Latest Results - 2010
July 4th - Thorney Island. Redders 1st
Redders reports: "If it was windy at Thorney Island last month, it was super-duper windy for this latest crit on the part-airfield, part-road circuit. I had an inkling that an attack off the front would be crucial, so it was a case of making sure I was in the right one.
From the off, a Fareham CC chap that I know from Mountbatten races (I like ovals!!!) started fairly quickly and with me on his wheel, we quickly got a gap much to our surprise. A Southdown Velo chap joined us and we started to work together to build up a lead. On the downhill section and into the turn into a block headwind, we knew the game was up and so we accepted that our move wasn't to be.
I stayed near the front and then on the uphill section towards the finish near the end of lap one, Shaun from Southdown Velo went on the attack down the left. My instinct was to follow, so I did and once I had caught Shaun's wheel, I went to the front along the brutal crosswind section to do a good turn. We had immediately got a gap and with no sign of an organised chase, we quickly set to work to build on our advantage.
The gap grew and grew with the fierce wind helping us, not to mention the efforts of our respective team-mates behind who were helping to disrupt the chase in the peleton. With six of the ten laps to go, Shaun said his legs were starting to go, but I encouraged him to keep at it and dig deep because I was building in my confidence that we would stay away.
The laps were counting down and I was grateful to receive time-gaps from spectators who said our gap was hovering around the 40-45 second mark. If it remained like that, then we were home and dry barring any mechanical woe.
To give an indication of the wind strength, I took one hand off the bars during the false-flat section past the start-finish line so I could prop up my sunglasses. Stone the crows, I was very nearly blown off. I wasn't going to repeat that and so was careful to make sure I kept both hands on the bars during the crosswind sections.
Going over the line to receive the bell, it was becoming more and more obvious that we would not get caught. Shaun and I had co-operated really well and I was certainly very pleased and grateful that he'd managed to hang in after his previous announcement of losing strength in his legs.
On the dink left to come off the main road and start the uphill grind to the finish into the headwind, I flicked up a gear and increased the cadence. It was enough to see me ease away from Shaun and I continued this high cadence right up to the line to come over in 1st place, but with just the one hand off the bars due to the crosswind.
What a great feeling. Shaun and I congratulated each other on a job well done. My thanks also go to Chairman Mike, Ian Lowe and the remaining Southdown Velo crew for policing the bunch and allowing the two of us to get away and stay away."
June 13th - Thorney Island. Andy Sykes 6th, Redders 8th
From Andy: "A lad from Brighton was away beginning the second lap and I jumped across to him, then after a bit of encouragement managed to get him to continue with me. After a lap or so two more came across, followed by another two to bring it up to six. The Brighton lad then suddenly just sat up?!! The remaining five continued on, everyone was pretty evenly matched except for a PBK rider whose legs were massive and kept causing problems everytime he went to the front! Finally with about 4 laps to go a final pair managed to grovel their way across to make seven.
It was pretty calm in the run in to the finish, a Velocity rider jumped with a lap to go, but it all came back together for a sprint. I made a big mistake during the sprint by trying to come round into the wind and died a bit which cost me 5th, but to be honest I didn't have the legs at the end so pleased with 6th place. In retrospect I should have jumped with a km to go or so - it would have either have worked or I would have finished 7th instead!"
Redders reports: "Andy and I were down on the south coast for the 3rd cat. race on Thorney Island. It's a working MOD base and with no EoL, we thought the nineteen riders in Susan Knight's .pdf file would be the field. Not so, as some stragglers with their entries bumped the numbers up to 32ish. I'd had ambitions of a points finish, but with a bigger field than I first thought, it would not be easy .... which is good in a way (no-one likes easy points!). There was a brutal wind from the sea and the start was delayed slightly when a plane taxied to a hangar having come in to land (!!).
AndyS went from the gun, another chap followed him and I latched onto his wheel. I had a gap of virtually nothing on the field behind me, so we all sat up and had a relatively sedate opening lap. Then it was on the next lap, I think, that AndyS got into the move. Five went away in the crosswind section (start/finish stretch and beyond) and so, I quickly went to the front to discourage any chase.
The five got a good, initial gap and others tried to join them, but were brought back and I was still active on the front disrupting and discouraging any chase. It was impossible for me to cover all attacks and two attacked on the start/finish straight and got a gap. After the initial reaction to haul them back, I went to the front to, once again, disrupt the chase. They then pulled away in an effort to bridge to AndyS and his four buddies.
It took about four or five laps for the guys in the main field to start complaining. There were four or five really trying to organise the chase as the leading five had a very, very healthy lead and the two in-between were also pulling away nicely. I had obviously been very active on the front, but without giving it serious oooomph. That's when the heated exchanges started.
That still didn't deter me until on the back section of the circuit, the B'ham CC guy put a palm on my shoulder and gave me a big shove, saying, "If you're not prepared to chase, get to the f-ing back!!". Well, racing isn't a popularity contest .... racing is racing. The extent of my good work meant the leaders (by this stage, the two had bridged to the five) had a lead good enough to sort out the race-winner between them. I thought, perhaps, it might be good to take up station at the back in case someone barged me off my bike. In any case, the main players in the pack were losing heart .... everyone was starting to look at each other and not put the effort in. This made me smile very broadly. Come on, AndyS.
A lap later, the Team Wiggle chap punctured and this had been a chap who had tried hard when chasing. I had a feeling that everyone around me wished that I would puncture.
Three to go and three chaps wheeled away from the front of the peleton; the B'ham CC chap, one from Andover and the Cwmcarn Paragon youngster. They quickly got a gap of fifty metres and something inside me said, "GO!". So when the wind was behind me, I launched myself away from the pack and gave chase. I reasoned having done a good blocking job for AndyS, it was time to think about myself.
I caught them with two to go at the same time that the Andover guy went backwards. Coming up fast behind us was a VC St.Raphael. We were four who had no chance of catching the leaders, but we were starting to put some distance into the peleton behind. The VC St. Raphael guy and myself put in some monster turns and before we knew it, we had dropped the other two. Coming out of the only tight (left) turn on the course, we both sprinted away down the road towards the turn into the wind .... we had good daylight between us and the chasing two, who were being caught by the pack.
We continued working together until going over the start-line for the bell. I was on the front and doing a monster turn to try and take everyone else behind out of the equation. I turned around to say, "Come through, Sunshine" .... but he wasn't there. I had dropped him and I was all alone with about 2.5 miles to go. Crikey!
Head down, I gave it everything, this was Our Redders in time-trial mode. To stand a chance of staying away, I had to give it maximum gas when the wind was behind me and go even harder when it wasn't. If I still had a good gap at the tight left-turn, I was in with a chance. There seemed to be plenty of cat-and-mouse ahead as I was suddenly catching the leaders at a rate of knots, but not enough to trouble them. Behind me, the peleton seemed to be getting further and further behind me. This was good as I had nothing left for a sprint .... and having hit the headwind/crosswind section for the uphill finish, I eased off to take 8th place over the line. Phew! What a race!
June 6th - SL Barcombe. Mark Edwards - 1st
65 miles with the best of the south east 2nd/3rd cats could do nothing but watch as Mark "the motorbike/rocket/ 'insert superlative here'" Edwards followed a move late in the race and romped to victory.
The race started with the usual flurry of attacks from the well represented teams of the region ... Sigma, Kingston Wheelers, Dynamo, Paragon, etc. etc. Nothing stuck. From a lull in proceedings late in the day, Simon Henley (Team Corley Cycles) jumped the bunch and our Mark decided that "he would have some of that" too.
Mark got across to his man and intimated in no uncertain terms that it was game on and proceeded to put the hammer down. Simon latched onto his wheel and the two .... flew! With the circuit fast and flowing, with several pinch points, Mark knew that the two could go faster than the bunch. Simon, to his credit - hung on to Mark's coattails, coming through when he could. Mark was clearly doing the lions share.
With the finish in sight, Simon made an effort, but Mark flicked the switch to "turbo mode" and stormed up the hill finish for a fine win.
Mark said: "When I saw Simon go, I knew this was the time to give it 100%. I got up to him and to be honest, just drilled it. I reckon I did about 70% of the effort, we were out of sight in no time which helps enormously. I think we only had about 20k left to go. It feels great to get the first win on the road."
June 1st - Martin Porter - in the points
Martin was competing in the Tuesday 4th cats. event at Hillingdon cycle circuit on a rather grey but dry evening.
The race pretty much stayed together with a few dropping off the back, but Martin was there for the gallop - getting into the points with a 9th place and his best placing for 2010. Here's hoping for more where that came from!
May 23rd - Mark Edwards - TT's to victory
Mark won the Amersham RCC Club 25 on the Missenden course on Sunday May 23rd.
Posting a 55:47, he was a clear winner by just under a minute from Chris Starling (Team MDT Giant) who did a 56:34. We are confident that there will be more to follow from our "new boy"