Gary comes up trumps! (again)

On Sunday I rode the SE divisional champs for the 3rd time.

2 years ago I raced the SE champs on a course round Goodwood in what was one of my first road races. I cramped up and pulled out around half distance unable to stay with the pace of the peleton up a hill. My now team mate Gary Dodd went on to win.

Last year on a pretty hilly course around Ardingley. In a sprint from a small group of riders who had got away relatively early in the race, Rob Enslin (aw cycles) won, Gary Dodd got the silver, and I won the bronze medal. This was result was one of the highlights of my season last year.

This years SE champs was held on the same course as the Wally Gimber race I did earlier in the year. In march this course can feel tough mainly due to the cold and wind, but on sunday neither the finish hill or drag on the far side of the course seemed to offer many opportunities to break away.

However with one lap to go I attacked at the bottom of the hill to try and split things. I saw Steve Calland (norwood paragon) go with me and he was quickly able to attach himself to my rear wheel. Unfortunately having only just spent a few miles alone just off the front of the main group wasting energy in a futile attempt to get away, my legs hadn't recovered and didn't co-operate with the order to go hard. As a result after an initial jump my legs went into Park mode and promptly stopped moving. Steve said after the race he thought that I might have just been making a dummy attack, no such luck although I certainly felt like a dummy when I started going backwards so quickly.

A shout from Gary for me to get my act together kicked me back into action as team mate Simon Lawn was busy setting the pace for a breakaway group over the top of the hill. Over the top I was able to recover a bit and helped drive the pace down the hill to try and keep this group away from the peleton who were still very close.

After my previous attempt up the climb and with the finish fast approaching I didn't think I wasn't gonna have the legs for a sprint, and so was worried when Gary said he also wasn't feeling too good. Both Chris McNamara and a London Dynamo rider (Richard Hoult) were looking particularly strong in that group, so I put in a few attacks to try and tire them out a bit more and hopefully give Gary a bit of an opportunity to sit on and recover. My attacks were a bit limp though and certainly didn't take anyone by surprise as I had been well watched all race.

Up the finish Gary suddenly found his legs and blasted up the hill away from everyone, fantastic considering he wasn't feeling too strong. He claims it was energy gel assisted, and that with half a lap to go he genuinely was feeling bad and had quickly gulped down two energy gels. I got a bit blocked in after starting the finish hill near the back and finished 4th. Wondered if I too would have found a Dodd like sprint had I also gulped the two energy gels I had carried around in my pockets all day but neglected to use.

I have next weekend off racing (although am working) and then over the following three weekends I am entered for the Beaumont Trophy, the GP of Wales and then the Road Race National Championships.

After that I'm attempting the Marmotte again, and after last years dissapointing failure to finish it hopefully will at least make it to the top of the Alpe.

The next race i'm hoping to do in the SE should be the London Dynamo Summer Road Race, normally held on a hillier course so should make it a bit better suited to me than sundays race. It was unusual being so closely marked by so many riders all race on sunday. Apparently Chris Moores informed me at one point in the race I had nearly caused a crash when I attacked from mid way down the pack as 15 or so riders all went to get my wheel.