Thats's my first race of the 2012 cycling season done. Just finished The Victoria Park Crits down at Leamington Spa- my first race in Samcycling.com Race Team kit and C Originals SV888 helmet
The Victoria Park Crits are a fantastic series of short races around Victoria Park on a 800 meter long non technical circuit which means it's ideal for beginners and more experienced riders.
Racing in the two 3rd Category races was a little sketchy to say the least and the first race saw two major incidents (and a large number of minor incidents in the bunch too) on the final lap of the race.
The first incident seemed to be where too many riders had bunched together- sadly one rider as a result went off to the local A+E. The incident isolated alot of riders in the field. I was just behind it but able to put the brakes on and stay safe- although this led to a gap to the front 15 or so riders in the bunch of around 10 meters and despite a spirited chase I finished just at the back of the remnants of the bunch.
The second incident occurred within the group on the last corner and involved a Nottingham Clarion rider going sideways into a set of bushes and not being close to the rider I couldn't tell exactly what went on. I have to say the rider had been very erratic throughout the race with his riding and hadn't been a good wheel to sit behind.
The first race finish from the first race puts me in 17th place.
The second race was a little less eventful and I rolled in towards the rear of the bunch.
Legs are feeling a bit sore now!
Any regrets from Victoria Park Crits? I wish I'd had a dig or two on the front. My legs felt good but by the time it got to the business end of each race the bunch was so congested it became I real difficulty to get yourself from mid bunch to the front so I was happy using the riding as training and staying safe.
The above photo is from Drews Views Photography. More images are available from the event via their Facebook page.
What I've learnt from the race.
 |
| Myself in Samcycling.com Team Kit and C Originals SV888 Helmet, plus riding my Planet X RT 57 |
Racing in the two 3rd Category races was a little sketchy to say the least and the first race saw two major incidents (and a large number of minor incidents in the bunch too) on the final lap of the race.
The first incident seemed to be where too many riders had bunched together- sadly one rider as a result went off to the local A+E. The incident isolated alot of riders in the field. I was just behind it but able to put the brakes on and stay safe- although this led to a gap to the front 15 or so riders in the bunch of around 10 meters and despite a spirited chase I finished just at the back of the remnants of the bunch.
The second incident occurred within the group on the last corner and involved a Nottingham Clarion rider going sideways into a set of bushes and not being close to the rider I couldn't tell exactly what went on. I have to say the rider had been very erratic throughout the race with his riding and hadn't been a good wheel to sit behind.
The first race finish from the first race puts me in 17th place.
 |
| Finish line camera photo from victoria park crits, April 2012 |
The second race was a little less eventful and I rolled in towards the rear of the bunch.
Legs are feeling a bit sore now!
Any regrets from Victoria Park Crits? I wish I'd had a dig or two on the front. My legs felt good but by the time it got to the business end of each race the bunch was so congested it became I real difficulty to get yourself from mid bunch to the front so I was happy using the riding as training and staying safe.
 |
| In action at Victoria Parks Crits 2012 in our new Samcycling.com Team Kit. |
What I've learnt from the race.
- My fitness seems pretty good for flat racing
- Leg speed and strength seem fine
- 18months off bunch racing and I'm not 100% confident in the bunch- this will develop over the course of the next few races.
No comments:
Post a Comment