Back to the big-time bicycle racing today, albeit a smaller field with the French Champs being this weekend. 90 starters, 3x36km then 7x6km, windy, many false flats, many many corners …
Nice to have a 9km neutral section to warm up as well. Beautiful part of the world Santec, up by Roscoff where the ferry heads off to Ireland. Anyways, come the “Depart Reel” it was no longer time for looking at any scenery bar the wheel in front, the start was absolutely nuts. If we weren’t getting out of a corner, which we were doing a lot, it was all 50kph++. Unfortunately I’ve managed to get a problem with my foot, spending the first few km fluffing around with my shoe and meant that I wasn't terribly well positioned … so the break went, and we had nobody there …
Spent a bit of time on the front trying to get one of us in a counter or generally ride fast, but seemed to be stuck in the hurtbox in the wind and the old Polar was chucking up some scary numbers. Lots of people going out the back, bit of a stack just in front after 50km and hurting all over to get back on after avoiding it, 10km later and I was out the back too on the climb of all places with the bunch going to pieces.
Bit p*ssed off with that and spent the next 10km trying to get back on solo, almost did too, pulling all sorts of horrible facial expressions and getting lots of encouragement from the always-sympathetic French. Ended up stopping at the feed zone, apparently 2km later there was a railway crossing which the second half of the bunch was delayed by, for 5mins, so they all stopped too!! Got back to Cleder in time to watch the finish circuits, after 110km the race was all in groups of less than five, carnage. About thirty finishers, only one from Scaer … so with Herman having won last year, that wasn’t too great …
Five coffees down and hopefully that’s enough to get me out the door for six hours today, off to do some recon so I actually know where we’re going in some upcoming races!!
Nice to have a 9km neutral section to warm up as well. Beautiful part of the world Santec, up by Roscoff where the ferry heads off to Ireland. Anyways, come the “Depart Reel” it was no longer time for looking at any scenery bar the wheel in front, the start was absolutely nuts. If we weren’t getting out of a corner, which we were doing a lot, it was all 50kph++. Unfortunately I’ve managed to get a problem with my foot, spending the first few km fluffing around with my shoe and meant that I wasn't terribly well positioned … so the break went, and we had nobody there …
Spent a bit of time on the front trying to get one of us in a counter or generally ride fast, but seemed to be stuck in the hurtbox in the wind and the old Polar was chucking up some scary numbers. Lots of people going out the back, bit of a stack just in front after 50km and hurting all over to get back on after avoiding it, 10km later and I was out the back too on the climb of all places with the bunch going to pieces.Bit p*ssed off with that and spent the next 10km trying to get back on solo, almost did too, pulling all sorts of horrible facial expressions and getting lots of encouragement from the always-sympathetic French. Ended up stopping at the feed zone, apparently 2km later there was a railway crossing which the second half of the bunch was delayed by, for 5mins, so they all stopped too!! Got back to Cleder in time to watch the finish circuits, after 110km the race was all in groups of less than five, carnage. About thirty finishers, only one from Scaer … so with Herman having won last year, that wasn’t too great …
Five coffees down and hopefully that’s enough to get me out the door for six hours today, off to do some recon so I actually know where we’re going in some upcoming races!!
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