Eastern Region Road Race Championships - Sun 31st May 09

Eastern Region RR Champs - Sunday 31st May 2009, 97 miles, Radwinter circuit Nr Saffron Walden

I entered this race for several reasons;

As a 4th cat I had never had the opportunity to race against elite or 1st category riders, and I wanted to experience that, and test just how big the gap was? As a new (4th year) cyclist, and even newer racer (3rd season), I had recently reached a level (actually scoring points in 4th cat races) that I was beginning to wonder if I ever would?

I had read on the ERRL forum that there was a prize on offer for first 4th cat, so a race within a race as it were.

And finally because I could.........Regional Championships are one of very few occasions when 4ths are eligible to enter with the big boys!

As it turned out there were two 4th category riders in the region mad enough to enter, in addition to yours truly was Alex Peeke of Welwyn Wheelers.  I also had a team mate in Tristan Emptage, although I suspected Tristan would be riding slightly ahead of me.  Which ultimately, proved to be the case.

My plan was 2 pronged, 1. To ride to the finish in a group or more appropriately groupetto!

And 2. to outride Alex and claim the 4th cat prize.

 A fabulous summer day dawned, it was clearly going to be hot and extra drinks bottles would be a must!  I enlisted the help of my lovely wife Wendy, who was going to hand bottles to both me and Tristan. Wendy placed herself on the finish hill. I had mistakenly deemed this would be the slowest part of the course and so make bottle handling easier. On the first lap we passed Wendy at 26.5 mph!!  Oops .... could be a problem? But no, on subsequent laps when called on to deliver bottles, the pace was not quite so hot. Even so my first bottle was taken at 20 mph and silky smooth. In all, I think Wendy handed over 4 or 5 bottles between us, and not a slip. Brilliant....you now have that job for life darling!!

To the racing itself; a 6 mile neutralised zone preceded the race start. Suddenly we were aware of a significant shift in pace and the race had begun.

During the first lap both Alex (the other 4th cat rider) and I began to suffer a little going up an early climb where BMC were attacking at the front.  Alex seemed to find it too much to bear and drifted behind the Commissaire’s car as I first clung on to the tail of the bunch, and then recovered in it on a gentler stretch. At that point I thought we had dropped him out of the race, but he was to reappear in the bunch beside us early in the second lap. Ok, I thought to myself; perhaps we have more of a race on here than was first apparent?

Later in the same lap the pace rose again quite rapidly and as the road also went upwards;  again it was hurting to stay in touch, but I held on well and was inspired by the sight of my  rival suffering and drifting backwards again. I reckoned that if I could look strong and stay in touch? He wouldn’t be able to come back a second time.  Of course I was unaware at the time, but Alex finished his race there and then!

 About 4 miles further on, I was suffering badly as the pace grew yet higher. Knowing I was now well ahead of Alex or at least out of his sight......I let go and drifted off the back. To this point about 35 miles the average speed had been 27 mph.

 Determined to stay ahead just in case Alex had continued and was about to rise from the flames again, I went into time trial mode. During the next few laps I caught various others who had dropped out of contention and as much as I could, I enlisted their help to keep going, at least 2 were very obliging in letting me sit on their wheel and gain well needed respite until they either stopped or I felt rested enough to plough on alone.

As I neared what I anticipated would be my final lap(the chief commissaire had briefed us pre-race that he would allow us two 4th cats to keep going until the final lap of the race before pulling us out, if we were more than 5 minutes down on the main bunch(defined as the largest group in the race regardless of position)), I miraculously found just enough extra power to ascend the finish hill (where the spectators were) to not look too pathetic as I passed the finish line for the penultimate time.

Last lap!  I thought; please let this be the last lap? It felt like the longest 16 miles I have ever ridden. My goodness how I appreciated those descents, and stamped on the pedals over the top of each rise to take full advantage.  As I neared the end I was greeted by the very welcome sight of the finish commissaire flagging me down.

I then learned how the rest of race had unfolded, 3 or 4 distinct groups with Tristan in the rear most group of about 15. Finishing a lap early I was able to cheer Tristan across the line as he took 2nd in his group and 25th place overall. A third of the starting field had climbed off.

 For me: 1st fourth cat, 40th overall and the biggest prize (£50) I will likely win for some time to come.

I had averaged 22 mph for around 3 hours on very undulating terrain.

 A great experience to see just how good those guys (Elites and 1st cats) are, an education in so many ways and a real benefit to my future racing I am sure.

A great circuit (I sincerely hope next years is as good), a terrific and safe event on relatively traffic free roads in the beautiful Essex countryside.

Will I do it again? Quite possibly!! But with a little luck during the rest of this season I will do it as a 3rd cat!!

Tristan Emptage 25th
Jeff Robinson 40th (first 4th cat)