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06-11-08, 01:08 AM
50th Annual Eric Hall Memorial Northern Suburbs Three Day Tour Race Report
Victoria, Australia
Race details - http://www.brunswickcyclingclub.com/displaypage.php?f=/Library/2008/NC3DayTour2008.htm
Race results - http://www.brunswickcyclingclub.com/displaypage.php?f=Results/2008/NC2008Tour.html
With trepidation I roll up to the sign in desk, and have confirmation that I have been in fact put in B grade due to not being from the combine and unknown. The extra distance plus pace would test my fitness over the next three days, with this being only my third road race this year racing C grade and 5th race in total! 26 riders have enrolled to start in the grade.
Saturday Stage 1 - 2 laps of the Lancefield – Carlsruhe loop 96km
Other than a few accelerations from the start and through the first sprint, the pace is manageable. ¾ of the way through the first lap I’m sitting near the back when there is a touch of wheels in front and a few riders go down. I’m able to stay upright and stop mere centimetres from a downed bike in front! I help get one bike off the road and once I see that everyone is not to badly hurt and are getting themselves slowly off the deck I continue. Only to see the group ahead has decided to not stop or slow and are already off into the distance… Two others who stopped to help and I now continue on, gathering a couple more during the next 15 km of so. Unfortunately one doesn’t contribute at all and with two others only taking the front infrequently, it ends up being a suffer fest of sitting on the front for a fair amount of the next lap including into the wind up the back straight… Surprised to see next morning on viewing the result sheet that in the end that we only came in 4 minutes behind the rest of the field!
Sunday Stage 2 12km ITT
Pleasant morning, with only a light breeze greets us at the start of day two. The ITT is a personal favourite, so although my legs feel still tired from Saturday’s effort I warm up well on the trainer and aim to take it out as hard as possible.
The initial downhill offers a fast start to the relatively flat course. I peg my 30 second then 60 second markers by just over half way. My 90 second rider is more elusive and ends up just keeping away at the line. The one bigger rise sees me slow a fair bit with little power in the legs, an obvious sign that the next two stages will be more than interesting to say the least. Final time 17:30, fast enough to win the stage by two seconds!
Sunday Stage 3 - 4 laps minus 5km of the Lancefield-Newham loop 115km
First two laps are chaotic; numerous breakaways and a lot of all out efforts just to keep the wheel in front. Fortunately things settled down for much of the next two laps till the final KOM and finish. I manage to end the stage in the bunch much to my surprise and am now sitting in equal 9th place overall!
Monday Stage 4 – Out and back from Lancefield along Three Chain Road with 2 laps of the Pastoria loop, 92 km
The nice weather from Sunday has left us with low cloud and drizzle and a cold blustery Northerly. I’m hoping everyone else is feeling as sore and tired as I am and will take it out very easy. As luck would have it we do, with no one really keen on going too early except for a couple of efforts!
Even after the initial sprint we keep together and continue onto the Pastoria loop for the first time. The Northerly makes the exposed climb to Pastoria East very grim! Still together we hit the base of the first KOM and I quickly drop off the back with a few others. I know if I even try one more percent it would be over, so I keep it together and on cresting the climb hit full ITT mode. Fortunately after pushing hard for close to 3 kilometres, I get back on just before Pipers creek road! Same happens in the short climb at the start of lap two. Once again I hold it together and ITT from over the top. With this stretch being more exposed, I really have to give everything I have left to get the last wheel. Second time up the KOM, I am better prepared sitting in second wheel. So when we crest the climb I am not as far back from the group and get back on quicker.
Each rise people go harder, each time I make sure I’m near the front so I can still catch the tail by the top. Back on 3 Chains road, the rain finally starts to fall and so does the pace. A couple of times I find myself on the front and each time after pulling for a bit and wanting someone to come through, even soft pedalling and almost stopping it takes a while till finally someone else takes the lead!
Slowly things heat up pace wise in the final kilometres, the bunch fragments a little and cross the line in dribs and drabs but mostly intact after three solid days of great racing!
Final results have me placed 10th out of the 16 survivors who rode the 315km of racing over the three days.
Definitely now planning on returning next Queens Birthday long weekend to race this event again. Plans are underway to make this an Open next year, so will be open to all clubs!
Victoria, Australia
Race details - http://www.brunswickcyclingclub.com/displaypage.php?f=/Library/2008/NC3DayTour2008.htm
Race results - http://www.brunswickcyclingclub.com/displaypage.php?f=Results/2008/NC2008Tour.html
With trepidation I roll up to the sign in desk, and have confirmation that I have been in fact put in B grade due to not being from the combine and unknown. The extra distance plus pace would test my fitness over the next three days, with this being only my third road race this year racing C grade and 5th race in total! 26 riders have enrolled to start in the grade.
Saturday Stage 1 - 2 laps of the Lancefield – Carlsruhe loop 96km
Other than a few accelerations from the start and through the first sprint, the pace is manageable. ¾ of the way through the first lap I’m sitting near the back when there is a touch of wheels in front and a few riders go down. I’m able to stay upright and stop mere centimetres from a downed bike in front! I help get one bike off the road and once I see that everyone is not to badly hurt and are getting themselves slowly off the deck I continue. Only to see the group ahead has decided to not stop or slow and are already off into the distance… Two others who stopped to help and I now continue on, gathering a couple more during the next 15 km of so. Unfortunately one doesn’t contribute at all and with two others only taking the front infrequently, it ends up being a suffer fest of sitting on the front for a fair amount of the next lap including into the wind up the back straight… Surprised to see next morning on viewing the result sheet that in the end that we only came in 4 minutes behind the rest of the field!
Sunday Stage 2 12km ITT
Pleasant morning, with only a light breeze greets us at the start of day two. The ITT is a personal favourite, so although my legs feel still tired from Saturday’s effort I warm up well on the trainer and aim to take it out as hard as possible.
The initial downhill offers a fast start to the relatively flat course. I peg my 30 second then 60 second markers by just over half way. My 90 second rider is more elusive and ends up just keeping away at the line. The one bigger rise sees me slow a fair bit with little power in the legs, an obvious sign that the next two stages will be more than interesting to say the least. Final time 17:30, fast enough to win the stage by two seconds!
Sunday Stage 3 - 4 laps minus 5km of the Lancefield-Newham loop 115km
First two laps are chaotic; numerous breakaways and a lot of all out efforts just to keep the wheel in front. Fortunately things settled down for much of the next two laps till the final KOM and finish. I manage to end the stage in the bunch much to my surprise and am now sitting in equal 9th place overall!
Monday Stage 4 – Out and back from Lancefield along Three Chain Road with 2 laps of the Pastoria loop, 92 km
The nice weather from Sunday has left us with low cloud and drizzle and a cold blustery Northerly. I’m hoping everyone else is feeling as sore and tired as I am and will take it out very easy. As luck would have it we do, with no one really keen on going too early except for a couple of efforts!
Even after the initial sprint we keep together and continue onto the Pastoria loop for the first time. The Northerly makes the exposed climb to Pastoria East very grim! Still together we hit the base of the first KOM and I quickly drop off the back with a few others. I know if I even try one more percent it would be over, so I keep it together and on cresting the climb hit full ITT mode. Fortunately after pushing hard for close to 3 kilometres, I get back on just before Pipers creek road! Same happens in the short climb at the start of lap two. Once again I hold it together and ITT from over the top. With this stretch being more exposed, I really have to give everything I have left to get the last wheel. Second time up the KOM, I am better prepared sitting in second wheel. So when we crest the climb I am not as far back from the group and get back on quicker.
Each rise people go harder, each time I make sure I’m near the front so I can still catch the tail by the top. Back on 3 Chains road, the rain finally starts to fall and so does the pace. A couple of times I find myself on the front and each time after pulling for a bit and wanting someone to come through, even soft pedalling and almost stopping it takes a while till finally someone else takes the lead!
Slowly things heat up pace wise in the final kilometres, the bunch fragments a little and cross the line in dribs and drabs but mostly intact after three solid days of great racing!
Final results have me placed 10th out of the 16 survivors who rode the 315km of racing over the three days.
Definitely now planning on returning next Queens Birthday long weekend to race this event again. Plans are underway to make this an Open next year, so will be open to all clubs!