LVRC Region 9 Road Race Championship - Sun 10th Aug 2008

LVRC Region 9 Road Race Championship, Hook End, Essex - Sunday 10th August 2008 

The Region Nine LVRC Divisional Road Race Championship attracted entries from seven North Roaders.  With the HQ in Hook End, the course was based around multiple laps of an undulating 8.2 mile circuit. 

Geoff Oliver competed in the much earlier race for the older Vets run over five laps.  Sadly, he punctured within two miles of the start and took a lap out before rejoining to complete the race, and was finished in time to wish us good luck at the HQ. 

The main North Road entry of five riders was in the A and B group (40-49 years) that was intended to be run over seven laps.  Chris Glithero was our sole representative in the C and D group (50-59 years) that was racing one lap less and starting five minutes behind the main group.

With a high quality field, and a blustery wind, some hard racing looked unavoidable!  The initial laps where indeed run at a ferocious pace that quickly thinned the main bunch considerably. Indeed, I was feeling confident thinking I was safely in the middle of the bunch, only to look over my shoulder to realize that I was expertly marshalling the back of the race.

Moving up the bunch I was briefly riding alongside North Road team leader Richard Somerset, who had prophesized that the blustery conditions would facilitate a break away. Richard, displaying the sharp eyesight and quickness of thought of his nocturnal mammalian nickname, suddenly spotted the key break and kicked across to join in the foray away from the main bunch.  I moved up the bunch a vital few seconds behind, hesitated, and quickly realized that I had (yet again) missed the substantial boat that was steaming away from the jetty.

A small and determined group then tried to close the gap so I joined them, while doing as little work as possible, in the vain hope of a free tow across to what I was now certain would be the winning break.  Alas it was not to be, so I settled in to a watching brief looking for any more attempts from other teams to bridge the gap. 

It was at this stage that the early pace proved too much for Del Evans and Brian Goodwin who retired from the fray around the half way mark.  Ashley Glass also struggled at about the same stage and drifted off the back of the chasing bunch. However, in a ‘never-say-die’ effort, he refused to panic and dug in until he was able to work his way back to the main bunch and sit in for some laps to gain some vital recovery time.

After a couple of laps of fairly negative racing, with the main bunch seemingly resigned to the success of the breakaways, a refreshed Ashley started to make his presence felt. I must admit to feeling a little weary at this stage, and with what should have been the finishing straight and one lap to go I was marshalling my thoughts to what, if any, move I would be able to undertake when the bunch sprinted for the line a full lap early.

With a substantial gap between the bunch and the breakaways, and another race on the circuit, the race organizers had decided to finish a lap early in a slightly anti-climatic ending.  Frankly, I was a little relieved as I fear it would have just been a lap of hanging on after a couple of hours of very hard racing. Chris had also found the early pace in his event too hot to handle and had dropped out early on.  Richard had worked hard to remain part of a fast moving break away and finished 13th in a praiseworthy effort.  All-in-all, a high quality race that was expertly marshaled, on a well surfaced and interesting circuit that will certainly be in my charade of a racing diary next season.

My race by Richard Somerset 

For the first time in ages I managed to get in a break in a road race and when I got there I remembered how damn hard it is. There were ten of us and we quickly established the usual through and off routine to build up a gap to the bunch. I soon found out that I was one of the weaker members of the break and although I was going through ok I was trying so hard that I had to miss a few turns every ten minites or so.

The gap went from thirty seconds to a minute so I was hoping that if if went up to two minutes the lads would ease up a bit and give me a rest. Next thing I knew it went down to forty seconds! Blast it (or words to that effect) I thought, we're getting caught, but no, this was the gap to the three riders ahead of us who I had no idea were there, So instead of easing off we picked up the pace in an attempt to catch the leaders. By now I was feeling a little stronger though still breathing through my ears on the small climbs on the circuit.

The three leaders actually opened up the gap, so in my mind they deserved to win. The last lap was a little slower than the previous laps as some riders were saving themselves for the sprint, or so I thought. However they started attacking one at a time so I was forced to chase or sit on the chasers.

In the last two kilometres I couldn't do it anymore as half the break pulled away. My heartbeat was 184 as I crossed the finish line, last of the ten in the break and fourteenth overall. Oh well, at least I had a go this time.

I thought LVRC races would be easy !