The early part of Spring was a bit of a disaster.
March 7th 2010 - Surrey League (Festival RC) 2/3Kirdford
Hit a pothole of biblical proportions 13 miles in, chain jumps up and drags front derailleur down, gears sieze up, end of race.
March 14th 2010 - Surrey League (Kingston Wheelers) 2/3 Dunsfold
Two club mates get away in break so I decide to play the role of super domestique and disrupt the chase backs. In the last 2km as the pace in the chasing bunch steps up for the final sprint I've run out of diesel. Goodbye bunch. To make matters worse the race stewards, thinking everyone is in, close up shop on the deviation on the final lap run in and I end up doing another lonely 5km before realising the error of my ways. Last place! Ho hum. Still, some reflected glory as club mate Julian bags the win.
April 3rd 2010 - Whitewebbs CC Spring Circuit Races E123 Hog Hill
3 punctures. End of story.
April 10th 2010 - Surrey League (Addiscombe CC) 2/3 Bletchingley
Legs are feeling good. I'm forcing the pace and enjoying the steep climb up to the finish line - apart from the potholes. 2 laps to go - dumph, I crunch into one of those potholes, pffttt, front tyre deflates. Neutral service takes a few minutes to arrive but after the wheel change I'm charging behind the service car, 4 inches off the bumper - living the dream! Half a lap later and the bunch is within sight - just need another minute behind the car...but then, up ahead there's a rider on the side of the road with a puncture and that's the end of my assisted chase back and the end of any chance getting back on. 42nd...
April 22nd 2010 - Crystal Palace Summer League 2 E12
The less said about this the better. Caught twice behind a rider who's chain keeps jumping - close the gap. Caught behind Cosmo who crashes nastily on Dead Man's Curve - don't close the gap. Palace is not for me...
May 2nd 2010 - Surrey League (Bayeux Landscapes) 2/3 Barcombe
An early start for this race - it was raining the night before and it's still raining hard in the morning. The only reason I decide to make my way to the start line is because I'm giving a club mate a lift to the race. Over the following 65 miles to the finish the bastard rain never eases up. It's a real war of attrition. I can barely see with all the grit that's formed a film between the eyes and contact lenses. It feels like I'm carrying an extra 5kg with my kit completely drenched. There are no break aways, just riders dropping off one by one from the back. As the compact bunch makes our way to the uphill finish I get a little boxed in and the legs haven't got to much to give but everyone else is dropping back as well. 9th place. The 10 minute cycle back to the start hut and hot tea/dry clothes is brutal. Everyone that finished the race has that idiotic satisfaction of proving stubborness can overcome sensible decision making.
Still to come - track racing, racing in France and the new bike:D
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