KCC eNews Two new entries from Brandon Spencer’s Race Diary from France: March 9 and 10 Tressigneaux Course: 138km (106km + 8x4km finishing loops), mainly flat with a couple short cotes before the finish circuit, many narrow winding roads with rough pavement (someone muttered something about Paris-Roubaix between gasps at one point). Lots of open stretches on wide roads (equals cross winds). I knew this course didnt suit me going into the start, but figured I could at least work for the team and maybe get a nice result for myself if the opportunity presented itself. In the end, a large group (about 25 strong) rolled away during a lull in the pace and gained a significant advantage (minutes) when the pack jammed up in a long, narrow stretch of road. We only had one rider represented, Kevin, and were confident in another, Andrew, for the sprint, so it was left to our team to try and pull the break back as the peloton approached the finishing circuits. The team made a massive effort, reducing the gap to within 20 seconds, but it wasnt quite enough. As we hit the circuits, other teams attacked and tried to bridge up to the leaders. Up front, things were starting to heat up as well, with the cross winds taking effect and riders being dropped one by one. Kevin still managed to play his cards well and marked the right move, then sprinted, and after being a lone wolf for much of the day, pulled off a podium result, saving the day for our team in an otherwise poorly coordinated effort. I finished at the rear of the peloton and was happy to do so, supposedly saving energy for the next days race; however, when the team needed more fire power for the chase I had to step in and help. My final pull before I peeled off really burned a lot of matches, so I was actually surprised to hang on to the coat tails of the main group, let alone finish with it. Verdict: frustrating, but a great learning experience and an opportunity to get some media coverage on the front of the bunch. ------------------------------------------------ Manche Atlantique Course: 160km (with 8 finishing loops over a climb) of rolling terrain similar to the hills around Peterborough except two to three times as long and wide open, with a couple of mountain sprint points, almost all on wide-open roads with a strong SW wind. I was told this was a very difficult race because it always drew a deep field, but that the course suited me well with the difficult climbs - especially towards the final. Unfortunately, I had a tough time living up to expectations. It may have been fatigue from performing team duties the day before or it may have been that the race was too hard for me or I just had a bad day. In any case, I struggled from the start. All 150+ riders fought for about 15 sheltered spaces near the front, and as the wind began to stretch things out, the main group split. We hit one short but wide-open climb, and the cross wind shed riders from the peloton like a dog shedding its winter coat in the spring. By the 60km point, I knew I needed to be really careful positioning myself, but by the 70km point things werent improving much, and by 80kms I was near my limit. When we hit the final mountain point before the finishing circuits, there was a big surge and that was that: out the back I went, along with many more, and there I stayed. I half-heartedly chased for another 10kms or so, but I knew once the rest of the race caravan went past, quickly, there was no getting back. I rode out the final few kms to the finishing circuit, and was told by a race official I was too far back to continue, and nearly thanked him. Now all that stood between me and a nice ham sandwich (you start craving strange things when youve cracked, especially when provided by your team) was a few kms of climbing. I struggled all the way, but the enormous Tour de France-like crowds helped me keep my composure and make it to the top and across the finish line. I made brief eye contact with the finish official, who already knew I was going straight to the team van, where I was greeted by a smile, a shrug (maybe next time) and a delicious baguette with ham and cheese. I sat and enjoyed the moment. It may not have been a great day for results, but in my eyes (and mouth) life couldnt get much better. Verdict: when I first sat down to write this report I wanted to say frustrated and disappointed, but as I continued I realized that challenging myself was the exact reason I came to France, and I did, on both days, adapting my tactics along the way. - Brandon
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:59:38 +0000
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