A cold overcast day saw the start of the Naked Bun. Normally the race has managed to get very good weather but at least it wasn't raining. There were a few attacks along the way to the Neudorf hill. I managed to keep near the front on the climb although a few riders were dropped. As we got to the Baton bridge I managed to slip away with Chris Sharland. We rode well together with Chris just coming round at the end to win the stage. The others were way back.
Stage 2 saw some team work from the AvantiPlus boys. I tried to breakaway several times but was either chased down by Avanti riders or joined by them only to find that they wouldnt work at all. The run in to the finish was the usual hectic fiasco with cars etc. Tom N won the sprint and I finished with Chris to place 2nd overall.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
TW Heslington 17th April
With a large number of riders away at Benchmark and a strong wind there was a very small A grade which was combined with B to make one race. On the way out to Heslington Cameron and Tom N broke away. I kept the pace up on the first circuit of Heslington in order to keep them in range but along River Tce Rob bridged across which meant I had to as well. A number of the B grade riders caught up again in the head wind but another strong pull up the valley saw them drop off for good. Quite how Rob and I managed to lose the race remains to be seen but I guess we aren't the most aggressive riders. It came down to a sprint which was always going to be our week point. I thought I was in a good position but a sudden gust of wind left me far too over geared. Anyway I ended up 3rd.
Tasman 100 April 10th
This was my first race after the Old Farts Tour. Certainly a week of steady riding didn't really put me in great shape for full on racing.
The A grade group was very small with about 8 or 9 of us. The pace was full on at the start with us reaching up to 50kph on the flat along Appleby. The speed didn't really seem to drop much on our way up the hill. Partway up Robin and Caleb took off - it would be the last that we would see them as they stayed away for the entire time. Rob S pulled out at Upper Moutere with a problem with his wheel. Felix sat on the back saying that he was unwell as the rest of us lapped out. Chris, David and Chris S pulled away on Stanley Brook. I was boxed in on the left so missed catching on although I probably wouldn't have made it anyway. Felix, Dean and I lapped out with one of the young Fords and Joel sitting on. Dean and Joel dropped off on the way to Spooners and I dropped off at the base of the climb.
Cramp was starting to become a problem but I managed to make it up the hill and caught up with Jono who had started in B grade. We rode in together. It was certainly a wakeup call and a hard welcome back to racing.
The A grade group was very small with about 8 or 9 of us. The pace was full on at the start with us reaching up to 50kph on the flat along Appleby. The speed didn't really seem to drop much on our way up the hill. Partway up Robin and Caleb took off - it would be the last that we would see them as they stayed away for the entire time. Rob S pulled out at Upper Moutere with a problem with his wheel. Felix sat on the back saying that he was unwell as the rest of us lapped out. Chris, David and Chris S pulled away on Stanley Brook. I was boxed in on the left so missed catching on although I probably wouldn't have made it anyway. Felix, Dean and I lapped out with one of the young Fords and Joel sitting on. Dean and Joel dropped off on the way to Spooners and I dropped off at the base of the climb.
Cramp was starting to become a problem but I managed to make it up the hill and caught up with Jono who had started in B grade. We rode in together. It was certainly a wakeup call and a hard welcome back to racing.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
26th March - Old Farts Tour Stage 6
This was the last stage for me and Grant who had to get back to work. Gary had arranged a ride for us with Gail who was visitng relatives and who would pick us up on Blenheim. We were also joined in the leg by Rudie who had come to do the last 2 days. The forecast was for fine weather but with the prospect of head winds. We lapped out with a small number of us doing the work until we got to Kekerengu store. After some refreshments we carried on. It was now a pretty strong head wind and so Grant and I spent time riding on the front to provide some shelter. When others had a turn I created a 2nd group for shelter - it was hard work but as it was our last day it was a good opportunity for one last push. We stopped briefly at the Seddon store for lunch and then continued on to Blenheim in much the same format. A small fire had started on hills coming in to Blenehim and a number of cars had stopped to render assistance. The fire truck was on its way and as we biked along the road we could feel the heat from the flames. Ritchie suggested that we stop and help but exactly what 11 lycra clad loons in slippery bike shoes was going to achieve was beyond me. As we got to Blenheim Gail appeared in the car. It was our time to leave the tour - it had been an interesting ride and a great opportunity to see some of the country that I hadn't ridden in before but more pressing matters were looming.
March 25th - Old Farts Tour Stage 5
Stage 5 took us to from Christchurch to Kaikoura. After a better than expected sleep on the couch we started out on what promised to be a sunny day. Unfortunately it was also windy so for the first leg through to Culverden required an amount of grovelling with a number of us feeling the effects of yesterdays time trial efforts. After a short stop at Culverden for supplies we turned off at Mouse Point and started our climb towards Mt Lyford. At this point we had a bit of a tail wind to help us along but it was along this section that the first hint of decension permeated through the crew. Basically some of the better climbers were tired of waiting for the vertically challenged who took every opportunity to display their dominance when the road pointed downwards. We stopped briefly at Mt Lyford to allow most of the guys to load up on icecream sundaes. As things became more heated in the next section I took advantage of the terrain to break away on my own. It wasnt an attack as such - more of a sustained increase in speed. Anyway it meant that I had pretty much the best part of the ride to myself and got a good run at the downhill sections. After a while I could see Gary in the distance so I waited for him to catch up. Together we carried on and eventually stopped when the valley flattened out. We stopped for Gary to use his cell phone and saw some of the others coming across. When they joined we lapped out until Ritchie did a big surge. I counted with another surge and strung the rest out until we got to our ficticous finish line. We joined back up and rode along the main road into Kaikoura. The Hotel was very nice and it wasnt too long before the rest of the crew appeared.
Hannah phoned to say that her Grandfather had died. I toyed with biking back home that evening but didn't have any lights and so opted to cut the ride short the next day and to abandon the tour in Blenheim.
Hannah phoned to say that her Grandfather had died. I toyed with biking back home that evening but didn't have any lights and so opted to cut the ride short the next day and to abandon the tour in Blenheim.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 24th Old Farts Tour
Stage 4 - Arthurs Pass - Rangiora 130km
After a cool but comfortable night we awoke to another overcast sky. The rain held off until we started our ride. Actually the start was a bit of a shock. I had gone to have a slash and when I returned they had all left. Grant had been putting his camera away so he was in the same position. As we rode down the road we spotted the support car turning around. Grant dropped off his camera and then I time trialled us back to the group who were by now some way off. As we reached them I kept the pace on and shot past at 55kph. I kept
the pressure on for about 100m before sitting up and riding tempo. I was pretty cold and wet and I had to keep moving. When the rest of the group didn't appear I just kept pedaling slowly. Eventually Grant appeared and together we continued riding. Finally we spotted the rest of the group. The climb up Flock Hill was short and sharp. I carried on as I was starting to feel very cold and had to take my gloves off which had filled with water. Grant and Garry joined me and we rode together. Grant was worried that I was hypothermic - I felt ok
but he was concerned about it and made me drink some water and have some of his OSM. The rain had eased as we reached Porters Pass. We had been joined by Paul and Neil so we plunged down the valley reaching speeds on the flat of over 60kph. We stopped at a cafe Springfield where the others joined us. The staff were great (although I had my premade sandwiches instead) but I did buy a cup of tea. The owner sent us on our way to Rangiora by ringing a handbell. The sun had now gone and we had a cross wind before getting a strong tailwind to Oxford. We lapped out nicely until Paul and I were on the front at 48kph when Ross, Grant and Ritchie attacked down the road. I managed to get across reaching speeds of up to 56kph on the flat slightly downhill road. I eventually got across and lapped out for a while before Ross did another strong pull after I had just done one and so I was dropped. I eventually got back (thanks to a little bit of drafting behind the van). The motel at Rangiora was a welcome sight but the realisation that I was going to be sleeping on the couch was not so pleasant. Hopefully it will be quite comfortable. If its not then I'm going to make someone pay tomorrow!
After a cool but comfortable night we awoke to another overcast sky. The rain held off until we started our ride. Actually the start was a bit of a shock. I had gone to have a slash and when I returned they had all left. Grant had been putting his camera away so he was in the same position. As we rode down the road we spotted the support car turning around. Grant dropped off his camera and then I time trialled us back to the group who were by now some way off. As we reached them I kept the pace on and shot past at 55kph. I kept
the pressure on for about 100m before sitting up and riding tempo. I was pretty cold and wet and I had to keep moving. When the rest of the group didn't appear I just kept pedaling slowly. Eventually Grant appeared and together we continued riding. Finally we spotted the rest of the group. The climb up Flock Hill was short and sharp. I carried on as I was starting to feel very cold and had to take my gloves off which had filled with water. Grant and Garry joined me and we rode together. Grant was worried that I was hypothermic - I felt ok
but he was concerned about it and made me drink some water and have some of his OSM. The rain had eased as we reached Porters Pass. We had been joined by Paul and Neil so we plunged down the valley reaching speeds on the flat of over 60kph. We stopped at a cafe Springfield where the others joined us. The staff were great (although I had my premade sandwiches instead) but I did buy a cup of tea. The owner sent us on our way to Rangiora by ringing a handbell. The sun had now gone and we had a cross wind before getting a strong tailwind to Oxford. We lapped out nicely until Paul and I were on the front at 48kph when Ross, Grant and Ritchie attacked down the road. I managed to get across reaching speeds of up to 56kph on the flat slightly downhill road. I eventually got across and lapped out for a while before Ross did another strong pull after I had just done one and so I was dropped. I eventually got back (thanks to a little bit of drafting behind the van). The motel at Rangiora was a welcome sight but the realisation that I was going to be sleeping on the couch was not so pleasant. Hopefully it will be quite comfortable. If its not then I'm going to make someone pay tomorrow!
March 23rd Old Farts Tour
Stage 3 - Punakaiki - Arthurs Pass 150km
Daybreak brought an overcast day but thankfully no rain. Rolling along the road to Greymouth it was discovered that two of our number had forgotten to pay and so had to turn back. Paul and I waited at the top of one of the bluffs for them eventually to appear in the Van. The rest had gone on so I paced them back to the group which was a lot of fun. On the outskirts of Greymouth we suffered our first puncture (my wheel) but were thankfully stopping for a short break anyway. We stopped for lunch at a garage before turning towards Lake Brunner. Warrick had to get in the car soon after as he was not feeling very well. As we got closer
to the Jacksons we could see the rain clouds around the pass. We stopped briefly at Jacksons (mainly for me to use the facilities) before carrying on up the valley. As we got to Otira it started to rain and got colder. Ross had managed to get ahead at the lights at some road works. I could see him ahead as we started to climb. Grant and I soon closed in on him and then went past. At 16% the road up the pass is in the very steep category and after riding about 130km before the climb it was not going to be easy. I struggled with the 39x25 combination on the cyclecross bike but managed to edge ahead of Grant finishing about 20sec ahead. There was no way I was going to stop at the summit so I waited for Grant and then we rode to the village - stopping for a cup of tea. The others were not that far behind although Glen was now in the car and Guy had been seen walking more than once. Feeling slightly warmer Grant and I rode to the Bealey Hotel with a howling tailwind that enabled us to cruise along at 47kph. At the Bealey there was no sign of the rain at all. The accommodation was a bit more basic (more like I'm used to) and the pub did quite a nice range of meals so I had nachos for tea (I hadn't had a meal with the group at all so thought I had better at least be a bit social). For my effort
up the hill I was awarded the HC award.
Daybreak brought an overcast day but thankfully no rain. Rolling along the road to Greymouth it was discovered that two of our number had forgotten to pay and so had to turn back. Paul and I waited at the top of one of the bluffs for them eventually to appear in the Van. The rest had gone on so I paced them back to the group which was a lot of fun. On the outskirts of Greymouth we suffered our first puncture (my wheel) but were thankfully stopping for a short break anyway. We stopped for lunch at a garage before turning towards Lake Brunner. Warrick had to get in the car soon after as he was not feeling very well. As we got closer
to the Jacksons we could see the rain clouds around the pass. We stopped briefly at Jacksons (mainly for me to use the facilities) before carrying on up the valley. As we got to Otira it started to rain and got colder. Ross had managed to get ahead at the lights at some road works. I could see him ahead as we started to climb. Grant and I soon closed in on him and then went past. At 16% the road up the pass is in the very steep category and after riding about 130km before the climb it was not going to be easy. I struggled with the 39x25 combination on the cyclecross bike but managed to edge ahead of Grant finishing about 20sec ahead. There was no way I was going to stop at the summit so I waited for Grant and then we rode to the village - stopping for a cup of tea. The others were not that far behind although Glen was now in the car and Guy had been seen walking more than once. Feeling slightly warmer Grant and I rode to the Bealey Hotel with a howling tailwind that enabled us to cruise along at 47kph. At the Bealey there was no sign of the rain at all. The accommodation was a bit more basic (more like I'm used to) and the pub did quite a nice range of meals so I had nachos for tea (I hadn't had a meal with the group at all so thought I had better at least be a bit social). For my effort
up the hill I was awarded the HC award.
March 22nd Old Farts Tour
Stage 2 - Murchison - Punakaiki 142km
Stage 2 started with the sad news that Rob would be leaving us. Apparantly he had woken up in the night with a very sore knee which appeared to not be getting any better. After a short test ride he decided that he wouldnt stay but might start with us again at Rangiora if things improved. In some ways he might have made the best decision as soon after starting it really began to pour - just as predicted. The weather got worse and worse with gusty winds and some of the heaviest rain I have ever ridden in. Thankfully with my new jacket I was not too cold and my mudguard was a good idea. We stopped at Berlins for lunch. I had made some sandwiches and bought a cup of tea - the rest fueled up on pies and coffee. I pity the next customer who sat in our seats and discovered their pants getting wet - thats if they didn't slip on the wet floor before that. When we went to leave the weather hadn't improved at all. It took a bit of time for a few of the boys to warm up and a couple of us were told to ease off the pace as the others were struggling - we had been too keen to try and escape the rain. By the Westport turn off the weather had eased and the rain stopped. Some of the guys were getting tired now but at least the weather had improved. We rode the undulating road to Punakaiki - sometimes in sunshine but often it was overcast. Eventually we made Punakaiki where Neil, Paul and I stopped for an icecream before continuing to our accommodation. The room is quite nice but there are no cooking facilities so I'm not sure what I'm going to do for breakfast tomorrow. - I wish I had bought my bowl with me now! Tomorrow we are off to Arthurs Pass which is about 160km away. It could be another wet day!
Stage 2 started with the sad news that Rob would be leaving us. Apparantly he had woken up in the night with a very sore knee which appeared to not be getting any better. After a short test ride he decided that he wouldnt stay but might start with us again at Rangiora if things improved. In some ways he might have made the best decision as soon after starting it really began to pour - just as predicted. The weather got worse and worse with gusty winds and some of the heaviest rain I have ever ridden in. Thankfully with my new jacket I was not too cold and my mudguard was a good idea. We stopped at Berlins for lunch. I had made some sandwiches and bought a cup of tea - the rest fueled up on pies and coffee. I pity the next customer who sat in our seats and discovered their pants getting wet - thats if they didn't slip on the wet floor before that. When we went to leave the weather hadn't improved at all. It took a bit of time for a few of the boys to warm up and a couple of us were told to ease off the pace as the others were struggling - we had been too keen to try and escape the rain. By the Westport turn off the weather had eased and the rain stopped. Some of the guys were getting tired now but at least the weather had improved. We rode the undulating road to Punakaiki - sometimes in sunshine but often it was overcast. Eventually we made Punakaiki where Neil, Paul and I stopped for an icecream before continuing to our accommodation. The room is quite nice but there are no cooking facilities so I'm not sure what I'm going to do for breakfast tomorrow. - I wish I had bought my bowl with me now! Tomorrow we are off to Arthurs Pass which is about 160km away. It could be another wet day!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 21st Old Farts Tour
Stage 1 - Richmond to Murchison
Time for something completely different. The Old Farts Tour organised by Paul Dowell has reached almost historic infamy. Without any events lined up and the the blessing of Hannah I decided to give it a go. The crew this year was is a great mix of riders and included Ritchie V, Grant S, Ross Mac, Garry O and Rob along with others which bought our total number to 11 riders. Todays stage was pretty short and straightforward Richmond to Murchison. The weather was fine but there was a slight headwind. The group lapped out the entire time and made reasonable time for the 112km. A quick stop at the River cafe for a late lunch/afternoon tea where I had a Cheese and Onion Scone. Then it was off to our accommodation at the Murchison Motels - very nice and more opulent than what I'm used to. I had bought my own food for tea but the others headed off to the Pub for a meal where the Hard Cock and Soft Cock awards were issued. I won the Soft Cock (SC) for having a mud guard on my bike - although I expect that the others may be envious of it tomorrow and the next couple of days as the forecast is for rain.
Hopefully I will have some photos to soon
Rob - Missing in Action
Time for something completely different. The Old Farts Tour organised by Paul Dowell has reached almost historic infamy. Without any events lined up and the the blessing of Hannah I decided to give it a go. The crew this year was is a great mix of riders and included Ritchie V, Grant S, Ross Mac, Garry O and Rob along with others which bought our total number to 11 riders. Todays stage was pretty short and straightforward Richmond to Murchison. The weather was fine but there was a slight headwind. The group lapped out the entire time and made reasonable time for the 112km. A quick stop at the River cafe for a late lunch/afternoon tea where I had a Cheese and Onion Scone. Then it was off to our accommodation at the Murchison Motels - very nice and more opulent than what I'm used to. I had bought my own food for tea but the others headed off to the Pub for a meal where the Hard Cock and Soft Cock awards were issued. I won the Soft Cock (SC) for having a mud guard on my bike - although I expect that the others may be envious of it tomorrow and the next couple of days as the forecast is for rain.
Hopefully I will have some photos to soon
Rob - Missing in Action
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 13th - SG Hope Circuit
I was called in to give blood again on the 4th so this was my first race since then. This race was broken into ages so I was in the M1-M3 race. It was a bit windy so it was going to be a hard race. I attacked in the cross winds on the first lap and the field was reduced from about 20 down to 9. Further attacks from me reduced the number down to 6. No one else was attacking (apart from Mike who put in a good surge along the back straight on one lap). I expected it to come down to a sprint which it did but there was some confusion on how many laps we had to do as the lap counter seemed to change randomly. We also caught another group at along the back straight at the end which didn't make things any easier. Coming into the finishing straight I came into the straight first and sat on the white line with the others strung out across the other side of the road - not quite what I intended. I sat up during the sprint - with any luck the rest would be disqualified. This was not
to be and my email to Malcolm asking for clarification on what the rules are regarding the centre line have remained unanswered. I wasn't really interested in the result but was pleased with the way I was feeling - perhaps I'm recovering more quickly?
to be and my email to Malcolm asking for clarification on what the rules are regarding the centre line have remained unanswered. I wasn't really interested in the result but was pleased with the way I was feeling - perhaps I'm recovering more quickly?
February 20th - Nelson - Christchurch
This was my opportunity to finish the set. I was a bit apprehensive and felt quite unprepared, still with the help of Chris I was going to give it a go. This year (like last) the solo riders start 5 minutes behind the teams so I was hoping that I might be able to catch up with a team before Murchison. At the start line I discovered that
there were only 3 solo riders in the race. We rode through the neutral zone together chatting the others wanted to stay together. I suggested that we see how we go on the hills. One of the riders (from Wellington) had one of the worst support crews I had ever seen. They placed their car ahead and and infront of us - straddling the white line. They almost wiped themselves out near the old Wai-iti church. I decided then that I wasn't keen on sticking together. We had caught a team at Brightwater and could see another at the start of Spooners. We caught them at the bottom and I rode a steady tempo up the hill. At the top I had a 5 minute lead and decided to carry on - hoping that I could catch the Mike Foughy team that I figured was just ahead. Coming down Spooners my lights went out so I had to ride with the car just behind me until Chris gave me a torch and went ahead to find my spare. There was a head wind to Murchison and I wasn't really feeling that flash. I also wasn't eating or drinking and had an upset stomach so I was pleased to finally get to Murchison and use the facilities. I spoke to Jeff Julian - he thought that his team was about 10 minutes ahead so it was unlikely that
I would catch them now. At Springs I used the facilities again and started to feel better. I was unsure where the other solo guys were and so it looked like I was going to be by myself for a while - at least it was fine and dry. I carried on a steady pace and was able to eat and drink now and started to feel a bit better. There was a nice tail wind to the Hanmer turn off and then mainly a cross wind the rest of the way. With Chris's navigation skills we managed to get to the Square easily (where Hamish was waiting with a date scone) and recorded a time of 14:28. The speedo showed 30.4kph average which was pretty reasonable. Chris was a great help - it certainly paid to have someone who was familiar with the event and it was nice to have completed the set.
there were only 3 solo riders in the race. We rode through the neutral zone together chatting the others wanted to stay together. I suggested that we see how we go on the hills. One of the riders (from Wellington) had one of the worst support crews I had ever seen. They placed their car ahead and and infront of us - straddling the white line. They almost wiped themselves out near the old Wai-iti church. I decided then that I wasn't keen on sticking together. We had caught a team at Brightwater and could see another at the start of Spooners. We caught them at the bottom and I rode a steady tempo up the hill. At the top I had a 5 minute lead and decided to carry on - hoping that I could catch the Mike Foughy team that I figured was just ahead. Coming down Spooners my lights went out so I had to ride with the car just behind me until Chris gave me a torch and went ahead to find my spare. There was a head wind to Murchison and I wasn't really feeling that flash. I also wasn't eating or drinking and had an upset stomach so I was pleased to finally get to Murchison and use the facilities. I spoke to Jeff Julian - he thought that his team was about 10 minutes ahead so it was unlikely that
I would catch them now. At Springs I used the facilities again and started to feel better. I was unsure where the other solo guys were and so it looked like I was going to be by myself for a while - at least it was fine and dry. I carried on a steady pace and was able to eat and drink now and started to feel a bit better. There was a nice tail wind to the Hanmer turn off and then mainly a cross wind the rest of the way. With Chris's navigation skills we managed to get to the Square easily (where Hamish was waiting with a date scone) and recorded a time of 14:28. The speedo showed 30.4kph average which was pretty reasonable. Chris was a great help - it certainly paid to have someone who was familiar with the event and it was nice to have completed the set.
Feburay 6th - Lakes to Sea
Hannah dropped me off at the Lakes to Sea on her way to Christchurch. For a while we wondered if there were going to be many A grade riders turning up but a heap appeared at the last minute. It was a pretty steady start and it wasn't until the start of Kerrs that things started to pick up. I had spoken to Brandon at the start and had offered to lead him out if he was with us at the end. Unfortunately at the top of the hill he was about 50m back so we had to just hope that he would be able to make it across. We had quite a good group which worked pretty consistently down the valley and over the Reay until the first attacks along the Spring Grove straight. There was a last minute attack from Hodges on the road to Rabbit Island. Rob had offered to lead me out so we were hoping that there would be a group effort. Sadly this didn't happen and we were a little boxed in at the end as we tried to go with the last minute surge. I managed to come about 5th - just beating Dean on the line. Not a bad effort.
January 30th Lakes 90
I missed this race last year as it clashed with the first Benchmark race. The weather was great and coupled with an excellent course it made for a very enjoyable day. The start was a mixed grade mass start and with a shortened neutral zone there were attacks right from the start which quickly reduced some of the numbers. I was figuring on helping Rob again as he should have been in better shape than me. There were a number of attacks before the turnoff at Korere and then we started the slow climb towards the Hope Saddle. The pace was being set by about 3 of us - Myself, Tom A and Joel. By the time we got to the climb proper the numbers had been reduced. Up the climb Joel and Tom got slightly ahead with another rider. I was slightly back with Craig Best with Rob and Henry slightly behind us. At the top Craig and I bridged the gap to Tom and Joel and worked with them down the the Kawateri junction. There was a head wind and it was pretty hard work but they were keen to not let Henry come across so that suited me. Climbing back up the the lake there was a cross wind and we were clocking along at a fairly good pace. A couple of the guys were getting tired now and were not so forth coming with taking a turn. Towards the end Tom gapped me off the front. I saw what had happened and just clocked along in time trial mode. A short time later Tom jumped across. We lapped a bit although he was obviously saving himself for a sprint. I told him I wasn't interested so when he finally went in the sprint I let him go. I ended up 2nd with Joel back a bit further in 3rd. It was a good race and a nice day. Tom did a smart move with letting me go so he deserved to win - he is really riding well at the moment.
January 23rd Wld-Spooners
After giving blood for the first time in ages immediately after the tour I was unsure how this would go. I had noticed on my new race number that I was now listed as class B so for this Race I thought I would see what a class B race was like. I received a bit of flack for this But was joined by Rob who had also discovered that he was now listed as class B. The start towards the hill was almost processional. I attacked at one point to see how I was feeling and was chased down but there was no counter attacks and the pace slowed further the closer we got to the hill. There was a small scurry to try and be at the front on the hill but the pace was a lot slower than what I had been used to and I soon found myself at the front along with Rob, Dennis and Glen with Brian just behind. There was no point in riding away as we had quite a way to go so we stuck together and lapped out on the other side. As we rode up to Golden Downs we picked up a group of C grade riders who sat on and enjoyed the tow. The inevitable happend and we were joined by the front of A grade who were towing a number of B grade riders that we had dropped. I lapped out with Caleb, Tom A and Felix and soon the number of riders decreased. At the top of the Reay we were down to a nice group of about 7 Felix punctured on the descent but the rest of us worked well together lapping out down the valley. I figured that I would lead Rob out for the sprint as trying to win myself was just going to add to the harassment so when the group stopped working about 2km from the finish I knew that it was time for my job to begin. I rode on the front keeping the pace in the low 40's before starting my wind up at the 88 Valley bridge. I managed to increase the speed to 50 when Rob began his sprint. Fortunately he won. I felt realtively good in the race - a bit puffed on the climbing but pretty good overall. It had been 18 days since giving blood so I will only improve from here on.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Vineyards Jan 1st 2010
Well back to an old favourite. I was hoping to get a better placing than previous years. There was some initial confusion over who was going to actually be in our race. In the end all the masters and women were grouped into one race but with the added confusion of separate GC placings, separate womens placings but only 1 sprint and climbers jersey for the men. This made the race pretty negative with no-one letting anyone else away irrespective of whether they were actually in the same GC race or not. Max was also absent even though he had indicated that he would be there which was a bit of a disappointment. Brad was there from Christchurch with a team mate so it looked like it was going to be a hard race.
Stage1
The infamous Hope Circuit was the usual start to the tour. With an earlier start time than normal there was not much wind in order to help string out the bunch. I tried a number of times along the finish line to try and break up the pack and while there were a few victims the bunch pretty much stayed together.
Stage2
A new stage 2 circuit and a rainy day made the 2nd a bit of an unknown quantity. The course was Hope, WaiWest, Moutere, Mot, Ngatimoti, Waiwhero, Central, Moutere, WaiWest, Ranzau. Having spent some time training on this course I was aware of a couple of places where there were some potential opportunities. The field split up on Moutere with Brad, Neil and myself going clear. at the summit it was clear that Brad was working for Neil to get him in the climbers jersey. Ben joined us on the downhill and we worked together for a short period before being caught by a relatively large group. I attacked on the small climb after Mot but was chased down by Mark - not the most helpful thing. The bunch was spread out again going up the Waiwhero with Neil narrowly getting the points from me at the summit. After that the pace slowed with no-one else making any moves - all quite boring really. The end result was a bunch sprint on Ranzau. Thankfully I had only lost bonus time so was still in a good position.
Stage3
I was unsure if I was going to start stage 3 as I had been up until 11:30 with stomach problems. They had started the day before but I had put it down to not eating enough. Rob and Garry had not started the previous stage due to stomach upsets as well so there was obviously something going around - not that this was going to be any comfort.
Our usual climb to Takaka started at an almost pedestrian pace. No attacks until Mark launched one as we joined the main road behind Spooners. There was some chasing from other riders and I put in some attacks along Westbank to try and keep the pace up. As we started up the hill I was right behind Brad at the front. I lasted about 5 corners before my stomach forced me to stop. Pete was there on the side of the road but I probably didn't appear as excited to see him as I might have normally been. A number of riders passed me before I managed to regain some composure and pick up the pace again. I caught Neil before the limeworks and then jumped over to another group. There was a bit of a headwind and the group seemed quite happy to sit on me as we carried on. Just after the Stone sign I picked up the pace again and shed some of the hangers on. One rider tried to jump me near the top but they obviously thought that they had less distance to go than there was. This really made me mad as he had sat on the whole way so I gave it everything and easily crossed the line ahead of them. Brad was waiting at the top and I was surprised to discover that I was 2nd but 3 minutes down. So maybe I might have done better if I had not been ill - I will never know.
Stage4
Hill st and fortunately it was dry. There was no way that I could make up 3 and a half minutes on this course - certainly not the way they had been racing. I was feeling worse than the day before so my plan was to just try and keep my position. As Murray was needing some help with getting the sprint jersey and the first sprint was on lap 1 I attacked straight out of the neutral zone - partly to see how I was going to feel and also to shed any slower riders who were likely to get in the way on the tricky course. Immediately Brad was after me so I knew he was feeling ok. I felt pretty bad so I rode very conservatively until the last lap where I attacked on the hill just like last year. I managed to get a good gap and turned around to see Conway coming across (again like last year). I carried on as there was no point in giving up. Conway sat on and won the stage with me coming second. I congratulated Conway and didn't feel too bad about him sprinting me at the end.
So I managed to come 2nd in the tour which was my best result so far. Obviously I had hoped to do better but 2nd is still a great result.
Stage1
The infamous Hope Circuit was the usual start to the tour. With an earlier start time than normal there was not much wind in order to help string out the bunch. I tried a number of times along the finish line to try and break up the pack and while there were a few victims the bunch pretty much stayed together.
Stage2
A new stage 2 circuit and a rainy day made the 2nd a bit of an unknown quantity. The course was Hope, WaiWest, Moutere, Mot, Ngatimoti, Waiwhero, Central, Moutere, WaiWest, Ranzau. Having spent some time training on this course I was aware of a couple of places where there were some potential opportunities. The field split up on Moutere with Brad, Neil and myself going clear. at the summit it was clear that Brad was working for Neil to get him in the climbers jersey. Ben joined us on the downhill and we worked together for a short period before being caught by a relatively large group. I attacked on the small climb after Mot but was chased down by Mark - not the most helpful thing. The bunch was spread out again going up the Waiwhero with Neil narrowly getting the points from me at the summit. After that the pace slowed with no-one else making any moves - all quite boring really. The end result was a bunch sprint on Ranzau. Thankfully I had only lost bonus time so was still in a good position.
Stage3
I was unsure if I was going to start stage 3 as I had been up until 11:30 with stomach problems. They had started the day before but I had put it down to not eating enough. Rob and Garry had not started the previous stage due to stomach upsets as well so there was obviously something going around - not that this was going to be any comfort.
Our usual climb to Takaka started at an almost pedestrian pace. No attacks until Mark launched one as we joined the main road behind Spooners. There was some chasing from other riders and I put in some attacks along Westbank to try and keep the pace up. As we started up the hill I was right behind Brad at the front. I lasted about 5 corners before my stomach forced me to stop. Pete was there on the side of the road but I probably didn't appear as excited to see him as I might have normally been. A number of riders passed me before I managed to regain some composure and pick up the pace again. I caught Neil before the limeworks and then jumped over to another group. There was a bit of a headwind and the group seemed quite happy to sit on me as we carried on. Just after the Stone sign I picked up the pace again and shed some of the hangers on. One rider tried to jump me near the top but they obviously thought that they had less distance to go than there was. This really made me mad as he had sat on the whole way so I gave it everything and easily crossed the line ahead of them. Brad was waiting at the top and I was surprised to discover that I was 2nd but 3 minutes down. So maybe I might have done better if I had not been ill - I will never know.
Stage4
Hill st and fortunately it was dry. There was no way that I could make up 3 and a half minutes on this course - certainly not the way they had been racing. I was feeling worse than the day before so my plan was to just try and keep my position. As Murray was needing some help with getting the sprint jersey and the first sprint was on lap 1 I attacked straight out of the neutral zone - partly to see how I was going to feel and also to shed any slower riders who were likely to get in the way on the tricky course. Immediately Brad was after me so I knew he was feeling ok. I felt pretty bad so I rode very conservatively until the last lap where I attacked on the hill just like last year. I managed to get a good gap and turned around to see Conway coming across (again like last year). I carried on as there was no point in giving up. Conway sat on and won the stage with me coming second. I congratulated Conway and didn't feel too bad about him sprinting me at the end.
So I managed to come 2nd in the tour which was my best result so far. Obviously I had hoped to do better but 2nd is still a great result.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)