Last night was the second Vets series at Hillingdon (mix of ages across E1234 categories) which should have been a safer event. It was certainly more fun, partly because I know some of the riders there and partly because the riding in these Vets races seems to be quite feisty. I spend a lot more time near the front of the race (positive mental attitude) but suffered from my efforts in the windy conditions towards the end. Ever mindful of what can happen in a large group at Spillingdon I decided to sit out the last lap by coasting round at the back of the bunch. If you’re not in the top 20 or so on the final lap with such a big bunch there’s next to no chance of moving up into contention and I just don’t think the risk is worth it. Plenty do though, it would appear. There was a big pile-up on the final lap in the back straight. About 10 riders went down, some quite heavily. Robin from Dynamo was one of them – he’s only just come back from a crash-related injury and seemed to have broken his collarbone – terrible luck. Another Thames Velo rider looked badly hurt and there was plenty of damaged carbon. I narrowly avoided skidding into a prone AndyL from the Wheelers and had to swerve again to avoid a fallen rider in a TeamGB skinsuit who ignored my shout to stay still. Hopefully all those injured will recover soon.
So that’s two races, two back of bunch finishes, and three crashes. To some extent you can say “Oh well, that’s bike racing” but I’m increasingly of the view that there are some extremely careless people out there. I’ve seen more crashes already this year than in the last two or three years and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. So why are there so many crashes now? Partly I’m sure it’s down to increased numbers on some of the circuits that allow you to be sucked round in the draft of a massive bunch, irrespective of your fitness. That will always mean more riders who think they are in with a chance of glory in the final lap of a crit. More riders are an overall positive sign though, meaning that the sport’s popularity is rising.
I’m sure lack of experience comes into it as well. I’d expect to see some crashes involving youngsters (late teens/early 20’s) who have a different approach to risk in the bunch. They tend to learn quickly though, and usually they show a good standard of riding anyway – they simply take a few more risks because they are fearless. Alright, I’ll admit I’m quite envious of their lack of fear!
The riders I now worry about are the older riders who seem to have recently come into the sport. They don’t seem to be lacking in fitness, but they are simply not experienced in a bunch and take risks without having the benefit (that the younger riders have) of really quick reactions. I can’t help feel that if they only got out more often in chaingangs with their clubs they would develop the skills required to be safer in crits and road races. Last night I felt calm and relaxed at the front of the race, even though I was working hard. In the middle of the bunch I felt nervous and unhappy, even though I was putting in very little effort.
More than anything I’m now worried that I’m becoming increasingly hesitant in the bunch and would rather put in massive efforts to stay on/near the front or drift around a few metres off the back. Perhaps I need some more chaingangs rather than races, just to prove to myself that cycling in close quarters can be a safe and rewarding experience…
I've posted a photo (thanks LCS) which, for a change, shows me actually putting some effort in on the front! Looking at it I'm thinking that I might need a longer stem - I've been feeling a little cramped on the bike in races recently. I also need to loose a couple of kg that have snuck on recently. They must have been hiding in the bottles of wine and at the bottom of the bags of cashew nuts!
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