UCI UWCT Amateur World Championships Road Race

A Belgian Classic - in Denmark!

After a few days of very mixed weather, including monsoon rain for an entire 24 hours, interspersed with thunder and lightning just to keep us on our toes, spirits were somewhat dampened. However, the long range weather forecast had been promising us a dry and sunny race day all week, so we remained hopeful (bearing in mind it was relatively impossible to predict the weather from one minute to the next)!

After the usual pre-race breakfast routine Paul and I rode the short distance to the start - we had chosen to use the City Campsite in Aalborg for race day convenience so were there in 10 minutes. Even at 08:00 the start area and race HQ were a hive of activity, mostly with fellow competitors trying to identify their respective start pens and then congregate in the dappled areas of sunshine that were beginning to appear.



The start area the day before race day...

The next hour or so was mostly spent cycling up and down the pavement in an attempt to keep warm, whilst the other age group starts rolled out. We could see from the big screen that it wasn't taking long for the action to get going, with a couple of early and very swift moving breakaway groups already forming out on the road.

Paul's race was the biggest of the day, with 247 starters - to put that into perspective 'only' 198 riders started this year's Tour de France! He was up at the front of the race pen to stand the best chance of being at the sharp end of the action - with that many riders it would be almost impossible to clock a breakaway if you're not there to see it form. Once they have rolled off the start line I just had to hope that he would have the best race he could but more importantly that he stayed upright!

The women's field rolled off last, 142 of us so not exactly a small bunch. It was frantic from the outset with everyone trying to make their way to the front as we left the city centre and the cobbles behind. Any thoughts of using the first neutralised 2km as an opportunity to gradually move up through the field rapidly started to disappear as I found myself doing over 45kph just to make headway! I managed to get myself in the first 20 riders before the flag was dropped and the race was on - and the speed went up even more! I knew that for at least the first twenty minutes I would be well and truly 'in the red' not just because of the sheer pace but because it takes me a while to get warmed up.



Rolling off the start in neutral - a little too far back

The crazy pace ensued until we hit another cobbled section and then it was disarray as everyone aimed for the narrow tarmac strip on either side. Amidst the bottleneck that I found myself in the middle of, a substantive break was moving off the front. The following section of left and right bends led us on to narrow roads with little opportunity to make up much ground and I knew that the group at the front must be making significant headway by now. As the road went up this created an opportunity for me to move through. I caught sight of one of the NZ riders that we'd met at the TT earlier in the week and tried to encourage her to work with me - by sharing the effort we were more likely to bridge the gap. Alas, she had already 'blown up' and didn't have the power to leave the bunch behind so I went alone. I could see the breakaway in front but they were a good 30 strong and, unsurprisingly, were pulling away.

Just as I thought my legs were going to desert me and my lungs about to leave my body I caught another lone rider, a German lady from the age group above. I sat on her wheel in an attempt to save my legs before we started what was to become a 2-up time trial. We weren't gaining on the lead riders, in fact it was obvious to both of us that we were in this together for the long haul but thankfully we were quite evenly matched which helped a little. Eventually around a bend we picked up a Belgian rider who had been dropped from the leading group, she was as pleased to see us as we were at the thought of an extra person to share the workload with! Unfortunately she turned out to be a Laura Trott on the flat but couldn't climb at all! We started to lose ground on the hills while we slowed to her pace and were eventually caught by a small group of three. This made for more effective riding as an echelon to try and shelter from the relentless crosswinds.

Crib notes: feed zone @ 65/115/145km
Climbs: @34km, 7.6% for 275m etc.

By now we had been in the saddle for over three hours at an average pace of still in excess of 33kph. I'd got through my first drinks bottle and successfully negotiated the dispatching of it in the feed zone area and switched it for the spare I'd crammed into my back pocket! The rider briefing the day before had informed us that there would only be water bottles available from the marshals in the feed zones. Knowing I'd need all the energy I could get I'd opted to carry an extra bottle on me with the nutrition I'm used to having. This also meant that I could give the feeding areas a wide berth - with rider focus on taking bottles it would be an easy place to crash.

 

The pace of the group had started to slow and although my legs were partially glad of this, I quite like to climb and I was starting to wonder whether I should brave the wind and ride off on my own. Having driven race route in the week and followed Paul in the motorhome, while he rode some of it, I knew that the next climb was one of the steepest and had a false summit. Riding up at my pace I realised that I'd left the others behind - looks like that has made the decision then, into the wind it is! I rounded the right turn to finish the climb, started to go up through the gears ready to maximise the descent and... clunk... whirr... jam... the sounds that you don't want to hear as your chain comes flying off. My heart sinks as I see that it has jammed itself against the frame and whilst I wrestle to release it the rest of the group roll past me to descend into the distance!

Eventually it's fixed and now I'm trying to chase the group that I had dropped. After all the climbing we'd done, this was a welcome downhill/flat section (albeit into the wind) and they had clearly covered some distance as I couldn't see them. I see one rider in the distance and as I get closer I recognise her as being part of our group. I go past her, she doesn't follow so must have had enough - I can't say I blame her! The group had evidently splintered after the climb but finally I catch the two left at what was the front. Clearly they're tiring too, ironically my legs, perhaps invigorated from the mechanical stop, were feeling good - I sit on the front in the wind - hmmm not so strong now! Despite the pace being slower than I would have liked, the medals were clearly accounted for up the road in Aalborg and the wind was pretty relentless so I decided against another solo effort, plus for some inexplicable reason my left shin was exceedingly painful - and getting worse.

Over five hours later, we eventually finish back in Aalborg, my shin is so sore by now that I can't even sprint to finish ahead of the other two that I've been towing along. Utter relief - to see Paul waiting for me at the finish, that neither of us crashed and that the last five hours in the saddle is over! Disappointingly, not the result I would have liked but not unlike the TT, it could have gone a whole lot worse.

Safely back at the motorhome!

UCI UWCT World Amateur Championships - Time Trial in Hobro

 

In pursuit of rainbow stripes...

The much anticipated 'adventure' to deepest Denmark was finally upon us. Courtesy of Priory Rentals, Northwich, who responded to our last minute plight and juggled their fleet to provide our home and mode of transport for the Championships - a lovely motorhome - complete with massive 'garage' for the bikes. Some 1,200 miles later, having travelled over the water at Dover and up through France, Belgium, Germany and finally into Denmark, camp was set up at Hobro - the location for the Time Trial.

Having left beautiful sunshine in Germany, we had a more traditional Danish greeting on arrival at the campsite - heavy rain and strong winds! It was almost like the unofficial race HQ as within an hour we'd met the NZ National TT Champ in the laundry, the Norwegian National TT Champ had pitched his caravan next to us and countless other cyclists of all nationalities had started to arrive. Unsurprisingly, conversations in broken English focussed around the weather (how windy??!) and the course (how technical??!!)



It was that windy that the banners were literally taking off!

It goes without saying that preparation was a key priority, so off I went to recce the course (numerous times) - it was certainly challenging and definitely made all the more interesting by the heavy rain and 30mph winds. It was an 18.6km out and back course up a steep incline with a technical loop with a few short sharp climbs and a left and right turn to be negotiated when travelling at over 60kph. Add onto this a strong headwind on the way out, a crosswind on the only flat section and a tailwind on the final fast descent where you somehow needed to make a 90 degree turn towards the finish and you have a Championship course!

The plan? Play the weather at its own game and ride like the wind up the hill and into the headwind sections and try to remain aero on the downhill... not forgetting braking in time to make the final bend! As Paul is often reminding me, 'in order to finish first, first you have to finish'. Never has this phrase seemed more appropriate than it did for this course.

Having taken the opportunity of attending the pre-bike check the day before racing started, I was safely in the knowledge that 'Lucy' as my TT bike is affectionately known was UCI legal. I was surprised by the number of people who were having to make alterations - some looked rather more terminal than others (think hacksaw!)


'Lucy' in the UCI jig, weighing in at 9.2kg

My start time was 12:21, so after my usual warm-up, which had the unwelcome addition of fighting off the local wasp population, I was headed for the final bike check, before taking my place on the start ramp.

1 minute to go...

The digital clock was counting us down at 30 second intervals, with the Start Commissaire giving us the final 5 second finger countdown. A quick press of the start button on the Garmin (I like constant in-ride feedback) and we're off!




The final countdown!

Panic set in after the first 800m - where have my race legs gone?! I didn't have an answer to this, so just had to dig in and try my best. Having safely (and perhaps rather too pedestrian) made the turn to climb the first incline, I spotted my parents half way up the hill - cue dig in a bit more. I was rapidly going into the red but the summit was in sight, just a few more pedal turns... then it was onto the flat and straight into the full force of the cross headwinds. My legs were screaming at me but I knew I just had to dig in, thankfully being closed roads, it was far easier to hold a line than it had been when riding the course on open roads earlier in the week. The rain had started again and my visor was starting to get covered with raindrops - at least they masked the next looming incline!


The left hand turn which marked the start of the loop - my favourite part of the course - was soon upon me, this also meant that I was a third of the way around already. Approaching the rolling section I could see my 'minute man' in the distance - a target! I was gaining but only slowly until we came to the descent which saw us come off the loop with a couple of technical bends - she hesitated, I reached a crazy speed of 65kph, swept around the bend and overtook. I just had to keep my head down now in case my manoeuvre spurred her into a counter attack. Thankfully there was no sign of this and I powered on up the last climb with what little I had left in my legs.

In a whole world of pain!

 

The crossing over the motorway marked the point at which the road started to flatten out, time to dig in once more. I could see a French rider in front of me - another target. I passed her and sunk into my best aero position to enhance my speed at the start of the descent, knowing full well that I had to start braking early enough to make the final turn. The marshal was frantically waving his arms at me to slow down. Was I really still carrying too much speed? Perhaps I was, so more feathering of the brakes... speed reducing and reducing! I knew that I had to maximise my power out of the corner and into the final kilometre to the finish to regain some of it. It was quite technical to sweep around the barriers and into the finish straight but I was determined to finish in style and stop the clock as soon as possible!

Eager to stop the Garmin as soon as possible!

In a strong field of experienced riders I finished sixth and third fastest Brit in a time of 30:03. Despite initial disappointment on missing out on a medal by less than 30 seconds I guess it marks a solid performance in my first year of racing at this level. I outperformed a couple of Brits who I had finished behind at the qualifiers and put just shy of three minutes into the Kiwi National age-group TT Champion. Although it wasn't one of those magical days on the bike for me, I could have done a lot worse!

Thank you to Paul who looked after my every need in the run up to the race (and was probably more nervous than I was!), Harry Walker for the revolver disc wheel, Paul Swinnerton of Swinnerton Cycles for the countless bike fits and last but not least my parents for sitting on a train for 8 hours to catch a glimpse of me out on the road.

Well travelled parents!

Championships part II (road race) to follow...