After tearing round Maindy on Friday night it was down to Yeovil, Somerset for this sole member of the Squadra to take part in the Ham Hill Elite Road Race. With an exceptionally strong field including big trade teams it was going to be a tough one, but 100km of racing, 4 laps of a 15 mile circuit with a stonking hill in the middle was just what the (dodgy Spanish) doctor ordered.
The race set off at an incredible speed but I felt good and spent the first lap going with moves, trying my luck and seeing if I could fluke my way into one of them. With strong teams Pendragon and Wilier present it was always going to be difficult to go with everything but I was certainly trying. We hit the climb in the middle of the lap which resembled stormy in terms of severity and I coped well. A cruel wind cut through some sections of the course making for some nasty crosswinds and echelons but I was still there.
Coming into the second lap I had clearly been trying to hard and we hit the hill the second time whilst I was still recovering. I helplessly started to drift back through the bunch, all the while thinking for me the war is over! Fortunately I didn’t panic and managed to get a good rhythm, holding the bunch in sight over the top. I was joined by a small group which came up to me and we worked well on the descent to get back on. Breathing a sigh of relief my resolve to stay hidden in the bunch didn’t last as I began to move towards the front again. During this time a small break of 8-9 riders had chipped off the front and for the time being the bunch was happy to let it go.
For the next lap the bunch was towed along by the various teams until the sprinters got their calculators out and decided the race would finish in a bunch sprint. What followed was a brutal lining out of the bunch for 1 ½ laps, with many being caught out and spat out the back in the crosswinds that were buffeting the peloton. I hung in there however, staying near the front and out of trouble.
Over the top of the climb on the last lap I got into a tasty looking move (what a change from lap 2!) with Matt Rowe (Wilier) and Hugh Wilson (Torq) but despite grabbing a handful of seconds we were no match for the fast moving bunch which was now being driven hard by some strong lead-out trains.
The early break was swept up with 20km to go and it was now on for a bunch sprint. With a tailwind for the last 7-8km speeds in the bunch were up to 40mph and there was a real knife fight to get on the coattails of the Pendrgon and Wilier trains. I hung in there, a few close calls and I was literally bouncing off riders at one point to maintain a position in the top 10 -15 riders. Turning the final corner the sprint opened up and despite spinning my legs off my puny 12 sprocket was no match for the top boys and their 11s. I came in about 16th which I have to be happy with in that company.
Good race and I like to think I held my own against some tough opposition (despite the blip on lap 2!).
Til next time…
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The Force is strong in this one...
The Force is strong in this one...
