The first race was the Crit Champs, as we were racing with the elites it would be a difficult race. There was a ferocious pace set by the elites from the first lap. Attacks were going left, right and centre. After around 10mins of constant attacking a group of 5 went off the front containing some of the race favourites. I was quite gassed at that moment so I couldn't form a chase to try and bring them back. They eventually got whittled down to a group of 3 due to the hard nature of the race.
After the group had established their lead of around 30 seconds we held them at that gap for around 40mins. During this time, people were still attacking and trying to bridge across to the group of three. It was then, where a group of 2 including 1 junior rider went off the front after someone lost the wheel towards the front of the main bunch. In the bunch we couldn't get organised well enough to bring them back. Coming into the last lap I had positioned myself in the front 3 wheels, I held this position down the back straight where I started to get swamped. I slipped back a few positions but this was okay because I was still at the sharp end. Through the last corner the rider in front of me clipped their pedal, so i gained an extra position without needing to use any energy. I just went full gas to the line passing another 2 riders down the last straight. I ended up finishing 11th overall and 3rd junior.
After the Crit, the following weekend was the TT and RR double header. The TT started off
well, I got settled into a good rhythm earlier on. around 10 mins into the race I dropped my chain going down a fast decent into a corner, I only realised once we started going back uphill that it had dropped so I had to stop and sort it out. After I fixed the issue I got going again and settled back into the pace I was riding at previously. Then we started a 5min climb, I went into it slightly too hard and really started to suffer half way up, I dragged myself over the top and started the fast decent into the finish. hitting speeds close to 100kph I knew that I was gaining some time back from the climb. After a full gas effort up a short, steep climb it was a rolling section into the finish. Coming down the super steep and twisty decent into the finish there was a pothole in a hidden dip. Lucky I did not puncture, but once again my chain came off and I had to put it back on, on the go. I got it back on but again lost time. I came 5th in the junior after some pretty rubbish luck.
The following day it was the Road Race. 123km with 1900m of elevation gain was going to make for a tough day on the cards. The course was mainly rolling with 1 main climb. The first couple of laps were good with everyone starting to sus each other out. The group had whittled down to around 30 or so riders by the 3rd lap. I got towards the front of the group before the climb, so I could use the group to slide backwards and save some energy. I had slid too far back and lost the wheel going over the top of the climb. I put in a massive dig to get back onto the group but they kept pushing and I couldn't close the final gap. Now i was just time trialling for the final 50km. I kept picking people off, and due to the hot weather we had during the weekend people were suffering quite badly. I stayed strong and kept pushing to the line. I ended up in 8th place in the juniors and 24th overall. Not bad considering nearly 70 riders started. A massive shout out to my family for helping in the feed and the constant encouragement, on such a demanding weekend.
Overall it wasn't the worst couple of races but it wasn't the best either, with some ups and downs along the way but its all part of racing. As always a special mention to Pedal Potential, Withington Physiotherapy and Cycle Service Course for their ongoing support for the 2023 season.
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