Saturday, November 04, 2006

Racing News

Over the last month Nolsey and Brady have raced in a couple of open races in SE Queensland.
The Ipswich Open was raced at Carole Park on the Synergy Park Crit course, a track known to other Dalby riders that have raced the Ipswich clubs fornightly crits. Nolsey raced in Vet C and with a ten day break off the bike it was always going to be a big ask."Big Ask" it was, the peloton hammered around the course with lightning speed and with heart rates going through the roof the weak were dropping like flys. Nolsey dug in deep and stayed with the group the entire race but didn't have the legs to contest the sprint. No wonder!!!! their avg speed was over 41kph. I raced Elite C and the two events couldn't have been more different.
It was a pretty slow race with not many attacks, we still avg over 40 but with a big pack it was easy to sit in and relax.Believe it or not these races are harder to win than gut busting events because everyone is still fresh. You get good sprinters still there at the end that wouldn't have been if it was a grueling race. Anyhow, I got 6th over the line and a little disappointed, anyway thats racing.

The Murgon Heart Breaker


The town of Murgon put on a great road race in conjunction with their week long "Shakin' Grape Wine Festival".Field numbers were down but the talent wasn't with current Australian criterium champion, a Commonwealth Games rep, an Olympic rep, past Australian vet time trial champ and current Australian Vet road and time trial champion.The Elite A guys were sent off first then the rest went in one big pack all together. This doesn't happen very often we were all racing in separate categories but in one big race, we had Vet A/B, Elite B/C, Elite Woman and under 17. This was going to be tough !!!!
The course was a 22km loop with an big 3-4km climb that had to be ridden 3 times, 66km of the best road race track I've raced this year. Why?
THE HILL! Hills seperate the boys from the men and we don't get many climbs like this one to race on. The first lap and the race was on from the start with attacks left,right and centre in only the first 3 kms. Then came the HILL and no one was slowing down.My heart rate was going up and up as we snaked around bend after bend climbing to the top.As we got to the summit I turned around to look for Nolsey but he was gone.Riding above his normal catergory it was always going to hard for Nolsey and training in flat Dalby doesn't help either.What goes up must come down and descending was fun with a long fast run down to the flat ground, with 40 riders in aero tour de france style position, the adrenalin was flowing.Across the flat and back into the town of Murgon, past the start/finish line and the first lap was over.

We climbed the hill again this time even faster as a little hairy legged bloke from the Gold Coast set a cracking pace. I rode the hill in 3rd place not looking back trying to hold onto the wheel in front, my heart rate going to 186bpm(my max). As we got to the top I looked back and there was no one there, we blew the pack away.
It flattened off a little and we started taking turns at the front pushing as hard as we could, we needed to open a bigger gap on the feild. Looking back to see the damage we caused I noticed a rider trying to bridge the gap, we slowed a little to let him on. This is not the normal thing to do but this was no normal cyclist - Craig Taylor Australian Vet champion, he is strong and would be an asset if we were to stay away. We took turn after turn riding as hard as we could and the little hairy guy couldn't hold on as we started the descent.

Then there were three - I was slightly out of my league in a break away with two Australian Vet champions working harder than I've ever worked, swapping turn after turn.Past the start finish line and out of town again, I was in a world of hurt.We had been away for about 20 kms and had opened a sizable gap on the peloton, the other two blokes were racing VetA so that meant I was winning Elite B/C but not for long.
I blew up! my legs were dead I couldn't take another turn at the front as I let the two STOGS(Scary Tough Old Guys)go. I climbed the hill by myself and as I reached the top the peloton caught me.On the trip home there were more attacks and I was cramping sprinting out of the saddle trying to hold on as we rode into Murgon for the last time. Around the last corner and up to sprint for the finish line but I had no fuel left crossing the line 4th.Not my best placing in a race, but my best effort.
Nolsey came in some time later but finished the race, as other pussies who were dropped pulled out not finishing. Finishing what you have started is character building and Nolsey's day in the sun will come. SOON !

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