Diary of a Medic-on-a-bike: July ’11

Back to racing and it feels great!

I was so nervous as we lined up for the Stratford round of the Women’s Team Race Series (my first race since Malta). My last British race had been littered with crashes and it had been a fair few months since I’d ridden elbow to elbow in a big bunch.

Some of my nervous energy had evaporated by the end of the first lap and I started to enjoy the race. It’s exciting flying through the country lanes at race pace; accelerating to chase at well over 30mph… and there’s something really special about riding with so many other girls, when most of the time I’m the token girl in a big group of guys!

It was a tough course with lots of ups and downs, as well as some sharp corners. I found myself sitting further back in the bunch than usual. This was potentially quite a dangerous place to be, owing to the risk of crashes and also being “pinged” off the back… but the other girls had several weeks of race fitness in their legs and I was only just starting to feel fit again.

It was a great relief to turn the final corner into the finishing straight. I stupidly took a very tight line around the corner and found myself right on the back of the bunch (again). Just as I was recalling the wisdom of many a coach, “You can’t win a race from the back of the bunch,” I realised that I actually had a bit of an advantage! Having used the minimum energy possible to climb the penultimate two “lumps” I picked up some speed on the final descent and sprinted past several riders on the climb to the finish.

After the race, it was time for the shark’s teeth of the compact chainset that I had used for the past year to be replaced with some big girls’ gears! Steve assembled his workstand in the car-park and fitted a new standard double chainset onto my bike.

Three weeks later I was sitting in the team car on the way to Oakley. The sky was grey and the clouds looked heavy. We were going to get wet!

The Oakley race marked the first anniversary of our sponsorship from Shutt and it was a real encouragement to have Peter B and co. standing on the side of the road cheering us on.

The Oakley course is pretty flat, so there was plenty of fast, aggressive riding. By the end of the first lap I was wondering if I’d make it to the end of another five laps but thankfully the pace settled down a little by lap three! I really noticed a difference racing with the bigger gears – I felt stronger and more powerful – especially when sprinting.

For some reason, I found myself riding on the front of the bunch more than usual, which wasn’t particularly sensible when there was such a strong headwind for half of the course. In the final couple of miles, I found myself gradually getting boxed in and thankfully managed to wiggle my way out… only to find myself riding on the front again! Then the rain came down (torrentially). About 1km from the finish, there was a crash behind me and the pace slowed. Feeling strong, I decided to put the power down and must have gained a little on the rest of the group, as there was a cry of, “Go on – catch her!” from behind and within a few seconds the rest of the bunch closed in and overtook me before the line. Oops!

It was good to be feeling strong again. The following day I enjoyed a good, long, hilly ride out to Thame with the local guys… good preparation for our next race in Naseby.

It’s going to be “all change” for me over the next few weeks, as I move house, change specialties and start a new job. I’ll catch up with you in August. In the meantime, enjoy the summer… and Le Tour!

<Photos of Oakley Race from Mark Hopkins>