Sunday, March 29, 2009

Escape Velocity Spring Series - Bradner RR


Yesterday was possibly my worst spring series race in four years... River Road in a cold drizzle... Just never got properly up to temp and in the 2nd lap got gapped at the back just at the wrong time... Another rider dropped in front of me while we where being dragged back into the group by Joe Donahue, but couldn't hold the wheel, by the time I got around that rider Joe was back in the back of the peleton and they where zipping away at a very un-C like 42-44km/h... into the wind... I just never managed to get back on... Took a lap or two by myself, then tagged onto the A group for two laps... Then went home... I was frozen by that time.


Today was Bradner. The sun was shining. The roads where dry. And while not exactly and precisely warm, it was the closest to warm that we have had (well 232/0 ave last week was close...) Actually quite nice while standing around, colder once you got onto the bike (cool wind.)

Once we got onto the course (neutral from the parking spot 1km south of the course) I worked up to the front and did a hard lap to get everything warmed up.. Then just sat at the back and hung on for the next four laps.... Final lap, worked hard, got back to the front and was first around the final turn (about 3km from finish.) Just past that there is a medium sized gully we dropped into, about 30-40m drop and then back up the other side. I pushed just a little to hard up that and got slightly winded... Had to sit up just slightly, but that let about 15 people get past... Spent the last 2km working back throught them... Finshed about 10th... it was hard to tell, we where all in the final sprint and it was 3 riders wide and I was 2-3 row back.

So not quite as good as last year... The crucial mistake was pushing just a little too hard on the final hill. And if I had about another half kilometer or so to work with, I probably could have got around more of the final bunch... track skills quite handy :-)

But still very enjoyable.

Next week is Atomic and Aldergrove. I think I'm volunteering for one day.. but don't remember which day.

I think this is a picture from the sprint.....


1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stuart,

I came off in the 5th lap on the false flat heading roughly southbound. I and a fellow dropee worked to get back, hoping you would all slow down heading into the bell lap, but it was not to be.

Your link to a photo is , I believe, a shot at the northeast corner of the course, turning right into a short uphill section heading south.

When you expressed some (false, perhaps) relief that I was still in the pack leading into lap 5, I knew I had spent a lot of energy staying on the back and sprinting out of corners. Thereafter. I tried to go inside on the corners to move up in the pack, but I got passed anyway coming out of the corners.

I'm not in the shape I was at this time last year, but that may be a good thing as I often peak too early. Last year 5th, this year dropped. But I am certain I was the next finisher after the lead pack. Even after I cooled down and started riding back to my car, there were still plenty of Cs finishing in dribs and drabs.

Any idea of our filed size?

Good work out there!!

Bill Riley