Perfs Pedal

Been a little quiet on here for past few weeks as i've been getting ready for the start of the road season proper.

I made sure I had an easy week of training leading up to the perfs as I wanted to go in as fresh as possible. With no major races for another month I wanted to get a good result over a more sporting course than hillingdon.

Nice sunny day with little wind meant great weather for racing, although with the sun low in the sky there were still some slippery patches on the road. In fact first lap I nearly fell off twice as had my front wheel lost traction. Luckily though I managed to stay upright, and once i'd figured out the tricky bits made sure I was extra careful over the following laps.

On the 3rd time up the drag I attacked staying in the saddle and a break formed with about 7 riders and most of the main teams represented in it. This group was working well together and so a minute gap was quickly gained over the peleton. I felt really comfortable, despite doing probably doing longer turns than the rest in order to help keep the pace high. However, in this group the unfortunate Chris Moores (Norwood Paragon) took a nasty spill on one of the tricky corners. After this fall the groups rhythm was disrupted somewhat and the main group started to come back. As it hit the bottom of the descent with around 10 miles to go, the peleton was back in sight and closing in. To try and prevent the catch I went on the attack and went off the front alone. However, after some chasing from the teams behind I was caught after about 5 minutes. Immediately James Stewart (KFS) attacked as the race sat up and he quickly gained a good lead. I was a bit annoyed to have let him go so softly as although I had been away on the attack I still felt strong.

With half a lap to ride I saw an opportunity to attack and went off in pursuit of Stewart. Although he was coming back he managed to keep a 10 second margin and secure himself the win. Crossing the line alone in 2nd meant I also managed to avoid the somewhat chaotic bunch sprint as 50 or so riders went after 3rd place.

Lots of photographers around the course today, plus a good crowd of supporters at the finish line. So hopefully there will get a few good shots of me and Steve Golla in our new-look Sigma Sport / Specialized / Sportful kit. Having never used sunglasses before when racing due to fogging up issues, i'm particularly pleased with my new Specialized "miura" sunglasses which were so comfortable I just about forgot I was wearing them on and so could just let them do their job of keeping my eyes safe.