A better day

A better day. Still no points, and I rolled in right at the back, but definitely a better day. The final Hillingdon 3rds race in the winter series was faster paced, which seemed to suit me better. I felt fitter than previously and had very little problem holding my position near the front of the bunch. When I dropped back at the mid-point for a couple of laps to have a breather and some long, steady swigs of energy drink I never doubted I would be able to move back up again easily. With five laps to go I found myself on the front – a bit of canny soft-pedalling allowed me to slip back to 4th or 5th, where I stayed until two laps to go. Then someone decided to force their way through a gap that wasn’t there, cut in from the inside of the hairpin turn and slowly die up the slight incline, boxing me in. Suddenly all my speed was scrubbed off, about 10 riders had stormed by on the other side and I was left looking for a gap to move into and get off this guy’s wheel. By the time I managed to get out from behind him I was mid-pack at best, so held back about 10 metres from the bunch in the final lap to give myself room to avoid any last-minute mishaps.

Frustrating really, but I feel that for once I did nearly everything right. Still, it all happens in the last couple of laps, where I am still failing to get it right!