Powerbar Midlands Series and Midlands Championships

Race Report by Jenn O’Connor
Pics by Rob Crayton & Steve Sayers

The Powerbar Midlands Champs and round two of the series was a cracking day out at Hanchurch Woods, near Stoke-On-Trent, on Sunday. Local lad Martyn Brookes (who races for Yeti Cycles UK) put the course together, and did a fantastic job. The course had a bit of everything – a couple of big gravelly climbs, twisty singletrack descents, a huge high-speed bombhole, and lots of tricky obstacles like rock piles, logs, step-ups and drops. The atmosphere on the start line for Race 1 was a buzz of happy excitement, and it stayed that way all day.

The Midlands Championship titles were up for grabs, and Dave Collins (SiS) had a storming ride in the afternoon race to take the Elite men’s title. Unfortunately the only eligible rider in the Elite women’s race, Annie Last (Halfords), did not finish, so we didn’t award an Elite female champion. However Rachel Fenton had a great ride to win the Expert Champion’s title, and as such took top honours as the leading female Midlands racer.

Our race was set for five laps, and at about 25 minutes per lap it was a long race by modern standards, more in line with classic XC distance. I was line up against my young team mate Annabel Simpson, as well as Annie Last. These young riders are very quick, and brilliant on the technical stuff, and I knew I would have my work cut out taking the race to them on this course.

Annie took to the front of the group on the first climb, and I was happy to let her set the pace and see how things would unfold. Sure enough, she got away from me in the middle section of the course through the singletrack descents, but I caught her back up towards the end of the lap. Lap 2 was the same again, and we set out on Lap 3 still together. I managed to hold her wheel a bit better through the singletrack this time, but unfortunately she broke her chain near the end of the lap. I rode easy for a few minutes through to the feedzone, to give her a chance to fix her chain, then set off at race pace again.

Annie managed to fix her chain pretty quickly, and was only about three minutes behind, but decided to call it a day after four laps, as it was her first race back after being ill, and she felt she’d had enough. Meanwhile, our Annabel damaged a pedal on her third lap, but managed to limp around mostly one-legged to finish the full five laps and take second place.

The afternoon race saw Dave Collins take the win, but he didn’t have things all his own way. He had Robert Friel (KTM-Pod) for company for the first two of six laps, but Robert lost about three minutes in the third lap, and despite a strong performance in the second half of the race, was unable to take back the time and missed the podium. Oli Cox (Pedal Power) put in a strong showing to take second with Andrew Cockburn (Cambridge CC) in third.

The Master mens’ race, also in the afternoon, was another close-fought race with just five minutes separating the top 10 places. Matt Barrett (KTM-Pod) led from the start but was chased hard all the way by Phil Morris (XCracer 29ers), and finished with a lead of just 26 seconds. Glenn Stanford (Extreme Sports Therapy) took third, another 12 seconds back. The chasing bunch included Altura Patterson Training Coach Andrew Patterson, who had a great battle with Darren Alexander (Mini Adventure) and Chris Rathbone (Websters Specialized), but was outsprinted by Darren on the line and finished seventh, with Matthew Dennis (Yeti Cycles UK) ahead in fourth place.

The Junior female title went to Danielle Rider (Sherwood Pines), in the race by herself but nonetheless putting in some quick laps to earn her medal. Ben Roff (Orange Monkey) took the Junior men’s win ahead of Lewis Burke (Macclesfield Wheelers) and Aron Marshall (Sherwood Pines).

Verity Appleyard beat Gill Hilton by 57 seconds to take the Master women’s win. Patterson Training client Michael Powell (Sherwood Pines) had a fairly comfortable win over Mark James (Bad Ass Bikes) in the Vet men’s race, with John Smith (Numplumz) in third. The Vet women’s race saw an impressive ride by World Masters Champ Belinda Tarling (Cheltenham & County), finishing 14 minutes ahead of nearest rival Karen Summers (Paramount) and third placed Lorna Rider (Sherwood Pines).

In the morning Youth race, Matt Sumpton (Matlock CC) won by over two minuntes from Alex Baker (Orange Monkey) and James Hyde (Numplumz). Bethany Crumpton made the most of her front-row starting position to win the Youth girls’ race by eight minutes ahead of Hollie Bettles (XCracer.com/Trek).

For a full list of results and lap times in all the categories please go to http://www.timelaps.co.uk/.

For a full gallery of pics by Rob Crayton please go to http://www.robcrayton.co.uk/.

For news on the Midlands Championship titles and series standings please go to http://www.xcracer.com/.

Big thanks to organisers Nadine Spearing (another Altura Patterson Training team rider) and James Hampshire for putting on an awesome event. You can see the Altura Patterson Training team in action at the Original Source Mountain Mayhem 24 hour race next weekend.

Elite Women on the start line

Jenn O'Connor

Annabel Simpson

Lost the fight but the battle will continue

On Sunday I raced the Midlands Championship mountain bike race and had one of the best fights In my 20 years of mountain bike racing. The result was ok, 7th place, my legs were good and I was riding the Scalpel to its very limit and beyond on a couple of occasions. Crashes were causing position changes every lap and it was a race I had no intention of settling in to.

Loamy sections were proving difficult for the weight weenies who were running semi slick tyres, giving me and my Panaracer Rampage a very big advantage. I did get my suspension set up slightly wrong with too much air in both the front and rear, but that firmness allowed the Scalpel to zip away from my competition when the course opened out. On the last lap I was clear in 6th spot but a root rolled the tyre and I had the dilemma of riding it to the finish and risking rolling the tyre off completely on the big bomb hole section or quickly stopping to put some air in, I chose the latter and was passed by my nemesis, Darren Alexander (Mini Adventure).

I rode hard to catch him back up waiting for my time to attack, which came on the final steep loamy climb where I hit the 180 cranks hard and powered away to a 20 metre gap. As the finish line approached my chase and attack was being paid back and I looked round to see Darren closing me down. He put in a good finishing effort and beat me to the line, a fight I will continue in the next round.

The race was an experience I will recall to lift my spirits in future races. On reflection It wasn’t the result that mattered to me, it was the way the race unfolded and how I managed to focus on gaining places rather than holding position and fight hard to the end.

One For The Road

Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod Carbon finished with FSA K-Force and SRAM Red

Those who have been following the blog will know that this is the first season the Altura Patterson Training team has made an appearance on the UK road racing scene. We have been lucky enough to secure the support of Cannondale, along with our various co-sponsors in this venture, and I've made the most of the opportunity to build myself a really special road bike.

This lovely white machine is a Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod, which is Cannondale's lightest and stiffest carbon layup. The bike started life as an Ultegra SL compact, but with help from FSA and SRAM, I've upgraded it to a no-compromise dream bike. It's a 48cm, which is not the smallest frame that Cannondale build, but it is a very small bike.

I started by replacing the shifters, and front and rear mechs with SRAM Red. I've been using SRAM Rival on my training bike for two years now, and I have been really impressed with the smoothness and reliability of the system. SRAM Red was the obvious choice for this bike. Not only do I have a super light setup and crisp shifting, I have a perfect colour match!

Cannondales are built with BB30 bottom bracket cups as standard, and the FSA SLK-Light BB30 carbon crankset in 170mm was part of the original specification, so I left it on. Crank Brothers supply pedals for all of our team bikes, and our road bikes are sporting these Quattro Ti pedals. The Fast Kiwi (above centre) is our team mascot, and appears on all of my bikes.

The original Ultegra SL brakes have been replaced with FSA K-Force front and rear. The original FSA 420mm alloy bars have also been upgraded to this 400mm FSA K-Force carbon compact set. I can now ride in the drops and reach my levers comfortably, even with my very small hands.


This Lizard Skins bar tape is lovely stuff, and it's unlike anything else on the market. It is grippy without being sticky and has a tactile feel and shiny finish. Everyone who touches it responds by saying "oooh" and putting both hands on the bars. Lizard Skins supplied us with a choice of white or red, and I have a psycho-sematic response to the colour red - I see it and it makes me go faster. I swear I get an extra 20 watts out of this red bar tape. I'm also certain that anyone who has a SRAM Red system on their bike will want this red bar tape, as it compiments the shifters beautifully. Red is the new white. You heard it here first.

The original spec Fizik Tundra saddle had to go, and I managed to procure this white Specialized Ruby Pro 143, which fits the look of the bike and, most importantly, fits my backside. I also have a Prologo Nago PAS, which I use on my mountain bike and I swap between the two. The Prologo neoprene pod seatpack keeps essential C02 cannisters and allen keys handy without scuffing up the aero carbon seatpost.

The finishing touch is a set of Panaracer Extreme Lite tyres, which stick to the road in all conditions, and are actually pretty durable, despite their light weight.

So, how does it ride? It's unlike any other bike I've ever ridden, in fact it's another species altogether. My last carbon bike was a Specialized Ruby Pro, which was lovely to ride, but not in the same league as the Synapse for sheer raceability. I ride two gears up on this bike. I took 11 seconds out of my PB on Long Hill, from 16:29 down to 16:18, riding straight from work with a rucksack on. The BB30 bottom bracket is so stiff, if I turn the pedals in anger I have to hold on tight to the bars. I've developed an ability to sprint that simply didn't exist before.

Despite its small size, the bike has a reasonable wheelbase, and feels stable and planted on the descents. I can descend the bottom section of Buxton Road in the drops, barely touching the brakes, with total confidence, whereas I'd always felt nervous on my old training bike.

I'm really enjoying racing my new road bike, and if I didn't enjoy mountain biking so much, I'd happily ride this bike every day.

Jenn

It wasn't an excuse to get out of bike washing..Honest

With reference to Jenns comments on my cunning plan to get out of bike washing, I have added below the heart rate data from my flutter.
As Jenn mentioned its not a problem, my Father has it, my Grandfather had it (And lived to nearly 100) and I am stuck with it, along with the big lungs gene and the ability to build upper body muscle when passing within 10 yards of a bar bell, which kind of cancels out the huge lungs... unless I switch to rowing which suits my 6 feet 4 frame build.

As it happens I hate water and have only ever used a gym rower so for now it's back to the bike training.

As you can see this resting HR value kind of messes up my training zone calculation. The dip is where it all went back to normal if not slightly elevated from normal resting HR values due to the fact I had done 3 laps of Margham on the nail in high temperatures. The raised 90 bpm is the oxygen debt which takes into account the residual effects of thermogenic hormones, temperature regulation, blood return to the lungs from the working muscle and the like.

BMBS XC Round Three

Margam Park, Wales

30-31 May 2009

Race Report by Jenn O'Connor

It was a bag of 4th places for Altura Patterson Training this weekend, along with a few DNFs. It was also the most glorious weather we've had for years, and a real taste of summer. No complaints from me, but there were a fair few people panting by the end of the day on Sunday, and more than a few smiling sunburned faces.

Our elite women's race was the first off on Saturday morning, and I was lined up with all the usual suspects. As in all our races this year, there was no way to pick a winner, and everyone was eagar to get a good result. My legs felt strong, and I was feeling pretty good. My concussion at Round Two in Dalby three weeks ago had left me feeling wiped out, and the bruising in my knee still comes and goes, but in the days leading up to this race I was finally starting to feel strong again, and I'd been really looking forward to the weekend.

The Elite Women's race gets underway, beneath a cloudless blue sky.

I got a pretty good start too (yes, I have been practising), and rode hard to stay on the wheel of Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager) as we rode into the first climbs. Kate has spent the best part of this season getting battered about in the elbow-to-elbow throng of the World Cup circuit, and it has clearly done her confidence the world of good. She tapped up the climbs and rode off the front of the bunch without a backward glance. Behind her I settled into a rhythm and was soon trading places with Sue Clarke (SiS) and National Champ Jenny Copnall (Look RT). By the third lap we'd settled into our positions - Sue 2nd, Jenny 3rd and me in 4th, which was how the race finished. I was tiring over the last two laps and losing minutes, which was a bit disappointing as I usually have much better stamina than that. But 4th is a fair result in such a strong field, and I know I can train my stamina back. I was also quietly pleased to see all the old favourites back on the podium, showing the young guns we're not ready to roll over just yet!

The Master Women's race started a few minutes after ours, and Ruth managed to but her troubles behind her and put in a solid effort to secure 4th place in her race behind Masters Champ Nina Davies (Ogmore Valley Wheelers), Kim Hurst and Emma Bradley (Torq).

Andy raced in the Master Men's event in the afternoon, but was forced to pull out after three laps, as his atrial flutter came on and wouldn't calm down. It's not a serious condition, but causes his heart to beat fast and shallow, so he has to lie down and wait for it to stop. It was still tapping away at 210bpm two hours later, and we were about to have him carted off to the cardiac unit when it finally dropped back to a normal rhythm (just as I finishing cleaning his bike).

Sunday was the British Marathon Champs, and everyone on our team was having a crack at it, apart from me (the Kiwi). I was designated pit helper for six people - Andy, Nadine, Annabel, Ruth, James Hampshire (Nadine's partner) and Ross Creber (Annabel's partner). I did a lap of the 22km course in the morning before the race and nearly didn't get back in time for the start. Carting water, food, chairs, tools, buckets etc up into the Feed Zone was exhausting enough, and I certainly have new respect for those who do this chore at every race.

Ross was first through, in the lead bunch with Oli Beckinsale (Giant RT) and Paul Oldham (Hope). James (XCracer.com) was next, riding well and cheerful as always. Then came Annabel, sitting mid-pack in the women's field. Annabel had never attempted a marathon before and was pacing herself well. Nadine was not far behind, also racing the miles into her legs and riding well. Ruth came through looking very determined in the 50km half marathon race.

Andy eventually came in on foot, having shredded his semi-slick Panaracer on a rocky descent, and then puncturing again after repairing it with a tube. He fixed his tyre again in the pits, and while I was busy with the track pump, I missed Ross coming through for his second lap, still up with the leaders. Sorry Ross! Luckily Andy caught him when he missed a gear at the top of the feed zone, and gave him a bottle.

Oli eventully won the men's title, with Paul second and Ian Bibby (Halfords) taking the bronze. Ross finished fifth, a great result. The women's championship was won in convincing style by defending champion Sally Bigham (Topeak Ergon), who etched out a 10 minute lead over Jenny Copnall. Jenny showed her class as the only rider to finish in the top three after racing the XC the day before. Jane Nuessli overtook Gemma Collins in the last lap to take the final medal position. Nadine rode a steady race to finish 11th, while Annabel had a bad crash on her third lap, and was bitterly disappointed not to finish.

Ruth finished 4th in the 50km event, while Andy finished three laps, but had lost so much time with his punctures that he didn't go out for the fourth, and so also didn't finish. As for me, I'm so exhausted after five hours running about in the sun passing bottles that I'm taking a rest day to recover!

Something Special...

Hope Technologies are a wonderfully innovative company in Barnoldswick here in the UK, and anyone who knows anything about mountain bikes will have heard of Hope. Their flagship product line is their range of hydraulic disc brake systems, and Hope have been sponsoring me with their wonderful Mono Minis since 2004.

My sponsorship with Hope is part of their Factory Sponsored Riders programme, providing selected athletes in the UK and abroad with a full range of their fantastic kit. Hope Factory Sponsored riders get their kit custom anodised - bright green for the men and pink for the women. This custom kit is done as a special run and is available to the team riders only. This year there is just one Hope Factory Sponsored female XC racer in the world - lucky old me!

This means my new 3-bolt Pro3 SP pink hub wheels in their Stans 355 hoops are the only ones of their kind in the world.

The 355 rims are not quite as light as the Stans Race 7000 versions, but the integrated hub and rotor system takes some of that weight back, making these wheels competitively light (1450gm per set, including rotors) and very strong and durable. Durability in wheels is especially important in marathon and stage racing, when you don't always know what's around the next corner. They have a rider weight limit of 85kg, but for me at 50kg they are pretty much bombproof.

The matching pink Mono Mini Pro brakeset is also unique (although you can buy a standard Mono Mini in pink).

To find out more about Hope kit go to http://www.hopetech.com/. You can't get these wheels in pink, but you can get the same technology in black.

A Long Weekend

Recovering from my crash at Dalby has taken a bit longer than expected, but I'm finally starting to feel like I'm back on top of things. We've been making the most of having a couple of weeks off racing to rest and polish up on the mountain biking, with long rides on our local trails here in the Peak, and a day trip to Llandegla in North Wales on Sunday.

On a warm summer evening, there's no place better than Macc Forest on a mountain bike.

Straiton Road Race

Report by Nadine Spearing

This weekend I decided to leave my knobbly tyres at home, missing Round 2 of the British XC Series, and take my Synapse race machine on a 700 mile round trip to the scenic Ayrshire town of Straiton in Scotland for Round 2 of the National Women's Road Race Series.


The race was 71km and after a very slow neutralised start, we climbed out of the town to the very quiet country lanes and the race was on. I tucked in near the front of a reasonably small bunch of 26 women and descended down the roughest roads I've ever ridden, dodging potholes and sailing round sweeping bends that went on for several miles.

The course then took 3 laps round a rolling course, before finally heading back towards Straiton via a 5 mile climb. It felt like there was a lot more descending than climbing during the 3 laps, as the hills were short and the descents very gradual. In the back of my mind during the whole race was the final climb to the finish and I made an effort to ensure I had enough left in the tank to make it up the final climb fast.

From the start there was a constant flow of attacks, particularly from the Max Gear RT team, who were kitted up with team radios and one after another the 4 of them would attack, get reeled in by the bunch, then the next one would go. Other attacks came from Lynn Hamel who made more of an effort to get away than anyone, but the bunch stayed together until the final climb.

There was one steep hill in the lap where inevitably, attacks were made every time, and it came straight after a very fast descent into a right hand bend covered with loose gravel. A lot of my competitors were hesitant descending here, and so I made sure I was at the front of the bunch before the descent to avoid any crashes or get held up. The bunch spread out a lot down this descent so the riders at the back had a lot of work to do to catch back up, and I could see it was taking it's toll on some of them, while I preserved as much energy as possible.

The final 5 mile climb wasn't as severe as I'd anticipated, with my mountain biking legs quite used to climbing. At about the halfway mark an attack went, was chased down, and then the bunch split in two. I felt comfortable up the climb and sat in the front bunch of 12 waiting for the sprint finish which was drawing ever closer.

I knew the finish was along this climb, but it all looked the same to me and I wasn't actually sure where exactly the finish line was. I had assumed we had a couple more minutes climbing to do when the front riders started sprinting. I reacted quickly, picked up the pace and then I saw the chequered flag. I sprinted into 3rd position but let myself down with a poor gear choice; I was under-geared and couldn't accelerate past Ella Sadler-Andrews in 1st and Claire Thomas in 2nd. All too quickly the line rushed under our wheels and I finished in 3rd position. It was frustrating, because my legs had a lot left in them, but I am pleased with the improvements that I've made and the lessons I'm learning in only a handful of races that I've done so far on the road.

Shiny Side Up, Rubber Side Down

Pics courtesy of Rob Crayton www.robcrayton.co.uk

It's one of the core prinicples of effective bike racing, but sometimes we get it wrong. It's been a while since I had a crash I couldn't get up from, but I made it a classic over-the-bars-flying-through-the-air head stack down the Medusa Drop at the second round of the British Mountain Bike Series in Dalby on Sunday.

I'm mad with myself for crashing, as up until that point on the final lap, everything had been going pretty well. I had another poor start after missing my pedal on the startline (must practice start drills!) but was steadily working my way through the field and had made it to third place with one lap to go. I had second placed Mel Spath (Cycleways Torq) in my sights and I was feeling strong, and working hard to reel her in on the final lap.

The new Dalby course was one of the most technically challenging XC courses I've ridden, and I was confident after practice that I could do well on it, as I'm (usually) pretty good with drops and steep stuff. However, I remember thinking it was the sort of course that would catch people out in the final laps when fatigue set in and concentration started to lapse a bit, and I must have jinxed myself because that's exactly what happened to me.

I landed on my head and left shoulder, but luckily my Catlike Whisper Pro helmet did its job and took the worst of the hit. No broken bones, just a dead left arm, and no major head trauma, just a few dizzy spells and a cracking headache that I'm holding off with an industrial dose of Ibuprofen.

The race was won by visiting Australian Katherine O'Shea (Torq Aus), who went off from the gun and got a clean run right through to the end. Sue Clarke (SiS) was also putting in some very fast laps, but a puncture on lap 3 put her out of contention for the podium. Mel held on to her 2nd place, and Lily Matthews (100% Me) inherited the final podium spot, after very nearly mowing me down and finishing me off I was being attended by medics at the side of the track.

Coach Andy Patterson raced in the Sport category at lunchtime, after missing a spot in the oversubscibed Masters race later in the afternoon. He finished 8th in a field of 50 starters, after working his way up from the back of the start grid, railing all the berms on the big Scalpel (Andy loves berms) and holding off some of the smaller racers with his condor-like elbows!

Oli Beckinsale (Giant) managed to hold off the other visiting Aussie Daniel McConnell (Torq Aus), with Brit rider David Fletcher taking third in the Elite men's race.

For full results from Round 2 of the BMBS please visit http://www.timelaps.co.uk/.

Our team mates were not with us this weekend - Annabel has had a fever for the past couple of days and decided not to race, while Ruth has had a family bereavement to deal with. Nadine opted for a road race up in Straiton, Scotland, and finished third, which is her first podium in a national series road race. We'll have a race report from Nadine up soon.

Our next event is Round 3 of the BMBS down at Margam Park in South Wales, which means we have three weeks in which to recover and rebuild. We will all be there, and hopefully staying upright!

Jenn

Two Days of Bedford

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.

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!