Cheshire Classic Road Race.

I rode this race last year and remembered really enjoying it. I had no pressure and no particular form back then yet I still came away loving road racing and wanting to do more. This year i was hoping for the same situation, but i had a little more form and more experience and knew the course well.

The sun was out which is always welcome and i woke up quite excited about the day. I had done chaingang the thursday before and felt as strong as ever on it so I knew I could hold my own in this race. I knew the girls in the race that were the strongest and set my aims on watching them and making the race fast. I've noticed with womens road racing that most of the bunch are very happy to sit in, take in the sites and have no urgency to actually make the race a race. And today was definately no different.

There was one hill in the race and i knew i could play this as my strength and razz up it in hope of shelling some of the weaker riders. This was working for the first few laps until the hill became my enemy as for the next 7 laps I had to fight off the dreaded cramp whilst climbing up it. It was everytime i got out the saddle i could feel it coming, so i had to sit down and power up it which wasnt good at all. Me and Jenn tried so hard to break away and to speed it up but the nature of the course brought most moves to nothing as there was a nice down hill section after the hill for the bunch to get back together. The race was sometimes so slow it was embarassing!

When it came down the sprint all of us Patterson Training girls were there. Nadine made the 1st move and lead it into the climb but went alittle soon to maintain it. I cramped as i got out of saddle and rolled across the line in the bunch. Jenn finished in the bunch too trying her best to sprint, but her marathon legs dont allow her to go as fast as she wants. I came away disappointed, not at how i'd ridden the race as i know i did my best to make that race more than just a club run. But the cramp had managed to wreck another race for me and it was really starting to hack me off as i reckon for a uphill sprint like that i could go quite fast.

I was frustrated that 90% of bunch sat in the whole time and sprinted and beat me! Personally i couldn't just sit in for a race like that as i wouldnt feel satisfied. Annie Last won which was well deserved as she had a great sprint at the end.

So now i have bedford 2 day fast approaching and im taking all measures to try prevent this cramp. Im now taking Calcium and Magnesium, getting leg massages and drinking the horrid tonic water to try prevent it. Then we shall see how i do. Ill keep you posted :)

Annie

Midlands XC round1

I was up at 5.45 am on sunday ready to travel down rugby way for the 1st round of the Midlands series.

On arrival the weather wasnt the best, it seemed a little cold and not anything like the warm weather i had expected. We quickly got sorted and did a lap round the course. It was a fun but had little places to rest or feed so i knew it was going to be a hard race, especially knowing we had 5 laps to do. There were only 3 elite women entered- Me, Jenn (my team mate) and Rosara Joseph (9th at Olympics), so from the start i knew i was in it for 3rd but i just wanted to make the gap as little as possible.

After the practise lap i jumped on my turbo and spun my legs until the start of race. Now mountain bike races for me up until this point hadnt gone too great, so i was hoping for a better preformance today, but my legs were feeling so tired and rubbish so this worried me abit.

The gun went bang and of course Rosara Joseph from New Zealand was off. I clung to her wheel for the first hill but knew if i carried on at this pace i would suffer in the later part of the race. Jenn was off too so i tried to settle into my own pace and chip away at the laps. If im honest i felt awful all the way through. I never felt like i was on top of the effort and i felt like i was fighting the course all the way round. I kept pushing and pushing though and finished dreading that i would be nearly a 10 mins or a lap down on Jenn. To my surprise i was only around 3 minutes down and my laps had got faster as the race had gone on. This cheered me up but i know i still have a long way to go before im going to be up there in the national elite races, but this race was a good learning point and least i know now i am capable of finishing a race.

The afternoon consisted of watching coach race his first MTB race of the year whilst relaxing in the sun. It was such an enjoyable day and makes me now look forward to my next mtb race. I eventually walked through the door to my hosue at 11.20pm. it had been such a long day and my legs ached so bad. Im now back at work :( and its rubbish as usual. I have an easier week on the bike this week before the Cheshire Classic road race on Sunday. I cant wait for that race, as i do love a bit of road racing.

Thanks

Annie

First Time Trial and Scotland.

Ive very much been enjoying my 2 weeks off work for easter. It has been quite a luxury to go back to my old student ways of lying in til like mid day.

On friday though i didnt have chance to lie in and had to get myself to macclesfield by 9, ready for the Buxton Hilly Time Trial. This was going to be my 1st proper TT, although thats a slight lie as i have done a 10 before but i didnt take it seriously at all.

So we got in the team car and off we went. We drove the course before we arrived at sign on and i was glad to have done that but i did also think 'what am i getting myself in for!' But 2 laps i though would be ok.

But we had 3 (much to andys delight), so now i was definately thinking how am i going to survive this.

I did find it really hard, obviously physically but also mentally. Being on my own knowing that all i was racing against was the time just wasnt a great feeling. I did my usual - get too excited so started fast, then blew on the 2nd lap, then regained some kind of speed on the 3rd lap. Also i was descending like a wuss due to lack of braking power in the wet, which made for some interesting cornering.

I managed to get 2nd woman which i was pleased with and as a team we did really well with Jenn 1st and Nadine 3rd. It was the sort of thing i really enjoyed... after i had finished. :)

So after that i had another hard day the next day. I attempted the local cafe racing which i got blown out of due to really tired legs.

Next day was a very early start for me as i drove up to innerleithen to meet Jenn and Andy for a day of MTBing. We did the innerleithen and glentress red routes and although we tried to keep a steady pace i was still tired after. At innerleithen i suffered 2 punctures and had to walk down the last amazing descent which was a bit annoying. But then we changed my wheels to tubeless so i had no such problem at glentress and could blast down the descents. It was such a fun day.

So now I've stayed up in Scotland to spend the week with my boyfriend before back to work on monday. I also have a Midlands XC on Sunday which im looking forward too. Getting another race in my legs will be such a good thing.

Ill keep you posted.

Annie

Mountain Bike Misfortunes

Well racing has been continuing taking me to different venues each weekend.

Last weekend the team went to the Lakes for a weekend of mountain biking and man it was fun. The first day we did a technical session with Craig from the cyclewise shop. It was so fun, i learnt alot and i just loved being on my new mtb again. The weather let us down tho as it was cold with the odd spot of snow. After a big meal we retired to our B&B ready for a race the next day. The Whinlatter Challenge! We rode there in the morning in the beautiful sunshine and it was such a nice feeling to have sun on our backs.
Everything wasnt straight forward before the race though. Parking was miles away, and we all had to get our race stuff together and get to the line with not much time to spare. But with only 30 seconds to go Jenn barged us to the front of the 400 odd riders and we were off!
My start was good, it went straight up quite a long climb. I could see Sue Clarke infront and Jenn in the near distance so i new i was keeping good pace. As the lap went on i felt better and better, once i had intially got round the technically poor 'choppers' i was away with no one around me and just trying to gain on Sue Clarke in the distance. I must have been top 30 at least and 3rd woman.
But then as i was flying down this rocky single track i heard the dreaded sound of a puncture, i couldnt believe it. I fixed it as fast as i could but it was horrible seeing all those places i made ride away as more and more riders passed me. I got back on my bike and i was mad, so i went on a mission to over take as many people as i could to get back to where i was, i was getting there when i punctured again, i was having to beg for inner tubes by this point.
By the end of the 1st big lap i had had 3 punctures and had run out of tubes. So i had to stop.
Man i was frustrated as i was feeling so good and enjoying it so much.
Jenn went on to show the men how its done and finished 7th overall- was an amazing ride!


So coming into this weekend i was hoping my fortunes would change. It was the 1st round of the national mtb series at Sherwood Pines. This would be my first race as an elite and i was rather excited. The day before was all good. We set up camp then went on 2 practise laps, then did a 3 minute max effort to then return to an afternoon of carbo loading.
The next day i was feeling excited and scoffed my bowl of porridge. Me, Jenn and Ruth were all on our turbos by 9 to get a good warm up before race at 10. We looked quite the professionals i thought.
I was grinded on the 2nd line which was no problem to me, and as we stood there for the next 5 mins in the sun i just couldnt wait to get started. The start was fast, but good, i managed to get on Jenny Copnalls wheel and we went straight through to the front group just before we hit the single track. The pace was fast but enjoyable and everything was going swimmingly until in a flash i was laid out on the floor handle bar in stomach. I had clipped a tree at a fast pace and felt like i had winded myself. With adrenaline pumping i jumped straight back up and got into a chase group for the lead group with Jenn. I tried to dig in and ignore the pain but it was just getting worse. It seemed to be my back that had been most effective and just pressing on the pedals made me feel physically sick. I was being passed by the field and this was such a demoralising feeling as i knew i was better than this. It made the decision to stop as i really was in pain. Jenn went on the be hero of the day taking an awesome 2nd, which was very nearly a 1st! Ruth also did a fantasitc ride to take the win! I was soooo proud of them both!

Driving home though i just had this awful feeping of disappointment, and i would have given anything to just start the race again, and not hit that tree! Im now nursing a very bruised back which is making sleeping and training quite uncomfortable. So now after 2 weeks of disappointment it is now not an option to feel like that again. I have learnt alot and realise now that i need to compose myself more and not get over excited and carried away.

I think thats enough misfortune for one year, so here is where i start bring home some solid preformances for my team!

Next race is a hilly TT in buxton on friday. :)
Ill keep you posted

Annie