene from Lord of the Rings. I took a little time to settle and the went for the first sprint of the evening, just pipping a rather muscled gentleman from one of the few remaining clubs not Beacon or Halesowen. Feeling pleased at the reasonable turn of speed had not been too out of place amongst the younger contingent I then sat in for the rest of the race. Meanwhile, unknown to me Gavin had cleared off straight after my effort and stayed away for the rest of the race. Go Beacon go!
I honestly can’t remember much more of the evening but managed to get second place in the Vets and ladies event. As we went to the line I heard one of the organisers proudly say that the spread of ages for that particular race was 50 Years. The youngest being a 16 yr old girl and the oldest being 66! Now who could that be?

Gavin promptly won another race. Robin whirled round with increasing confidence and, with his ability, never in any real trouble, and Jess was Jess. Super smooth riding and whilst not yet acquired track speed you just know it is coming for her.

The last race of the evening was the hardest. The A’s and B’s were in with the rest of us but pulled for ¾ of a lap over 35 laps. It was hard. Very impressed by Adrian who refused to be dropped. He rode hard in every race and attacked numerous times. The pace, when the fast boys caught us up, was brutal but Adrian and I just about in contention until the sprint started in earnest on the last lap. Still I managed to do better than I thought I would and will be back when racing schedule permits.
Star one of the night for us was Gavin. He personally won half of the events he was entered for and quit the last race early as he was riding Darley Moor this morning (How did it go Gavin?). But I must say that star two for me was Pete Marshall. He got up and rode every event with enthusiasm and was not disgraced in any of them. An example to us all. All in all a very good night.

Bonus view from the old guy.
Just returned form my yearly ritual. Good party with Michelle, Gary Keri and Patch. Nice beer Scott. Now for that rather brutal race tomorrow. Time for bed!

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