What a real tough and smart mans race. The day started with overcast weather and abit of a cold wind coming through. It was hard to tell whether to put on more warm clothes,waterproof gloves,gillet,arm warmers etc or go hard man usual summer clothing. It is hard to decide because usually once your racing you warm up straight away so even in around 10 degrees you can be wearing summer clothes because you become very hot. I opted to take a chance and rode with normal short sleeves and short finger gloves BIGG mistake.. Within the first 20k it first started to rain then hail with big hail stones. Its hard to describe but i was both in pain from the hail and seriously cold, it would of been my fingers that were the worst. Trust me having to look at your hands everytime you want to change gears just to make sure your fingers are actually on the levers when coming up to cobble sections because you cant feel you cant feel your hands anymore isnt fun. I gritted my teeth and managed to stick on the next few laps but with riders pulling out left right and center due to the weather it was looking like the smart thing to do. It was the final straw when my legs were beginning to cramp due to the cold and i could not stop shaking. You just got to have some common sense sometimes if i know i will be racing 3 times a week there is no point slaving in the cold with wrong clothing and getting sick for a minor placing. With that in mind i pulled out with another team mate and we were rushed to the team car stripped down, replaced all the wet clothes with dry ones and in the mean time i was shaking uncontrollably, it end up taking almost a good half hour in a heated car for feeling to come back to my hands. So in the end out of 95 starters there was only 40 that finished all scattered apart. I was once again pissed not to finish but with a forecast of better weather for next week i look forward to my next race on Wednesday.
Was a hard, disappointing day in the saddle. The race was on a 12k circuit which we would do 10 times today with gradual climbs, first one starting from the line and going for about 3k. Not to many corners with big roads, though the roads had a shitload of potholes this resulted in many riders with flat tyres and broken spokes. I managed to come away without any of that just a lose headset and a bottlecage about to fall off. Anyway the first few laps i felt fine around midbunch coping up the climbs but around half way the pack really began to become strung out. This along with a pick up of a cross wind left the legs staggering to go uphill and into wind at over 40k/hr. My legs slowly became to tighten up and the accelerations uphill were just daggers. I ended up losing contact with the second bunch i was in around the 60k point and went on to ride a solo lap then grouped with another following group. We pulled turns for another lap then were red flagged by the officials ( you get redflagged meaning your race is over when your group is to far back and will get lapped by the leaders therefore your not allowed to finish the race and get DNF as a result "did not finish") I really do hate this rule as you cant keep riding for a place at the end of the race instead on the result sheet it says DNF so your compared to people who only lasted the first lap. I was really pissed as we only had 2 laps to go 24k left ahhh.
To make things worse, a good result would of meant i made the selection for a big race today(Friday). As i had made good results the past races i was in the top 9 selection for a final selection of 6 for the race. So depending if i went good at this race i would of made selection. Oh well im still hoping for some good racing this Saturday or Sunday or both :).
Pre race routine went as usual with an early morning ride to free the legs then come home for some good old pasta before we set off for the race. Today though we would be racing outside of Brussels so was a good hour and half drive to the start. Ive been lucky for as most this week there have been 2 German pros along with their director that have been living in the team house, ive been able to train and ride with them to the races. Though today was the last time as they drive back to Germany after the race leaving me to hitch a ride back with a fellow ASFRA rider which i had only met today before the race.
The temperature was building to a comfortable 20c perfect for short sleeve,fast racing. With a starting field of 306 riders it was by far the biggest field ive seen in awhile. This meant being at the front at the start line was quite impossible but i was happy to be mid bunch along side the Germans. The race kicked off straight into 2 tight corners then full gas, one word HECTIC. Imagine 306 riders fighting for the front, head,bars,pedals everything clashing with a rider from every direction. I was moving along just fine sitting near the front when suddenly the rider in front of me swooped to the right taking my wheel out and sending me to the ground. Squeals, smell of brake pads, then bang, a couple dozen riders, riding straight over me. I actually came off lucky just cutting up my left knee and hip. I quickly mounted back on the back having to put my rear wheel back in as it had come out. Also having to bang my left lever to make straight but my gear shifter was kaput the lever part was sitting out horztional... i was happy it got stuck in a big gear pheww.
It must of been the adrenaline rush cause i managed to chase for a good 5 laps(round 50k) swerving between groups to get back to the front pack. Though i was almost completely shattered by this stage with still more than half the race to go. From that point i don't know how i made it to the finish, constantly in the red and avoiding crashes left,right and center. Coming into the last lap i was in good position near the front, held till the last corner. From there was a straight finish of about 3k to the finish. Next thing bang someone had flatted in the middle of the pack and a good bunch of riders came down i skidded barley missing the crash to have to quickly do a standing start and sprint back all the way to the finish. By the time i got to the line after spending almost the last 3k full gassing i managed to still be in the main pack finishing a respectful 76.
Take a look at this youtube video of Niuewrode -Just to show you what racing is like in Belgium:
From then end of the race till I got home was absolute mayhem. I quickly got back to the car of the Germans grabbed all my gear out and got on my bike looking for my ride home who said he would wait near the line. I searched for a good half hour for nothing. Called my manager Luc and he called the rider, " he has forgotten you" WTF.....
apparently he only lasted 2 laps pulled out and just left home. Now i was stuck Bloody and exhausted in a random town which i have no clue is. Then i rode around asking riders if they were going back near Gent but nothing all were from near the area. Usually the races we go are close only 20k or so away so this classic being 100k away wasn't usual. By now i was freaking out as my phone had run out of credit and i barely had any money on me. I managed to talk to one of the officials who talked with my manager via phone and we organised that one of them would take me to the local train station where i would have to catch a train back to Gent, then once there Luc my manager would pick me up still another 20k back to home. The problem being i didn't have enough money for a train, by chance i was lucky that the organizer of the race (who happened to work for the Belgian cycling federation) had overheard and had lent me 50 euro. Though he said "i will give you this money as i know Luc and i will give you my bank details too, if you dont pay me back trust me you will never race in Belgium again!!!"
From there i was driven to a train station, bought a ticket and crammed onto a train with my bike and bloody knicks. Then transferred to another train to get to Brussels. Once in Brussels i had to wait another hour for the next train which then i caught and took a further hour to get to Gent. Once i was in Gent i called Luc but he was still a good hour away so i sat in the train station covered in dirt and sweat and waited. Eventually Luc arrived put the bike in the car and drove me home. To put it into perspective i finished the race around 5:30 i got home around 11oclock at night.
WHAT A DAY, i hope i never see that rider that left me there because his got something coming for him.
Well not to much to report was a shiiittt day, a usual Belgium day overcast,cold and windy. The race started out fast as usual and if you dont have a good position at the start line it can be the end of your day seriously !!!!. You must get to the line a good 15 minutes prior to the start to be anywhere near the front at go time with 156 riders involved. The first half hour is really make or break here, this is where you either get in a good bunch and get some sort of draft or you slip back into the long single line of riders chasing with NO draft and just burn out. This was unfortunately where i ended up with many small tight corners in the course and it being a very windy day I was in for a long day. I end up finishing 96 very disappointing day.. but its all a learning experience so will look forward to tomorrows race to redeem myself.
So finally today i got to race ahh what a relief.... The officials were much more laid back today and i now that i have a scanned copy of my license from cycling Australia along with some charm it somehow worked. The race was shaping up to just right with the temperate warming up to around 20c and a good bunch of 120 riders. As we all crammed at the start finish line, and the whistle went off i now know why people say you usually get dropped your first race, it really is full gas here start to finish. With an average speed of 45k for 120k of racing it was turning out to be a tough day. Extremely windy and non stop attacking its really a constant fight to stay near the front. I managed to hover around the middle of the bunch which believe me on a cross windy day there is barely any draft. After the first half hour of maxing my heartrate i managed to settle in and get through the next few laps. By 3 laps to go all the breakways had been brought back and it was shaping up to be a group finish. With an average speed of almost 60k for the last 3 laps i was definitely in the red. Coming up to the last 5k i tried squeezing and pushing for a good position to the last corner. Coming in fast to a sharp right onto a small road to sprint out of the gutter i managed to come in with the top bunch in 41st place. For my first race im satisfied with the position and with a max speed of 67k in the sprint in the end the legs seem to be going ok for early season. Next race is this Saturday cant waitttt!!!
