PTW

James and I were in action again at Round 1 of the Maindy Circuit races last Thursday.

Buoyed by our good showing at Llandow spirits were high on a mercifully mild late summer's evening as 25 riders lined up to contest this race. There were to be 3 primes, for which you could gain points and after the 6 rounds an overall position would be given, similar to a track league. Also thrown in for fun was an unofficial prime for £10, courtesy of Courtney Rowe.

From the off things were nervous, no-one wanting to commit. Things soon changed, and a flurry of attacks meant the race was well and truly on. I won the 1st prime, claiming the £10. James followed behind me, but was experiencing problems with his gears. We suddenly found ourselves away from the main field, and with another rider we tried to press our advantage. I was slightly cooked at this point, but did what I could. It was not to be however, and an alert bunch brought us back.
From there the attacks started, and it wasn't long before the elastic snapped and a promising break of 8 got away. Caught at the back of the field I had to bridge across before the pace up front got too hot, but I managed it.
From there the pedal really hit the metal and we were soon averaging 30mph lap after lap in a well drilled Team Time Trial. With 5 laps to go, the entente cordial was over, and the pace slowed as everyone looked at each other. Suddenly, a lap to go an attack and the race was on. James and I were well positioned but possibly a lack of confidence by me meant I stayed in the wheels too long and left myself with too much to do to try and come round Alan Owen and the winner. I cam away with 3rd, and James clunked and crunched his malfunctioning gears to 5th.
A good display by PTWCC, always in the mix and checking the moves. James was once again going strong, and subject to bike maintenance should be the man to watch this series. Next one is Thursday, tune in! (Or turn up and try your hand yourself?!)

Series standings after Event 1

Rider Name Club Race Sprint 1 Sprint 2 Running Total
Alun Owen CC Abergavenny 19 1 5 25
James Norman 20 4 24
James Lewis Port Talbot Wheelers CC 16 5 21
Paul Bennett Cardiff JIF 17 2 19
David Crowley Port Talbot Wheelers CC 18 18
Richard Raymond Cwmcarn Paragon RC 15 3 18
Eifion Weinzweig Lifeforce Cervelo 12 2 1 15
Jeremy Rees 14 14
Neil Cox Abergavenny Road Club 10 4 14
Paul Spencer Bush Healthcare CRT 13 13
Steven Kidd Lifeforce Cervelo 11 11
Neil Marshman Climb On Bikes RT 9 9
Joshua Arnold University of York CC 9 9
Brett Korshaven Pontypool RCC 9 9
Jacqueline Garner Team Luciano 9 9
David Walker Cardiff JIF 0 3 3

As you can see Port Talbot are within striking distance of the top, holding 3rd and 5th in the series rankings after the 1st round. Can they climb higher?