Nelson 40 Champs

With a completely different course this year the Nelson 40km Champs showed a completely different personality.  Traditionally the course has been Coastals, Seaton, 2 x Glovers, Moutere Hill, Redwood Valley road.  Generally if you can get away on Seaton you can potentially make is away until the end as there is very little opportunity for a chasing bunch to be able to work together to case you down.  However due to the road works on the Coastal road the course was changed.

This year the course started at the Moutere Hall, down the Moutere Valley, into Edwards Road, up Central road and then around the circuit again before finishing on Old House road.  With the flat 10km stint down to Edwards it was unlikely that anyone would be allowed to get away on the first lap.  The climb up Central is also more of a power climb and isn't steep enough to lose too many people.

Given that Chris C had won the Masters Trophy the year before and I had won it the year before that I figured that it would be good to try and keep it in the Nelson Alarm family. Unfortunately I was the only NA rider available so it was up to me!  So with a vague plan and questionable form I lined up.  It was fast from the start!  I had thought that it might be and the presence of Felix, Caleb, Dave and Grant pretty much ensured that.  We lost some people immediately and there were attacks from the beginning both from myself and the others.  Felix and Caleb got away slightly on the first time around the climb but the small group of us that were left caught them back again along the Moutere Highway.  Turning into Edwards road it was Jonos turn to go.  I was keeping track of the other Masters riders which was now only Henry and Grant.  Henry moved to the front of the group on at the start of the hills and I moved up with him.  Just as we got to the main climb and had caught Jono,  Caleb and Felix attacked.  I was too close to the front and didnt want to tow Henry or anyone else over to them so I had to wait a second to get in a better position before starting my chase.  I managed to get a good gap but it was hard work to maintain it.  Felix and Caleb were about 20m ahead at the top of the hill.  Tom Ashley was not far behind me with the others a little further back.  I came down the hill as fast as I could (77kph - not bad considering the size of the hill) and gave it everything.  I wasn't going to catch Felix and Caleb and in the end came 4th as Tom caught me just before the line.  Still I was the first Masters rider so the Trophy remained in  Nelson Alarms care for another year.