Consider this my introduction to bicycle racing in the UK. By no means a master class on the subject, but a full immersion in a short time. From what I can see you can pretty much pick your discipline, crits, cross, TTs, road race, specialize in that and race year round if you want to. Obviously different from what we are used to but keeps the competition going so not all bad.
Within 10 miles of our place there are two purpose
built cycle circuits where they run s
eries of races pretty much year round. Seemed the easiest to get to was west of our place, so off to Hillingdon I went. The series was supposed to start the first week of December, but had been snowed/iced out 3 of 4 weeks, thanks to the coldest December in something like 120 years. The facility is pretty nice, a clubhouse with a locker room to change in, snack bar, and obviously closed roads to race on. The only thing a little strange is the double swithbacks in the middle of the course.
As you can see other than that its pretty straightforward, slight rise to the finish, and downhill down the back stretch. Real crit skills are not needed and there really isn't anything to split the races. I can imagine that for everyone from London it is a bit like doing the Tues night crits, same course, same people, but for me at least its still new and exciting. I guess there is always Hog Hill once this gets old.
Woke up New Years Day to familiar cloudy skys, but an unfamiliar43 degrees got the blood pumping. All my hopes and fears were based on the race. I hoped I wouldn't get crushed, but feared I would. Since I had only ridden on the road 4 times in 3 months, and there was no way spin class was going to replicate real racing I was completely unsure of what to expect. As I rode out to the circuit the clouds turned to fog, and even got a little misty as I arrived. If I would have know what was to come I wouldn't have even left the house. A good sized group, or at least so I thought, 20 or so toed the line, and as we set off the mist turned to drizzle. We set off fast, north of 30, for the first couple of laps, but then it became clear that those setting the pace weren't going to be able to manage it for long. I can imagine all those guys setting new year's resolutions to win a race by soloing off the front, but those were more of dreams than resolutions. There only only two or three teams with more than one person in the race and it seemed that nobody was willing to take big risks. There were only 5 or 6 guys that ever tried to attack, but the mix never ended up right I guess as it kept coming back together. Since I had no real ambitions I spent alot of the time on the front just setting tempo, while the rest of the group hid from the wind. The persistent drizzle didn't really affect the racing, but made for the dirtiest bike ride I have ever been on. Think that stage of the Giro this summer, yeah close to that. I've seen cyclocross races, with cleaner bikes and kit. With 1 to go was sitting 3rd wheel, but with no desire to mix it up with the sprinters, and there were alot of them, I just kinda let the sprint happen. Still ended up top 10. 25.5 miles in 1h07m at an average of 22.8 mph.
While everyone in the States toiled away at work we had Monday the 3rd off, and what better excuse for another bike race, than a holiday. (don't complain we don't have Thanksgiving) Now personally, I thought that Monday's weather was worse than Saturday, high of 36, and 10-15 mph winds, but I must have been the only one. Kristen even looked at me funny, as to say 'man up' when I complained about the cold. I figured if this race was like Monday, and I actually raced with a purpose I might be able to manage a result. Not sure if it was the precipitation or hangovers that kept people home on New Year's day, but those reservations were long gone. 55 guys lined up just after noon to try their luck. Throughout the race it seemed that every feeling or observation I had had about the race two days ago was magnified. I couldn't believe how negative the racing was. I think a third of the field just wanted to survive, another third just wanted to wait for the sprint, and the rest just wanted to keep the group together. Nobody seemed willing to make a full-hearted attack, but everyone was willing to shut down the slightest acceleration on the front. We had a stiff head wind on the backstretch and tail wind as you climbed toward the finish, so everyone was flying uphill, where it would have normally strung things out a bit. On Saturday I kept thinking to myself that the sprinters (big guys) had to feel a little ashamed to let myself and another skinny guy set the pace, but on Monday I figured out just how wrong I was. I think that half the field had to been over 180. I guess it makes sense, with all the cold dark nights, beer, and meat pies, its easy to put on a few extra lbs. I felt like I was in the big and tall store trying to by size 30 pants. Everyone just kinda looked at me funny as if to say get out of my way. And damn were they willing to bump elbows and handlebars for position. I politely rode in the wind on a number of occasions to exclude myself from said festivities. In the end the a couple of failed attacks, and some pointless tempo, and then the big boys bashed each other all over the finale. 24th 26.1 miles in 1h05m at an average of 24 mph.
Considering the amount I have been riding, I was pretty pleased with the weekend. Hog Hill has, you guessed it, a hill which maybe more to my liking for the spring and summer, but for now I will keep lining up at Hillingdon, someday something will stick.
Aftermath of the dirty New Year's day race. I had been rained on for 10 miles on the way home and was still dirty. No, its not a beard.
