So where were we ? Ups, downs and a Pyrénées trip 4

So where were we ? Ah yes, my Pyrenean adventure and the famous Col Du Tourmalet !

At a glance : 19km at 7.4% finishing at 2115m, so that’s long and steep then. I don’t think I need to bang on about it as it’s well documented and the history alone would fill a few pages.   I was expecting it just to be the 4 of us again as with the climbs over the previous days, but how wrong I was!   As many different types bikes, riders and kit  you can think of.  I even passed an old French couple on a tandem at one point, if that’s not love I don’t know what is!

 The obligatory summit photo:

Right back to the racing…..

The Sotonia CC Heath races are located just outside Lyndhurst in the picturesque New Forest. It’s a rolling but open to the elements course that’s also a local time trial choice.  Fast and aggressive was the name of the game for a 40mile smash,  and boy did I try to smash it!  Break after break went but it didn’t pay off  this time and I finished nowhere in race 2.  In race 3 I made the winning break but punctured on the run-in to the finish. C’est la vie….  

 One of the attacks with Ed Leeming (Southampton Uni) and Max Holloway (V.C. St Raphael)    

On the 15^th of July I was in action at the 110km Brighton Miter SLRR event near loxwood West Sussex.   It had been raining profusely the whole day beforehand and the course was covered in standing water. This sort of stuff never fails to make a 100rider road race interesting. In the first 30km there was a crash that took me down.  I managed to get up check the bike over and chasse back on without too much of a problem, but it wasn’t an ideal start to the race. 

picture from the regional RR by  Ben Wallis

  It was quite an un-eventful Race after that, several groups of riders escaped and one looked like it would stay away but we reeled it back in for the last 20km.  With 16km to go the bunch started to play games so I picked my moment and went for it.  I quickly had 30seconds and was still stretching it out.  I could see a small group trying to make it across to me but I wasn’t coming off the gas at as I could smell the finish. 6km to go and the attack was still alive!  The chase group made contact with me but none of them would do a turn when asked. What the bridge group had succeeded in doing was giving the peloton a rabbit to lock-on to and with 4km to go catch was made.  I managed to tag back in the bunch recover and got ready to move up for the sprint.  2km to go and the bunch was getting twitchy I jokingly said “we’re all going to die!”  It was only a matter of time before it happened and then it did. A touch of wheel and half the field on the deck for the second time and I was at the bottom of the pile! I managed to extract myself eventually after some kind sole helped me stretch out a cramping calf with only minor cuts and grases I rolled across the line in 43^rd place.  Another day of what could have been.

Sat the 25^th of August saw an event close to my heart, the TLI rest of the UK 2-up time trial championships.   Organised by the legend that is Glen Longland  (former National B.A.R. amongst other things)  it’s one of the first competitive cycling events I ever took part in.  it’s a 20km very sporting course around the locality of Romsey, Hampshire.   Sorting a partner for this year was a bit of a problem. Evan, who I normally do this kind of thing with was suffering from a dreadful case of fatherhood and ruled himself out. Fortunately I knew another strong tester from a3crg called Phil Peters who was up for it.  So the day came and with it lightning, thunder and torrential rain! Fun! Fortunately it stopped just before the first rider went off but the road was sodden. By this stage of the ‘summer’ I’m adapting to a wet race...   To cut a long story short Phil and I managed to drive it home for a 30:05 beating the next pair by a minute!   Fantastic for a first ride in less than perfect conditions.

Anyway content to be a TLI champion my time trialling is more or less over for the year and I have some more road races to look forward to.  Watch this space…

Ollie