Starting the Tally

It's been a successful week for Forza Cycles Racing Team. A wide selection of results coming out of Llandow Racing Circuit coupled with my first result of the season (a 2nd in the Marsh Track Crit in Rhyl, has racked up quite a few points for the team very rapidly. Not to mention an ex-member of Forza Hugh 'Hughski' Wilson (NFTO Racing) scoring a cracking win in the 31st Jock Wadley Memorial against the combined might of Team UK Youth and IG Sigma Sport in conditions that saw only 17 of the 73 starters actually finish. Proper hard mans racing. The race report is below. I particularly like the part about how 25 years of age is "getting on a bit" in cycling terms.

Road: Wilson wins Jock Wadley Memorial

Hughski's results do dwarf mine just a little, the only likeness between the 2 events being the weather. This time of 17 starters only 12 finished. Not so impressive but points are points. On the start line the rain that had been threatening all morning finally came down. At almost the exact same time a race official told me my transparent rain cape wasn't clear enough to see my numbers. I laughed. He didn't. After handing over the offending item of clothing a member of the organizing club rolled up to the line in exactly the same cape. No prizes for guessing who got to keep his on.

It may seem like a pretty small alteration but the lack of a rain cape kind of made my mind up on my course of action. Attack until I warm up again, then attack some more.

In the early stages of the race not a lot differed from the previous round. A few solo attacks lasting no longer than a lap of the track went clear and came back again. About 20 minutes in a small group of 3 got 10 meters on the bunch and looked like they meant to continue making ground. Coming out of one of the sharper corners, 2nd in line, I decided to try and jump the gap alone. Wheels touched behind me and that was it for the 12 man "peloton". 2 of us bridged to the break away group and we sailed away from the remained of the field. As it turns out the damage of the crash was far worse than in initially sounded. From the various storied floating about I think there was a broken collar bone, dislocated jaw, and clean break through a Pinarello Dogma frame.

After the damage behind there wasn't much else to do besides hold a good pace until the cat and mouse games of the last few laps. Throwing in some dummy attacks and side-wards glances I sized up the guys around me pretty quickly. It turned out I was actually one of the stronger riders left with only 2 other guys willing to contest the sprint. On the last lap the eventual winner made a monster of an attack from about a kilo out leaving the rest of us thinking he was going to eventually tire and get caught. No such luck I'm afraid. Coming into the final straight he was obviously slowing to the point where I was convinced the win was still up for grabs. We crossed the line side by side with less than half a bike in it. 

Never mind. This Sunday is the Betty Pharaoh Memorial Legstretchers, a well attended early season classic on the coast of South Wales. I always love opening the road racing season at the Legstretchers. I've raced it most years since I started on the road simply because it's beautifully run on great roads and, best of all, Reg Pharaoh is always a pleasure to talk to in the race HQ. He's a friendly man who always has a big place in his heart and a inspirational word for the aspiring young road racer.