Race Report by Jenn O'Connor
This was one of our big road races of the season, and we've all been looking forward to it. As this was a team event, we'd bolstered our team with the addition of Paula Moseley and Alli Northcott, and both proved themselves great choices time and again over the course of the weekend.
Day 1 - Sunday 3rd May 2009
Stage 1 - Team Time Trial 9.7km
The whole team had to start but only the top four times counted towards the team score. Apart from Annabel, none of us had ever done a TTT before, and we'd never ridden together as a team. I start off on the front, and took off fairly steady to ensure we all got clipped in and moving together. Alli (who had never done any kind of TT) took the next turn and went off at a hell of a pace, then missed the last wheel and disappeared, so we were a rider down within the first 500m. We couldn't afford to lose another rider, so we rode carefully. Nadine struggles with TTs and Annie and I jollied her along, while Paula with her bar extensions did the extra share on the front. We finished in 15:12, which put us in 5th place and 38 seconds down on the leaders going into Stage 2.
Stage 2 - Keysoe Road Race 80km
Our rough plan was for Nadine to try for the sprint primes, while Annie and I would try for the hill primes, and Alli and Paula would cover the breaks and look after Nadine. It all went out the window. The bunch of 80 riders were crammed into one side of the road around tight country lanes and it look two of the five laps for me to work my way to the front, and that was only because I had fearless Alli working for me, making gaps where there were none.
Things were settling down a bit, when the crash happened. I didn't see it start, but I saw riders go down on my left, then a rider hit the deck right in front of me. I don't know how I didn't crash. Eight riders went down in all, with one broken ankle and a set of snapped handlebars. The race carried on, albeit a bit shaken up.
This was one of our big road races of the season, and we've all been looking forward to it. As this was a team event, we'd bolstered our team with the addition of Paula Moseley and Alli Northcott, and both proved themselves great choices time and again over the course of the weekend.
Day 1 - Sunday 3rd May 2009
Stage 1 - Team Time Trial 9.7km
The whole team had to start but only the top four times counted towards the team score. Apart from Annabel, none of us had ever done a TTT before, and we'd never ridden together as a team. I start off on the front, and took off fairly steady to ensure we all got clipped in and moving together. Alli (who had never done any kind of TT) took the next turn and went off at a hell of a pace, then missed the last wheel and disappeared, so we were a rider down within the first 500m. We couldn't afford to lose another rider, so we rode carefully. Nadine struggles with TTs and Annie and I jollied her along, while Paula with her bar extensions did the extra share on the front. We finished in 15:12, which put us in 5th place and 38 seconds down on the leaders going into Stage 2.
Stage 2 - Keysoe Road Race 80km
Our rough plan was for Nadine to try for the sprint primes, while Annie and I would try for the hill primes, and Alli and Paula would cover the breaks and look after Nadine. It all went out the window. The bunch of 80 riders were crammed into one side of the road around tight country lanes and it look two of the five laps for me to work my way to the front, and that was only because I had fearless Alli working for me, making gaps where there were none.
Things were settling down a bit, when the crash happened. I didn't see it start, but I saw riders go down on my left, then a rider hit the deck right in front of me. I don't know how I didn't crash. Eight riders went down in all, with one broken ankle and a set of snapped handlebars. The race carried on, albeit a bit shaken up.
The hill sprint was not really a hill so much as a short rise, so it favoured the sprinters over the pure climbers in any case. Nonetheless, I managed to line myself up for the second hill prime and crossed the line third, for a few bonus points. I then chanced a second place in one of the sprint primes, as I happened to be one of three riders who had gotten away from the bunch back up the road.
The group inevitably came back together, and it was Paula who got a break with Julie Cook (Squadra Donne) and got away on the last lap. They were chased and caught by Natalie Cresswick (Twickenham CC), who eventually won, with Julie second and Paula third. Meanwhile, Alli and I managed to keep the rest of the bunch together, and I went for the bunch sprint up the hill to the finish securing the fourth spot. Result! This put Paula second on GC as she'd clawed back some of the lost time from the TTT by finishing in the break. I was 12th on GC thanks to my sprint efforts, and Alli lost no time finishing in the bunch behind me. Annie had bad stomach cramps and struggled through to finish, while Nadine finished behind the main bunch.
Day Two - Monday 4th May 2009
Stage 3 - Individual Time Trial 3.37km
A really short TT, with a gradual descent, a gradual climb and a flat. I think the organisers kept the time trials deliberately short so that the advantage gained by those with proper TT bikes and aero kit would not dictate the outcome of the whole event. We rode the TTs on standard road bikes, although Paula had a set of tri-bars and clocked about 10 seconds faster than me and Annie (on the same time to the second) with Alli and Nadine about 10 seconds slower again. The result dropped Paula dropped back to third on GC and we knew we'd have to race tactics in the afternoon road race if we wanted to keep or better that place. There was a "Combative" prize to be awarded, and we were gunning for it.
Stage 4 - Cranfield Road Race 71km
Now we were looking after Paula. Our team stayed on the front and marked Julie Cook and Danni King, the other two GC contenders. The only way for Paula to improve her position was to get in a break with one of the other two, or break away on her own, but there were just seconds in it, and we couldn't afford to let any breaks go without Paula. Annie started things off with attacks off the front in the first lap, and I followed it up with a long attack that saw me off the front for about 10 minutes. Then Alli went. We kept attacking and chasing everything that moved. I even got another sprint prime, securing 3rd place in the sprint competition, which is a bit of an outrage as I'm not a sprinter at all.
Then the next disaster happened. I'd allowed myself to drop back into the bunch after my sprint, when a group of three horseriders decided to take their chances and ride down the road into the peloton. We were trying to keep left but there were 80 of us on a narrow country lane. Sure enough, one of the horses spooked and bolted straight into the bunch, scattering riders and bikes in all directions. The front half of the race carried on, while the rest of us were left stranded, unable to get past the panicking horse. The marshalls pulled out the red flag and stopped the race. Thankfully no-one was hurt this time, despite the apparent carnage.
We were re-gridded at the top of the hill to re-start the final lap. A lot of riders were visibly shaken and there were plenty of trembling hands on bars, including mine. We set off for the final lap, but the fight seemed to have gone out of the bunch, like we all just wanted it to be over. It was raining but this stage and the roads were wet. I felt like I was riding just to survive, and I was happy to let my team mates fight it out at the front, as it was clear no breaks would go. Paula made a few last attempts to get away, but the bunch just strung out behind her. In the end she tired herself out and didn't have anything for the final sprint, which was won by Laura Trott (Impsport A). Paula finished in the bunch and held her 3rd place on GC. It was the result we'd been working for.
The team event was won by Squadra Donne, the composite team that included both Julie Cook and Danni King. MaxGear finished second, largely on the strength of a good TTT at the start, while Altura Patterson Training finished third. Three third places! Not bad at all!
No Combative prize was awarded in the end. Maybe it went to the horse.
Big thanks to Alli and Paula - you guys were awesome, and we hope to have you on our team again!
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