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After a really tough return to riding
post-commies I made the trip to Canada and took part in BC
Superweek, which was a 10-day racing festival around the
Vancouver area. I'd had over three weeks off the bike due to
injury when I arrived, so my first bike ride was actually in
Canada a week before the racing began! I'd been keeping myself
relatively fit with lots of gym work but it's not the same as
being on the bike. It probably goes without saying, but I was
super nervous and lacking a lot of confidence going into the
racing. I also had the nagging voice in the back of my head
worrying that I'd injure myself more by racing. I stuck to my
rehab protocol and was doing it every morning and before each
race. I'd also got my back taped up to try and keep myself
together and in a fit state to race. I knew I was fit to ride,
but I was there to race, and I didn't want to be sat watching
on the sidelines!
The first race I did was a massive shock to the system! It was
a 40 lap criterium which had a climb in each lap meaning the
race split and I was hanging onto wheels. I found myself
accidentally into a good position for the first prime and
being the bike racer, I am I went for it. It was only 10
minutes into the race and I spent the next hour in total
regret because I couldn't breathe, and my legs were burning
and I was frantically hanging onto wheels! I made it to the
end though and got fifth in the bunch sprint with six riders
up the road. I was surprised I finished in the main group, in
fact I was surprised I'd finished the race at all so to finish
just outside the top 10 I was super happy! I found out that
evening when I uploaded my race data that I'd averaged 194bpm
heart rate for the 75mins so that puts into perspective how
hard I was going (or just how unfit I was!).
After the first race I felt better and better in the racing.
It is very different to UK crits, but I really enjoyed all the
racing! The courses are much simpler with wider roads and less
technical circuits, but the racing was double the length and
some of the circuits much shorter (and with big climbs) so I
found the racing harder but easier to get your teeth into.
There's also the added bonus of $$ primes which made the
racing super-fast throughout as riders targeted different laps
to win!
Throughout the week I picked up a couple of fourth places and
some more top 10s. I had two bad races but racing every day
that was to be expected. By the last crit I was attacking off
the front and winning lots of $$$ in primes though! I did a
final attack three laps from the end and held onto the lead
until the top of the last climb on the last lap which was a
little heartbreaking. I managed to scavenge seventh, but I'd
been going for the win, so I was a little disappointed in
myself. Should I have saved the attack for half a lap later?
Should I have not gone for all the primes at the start of the
race? That's bike racing though and you learn so much more
from all the mistakes or the “what ifs” than if you won
everything you set your sights on.
That crit was part of the Tour de White Rock which consisted
of the crit and a road race the next day. I hadn't done more
than two hours on the bike in over two months and the road
race was 80km with two huge climbs in every lap. It was an
eight-lap race so that was a lot of climbing for a track rider
and the longest I'd have done in a long time. I set myself a
target of making it half way through the road race and then
see where I was at then. I sat comfy in the bunch on the flats
and descents and just held onto wheels up the climbs. At the
half way stage, I was still feeling okay and so kept pushing
and telling myself "1 more lap". When the bell rang with one
lap to go and I looked around and saw only 15 of us left I
knew I stood a good chance of finishing high up. I got
distanced on the final climb, but I pushed on over the top and
managed to make contact with the group before the finish. I
sprinted my way to fourth place which I was super happy with!
With a seventh place and a fourth place I finished third
overall in Tour de White Rock, which was my highest place
finish of the whole festival! It was a really nice way to
finish off the racing and we went and got waffles with my
prize money to celebrate which was the perfect ending.
I had a really great time racing in North America for the
first time and will definitely come back next year if it fits
the calendar! I made some lovely new friends having gone there
knowing only a handful of riders and in general had a lot of
fun smashing it around town centres!
I'm back in the UK now but won't be riding European Track
Championships which was originally the plan. Having been
injured and still carrying it a little, it's best that I focus
on training and getting back to full fitness. However I'm
planning on being back and fighting for gold medals starting
with the Track Worlds Cups in October! Hopefully I'll get a
chance to wear my World Champs skinsuit in the Madison at some
point too! |
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