SERRL Hog Hill - Sat 11th Sept 10

SERRL Hog Hill - Saturday 11th September 2010

Despite not having raced since the E123 North Road Olympic meeting I thought it was time to have a crack at a Hog Hill again.

With the wind dropping off I decided to run the deep section wheels but this decision was half undone as I picked up a bit of flint in the front tyre just before the start of the race and  had to swap over to a Neutron on the front. A good start.

The beginning of the race was tentative with no one really pushing on.  Any attempt to move off the front was negated by the big headwind down the back straight. I had a dig on the hill on the second lap and made a decent gap but no one came across and I didn't have the legs to keep the lead up and was brought back within two laps. Desperate not to drop back in the pack and be at the mercy of someone else losing a wheel I rode like an idiot on the front or near to the front for the rest of the race.

The group broke up a little with a quite a few riders falling out the back on the hill. With three laps to go the usual calm before the storm fell over the group. A few half-hearted jumps were shut down quickly and it came down to the final lap, final hill and hairpin. I was sat on the front on the hill but was looking over the wrong shoulder as the eventual winner jumped and made two bike lengths immediately. I pushed over the top of the hill and was feeling good for at least at top three but suddenly found myself boxed in and had to settle for fifth place. Oh well...too little race practice to really have expected more I guess! Good fun and thanks to Ian Coles and daughter for cheering me on - always nice to hear a few shouts from the side of the road !