Pecrot

With all intentions of racing in Molenbeek-Wersbeek on Sunday, Saturday was originally planed as an easier preparation day, however after a search of http://www.fcwb.be/ (races in Flanders and the Walloon region are on different websites) via lastminute.com on Friday evening, there was to be a race in Pecrot: a local area I have often used for hillier training rides. Despite an early evening visit to the turbo for my favourite set of intervals (favourite - naturally because its the hardest), I felt far too compelled to ride, knowing the area well and having found most of my success this season on the hillier courses.

Morning came, and unlike any other race this year, this was to be a solo effort. Packing my licence, pins, and an extra energy bar into my pockets, I rode the 25km out to the circuit as a test, still undecided over my participation in the race. Of course arriving at the sign on, and huge start/finish banner, any doubt was quickly removed and irrelevant of the slight fatigue from yesterdays efforts, I was fully into race preparation.

The course featured many of the roads found in the Ottenburg kermis from earlier in the year. After a fast downhill start, the course dragged upwards, onto the Ottenburg 'Bergprijs' climb. After the straight 2km long descent, it was onto a section of cobbles, before a cross wind blast back to the finish - a short sharp climb, followed by 400metres slight descending. It was a super circuit, which seemed to compile all aspects of Belgian racing into one 10km loop.

With just 40 riders taking to the start, I tried a few attempts to move clear but was surprised to see the peloton sticking together until well into the race. With a lot of marking of each other from those who were either self-appointed, or genuine contenders for the win, nothing was able to gain a real lead. However, after 8 of the 12 laps completed, a move finally went clear, on the long decent, and a slight hesitation to move around seemingly disinterested riders was enough for them to move clear. Knowing this was the move to go with, I rode hard up to the main climb of the circuit, perhaps too hard, and 'when push came to shove' I didn't have enough left to jump onto the counter-move over the summit, haunted by the maximal efforts of yesterdays turbo session.

Of course, this counter group quickly bridged the gap, leaving 15 riders up ahead, and the race out of my grasp. However, not content to sit and wait, after a couple of attacks I went clear with one other rider for company. Working well around the final 2 laps, I dropped my compatriot 3km to the line and continued the solo effort looking back to see what remained of the peloton bearing down on me all the way to the line, and indeed coming in on the same time but I just had enough to hold onto 16th.

Riding home again whilst I scraped the barrels of my drink bottle, I clocked 185km for the day, but it was all too apparent how much a difference having support at races makes. I cannot thank enough my Belgian host family for their relentless support this year, without which I could not be racing at this level.

A cracked bottom bracket bearing put pay to any temptations to race Sunday in Molenbeek-Wersbeek, and so I will have a break from racing this week until a return to Overijse on Sunday.