When I posted my blog yesterday, I had not yet heard of the tragic accident that occurred later in the day during the Elite race when the promising 23 year old rider, Junior Heffernan, was sadly killed in an accident with an oncoming car.
This event has shocked and saddened me, I can only imagine the impact it will be having on his family and loved ones. To them go my sincerest condolences. May he rest in peace.
Monday 4 March 2013
Sunday 3 March 2013
Severn Bridge Road Race
I have been looking forward to this season opener for quite a few weeks now. It feels like ages since I submitted my entry and somehow, despite my best intentions, the date arrived with my form nowhere near where I'd like to have got it.
My excuses? This has been a particularly horrid winter. I had a run of colds (better than usual mind you) that kept me out of the saddle. The day job and my new bike co. venture have kept me quite busy. Whatever the excuses, I haven't spend near as much time as I'd hoped to have either on the rollers or actually on the road.
That said, in context, I've been pretty happy with my recent form. The rollers have helped me develop a nice, smooth style over the winter and I feel far more comfortable keeping a smooth rhythm at a high heart rate.
Last night, while packing my race bag for today, I checked the weather forecast to see that it was supposed to be more or less about 0C at the time of the race start. This filled me with a degree of trepidation; I don't function well in the cold. Arriving at the race start this morning the display in the car indicated 3C, hardly balmy, but a good deal better than zero. It felt chilly but not extreme.
Come the start of the race I was wrapped up reasonably warmly in a few layers and was feeling optimistic. There was a 3rd lap KOM - I fancied my chances in sprinting for that. The start was a slightly nervous affair; clearly it wasn't just me that was feeling a bit rusty after a long time off the road bike! Soon we were at a fair lick and I started to work my way forwards to get into a good position before the climb.
But my chest had other plans. The huge gulps of cold air caused my lungs to go into an asthmatic spasm and I was battling to get enough oxygen in. This was less of a problem in the shelter of the group, so I hunched down hoping that I'd warm through and it would go away.
By the start of the climb it became clear that it wasn't going away, if anything it was just getting worse. Wheezing, I was dropped horribly on the first run up the climb and was unceremoniously spat out of the back of the group. At this point there was little point in continuing; my lungs were just not enjoying the cold.
So after a few hundred metres of suffering I decided to turn back to HQ. It felt miserable, but I was happy to recover my breath in the warmth of the Sports Club building.
So, a rather disappointing start to the season, but a long way to go still. And I'm very happy that I managed to get racing again. Next time will be better!
My excuses? This has been a particularly horrid winter. I had a run of colds (better than usual mind you) that kept me out of the saddle. The day job and my new bike co. venture have kept me quite busy. Whatever the excuses, I haven't spend near as much time as I'd hoped to have either on the rollers or actually on the road.
That said, in context, I've been pretty happy with my recent form. The rollers have helped me develop a nice, smooth style over the winter and I feel far more comfortable keeping a smooth rhythm at a high heart rate.
Last night, while packing my race bag for today, I checked the weather forecast to see that it was supposed to be more or less about 0C at the time of the race start. This filled me with a degree of trepidation; I don't function well in the cold. Arriving at the race start this morning the display in the car indicated 3C, hardly balmy, but a good deal better than zero. It felt chilly but not extreme.
Come the start of the race I was wrapped up reasonably warmly in a few layers and was feeling optimistic. There was a 3rd lap KOM - I fancied my chances in sprinting for that. The start was a slightly nervous affair; clearly it wasn't just me that was feeling a bit rusty after a long time off the road bike! Soon we were at a fair lick and I started to work my way forwards to get into a good position before the climb.
But my chest had other plans. The huge gulps of cold air caused my lungs to go into an asthmatic spasm and I was battling to get enough oxygen in. This was less of a problem in the shelter of the group, so I hunched down hoping that I'd warm through and it would go away.
By the start of the climb it became clear that it wasn't going away, if anything it was just getting worse. Wheezing, I was dropped horribly on the first run up the climb and was unceremoniously spat out of the back of the group. At this point there was little point in continuing; my lungs were just not enjoying the cold.
So after a few hundred metres of suffering I decided to turn back to HQ. It felt miserable, but I was happy to recover my breath in the warmth of the Sports Club building.
So, a rather disappointing start to the season, but a long way to go still. And I'm very happy that I managed to get racing again. Next time will be better!
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