Fame At Last...

Jef Schils Memorial: 3rd

Photo from Steven Sebborn

Following on from a dramatic victory in the previous days 3 frame, near 1 and a half hour “epic” pool match against Hamish Haynes, I departed for England with high hopes a continuation of winning form. With the alarm set for 5 Saturday morning, I arrived home at midday and prepared for the following days 140km Jef Schils Memorial with an hour spin out, a mandatory trip to Chelmer Cycles, and another hard fought victory at Fifa (taking my tally to 2 in 2 days)

Unlike the usual pleasantries of a 5 o clock breakfast for the standard British start at 9, the race was to follow a continental feel with a much welcomed 2pm start time. The undulating lap near Colchester was to be fought out over 7 laps of 19.8km with an accompanying sprint competition with points for the first 3 riders across the line each lap to liven up the action.

Photo from Steven Sebborn

After a 7 kilometre neutralised section, the racing got underway, and it was not long before the ominous dark skies turned to heavy rain, hailstorms and then some. With strong winds, the race stayed fairly together for the first 2 laps with the occasional group gaining a handful of seconds before being dragged back into the peloton on the exposed headwind sections of the course. On the third lap, I pushed on at the front, distancing the peloton and was shortly joined by Flavio Zappi off the front. Working together, we built up a 30, then 40 second gap, reeling in the sprint points as an added bonus for our efforts. After 2 laps out front, the tough conditions started to take their toll and as the gap dropped, we were joined by 3 more riders: Andy Lyons, Mike Wragg and Jake Hales bridging the gap. With a few kilometres to complete the lap, I started to take an interest in the sprint competition, and the 5 of us just did enough to make the line before being reeled back into the bunch. I again took the maximum points, taking my tally up to 8.

Back in the relative comfort of the peloton, I kept watchful but few riders could break the elastic. With 2 riders already ahead, I rolled through the line to take the remaining point on the final lap to secure the overall sprint competition win. Out of no-where on the final lap, a small change in pace in what was left of the originally 70 strong field left 14 of us out front, and with the gap growing instantly it was clear this would decide the race. Despite a few speculate efforts, the group rolled in together for a sprint. Not feeling all too sharp, I was too far back and had to settle for 3^rd, the race being won by Jason White with Joeri Bueken in second, the pair easily distancing the rest in the kick for the line.

With the race over, quick shower and prize presentation complete, it was straight back in the car and back to Belgium, arriving here in Kumtich at 2.30 in the morning! It was a long weekend, but well worth the visit. Hopefully I can build on that form for the final few weeks of the season.

Note to self: Having taken bottles with my right hand for the past 2 years, the connection of brain to tell left hand when to grip proved somewhat of a difficulty! 4 bottles slapped onto the ground and on such a long lap, that’s a race ending mistake on a hot day! In a weird paradox, I’m almost glad it was cold and wet… Almost.

Empty August

Right, I’m going to start again from here. The reason for my lack of blog posts recently is due being very little to blog about. It’s very easy to write when things are going well but scribbling down notes on my lack of form and lack of results is never that appealing. I’ve had a real problem this year with consistency, my form comes and goes unpredictably, and it’s got to that time in the season where I’m starting to get tired and the motivation is waning. I’m having a bit of a rest week now after racing what felt like every other day since Vlaams-Brabant and its starting to catch up with me. Hopefully I can clear some fatigue and hit the last 4 weeks of the season in some sort of shape. I’m heading back to England this weekend for the Jef Schils Memorial , and then to Belgium until I head back to Loughborough in early October.

Latest results:

11/8 Halen 30^th

14/8 Ronde Van Antwerp ?

15/8 Ronde Van Antwerp ?

18/8 Hoeleden Race Cancelled

20/8 Wambeek 35th

22/8 Wambeek 12th

25/8 Orp-Jauche 14th

28/8 Hove DNF

Hopefully some better news and better blogging soon...

New Wheels from Fuerte Bici

With my Zipp 404’s breaking every time I put them in the bike (2 rims cracked, 2 spokes, faulty hub and a complete rebuild later – of course all my fault according to Zipp) I decided it was time for a set of wheels that I can actually use. Admiring their toughness at the winter cyclo-cross circuit, I was fortunate enough to gain some sponsorship from Ben Nicholson at Fuete Bici, and opted for a pair of 38mm tubular carbons. I’ve been using these on the rough Belgian roads for a few weeks now and cannot fault them. As well as being super light (at just 1251g for the pair!), they are also stupidly strong (having withstood a bunny hop/rear wheel/curb/blowout incident), the likes of which would have undoubtedly caused the Zipp fibres to have parted company. Again.

So what I’m saying is, if you want a wheel that’s light, strong and looks the buisness then I absolutely recommend these. At £425 for 38’s they are the best value for money wheels going, making my Zipps (retailing at over 4 times that price!) completely redundant.

Link: http://www.fuertebici.com/

On a side note, if anyone does want a pair of wheels they can spend more time fixing than riding, my effectively brand new 404's are begging to be sold...

Lazy blogging, report From Vlaams-Brabant

It’s been 3 weeks since my last blog, a little bit of lost motivation creeping in perhaps? Anyway, I don’t remember too much from the last few races, so rather than waffle my way through vague descriptions, here’s my latest blog through the medium of photography:

  The team for the 5 day Ronde Van Vlaams Brabant (L – R): Me, Kevin Crabbe, Dom Schils, Matti Stiens, Dieter Uyttersprot, Dieter Verbeek.

  

Stage 1: Wilsele 145km, 3 X 34.5 + 5 X  8.5 km. 

The race stayed mainly together throughout, with few break away attempts gaining more than a few seconds. The elastic eventually snapped on the with 2 of the finishing circuits to go while I was sitting back expecting a bunch sprint. The group instantly gained one-and –a-half minutes. The winner of the overall would come from that group and with team mate Matti making the cut and finishing 5^th, it was all to play for on day 2.

Stage 2: Boutersem 172km, 7 X 24.5km laps. With the GC already taking shape, the race was a lot more controlled, but a group did manage to jump clear mid-way through. With Matti puncturing from the break, the team rode to the front to chase the gap down. By the end a 2 minute gap was back to just 20 seconds after a long day pulling turns on the front. 

Stage 3: Rotselar 11.6km time trial. 

In true British style, we headed out along a dead straight road for 5.8km, turned around, and rode back again. Despite not feeling so good, I came in a respectable 25^th place, from the near 200 starters, and I was boosted up the GC to a top 30 position.

Stage 4: Betekom 145km, 4X 26.6 + 3 x 12.8

Feeling better as the race went on, I went attacking today, and moved off front a couple of times. With a pan flat parcours, and teams willing to control the race, staying out front was tough work and sure enough a bunch kick decided the race. Early on I’d suffered a seat post dropping, and rear puncture. Plenty of practise chasing behind the car!

Stage 5: Liedekirke 155km 3 x 24.4 + 5 X 15.3

Couple of climbs on todays parcours including the cobbled Puttenberg to be climbed every lap of the race. Despite the difficult race, the peleton stayed almost intact, as the leading teams fought to ensure a bunch kick. I tried a couple of times over the climbs, but unable to move clear was content to wait for the bunch kick. With plenty of crashes through the final bends, I came in top 20.

I finished the race 27^th on GC, and second of my team. I can take a lot from the race though: doing my fair share of riding at the front of the peleton, a decent time trial and throwing in a few attacks of my own for the week. Despite the good form gained from the race, taking on another Beker Van Belgie interclub in Zillebeke the following Wednesday proved too much, as my quest to recover in time was thwarted by the relentltess climbs of the Belgian Walloon! A big DNF. I think perhaps 7 big races, nearly 1000km of racing in 10 days was a little ambitious...

Keep tuned in, more to follow soon!

   

Mémorial Henri Garnier - Falmagne-Dinant

I’ve been fairly quiet on the blogging front recently, but that’s not to say the racing has gone the same way. With a pretty busy racing schedule over the last 2 weeks, and intermittent internet available, I’ve got a back log of blogs on the way!

On the 24th I got my first experience of a Beker Van Belgie Interclub, usually reserved for the Belgian riders as foreigners can’t score points toward the team standings. And we all know what points make. The race was located deep in the Ardennes, towards the French border and that region only means one thing: hills. And lots of them.

Fortunately, the race was neutralised for the immediate ascent from the start line, although Belgian being Belgians were still racing from the gun, fighting wheel for wheel to hold a good position at the front of the peloton. I stayed within the top third of the field, always pushing to stay forward with the first King of Mountains prime occurring at kilometre 6. At the high speeds of the peloton, we cruised over the short summit, and instantly descended through a tight, twisty tree lined descent at some speed. With the race singled out, all I could do was hold position, while attempting to move up at any opportunity before hitting the first major climb of the day. Although never particularly steep, the climb was long, and badly positioned I was fighting the bike and closing gaps to avoid missing out on a split. As always the speed picked up on the false flat section as the climb plateau, and this was where the real damage was done.

Groups of riders peeled off the front, as riders dropped wheels due to the accelerations into the fierce cross winds. I’ve had plenty of practice riding in the gutter in kermis races but this is another step up and very quickly 30 or so riders had gapped what remained of the peloton. They instantly moved clear, and approaching the line for the first time, had already amassed a huge 4 minute advantage. With 4 laps of the finishing circuit to complete, and 2 GPM (hill primes) a lap, as well as the constantly rolling terrain, it was still very much race on within the peloton. Feeling strong, I stayed toward the front of the group, and pressing on over the climbs looking to move into a good working chase group. With 2 laps to go, I eventually broke clear in a group of 14 after attacking hard on the shallower yet longer climb of the circuit, but with the leaders now some 8 minutes ahead, I was clear we were only racing each other.

With no-one really willing to chase too hard, I found myself doing a lot of work in the group, and even found myself in a 2-up style effort for a few kilometres after ‘accidently’ dropping the group! It was not long until the peloton reared its head from behind, as so few riders were willing to set the pace, and with that came a reaction from 5 of the stronger riders. I quickly bridged up to them and finally we started some real riding, catching a few of the dropped riders from the lead groups. On the final sprint to the line, one rider jumped the group using the footpath, and despite my chase, couldn’t quite catch him on the line, finishing 30^th from the 198 starters.  

Summary: Good ride, but you can’t win a race unless you’re in the lead group. Need to make that jump into the front splits. I’m working on it!

Following with two easy days, on the Wednesday began the first of five stages of the Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant. Blog to follow.

So Close Yet So Far

Arriving back in Belgium from a week in the Alps on Sunday, (blog coming soon) today I headed to Lebbeke for an under-23 kermis. Having taken the last few days easy to recover, I headed to the race feeling fresh, and ready to race. The 50 riders who signed on for the race were greeted on the start line by a distant yet ominously loud rumble of thunder - the sound of air frantically rushing from tyres was a clear sign of things to come.

With the wind picking up and the sky darkening, the pace around the twisty, narrow circuit was fast, as riders tried to break clear early from the peloton. However, nothing was sticking, and I decided to wait a little in the protection of the wheels before playing my hand. After an hour of racing, I felt ok, not spectacular, perhaps missing the race pace, but able to stay comfortable near the front of the race. However, as the rain started to fall I started to feel stronger and stronger. These are the type of conditions I revel in and coupled with the incredibly cautious Belgian style cornering in the wet, I moved to the front and put the pedal down, easily moving off the front almost at will! Getting a little excited, I even had a quick dash for a mid race prime which turned into flat out sprint to the line with one other enthusiastic rider. I won.

Eventually I got away in a 14 man break, and we quickly distanced ourselves from what was left of the peloton. However, as always with a group this size, a few decided to sit on and with 2 laps left, I decided to attack to see if I could shake off a few of the parasites. To my surprise no-one came with me, and I made the choice to push on, now completely committed to racing to the line. Into the final lap, and one rider bridged up to me. We held a 15seconds gap and pressed hard for the final 5 kilometres.

However, with impeccable timing the puncture fairy reared its ugly head just as I entered a tight corner - before I knew it I was eating tarmac. As it went, the rider I accompanied soloed to the line, holding off the chase. Make of that what you will.

Looking ahead, I’ll be riding the Memorial Henri Garnier Beker Van Belgie on Sunday, and I’m assured it’s going to be a hilly one! Then the 5 day tour of Vlaams-Brabant where I hope to pull a big ride out!

Final thought: if you think you can win, then you might win. If you think you can lose, you will lose.

  

10th in Herenhout

Heading north into the Limburg, it’s almost a given that the race will be a stereotypical Belgian affair - flat and fast. In fact, I could have easily written this blog before the race had even started: a large field, a fast average speed, and a stunningly boring parcours. It’s possible even triathletes could have successfully negotiated their way around without crashing. Well, perhaps. One hundred and thirty six riders signed on for another 6pm start to face a 110 kilometre cadence work out.

Predictably the early pace was high, as riders constantly pinged off the front in futile attempts to break clear, and although a few gaps were opened, there was never any danger of moves going clear, the pace in peloton sitting over 45kph. With very little wind, and an easy going circuit, I decided the best option was to sit in, save my energy, and get some well needed speed back into the legs.

As often happened last year in these types of races, a winning move goes clear within the final lap as riders start to look at each other and save themselves for the bunch sprint. 130up gallops to the line not exactly being my forte, this was exactly my plan – to wait until the final lap and try to jump clear from there.

In all honesty, nothing really happened until then and so as we hit the bell lap it was now or never for my planned and sole attack of the race. Spurred on by some true classics of Belgian radio - ‘Busteds’ moronic expedition to the year 3000 sickeningly stuck in my head - I went clear with 8 similarly minded riders, and battled on toward the line, holding a slight but definite gap over the charging peloton.

However, with 500metres to go the gap was shut and a bunch sprint was on to decide the winner, with the fast moving, and fellow Brit, Dan McLay taking another victory, while I rolled in to round out the top ten.

I’ll take that result. These fast, flat races are not my type of terrain, but I raced with my head, stuck to my plan and it very nearly paid off. That’s it on the racing front for a bit, as I head off to the Alps on Friday morning for a week of pain and suffering in the stunning mountain passes. Back to racing on the 17^th once I’ve killed all the speed from my legs and over-trained myself into the ground.

On a side note, consuming copious amounts of caffeine in evening races is useful during the event but not especially conducive to a good nights sleep after, hence the lateness of this blog appearing. I'd like to also suggest here, that anyone who voluntarily listens to Busted or equivalent needs to be shot. And their family. And friends if they have any. Get out of my head, and let me sleep.

3rd in Zwalm-Rozebeke!

On Sunday, I headed west to Zwalm for a hilly 104kilometre kermis. The 56 starters were to face 13 laps of the figure of 8 style circuit, with constant climbs and tricky descents to master; each lap consisting of a gradually steepening 2 kilometre climb, before a fast descent into a 90 degree corner (providing many crashes on the opening lap). The course then rose again before two tricky cobbled corners and into a fast switching descent, with patches of gravel thrown in just for good measure, before beginning the ascent to complete the lap. With a stiff wind blowing across the relentless circuit, it soon became apparent this was a race of attrition, and sure enough the peloton began splitting after only a few laps over the top of the climb.

Each lap I rode hard over the false-flat summit to stay at the business end of the peloton, and soon enough I found myself out front with 7 other riders for company. By the half way point, there were 3 early escapees ahead, my group of 6 and behind the remains of the peloton. Crucially I was joined by three Omega Pharma Lotto-Davo riders, whom had the interests of their team mate ahead, and so added nothing to the chase. With 2 laps to go, and feeling strong I attacked out of the group on the climb, and set about closing the gap to the leaders with 20kilomtres to go alone.

Into the bell lap, I had distanced the break, and quickly caught and passed the third placed rider, who by now seemed to be going backwards rather than forwards after a long day out front. Pushing on, I could see the rider in second over the climb, but never had enough to quite close the gap. Really working on my limit, the line couldn’t come soon enough but I had done enough for third. It’s a really satisfying result, and a real confidence booster– I hope that elusive win this year is not far away now! 

Back in Belgium: Oplinter Kermis

Closed roads, passive smoking with commissaires and more prize-money for winning than it costs to enter. Yep, I was back in Belgium, and the real bulk of my season had begun. With exams finished last Friday, I headed to Kumtich for the Sunday, highly motivated for the racing ahead but it was not until Thursday for my first test back on the Belgian roads.

The race was an evening one, in Oplinter, just a few kilometres down the road from here. With about 100 riders signing on we departed for 117 kilometres of undulating roads at the later time of 6pm. Content to sit back in the peloton to find my race legs again, I was quickly offered a rude awakening. This is kermis racing, and “to sit back in the peloton” isn’t really much of an option. It was not long before we were singled out and groups of riders disappeared up the road, and although many were futile efforts, soon enough a large group of some 22 riders broke the pelotons elastic.

They quickly built up a good lead of a minute, and feeling stronger than anticipated, I offered a hand in joining the chase effort before throwing in a couple of attacks of my own. With 4 laps remaining I managed to sneak clear in a group of 5 on the main rise of the circuit, and settling into a good rhythm we set about closing the gap to the leaders. As we pushed on, the front group came back into sight, and slowly but surely we were making up lost ground. However, we were quickly running out of laps and as the bell rang, we were still down 20 seconds, and noticeably slowing, feeling the effects of the tough roads and strong winds. As the gap stretched out again, we capitulated, conceding the chase was over. Comfortably clear of the peloton, we all began to look at each other and prepared for the sprint, a slight uphill long head wind drag. With no-one willing to take it on we crawled toward the finish, and opening up the sprint from 200metres out I kicked hard and held it to the line, taking the sprint and 23^rd on the night.

It’s a solid start, and it was good to see where I stood after so little racing over the past few months. It was a result I could build on and yesterday reaped the rewards already after a 3^rd place finish in Zwalm-Rozebeke, full report to follow soon.