Ottergem Kermesse

On Saturday I headed to Ottergem for another kermesse. Having arrived with plenty of time to spare, Dom and I set out on a practice/warm up lap of the course. The route contained 3 climbs, one of which cobbled, with many narrow sections littered with 90 degree bends, the finish line at the bottom of a fast twisting decent. With 19 laps of 6km to complete, the race started at 15:00 with 170 riders signing on.

With limited warm up, Dom and I got to the start line early, keen to avoid to the problems we encountered at Merchtem, and also to avoid any splits on the opening laps due to the narrow nature of the roads. As the race got underway, we found ourselves immediately off the front of the race, joined by just one other rider, willing to force the pace. Perhaps this was a little ambitious, especially with cold legs, but at least we could avoid any potential crashes early on. Sure enough we soon found ourselves back in the peloton and I settled into a good position in the top 20 riders. As the attacks went, I found myself chasing a few but never really threatening to gap the peloton. Perhaps working too hard to get away, mid way through the race I went through a really bad phase of riding. Loosing concentration, dropping wheels, and then my glasses as I reshuffled them into my helmet. As rain stared to lash down, the circuit became an ice rink and the many tight corners incredibly slippery. Finding myself near the back of the group, I took a gel and drink and recomposed myself. By the time I had recovered, a break group of 13 had gone clear of the peloton and with many teams represented there was no chase – we were to race for 14th.

Waiting for the sprint, - knowing I would not go clear - I moved to front, well positioned I left the sprint late, possibly too late, but still managed 4th, giving me a final position of 17th. I guess it’s another solid result, but not a great ride. I have always suffered on interval type courses, with the constant braking and acceleration which really summed up this circuit. However, I felt strong on the climbs, and 4th in a downhill sprint shows the top end race fitness is showing itself. The next race was today, a kermesse in Schepdaal where I raced to my first top 10 result, with the report to come tomorrow.