Ras De Cymru 26th -30th June 2013
Wed 24 Jul 2013
Ras De Cymru 26th -30th June 2013
We have each written to provide a perspective from each of us as it was an eventful race
Wednesday 26th June – Day 1, Stage 1.
All loaded up in Paul’s ‘team car’ At the University
Colin’s view
Paul had kindly volunteered to drive to Wales for one of the only stage races for our level in the UK. It was 6 stages in 5 days over some tough terrain around the Brecans. We hadn't got the full race programme until about 5 days before the start so there wasn't much time to analyse what was about to come. With that said the first and last stage were the same as previous years so we knew we had a prologue 5 mile TT to start and a 6km climb to finish the race.
We loaded up Paul's 'team car' on Wednesday morning. We had to be at the University in Newport for a race briefing at 12.30 with the first riders off around 3pm. We had some later start times around 4.15pm and were off after each other. I couldn't remember being this nervous for a race for a long time.
The journey across was pretty good with a quick stop to relieve the hydrating strategies. We got to the university in good time but struggled to find a parking space and were driving around the campus for about 10 mins. This meant we walked into the briefing about 5 mins late. We didn't miss anything important but we were the only team not already there. We slowly crept to the back. Once the briefing was over we signed in, dropped our spare wheels in and got the cards for our rooms. We were staying in the uni halls. It was ideal, a small flat for each team with a separate room for each rider. All rooms had an ensuite shower and toilet, a fridge and internet connection. We also had a kitchen with a microwave as a separate room in the flat.
We unpacked and got our kit ready for the first test of the race. We still had quite a bit of time before we were due to start. It had turned out hot so we decided to drive the course so we weren't spending lots of time riding to the start and then just hanging around. Driving out to the start we were thinking this is quite a way from the uni so we would have to give it a bit of time to make sure we wouldn't be late but it would serve as a good warm up.
So driving the course we were getting more nervous especially seeing the rolling road the time trial started on. It looked flat on the course profile but in the car it was far from that. The total distance was just over 4.6 miles but the last 1.5km finished up a steep climb peaking at about 12%. As we drove this section, it seemed to go on forever. We looked at each other and all said "whose idea was this". I must have said it quite a few times but the trouble is it was my idea...doh. I'd managed to convince Paul over the winter that the Ras would be a great event to ride, and knowing Paul's personality he always likes a tough challenge so was up for it. Shaun I'd met at the end of the Crest, his first road race and asked him if he fancied riding. It was a yes straight away which says a lot for his 'let's get stuck in' attitude. Both Paul and Shaun are in their first year of racing so to ride this event so soon was a massive achievement.
We headed back to the uni where we got kitted up and got the bikes ready. We then headed to the start using it as our warm up. It didn't take us as long as we thought it would in the car and we had a tail wind to the start. This meant the first leg before the climb would be into the wind. As it took us a fraction of the time to get there we carried on warming up but we had a lot of time to kill which wasn't ideal in the heat. We weren't the only ones though.
Finally our start times came around. I was off first of us, Paul a minute after and then Shaun. About 20 seconds before I was due to start a slow tractor went past. I was just hoping I wasn't going to get held up. My main aim was to make sure I didn't start too hard with the tough climb at the finish. Going too deep too early could really cost some time at the finish. I settled into a good rhythm, and my pacing was going well. I caught the tractor just as it was turning right. I had to dab the brakes a bit but it didn't cost me too much time. I was using the gears well through the rolling section and was keeping my cadence high. I'd experimented on a few club 10's on the road bike riding in different positions and different gears and this is what I found to be quickest. I'd been passed by a few cars along the road and I started to see brake lights in the distance. Surprisingly I was catching my minute man already in about 6-7 mins. The trouble was we were coming up to some twisting sections and the cars couldn't get passed him. There were about 4-5 cars and one with a trailer. It broke my rhythm and I had to accelerate passed them and I got held up behind the trailer. I managed to sprint past and over- take my minute man at the same time just before the left 180 degree turn onto the climb. The sprinting just at the bottom of climb didn't help me over reaching a bit but there wasn't long to go now so it was time to give it everything possible. The climb had some steep sections which required 39x25 in places but I still managed to stay on top of the gears and pedalled well through to the finish. Stopping my Garmin at the finish I had done 11:55. Riders that had done well in previous years had gone under 12 minutes so I was pleased with that. I think I must have lost about 15seconds through the traffic but there was nothing I could do about it.
I pedalled lightly along the road waiting for Paul and Shaun to finish. They both also had completed the course in good time. We stood for a few minutes reflecting on performances and then gently rode back to the uni. Once back we jumped straight on the rollers for a proper cool down as recovery was everything from here on in. Then it was eating well and rehydrating, a common theme for the rest of the week.
After this we got together to analyse a bit of data before dinner. It’s amazing how obsessive looking at numbers can get but Paul and I found it quite interesting.
At dinner it was the first time to see the results to see where we stood. Scrolling down the results I couldn't find my name. That's strange, I kept looking. Turning the page they had my time down as 12.59. Something wasn't right so I had to speak to the organiser. After a few checks with the time keeper there was a bit of a mix up as I caught my minute and 3 minute man. My time was adjusted to 11.59, still not quite what I had but close enough.
Paul’s view
After a rather trouble free drive down the M4 and over the bridge, we arrived in Caerleon and our home for the next 5 days. We underwent the mandatory race briefing in the University Sports hall then went to locate our accommodation. After familiarising ourselves with the classic student accommodation with all necessary amenities crammed into the space of a postage stamp, it was time to get down to business. Stage 1.
Stage 1 was a 4.7 mile rolling individual time trial ending with a 180 hairpin turn leading into a brutal 1.5km climb to the finish. We were lucky enough that our start times were several hours away so if gave us the opportunity to drive the course prior to the event. In hindsight it was a good job, the briefing informed us of the tight hairpin turn but also that anyone crossing the central white lines would be issued a time penalty, both before and after the turn. On inspection of the corner this gave you approximately 1m of road to stay within, tight was an understatement and would mean that everyone would have to come to a virtual stop before the climb. GREAT!!!
The stage itself was only few miles away so team NRCC rode out in good time to use the rolling welsh roads as a warm up. We were blessed with good weather, the best they had had for the event in the entire running of the Ras. This meant that times were going to be fast.
Each competitor had to use their Road bike and standard race helmets. No TT bikes or Aero specific helmets were allowed. Colin was the 1st of NRCC to roll out, followed 1 minute later by myself. Our start times were after 16:00 so there was a slight increase of traffic on the road. We started off in a lay by a bus stop, which on occasions would pull up to let off passengers. Colin’s time approached and he was off, that is when the nerves kicked. 1 minute to go and my Ras De Cymru experience was about to begin.
5,4,3,2,1 and I was off. The initial 50m were downhill so getting up to speed didn’t take too long after that the road dragged up and seemed to keep going up for an eternity. I was concerned I had gone red to early as I was blowing already. I looked down at the time; I had only been on the bike 2 mins! Not a good sign! After the initial drag the road continually rolled up and down for the duration of 4 miles. I couldn’t quite get into my rhythm, I felt over geared for the hills and kept pedalling out on the downhill’s. I felt like I was changing gear every second to get the right balance. I had certain Power numbers I was trying to stick to but the constant rolling of the course sent my power numbers bouncing up and down like a yo-yo, so it got ignored. Before I knew it, I could see a Marshal standing in the road waving me to slow down. I had approached the hairpin turn. It was even tighter that anticipated on the bike and I came to virtual stop and very close to the central lines. I had made it with no time penalties and not crashing. It just meant I needed to get my 6’5 87kg frame up the 1.5km climb as quickly as possible. Hitting the base of the climb I was already at my limit, so the next few minutes where not my idea of fun, to honest I can’t really recall what happened over the next 3 and half minutes or what the very scenic country side looked like. All I know is that my legs were on fire and my lungs full of acid. Eventually the torment was over; I crossed the line looking like a St Bernard with a rope of drool hanging out each side of my mouth. It took me approx. 10 minutes to talk. Colin and Shaun both rolled up and in stereo ‘that wasn’t that bad, was it’. Had they ridden a different course to me!!! That was horrible. Stage 1 was over. We would get out times later that evening at dinner. I would finish roughly 50/100 approx 1 min 30 secs off the winner. The winner represented the Welsh Cycling development team and broke the course record. Analysing my data I lost the majority of my time on the final climb. If I could climb at the same rate as the rest of the field I would have finished with time quite close to Colin’s.
Shaun’s view
Stage 1: 4.2 mile time trial with hill top finish.
Winner: 10:59 (course record). My time: 12:33 (56th position). The winner, a 50-something-kilo Welsh kid, was reported to have been 'impeded' by a tractor on his way to setting the course record! The Welsh really do speak a different language. We thought it would be a good idea to recce the course beforehand. This strained my nerves terribly, the finish was a brutal 1 mile climb. We had to get the car into first gear (which makes it a first cat climb right?)! At the start my legs felt heavy and I suffered all along the flat section (there are no flat roads in Wales by the way). I cruised up the hill, but lost a big chunk of time on the flat.
So after the first stage we were:
Colin 26th 11:59
@1min
Paul 52nd 12:24 @1min 28sec
Shaun. 57th 12:33 @1min 34sec
Thursday 27th June. Day 2, Stage 2.
Stage 2 Preperation The Recovery starts again
Colin’s view
A 'rolling' stage on paper, but a short steep climb up to the finish on a circuit of 6 laps. For us not knowing the circuit the plan was to see what we were up against for the first lap at least. There were a lot of local teams and a lot of riders that had ridden before so we were at a bit of a disadvantage not knowing the course. Not to mention everyone else being teams of 4.
With 100 riders in the race positioning was crucial especially as we tackled some quite narrow roads. One big difference racing in Wales was that they have the National Escort Group - motor bike escort for the race with powers to stop the traffic. They were a great team that enabled the race to move easier through some of the bigger towns. Because of this though it also lead to a lot of riders also using parts of the opposite side of the road in places which made it very hard to hold a position in the bunch. Every time I managed to get into a good position it was a matter of minutes before I'd get swamped again and then have to progress forward again. It was partly this that I didn't even see the winning break go around the half way point. It was taking a lot of concentration to keep moving forward and to keep near the front. Luckily I was climbing the finish hill well and always made up places here. As the race went on and we got more familiar with the circuit it was getting easier to see where we could move up and not waste energy. With a group of 6 away and another 3 in between and quite a considerable time gap it was a case of just finishing as high up as possible and not losing any time with any potential splits on the finishing climb. I positioned myself well in the run in to it and managed to go with the faster guys up the climb to finish 8th in the bunch and 21st on the stage.
Paul’s view
Stage 2 in the handbook was described as a rolling circuit with hill finish. What I failed to notice was that this hill finish would be scaled 6 times. All can say a Welsh rolling circuit is a little different to that of a Herts/Essex rolling circuit. I dread to think what the true hill stages have in offer.
The stage started frantically with all 100 riders trying to get to the front. No real breaks succeeded and the pack stayed together till approx half distance. My race became a battle of staying with the pack. On the 1st accent of the major climb, it became obvious that my climbing ability was far away from that of the rest of the pack and I found myself 20-30m spat out the back. My saving grace was that there was a rather long descent the other side, maximising the 53x11 I would catch the pack and fined myself in the top ¼ of the pack before we hit the main rode to take us back towards town. Lap 2 and I got spat out the back on the climb again but this time ended nearly 50m off the back. Luckily with bit (a lot) of effort I can get downhill and through corners fast and managed to get back on. I was tiring, I couldn’t keep doing this for another 4 laps, going deep up the climb then chasing back on was not giving me time to recover and my energy stores where lowering and fast. For lap 3 I went on the offensive and attempted to break away, my reasoning was that if I was the 1st to start the climb with an advantage I could slot back in the pack of 100 when they all inevitably would start to overtake me. This tactic worked, it was tiring but I would stay in contact with the pack on the remaining climbs, all be it in the last 10-20 of the group. 2 riders managed to break clear with a lap a half to go and would battle for the win. The rest of the field stayed together till the final climb, then the hammer went down. The pack was strung out the whole length of the hill. I would cross the line in around 70th place, approx 20 secs down from the front of the pack and 2 mins down on the leaders. Not that I saw any breaks in the pack, but crossing the line 20 secs after the front of the pack and getting the same time was wishful thinking. Colin and Shaun would finish way up the field. With a bit better positioning going into the final climb Shaun could of got a very good result. He started the final climb way behind me at the rear of the pack and must have made up at least 50 places to finish just behind Colin.
Shaun’s view
Stage 2: 58.1 miles rolling road race
Winner: 2:27:15. My time: 2:30:27 (28th). Enjoyable stage, however disappointed not to finish higher. The finish was at the top of a hill (big surprise) and I started the final climb in my usual position, last rider in the peloton and made my way up to the front by the finish. Being at the back of the group is not recommended! I saw many a crash and had to accelerate after every corner! Paul McGrath was aggressive in the stage and tried to initiate a number of breakaways. He was unfortunate in that the group immediately chased him down or nobody was strong enough to help him continue a break. Colin was the best NR and in hindsight could’ve picked up a few more placings if he had been less conservative. He finished with far too much energy. Colin only struggled with the evening meal which produced a massive sweat!
Stage 2 finishing
places
Colin 21st @ 3:07
Shaun 28th @ 3:12
Paul 71st @ 3:38
GC stage 2
Colin 26th @ 3:59
Shaun 40th @ 4:38
Paul 57th @ 4:55
Friday 28th June Day3. Stage 3 and Stage 4.
Awaiting Stage 3 Paul and Shaun’s go faster juice
Paul’s pre TTT leg loosenerMy TTT prep begins
Colin’s view
Friday was going to be a tough day as it was the day of the double stage. 50 miles in the morning and a 15mile team time trial in the afternoon.
Stage 3 was on a rolling circuit but no serious climbs, just a couple of 1.5km climbs at about 5-7%. At race briefing we had to move into a car park for the talk by the commissaire. This meant we were right at the back of 100 riders. This was far from ideal and with only a couple of kilometres of neutralised section this was going to take a bit of time to get to the front. Unfortunately the winning break went as soon as the neutralised flag was dropped! By the time we got to the front we didn't even know a break had gone away. With the leaders team controlling the pace and keeping the time down to a minimum there wasn't much chance of getting away. The rolling climbs were ridden fast to prevent any attacks which meant the rest of the bunch would be sprinting for 4th place. Paul and I were both around the front coming into the last couple of kilometres but there were a lot of swamping and switching by riders all around. It was a very nervous finish and it was just a matter of time before there was a crash. There were 2 in quick succession. One about 1km out and one about 200m out. We all decided to bail out of the sprint just rolling in behind the few that fought it out. For us the risk wasn't worth it with three stages left.
So we cooled down went back to the car and we ate to recover from the morning stage with the aim to be feeling good for the afternoon team time trial. Paul felt a bit sick after the morning stage and struggled to eat straight away. We weren't off until 16:21 so we had a long wait. The trouble was all we could do was sit in the car and wait. We had a bit of a spin on the rollers to keep loose but there was a lot of waiting.
We decided to have a
good warm up and it was going to be a good 20min ride to the start anyway.
Again as with the prologue we got there early and had a bit of hanging around
but we kept the legs moving. Although by this stage they were feeling a bit
stiff.
We rolled up to the start line and awaited our countdown. Just before we
started a tractor with a queue of traffic came past. I couldn't believe
it, lightening does strike twice! Paul led us off and inside a couple of
minutes we came up to the back of the traffic. We moved to the outside to pass
but we were also approaching a round-a-bout where we needed to turn left. If
you had a free run this would be a fast downhill onto the dual carriage way. We
got split going through the traffic however and it took 20 seconds or so
reorganise and get back into a rhythm. This had cost us quite a bit of time
especially not being able to carry some high speeds onto the fast flat section.
We started working well though and surprisingly I was feeling quite good. The
time seemed to go quite quick, and it wasn't long before we were off the dual
carriage way and onto the rolling road to the finish. Uncharacteristically on
the back section Paul was struggling a bit. We later worked out because he was
feeling sick earlier he didn't eat enough and his glycogen stores were low. He
didn't blow completely but it meant he was giving everything to keep the
pressure on. The finish was close however and Shaun and I were doing some
slightly longer pulls but credit to Paul he still didn't miss a turn. It was a
strong headwind in to the finish that had continued to get stronger as the day
went on. Being one of the later teams off this also didn't help our time. We
finished and got back to the car where our recovery started again.
At dinner we again got the results. We were disappointed by how much time we lost. We had to remember we had been held up quite badly by traffic and the increasing wind also had an effect. Not to mention the other teams being made up of 4 riders. This did put an end to any potential GC positions though.
Paul’s view
Day 3 was our double header we would have a rolling road race in the morning then a Team time trial in the afternoon. Both stages were based around Abergavenny which was approx. 40 min drive away. So time to load the team car and head off.
The course for stage 3 involved 3 laps of a rolling circuit then off onto the same last few miles we would use for the TTT. The circuit was definitely rolling but the major climb was not as difficult as the hills experienced in the first 2 stages but still tough when attacked at 26 mph. Unaware to 99% of the peloton was the fact that 4 riders broke clear right at the start and would stay away for the whole race. We would get very little information feed back to us and with a long section of the course having double white lines making it very difficult to move up the pack, it was destined to be a bunch sprint. The race wasn’t that eventful, I made my usual attempt to breakaway but no riders followed and the strong crosswind meant I was soon swallowed up. With a few km to go we had our first crash, a banging of bars then someone being pushed into the gutter, we were travelling around 35mph+ at the time and a rider from London Phoenix hit the deck hard resulting in a broken collar bone. Further down the road one of the breakaway riders had blown up in spectacular fashion and was travelling at half the speed of the approaching peloton. The Welsh Development Team where lining up to contest the final sprint and with approx 300m from the line, their front rider piled straight into the back of the breakaway rider resulting in a huge crash. The whole field would get given the same time. Part 1 over, we know had a 20 min ride back to HQ and several hours to kill in a car park before Stage 4. Thankfully it was not raining as that would not have made the wait very unpleasant
After sitting in the car and finally stopped feeling sick from the exploits of the earlier stage, which even though uneventful had an average speed of over 26 mph. It was time to roll out for Stage 4. Stage 4 was a Team Trial over approx. 15 miles. It was classified as flat and to Welsh standards I would agree. The first section approx. half the distance was down a busy dual carriageway/motorway then we would turn off and head back on the same route we finished the earlier stage on. This section undulated up and down with a couple of long draggy sections. Our start times were allocated on alphabetical order, so North Road were one of the last to set off at around 16:30.
This was not Ideal as it was Friday afternoon and approaching rush hour. Our start time came and we set off from an adjacent lay bay and directed down towards the roundabout to enter the dual carriage way. On approach to the roundabout there was a queue of traffic at least 20 cars long backed up along our route. This caused Team NRCC to split in all direction to get round the cars, then half way down the traffic started to move as it was released by the Marshall. Not the best traffic management as team NRCC were all over the place. I had lead team NRCC off and due to the traffic issue was roughly 50m ahead of Shaun and Colin, who had managed to regroup at the roundabout. I eased up to allow us to regroup, we would already be behind on time as we should of been travelling at full gas at this point as the excess road was downhill onto the dual carriageway, then 7 miles of straight road. Colin and Shaun had come to virtual stop to mind the traffic so we spent valuable energy getting back up to speed. After my initial pull on the front I would swing out and get back in line behind Colin and Shaun. As some of you may know there is quite a significant size difference between me and the other lads. This became very apparent during this TTT. The conditions were not ideal, with a gusting wind and traffic passing us in excess of 60mph adding additional cross winds. I found it virtually impossible to get any sort of shelter from the wind sitting behind either Colin or Shaun. After taking my turn on the front I would get to the back of the line and look to recover, my legs were struggling to hold the wheel of the man in front. This was not a good sign, I looked down at my power meter and I was holding around 20 watts below my threshold to keep in touch, I made several attempts to find shelter from wind but I was just too big to hide. When Colin pulled off and I moved up to 2nd in line, I again looked down at my Power meter and saw that I was already riding at threshold sitting at 2nd man. OH boy!! This is going to be long TTT. Coming into the final couple of miles I hit the wall and hit it hard, I felt dizzy, sick and zigzaging across the road, luckily I had done my final turn so it was more about hanging on till the finish. We crossed the line over 2 mins down on the leaders, not a good performance. Something we all were pretty disappointed about as we generally thought we could put down a competitive time. After collapsing off the bike and scratching around for a gel and water I recovered enough to ride back to HQ and set off back to the University. To rest up for Stage 5.
Shaun’s view
Stage 3: 59.5 miles hilly road race
Group sprint. No successful breakaways. Extremely scary riding in a 90+ group on narrow roads and everyone wants to get to the front. At least three crashes in the peloton in the race. I was in the usual position at the back and was lucky to avoid a crash by doing some cross-country. Again Paul again was aggressive in the stage, but he wasn’t given any distance.
Stage 4: 10.8 miles rolling team time trial
Same day as stage 3. Tried to recuperate in the back of Paul's car, but this was impossible (thank you seat belts, but you were not needed digging into my back). The other teams had hired vans or brought Gazebo’s which gave them plenty of space to lie down and carb up. Some teams had a guy cleaning their bikes. I'm pretty sure I saw a masseur as well. We didn't feel like the most prepared team, but what we did have was....nitrate. In the form of beetroot juice. Backed up with some scientific studies to show a performance benefit, but this only applies if you can stomach the stuff. Acquired. Very acquired. We got off to a terrible start as we had to weave through traffic to join the motorway. This cost us a good minute at least. The TT was held in rush hour which was not the brightest idea. We got into a rhythm on the motorway and we felt good. At half-way we did a 180 and went back along the A/B road parallel to the motorway and into a headwind. Colin and I are tiny so Paul didn’t get much shelter in the slipstream and was slightly fatigued from the cumulative effects of the race and not fuelling properly in the interim. He was near to threshold sitting behind us. We were at a disadvantage of only having three rides, most other teams had four, but I hate making excuses. We were outside the top 10. Bleak.
Stage 3 Positions
Colin 32nd @ 45sec
Paul 54th @ 45sec
Shaun 67th @45sec
Stage 4 Position
North Road CC 21st @ 3min 20sec
GC after stage 4
Colin 58th @7min 19sec
Shaun 63rd @7min 58sec
Paul 65th @8min 15sec
Saturday 29th June Day 4, Stage 5
Our chase back continue s Shaun drives our group towards the finish
Colin’s view
We had decided the previous day that if we were going to make any time back up we would have to go on the attack today. Looking at the course profile there looked to be two tough climbs early in the stage with the first coming after only 5km.
I'd managed to get into a good position in the neutralised section but it was hard work staying there with a fast pace set by the lead car and everyone trying to move up. I was still holding position in the top 15-20 riders even with lots of riders 'swamping' around the outside. As soon as the neutralised flag was dropped there was a blistering pace set by the leaders team and some of the team mates of the top few guys. This carried on right up until the climb. As the climb started I decided to try and move through with the lead guys. A few guys not being able to take the pace started to slide backwards. This meant a few sprints to try and close gaps which meant digging deep. After about 3-4 mins I realised this was a long climb and not as short as it looked on the profile. It was time to go as deep as possible to hang on and hope the summit came soon. Looking at my power numbers, anywhere between 400-600w I knew I couldn't hold it for long. Another couple of minutes passed and then I slowly couldn't hold the wheel in front. I had to back off and ride the last minute steady to avoid blowing completely. There was about another minute to the top and just cresting a small group containing Shaun came past. There were 6 of us and we started working well with the group still in sight. We were riding hard but we didn't make any ground on the remains of the bunch, they had kept the pressure on and that was the last we would see of them. We carried on down the long decent and after about 5 mins Paul had managed to get onto the back of our group. He must have been flying to catch us on his own on the decent.
A couple of minutes after Paul caught us the second climb started and as we hit, Paul started to make noises that can only be described as 'buffalo like'. We tried to keep it steady as we were better as a group but it was a tough long climb. Unfortunately this was the last time we saw Paul on this stage. I think he paid going too deep to catch us just before the second climb.
This left 6 of us with only 3-4 of us able to contribute on the hilly sections. Shaun was very strong on the climbs and put in some big turns which helped limit our losses. From here there was still a good 40 miles to go so it was a long session of through and off. As we hit the flatter sections with about 25 miles to go it was noticeable a few of our group were really struggling. A few missing turns and a few struggling to roll through. This led to a big group of 20 riders catching us with about 20 miles to go. This should have been good as we should have been able to work better as a big group. However out of the 20 riders there were about 3 willing to work and the rest wanting to sit on. This led to a lot of negativity in our group with the riders that were working getting frustrated at those that wouldn't. After all we were all in the same position trying to limit our losses. It was amazing how many people were saving themselves to sprint for 30th place! We voiced our opinions :)
As we approached the finish it was a short steep rise and those that had sat on sprinted for the line and me and Shaun just followed to make sure there weren't any splits in the finishing time. This was the hardest stage by far and we had put a lot of effort in today. It was also hot and we had just run out of fluid. It was also a 10mile ride back to the university from here.
We waited at the finish for Paul. There were lots of riders finishing in small groups and lots of riders coming in on their own. We were later to find out there were a lot of riders eliminated after finishing outside the time limit. The broom wagon finally came through a good 45 minutes after the leaders but there was still no sign of Paul. We spoke to the organiser at the finish and they started to check which cars had seen him and where. We decided to ride back to the uni and were pleased to see him once we got back. He had a mechanical issue and got onto the wrong piece of dual carriageway when chasing back and decided to head straight back from there. This however meant he wasn't able to start the final stage 6 and we were down to 2.
Paul’s view
A lot had been made of the final stage and the summit finish we were to endure on the final day, on closer inspection Stage 5 was going to be the toughest. It was not a circuit like the earlier stages but a point to point course. The route rolled out from the university and was neutralised for nearly 10 miles. Then once racing was underway we would hit 2 massive climbs at the start of the race, the first coming within 5 miles of the race being de-neutralised. This meant for the whole of the neutralised section the whole pack was trying to get to the front to hit the climb first. This made for a very nervy pack with people fighting for position. We covered the 10 miles at some pace as before we knew it racing was underway.
The lead car waited for the pack to negotiate a right turn then went up to speed and pulled in the flag to signal racing had begun. The pace was frantic from the off, everybody trying to get towards the front in anticipation of the first climb. We covered the first few miles very quickly and we hit the base of the climb at full speed. The climb was a couple of miles long and the pace did not ease. The race was ripped to shreds from the off, riders trying to stay with the top guys and blowing in spectacular fashion enabling even me to overtake a few on the way up. There was also a crash half way up which didn’t help matters as both rider and bike just lay in the road. I dug in deep and tried to ignore the severe burning from the legs and lungs to reach the top. Once I crested the top and rolled round the corner I realised I was alone, I couldn’t see any one behind me so I thought I must have been the last one to reach the top. Looking forward further down the road I could see a group of riders working well together down the long and twisting descent which covered several miles. I decided that I would empty the tank and try and bridge the gap. Over the next few miles I left everything out there and through every turn in the road I could see the group slowly coming closer to me. I kept my head down and continued to drive on, after what felt like an eternity I managed to make contact with the group of riders, which contained both Colin and Shaun. At his point my body was screaming and making contact meant I could sit in and recover for the massive effort I had put in. Unfortunately for me this was not going to happen, I had bridged the gap but made contact at the base of the next big climb. This also was a couple of miles long with approx 10 mins of torture to endure. We hit the climb and already going deep into the red bridging the gap, my legs and lungs did not know what to do with themselves. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the massive amount of discomfort I was in but before long the group were pulling away from me, I had nothing left and got dropped halfway up. At this point I could have cried but I looked behind and saw a group of around 20 riders heading towards me. I hadn’t been last far from it, now I could sit in and try and get myself back together for the rest of the race. We hadn’t even made half distance yet. The next few miles were rolling up and down with short punchy climbs. This course was brutal and It new it. The road eventually pointed downward into a very fast technical descent with a couple tight bends then into a hairpin turn before being lead down onto the busy dual carriageway we had done TTT on. I am confident and fast descender and I made my way through the bends with ease then headed towards the hairpin turn. I looked behind to see the rest of the group and I must of pulled out a 200m gap on them. On approaching the hairpin there was gravel over the white line which caused my rear end to slide. I managed to keep control but in the commotion my chain had come off and jammed between the frame and the 11t of the rear cassette. I had to get off the bike and after several very hard pulls I managed to get the chain free. Unfortunately by this time the group had all reached and passed me and were approx 100m down the road. I knew that If I didn’t catch them within the next minutes I never would as the race was just about to enter the dual carriage way. I again dug in to chase, but the sheer numbers in the group meant I just could not real them in.
The next part of the race would be my last participation in the Ras De Cymru and I’m thankful it was not any worse. The next part of the course followed several miles of the A40 towards Abergavenny. The large group ahead had NEG motorcycle escorts and a following commissioner’s car escorting the group down the dual carriage way. I would have no such luxuries and would have to ride the busy dual carriage way on my own. There was no hard shoulder as such but I would ride as far left as possible could as the passing vehicles thundering passed at 60-70mph was very unnerving. I adopted a TT position and was rather impressed at my ability to hold 26 mph along the carriage way. Trouble is the group ahead were travelling over 28 mph and jut pulled away from me. After several miles I looked up and saw the yellow triangle indicating the turn off from the carriage way. I was still travelling at good speed holding my TT position and preparing to make the exit, when suddenly an Articulated lorry came hurtling past which appeared to be only inches away and nearly sucked me straight under the rear trailer. Having deep dish carbon wheels and hands not in the ideal position on the handle bars made the bike became very unstable. I held the handlebars in a straight line until the bike settled. By the time I had the bike fully under control I had passed the slip lane exit by some considerable distance. Due to the busy nature of the dual carriage way and the close call with the lorry I thought it was far safer to ride to the next junction and exit than attempt to ride against the fast oncoming traffic. This would be my last participation in the race, as I did not complete the stage I would not be allowed to start stage 6.
I had a lengthy discussion with the race organiser and chief commissioner about the incident. As I felt very exposed and vulnerable riding the dual carriageway on my own and being allowed to ride it on my own. My biggest issue was that on discussion 3 commissioners and marshals observed me entering the dual carriageway and not one witnessed me exit. Colin and Shaun would wait 45 mins after finishing the stage for me but after being told by the broom wagon they had not seen any other riders they then started their 35-40 min ride back to HQ. It was nearly 2 and half hours before I saw anyone regarding the race to let them know I was ok and made it home safely. I made this point very clear to the organisers as I could have potentially been lying in a ditch requiring medical attention for a considerable length of time before anyone realised.
It was a shame to have to finish the event on such a downer on what was overall a rather good experience. Being able to participate in a proper stage race on tough stages really tested you as rider and enabled me to learn a few things about myself.
Overall this was very good event and one that I would like to attempt again. Hopefully the organisers act on the feedback that was given to improve certain aspects of the race for next year. Especially the issues involving they heavy use of the A40 at busy times of the day. While writing this Cycling Weekly report a rider suffering critical injuries on the very roads mentioned. I count myself very lucky
Shaun’s view
Stage 5: 51.4 miles hilly road race
Three big climbs in this stage. The Welsh teams knew these roads well and put the hammer down on the first climb. The peloton blew up and there were riders all over the show. Poor positioning cost me massively today. I was at the back and overtaking riders that were being dropped sapped the energy. Unfortunately I just didn't have the power to close the gap that was forming and was extremely pissed for not being better positioned. Lesson learned. Colin was better placed, but went into red too soon on the climb and was also found off the back of the top guys. Paul? Well he only does flat and downhill. A group of six of us (first group behind the leaders) including Colin, formed a chain gang and tried to make our way back, but this a fruitless task. Somehow Paul bridged the gap to our group of 6, even though we were working together to reach to leaders. This was incredible, but his timing was rubbish. He caught us at the start of another climb and slipped back immediately after catching us. We rode for 40+ miles in a chain gang to the finish. Colin and I put in loads of work in our group of six, but lost nearly 9 minutes on this stage.
Stage 5 Positions
Colin 63rd @8:55
Shaun 65th @8:55
Paul DNF
GC after Stage 5
Colin 60th @15:44
Shaun 65th @16:53
Sunday 30th June. Day 5, Stage 6
Keeping cool before Stage 6 The infamous stage 6 climb
Colin’s view
This was the stage that on paper looked like the hardest. The final 6km climb with 12% peaks is what we knew lead to the finish. The first half of the race can only be described as a pedestrian pace. Stage 5 had been so hard and with everyone knowing what was to come it could well have been a club run. There wasn't much action over the first couple of climbs on the stage and it only really started to speed up about 10km from the bottom of the final climb. There was a narrow fast decent about 4km before the bottom of the final climb. There was a big crash with a rider cutting in to avoid a car that had stopped on the other side of the road. This was only a couple of bikes in front of me. How I stayed up I'm not quite sure. I locked up my rear wheel managed to slalom around the spinning bikes and bodies bouncing over the road. I somehow came out the other side but it meant a chase back to the pack. I could have done without this so close to the climb. I got back on and managed to recover for a couple of minutes just before we turned right onto the climb. The front of the pack settled into a rhythm and the pace was hard but manageable. The first couple of minutes carried on like this until a rider in front missed his gear change and his bike shot back. It touched my front wheel and I had to come to a standstill and perform a track stand to avoid coming down. This meant another hard sprint back up to the riders in front which was now into a stiff headwind. In hind sight I should have just ridden at a steady pace back up to them as this just tipped me slightly into the red. I started to struggle to hold the wheels in front. I decided to ride the rest of the climb to my power meter and keep as high pace as I could without any accelerations. This worked well and at the steeper points I started to reel in small groups of riders. From here I managed to keep passing rather than getting passed. I even managed a bit of a sprint to the line.
Once across the line I was glad to see Paul waiting to pick us up which saved a 10 mile ride back to HQ.
Shaun’s view
Stage 6: 47.3 miles rolling race with mountain top finish
This stage had two climbs and then finished with a 3 or 4 mile cat 2 climb. I was feeling good in the stage and was actually riding near the front. Stupidly, I put in an effort at the front trying to bridge a gap, but the lad behind me was not contributing. I pushed on, but got blew up on a climb. I was very close to be pooped out the back, but managed to hang on. Near the finished I got caught in a crash and was held back. Buckets of precious energy was spent on chasing the peloton in a headwind. These extra unnecessary efforts took their toll. We got to the start of the final climb. The start was steep, middle of climb was steep and the finish made the start look gentle! The scenery was absolutely spectacular! I settler into my own rhythm (i.e. got dropped) and let the leaders sweat it out. I got to the top 4 minutes after the leader.
Overall I finished 60th. Not great, but I underestimated the level of competition and my tactical naivety cost me dearly. Many of the riders are Cat 1s and take it very serious. Loads of riders took rollers and other contraptions to cycle before AND after the race...crazy fools. I could've improved on other areas as well, such as: not watching films and going to bed before midnight. Not eating the sausages from the canteen which have clearly been there for days. I’m quite sure it was only myself and some NEG enjoying the sausages! Anyway, massive thanks to Paul and Colin for all the organising and driving! Absolutely amazing experience and I encourage all of you to do it (or at least go to Wales and experience the quiet and scenic roads)! Will definitely be submitting the entry for next year's race!
Stage 6 Positions
Colin 50th @3min 41sec
Shaun 60th @4min 48sec
Final GC
Colin 56th @ 18min 33sec
Shaun 60th @ 20min 19sec
The Ras was a great experience and now seeing the course first hand we would like to go back and have another go. A few tweaks to the training focussing on the type of terrain will definitely be needed. And of course a full team of 4 would really help.....so who fancies it in 2014?! Or maybe 2 teams?......