The first challenge of the week was being in chrge of getting Manchester Wheelers organised to come along to the Tameside Circuit and help out for a evening's racing, somthing we need to do 3 or 4 times over the 20 week season. After the success of the road race out at Great Budworth I was worried that people might think they had done their bit, but how wrong I was people voulnteered and turned up in droves! I like to think it was because I'd promised to bake muffins, but I think they would have come anyway. On the plus side the commisaires were very happy to have muffins delivered, I'm hoping that'll stand me in good stead for future races!
I'd brought my bike along and thought I could ride the late race (4th + Women) if there were enough people helping out - and there were. It was also a sunny evening and so it seemed like everyone in the Manchester area had the same idea, a field of 50 - terrifying! I personlly think the circuit is a bit narrow to have 50 4th cat (for that read inexperienced) riders, but I'd paid my money and got myself warmed up so I took to the start line. I decided the best tactic is to be near the front and duly spent the first 4 or 5 laps right near the font of the bunch, thus avoiding the wobbling etc behind. I then found myself on the inside heading into the hairpin- no problem it's plenty wide enough for 2 or even 3 riders to go round together. But not according to some of the other riders who started shouting at me for going up the inside, I'm not sure whether they thought I was going to drift out and cause a crash, but anyway, I ended up a bit further back and then the trouble started. After a couple of minor excursions onto the grass and some close shaves with a few other riders I made a decision....... I was going to climb off. I could have dropped out of the bunch and ridden round on my own or even joined up with some of the other little groups, but I suddenly realised that I didn't need to do that. I wasn't stopping because I couldn't keep up, I was stopping because I just didn't want too. I didn't want to get knocked off and I didn't want to get involved in having to elbow my way around the circuit. A strange feeling and the first time that I have ever not finished a race.
The next day I headed over the Litherland, and was relieved to find the field was much smaller than the previous evening. Looking back I think I may have been suffering a little bit of fatigue from the week before and I was frustrated to find that I was struggling to have much oomph in the legs. The positive side to it was that despite not feeling at my best I still stayed in the bunch and managed to scrape into the top 10 with an 8th place.
The next event was to be something rather odd - a women's only crit race at the Palatine circuit in Blackpool - a place I hadn't visited before and was quite looking forward too. The good news was that it was really going to be run as it's own race, the bad news we had superstar double Olympic and World Champion Laura Trott riding - why?? I have absolutely no idea, I can only assume it was as some kind of favour to the race organisers as it was never going to be an actual race for her. She rode the mens 3/4 race before and then took to the start line. After about 2 laps of the 1and a bit kilometre circuit she attacked off the front and proceeded over the course of the next 10 laps or so to lap the enitre field - no great surprise and I am happy to say that as she came past me I did manage to hitch a ride for a lap or two. I was disappointed with my performance but I still just didn't seem to have any zip, I know I should have been with the group of 4 that constituted the peleton having ridden with all the girls before, but it just wasn't happening.
Time for a little break perhaps? Well, no not really as the following day Andy and I headed out for a big hilly ride with Heather, Fred and Rob. A birthday treat for Andy!!! I was feeling slow and steady and point blank refused to go uphill at any great speed - I'd decided I was just out for a ride and wasn't thinking about it being "training". A really good day, and good cafe stop at Flash too - it's seems like forever since I went on a cafe ride!
The whole of the week had left me feeling a bit concerned that I'd lost some fitness, or power or something. Andy did his best to reassure and so I headed along to my second TLI race with a bit or trepidation. Not only was I feeling low in confidence but I'd also been moved up to the higher race category after having done well in the first round. And then we were also informed that it would be 6 laps of the course instead of the previous 5!!
Ah well I thought, what's the worst that can happen? I get dropped by the group I'm in,I can go back to the group I was with last time. Luckily my fears were unfounded and I found myself comfortable in the group, doing a reasonable job with positioning. Doing my turn on the front when we were reeling back in 2 riders who chipped off the front and generally not feeling like too much of a fraud. The young lad who'd been ungraded with me, went off on a solo attack on the last lap and about half way round I thought I'd see if I could get across to him..........I couldn't! But I was pleased that I managed to jump back into the main group and still have something left to put in a reasonable sprint. It think I came over the line 11th, no idea where that put me in my category, but I was pretty happy with my performance anyway and restored some confidence in the legs. Andy took some bits of film - this one is from bell lap - well tucked in and out of trouble...
The other big news from this week is that the Biketreks Women's Squad has been disbanded, so I'll be riding back in my Manchester Wheelers club colours for the remainder of the season - which means that I'll match my bike but not the pair of swanky Oakleys I managed to win - oh well doesn't do to look too coordinated!
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