Today was a race with the WAOD at Laarne, I've raced the Laarne course before and I've never liked it, especially the finish but I wanted to catch up with Peter Ryalls a TDF rider from way back, Peter rode the TDF in 1961 when it was national teams, he's a really intersting chap and at 75 is still pretty fit and can be very quick. It was great to catch up again in person.
The Laarne course, from the finish line threads its way down a narrow concrete lane that continually turns both left and right for about 2 km. the concrete joiners are at least across the road rather than running up the middle, the road drops away sharply on either side so going off the road won't be nice. Then a 90 degree right onto another narrow lane, the trap for the unwary here is the deep hole right on the apex of the turn, 200m and then another 90 degree right but this one goes onto a wider road which basically snakes back up through the other side of the village with an easy 90 degree turn abot two thirds of the way along, the excitement along here are the 'traffic calmers' that tend to throw you up in the air particularly when you aren't paying attention! This stretch then turns through a 120 degree turn, with built in 'traffic calmer' just for good measure, along a 400m straight which today was headwind and then through a lazy 90 dgree turn for about 100 metres then there is about a 30 degree cut back to the left about 150m to the finish line. Its the finish I dislike the most, since its obviously a bit fraught keeping the power on through the first bend and the late change of direction always seems to me to be asking for trouble.
For some reason not clear to me, nor anybody else in the race that I could talk to, they started two races together, us and the younger age race that would normally start in front of us by a minute. In all the races I have ridden as a vet its a formuala that has worked, at least when there is sufficient numbers for two races, there were certainly sufficient numbers today. We started on the back straight and the first lap was absolute chaos, bodies everywhere especially down that twisting back straight, we were changing direction at speed without any warning you just had be a 100% aware, there was quite a lot of 'banter' being passed back and forth and I must admit for about 30 seconds there I really wasn't enjoying the lack of structure at all. Basic problem was that 'guns' were all trying to either go forward through a slew of lesser lights and any strong riders at the front were trying to make the chaos decisive and ride clear. Making around to the slightly wider back straight which we travelling at over 50kph I managed to move forward by tagging onto some of the younger age group who started at the back so some semblance of normal order was resumed. We lost pretty close to half the bunch in the first lap I think, although I imagine they kept going until they were pulled from the race.
I spent the first half of the race literally hanging, I kept moving up when I could but we were going so flipping fast, I was playing that game that you play with yourself when its all really too hard. I'll hang in for one more lap, one more lap and so on until we reached just over halfway when I found myself pulling really hard turns, closing gaps and jumping into moves. I suspect that the reality was everybody else was now tired and the race pace had cooled a little to something that was more to my bodies liking! I'll have to check that sometime on my power file.
I started the race without a real plan other than I'm not getting involved in a bunch sprint and if I feel good towards the end I'll see about getting away. I had no problem getting away, just put the power down and ride away but to be honest I didn't have it to sustain the effort all the way, so we kept breaking up, reforming breaking up, each time we lost another one or two that just gave up the ghost and didn't come back.
So on the last lap coming around to that awful 120 degree turn that was really dragging it out my legs as we sprinted full on to get back up to speed, the inevitable happened the sprint effectively started 600m out into the headwind, the best line into the right hander was obviously keep it tight on the right. Having cruised for the first part of the sprint I started my sprint wide on the left as we hit the right hander, I have to admit I was laying the bike over so far to get the power down I snagged the inside pedal but not sufficiently hard as to flip me. As the road straightened out of the right hander before moving left, with guys taking the tight line on the right also moving left to cut the corner , I managed to cut through the sprinting line and move to the right to stay away from the scramble to cut le hander tight, by this time I was moving faster anyway. What I thought was inevitable, which is why I chose to ride slightly eccentrically happened, the line coming off the right to cut the left hander and the guys that had been following me on the left all wanted the tightline on the left. I was already moving past them on the right with loads of room when the inevitable did happen and both groups fighting for the short line came together, I was looking back as the sound of bikes and bodies hit the road.
There were two guys that were in front of the mess that I didn't get to but I was pretty happy with third in the bunch sprint since I was giving away a few years! But you may well ask why was I sprinting in a bunch sprint that I said I wouldn't touch with a barge pole and was proven right about the accident potential. Its a good question, rush of blood perhaps?
Todays back straight, pretty fast
I had a beer with the guys, I needed something cooling, then had to do battle with miserable bugger of a WAOD official who was trying to tell me that I wsn't on the result sheet!! Resolved in the end when I went off to find the only one of the officials that spoke English and pretty well in fact, he had also been Chief Judge at the finish so end of Argument.
I am now officially stuffed, downloading my data today I noticed two things, I spent an awful lot ot todays race with my heart rate at 170 bpm, my max is 175! Also for those of you up with the jargon, my CTL has risen 6.5 points since Saturday when I finally got my bike, experience tells me I can't sustain that, I would normally hope to improve my CTL by 3/4 points a week. Its an age thing so I need to be careful, so a real rest day might be in order or maybe a couple of very very light days.
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