13/04/2014 Race report: Burggener Strassenpreis. On front all dayyy!!!

So after a week pretty much off the bike and in Austria, I returned back to Germany with a fresh pair of legs. The race would once again be a case of riding blind for the first lap. This is because usually the actual race course is not listed just the start line this goes the same for Belgium, so the first lap even though were racing full blast it is also a case of riding blind and your directed by Marshall's standing on corners. I was hoping for abit more of a flatter race but i was quickly proven wrong with nice 10% climb in the middle of the course, not too long but long enough to break some legs this couldn't be unexpected though as the town we started in was right near the Alps.




As most the racing i had done in Belgium was mainly flat  with short,sharp climbs i made sure to pace myself up the climb to ensure i wouldn't blow up. Though because of this i missed the deciding breakaway that went away on the third lap about 20k into the race, as I was mid bunch. I made many attempts after to break from the peleton to try join the break as i could tell it would stay away but with only a handful of riders willing to work with me and the front group containing 12 riders i was racing a losing battle.

Keeping the pace high

 After a couple laps of unsuccessful attacking and trying to form another group, I settled back in the peleton, content to pull turns with only about 5-10 guys in a pack of almost 90 riders. The legs were feeling surprising good especially up the climb with the lack of hill racing Ive had lately. Each lap on the climb i would try to break away but with a long descent straight after the climb it was quite impossible to stay clear. To put in perspective one lap up the climb i attacked revving up the speed to around 40-45 up the climb then rode like a madman hitting over 80k an hour in my biggest gear, going well into the red on the descent only to eventually be gobbled up by the peleton again.

Embarking on a solo breakaway

Me and team Aichach rider stretching out the peleton

  Though in the last 2-3 laps after the front group of 12 riders were well and truly gone i decided i had nothing left to lose. I rode the front making sure to string the peleton out and try drop as many riders as i could.

This to a degree worked, i got clear a few times with 3-4 riders which made the peleton stretch out and by last lap the 2nd main pack had dwindled down to about 30 riders. Though i had paid the price and on the last lap on the final climb i lost a small group of 10 riders and spent all my energy solo riding to only catch them just near the finish but had nothing left for the sprint and came in 25th.

 Its a shame they didn't have a most aggressive rider competition as i think I would of been a shoe in for that. Though I'm happy with my form and its a nice change from last weeks flat tyre.