Second win for Jamie Anderson at Hog Hill

Hog Hill Round 7 - Saturday 24th January 2009 

After a work enforced break I was back to contest the 3/4 Cat race at the Hog Hill circuit – the 7th race in the winter series. Having recently gained possession of a shiny new 3rd cat license, I collected my new number and began my warm up. Icy conditions and heavy rain prior to the race meant a reduced and reversed circuit, which didn’t suit me at all. Rather than respite afforded by the long flat section at the bottom of the course, one quick decent was followed by an uphill sprint, and the pace was very high right from the off. The truncated course meant the start became a battle of nerves with the better part of 25 riders squeezing though the tight hairpin at the end of 30mph decent. Coupled with the pace were the amount of water on the track, and the clods of mud towards the edges. After a couple of laps it became pretty apparent which line was the best to take, but negotiating the group to be able to take that line was another matter.

The fierce pace took a few causalities in the initial laps, me included. More than once I found myself drifting off the rear of the lead group, only to fight my way back during the approach to the finishing straight. After 20 minutes the pace slowed, some of the early break attempts clearly taking their toll on the field. This allowed me a little more time at the head of the group, which obviously enabled a smoother transition through the bends.

As the final laps ticked down (the 5 laps sign was cruelly put out twice), a group of 8 or so riders formed at the front, each equally strong. The sprints towards the principle decent that had characterized the initial laps had disappeared and the pace had evened out. With one lap to go there was still no decisive break, and after a particularly efficient negotiation of the bottom corner I found my momentum carried me clear of the group on the first climb. Before the race started I figured a top 10 place would be good. My kick for the line started earlier than I had planned, but I figured I could at least hold on to a point’s position. What surprised me was the lack of anyone directly on my wheel.

I gained quickly on a rider 20 meters or so in front of the group, wondering if he had been lapped or had also sprinted off the front without me noticing. As approached he kicked, and we both sprinted the final 100 meters, by which time I was totally spent. Elated at my second, but with nothing left, I eased up and let him cross the line first. I freewheeled over the line and down the hill, only to pull off the track because of a huge wave of nausea. I eventually made it back to the finish line and handed in my numbers, only to find that the rider who beat me to the line was actually placed 9th and was simply trying to avoid being lapped. Had I cottoned on to this I might have been able to save us both some effort – it’s a steep learning curve I find myself on!