|
My First Race
by Jeff Messie
I'd been thinking about entering a race for
a couple of weeks but now, at 42 years of age, it really was a matter of
'now or never'. I knew that I wasn't fit enough, but this summer I'd felt
pretty good, so it was probably as good as my fitness was going to get.
Looking at the London cycle sport website I saw that on Hillingdon was
running a series of races on Fridays for 4th category and unlicensed
riders, and the next one was on my day off. At £3 a go and no licence
required it really did seem as if I'd run out of excuses.
The train to Syon Lane took a lot less time
than I thought so I ended up at Hillingdon far too early, and mooched
about in a nearby café before returning at 6.20 for the 7.00 start. I
entered the changing hut and signed on. "Veterans or novices?"
asked the guy. "Both" would have been the honest answer, but I
signed up for the latter and nervously put the number on my back
Over a pre-race cup of coffee I was pleased
to see one familiar face from the Addiscombe club runs who was here for
the women's race being run that same evening. As time went on it was
announced that as there were not many people for the three planned events
they would be combined into one race at 7.30 for women, veterans and
novices.
A couple of warm up laps reassured me that
there were no nasty inclines and I was impressed by the beautifully smooth
course surface. Now all I needed was knowledge of tactics. Talking one of
the women riders she advised me that the first couple of laps would be
breakneck and that I shouldn't let that put me off since the later laps
were not nearly so fast. My main worry was that without any experience I
would get in the way and cause a crash. The advice I received was to
"be predictable, keep a straight line and avoid grabbing the
brakes". If I did this, I was assured, no one would have any grounds
for complaint. If I was in the way it would be up to them to get around
me.
Then we gathered at the start line for what
we were told would be 50 minutes plus five laps - then we were off! The
first lap was unexpectedly being used as a warm up so I tucked in at a
comfortable 19 miles and hour and wondered when the faster riders would
hit. I didn't have to wait long. A little way into the second lap the
leaders put the hammer down and sped off at 28 miles an hour or so as we
approached the steepest section of the course. I tried to keep pace but my
legs were burning and suddenly that was it, I was officially off the back.
By the end of the lap there was a guy about 15 yards in front of me and no
one else that I could see. I spent the next few laps of laps trying to
close the gap between us. It was about this time that I started to regret
the burger, coke and fries I'd unwisely consumed before coming. However a
glance at my speedometer showed that (for me at least) I was riding quite
quickly so I decided to treat it like a time trial and see what happened.
From the sidelines I got a few helpful tips
such as it really is okay to cut the corners on the bends and to keep a
steady pace if you have overdone it on the first couple of laps.
I seemed to be getting nearer to the guy in
front when I was aware of the lead group closing up to lap me. With no
idea of the etiquette I pulled over to the side and slowed down to let
them pass, which seemed okay but ended any thoughts I might have had about
cheekily getting on the back of this group. A bit later another group came
to lap me. They looked more tired than the lead group and I managed to
grab a wheel, got pulled past the guy ahead of me, and kept going.
Miraculously a couple of people even decided to follow my wheel!
The next three or four laps were the
highlight of my race. In a smooth group of four or five riders, I felt
like a real pro as we took the bends and kept the pace. The feeling was
great and I was going well. Not quite well enough to take a turn at the
front of course, but I hoped they understood. Unfortunately this honeymoon
feeling couldn't quite last. Once the sign for five more laps was up they
found some extra pace that I couldn't match and left me on my own again.
I completed the last five laps as quickly
as I could. A pulled leg muscle and a sore bum were starting to bother me
but no way was I not going to finish. Then it was the bell for the last
lap, a quick acceleration and an arrival at the finish line with a
celebration flourish worthy of a tour stage-winner!
So all-in-all how was it? Well, on the one
hand I got a good kicking from the rest of the riders and learned that I
really have to do something abut my fitness and maximum speed. On the
other I had a great time, I didn't cause any crashes, and finished my
first race. If anyone asks I am going to tell them that, yes, I really am
a racing cyclist.
|