WCMCC Kewdale Criterium - B Grade :: 4th March, 2012

Over-reaching really is an unpleasant experience. It's not painful but to not be able to push your body to its limits is insufferable. I was feeling reasonably strong after the test up Welshpool Rd yesterday but I couldn't be sure that I was still in the form I had been in recently and whether or not the legs could produce the power needed to complete the race ahead of the bunch.

 It was apparent that Wayne Lally had his handicapper's hat on this morning and been into the club results records as there had been some promotions between grades that were set to shake things up a bit. A grade had the numbers this week with 29 riders in a race that finished in controversy.

David Ellis had come down to ride a trial race in C grade. I managed to catch most of the race but missed the last few laps while out warming up for the B grade race. I had given Dave some advice on who to keep an eye on during the race and whose wheel to keep on if it came down to a sprint finish. He managed to finish 4th in his first effort with West Coast Masters - a fantastic result and he seemed to be keeping the pace very well.

There were only two attacks in the B grade race with the first being right from the start with two riders hitting the front and opening up a 50m gap immediately but did not seem to open any further The group were not concerned with this breakaway and they were eventually pulled in without too much effort. At this stage, I was feeling OK and putting in some short efforts on the front and no further back than about 6th wheel.

The pace was up to around 39 km/h for the most part of the entire race with only the second last lap showing any real respite. With around 7 or 8 laps complete, I began to feel a lack of power in the legs as I attempted to keep a few small attacks from getting away. It was apparent that the group had me pinned as a potential candidate for a place and would continually follow my wheel as and when I got out of the saddle to go with other riders or to chase down anything that looked like it might get away.

About 20 to 25 minutes into the race a group of 4 riders (including Ian McFall, Carl Skinner and Jamie Kirkwood) went on the attack and timed it very well. I attempted to go with them but this time the legs would not respond the way they have in the past and I could not quite keep the intensity needed to maintain the pace they were setting.

Before the group could get too far away, Justin McGoldrick or Magnus Rudisele (can't recall which one - one of them was already in the lead group) jumped out from the chase group and began to attempt to bridge the gap which ended up being a successful crossing. I did try to go with it but again the legs would not have anything to do with it and the power was not there and I now had to resign to just holding on with the remaining bunch and see if I could claim the last of the placings (6th).

As the lead 5 riders slowly but surely pulled away from the main group to a point where we could only see them at the other end of the longer stretches of the course, it was apparent that the group was content just to keep the pace at around the 39 km/h mark and contest a bunch sprint to claim the final placing.

The second last lap felt quite slow by comparison to what we had completed already and I had considered one last effort to break away and try and claim 6th place but knowing that the legs were in no condition to carry it out, I held third wheel in the bunch and waited for the jump hoping that I could at least go with it for the last effort and come around to cross the line ahead of the others.

As we came up the back stretch toward Hazelhurst Rd for the last time, the jump was made by Bruce McLennan about 20 metres from the second last corner. This was closely guarded by Stephen Farran. I would have to keep tabs on these two if I would have any chance of claiming 6th place but the jump was made with significant power beyond what I had at the time and had me struggling as we rounded the last turn into Bradford St.

The closest I could get to Stephen was probably just short of level with him but he had the legs to pull away again and it was with significant effort that I managed to cross the line in 8th place. It could easily have been a far worse result considering the lack of power I was experiencing. Looking at the results of the race (here) the field was reasonably strong so I take some solice that I was able to finish as high up as I did with such a lack of power.

In the D grade race (on course with the B grade race), Rob Brand was keen to get a breakaway going from the start. It was certainly an ambitious plan and I certainly admire Rob's determination to get in and have a real dig at winning. He had planned to got out with Wayne Gordon and before we had even gotten on course, the two riders had a sizeable lead on the group after just one lap. Rob and Wayne were still out front with a small gap before we managed to pass them for the first time but had been pulled back into the bunch before we passed them for the second time. Rob finished the race in 9th place but kudos to him for his plan and effort to go for the win from the outset.

As mentioned, there was some controversy in A grade which occured during the final sprint for the line. There had been some break away attempts in A grade but these were pulled back each and every time. Three riders were in real contention for the sprint finish with Doug Stewart leading the charge to the line with perhaps just 70m to go when, according to the race referee, he cut across the line of Wayne Thompson and Gary Wright impeding their chances of placing ahead of him. The initial expectation would be that Doug would be disqualified but it seems that parties agreed that Doug would place 3rd. It is good to see that situations like these can be mediated in an admirable fashion that reflects well on the club.

So a tough day in the saddle to say the least. Over-reaching is not fun and a good rest week this week before next Sunday's Age Division Championships at Rockingham should hopefully have me back to full power and ready to take on the best in the 40-44 y.o. age bracket.