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It all began on 1st April in Dunboyne.
After a 12 year diet of "Leisure" riding (I use the term
loosely - it was often more endurance riding), with a very occasional
10 mile TT thrown in in recent years, I decided to try my hand at racing.
I didn't even have a bike with gears until I was 19, so I guess I was
always a late starter.
A few spins with the "Cherry Tree Mob" (apologies to Ealing
Studios) in the pre-season left me still uncertain what to expect,
but the welcome was warm, even on the coldest of winter mornings.
And so, in the opening event of the season, an Australian TT in
Dunboyne, I was sent off at the end of the White Group. Five
miles up the road, my TT partner, who subsequently put in winning
performances this season, pulled up as we were passed by a following twosome.
From there on, I was mostly on my own. I finished second last,
I think. A sign of things to come.
I must have looked totally shattered at the finish, because Donal
O'Connell kept asking me if I was all right. His concern was
very much appreciated at the time.
Not to be put off - I told myself I was just placed in the wrong
group - I lined up a week later for the first DMS of the season, in Batterstown.
I was placed in the slowest race, thankfully, although the term is
purely relative. Compared to the 16 mph pace I was used to, it
was a shock to the system to be racing at an average of 20 mph.
Nonetheless, I found that I was able to hold on here (at the back, of
course) and was beginning to think that maybe this was not so bad in
spite of the pouring rain&ldots;when 8 miles from the finish, on a
stretch of road that gets NO traffic, I punctured. I had great
trouble getting going again, thanks to a faulty pump, and finished
last, 20 minutes later, with mild hypothermia.
Good job I had done all that endurance training over the years.
Along came the Tuesday League, which I had decided I was going to
concentrate on - two demanding children limits my available time most Sundays.
Luckily, I have a boss who is just as anxious to get out of work
early on Tuesdays (thanks, Ned).
On that first, dark, miserable Tuesday evening in Warrenstown, I
wasn't last! Some progress, but, then, I'd had a bit of
practise riding on my own.
Things continued to improve with 8th place in the next week's DMS in
Brittas and 7th in a '10' in Prosperous.
It couldn't last, and my tendency to be a late starter meant I missed
starting with the Purple Group in the first CP I tried my hand at.
I started with the Greens, found my back wheel was rubbing the frame
and had to wait for the Whites. I rode as best I could with
them for two laps, then BANG! Not a tube this time, but my legs.
Tailed off again around the Drumree circuit, with everyone packed up
to leave by the time I got back.
The next CP I rode was, by all accounts, one of the best races of the season.
Pity I wasn't there to see the finish! Nonetheless, this race
was a turning point. With only four of us in the Purple Group,
I felt I was contributing to the racing for the first time.
Unfortunately, four groups came together on the last lap in the space
of a mile and it was out the back for me. Six miles to go and I
was left behind again.
The trouble with finishing tailed off is that sometimes you don't get
credited with finishing at all! Everyone is busy looking at the
finish on the video&ldots;and of course, I'm not going to be in the picture.
We'll have to introduce a sign-off as well as a sign-on to cater for
people like me!
It happened again in Brittas, when I rode myself into oblivion, but
was tailed off in the last four miles. It's amazing how much
time you can lose on your own in four miles.
But in fairness, it hasn't all been bad for me this year. I had
a (joint) 2nd, a 3rd, a 7th and an 8th in Time Trials (I tell you,
it's all the unintentional practise) and, hey, I was right in there
in the last Tuesday CP of the season, sprinting for 30th place!
In the DMSs, I was getting into breaks and even making solo attacks
by the end of the year.
So what are my impressions of racing with the Vets? Well, in
some respects it's not as hard as the Leisure riding. If things
are really bad in a race, you can stop at the end of the lap.
Whereas, if you're out in the sticks on a leisure ride, it can be a
long slog home. Racing is hairy at times, though, and we had
too many bad crashes this year. We were fortunate not to have
more crashes, especially in the CPs when the field came together.
Maybe we need to think about running two separate CPs if there is a
large number signing on.
There are many people who have impressed me over the year. Not
least Dick O'Brien, our out-going Race Director, who is a model of patience.
Donal O'Connell and Willie Marks have been a permanent part of the
landscape, but an essential one, and their commitment to turning up
at races week in and week out should not be overlooked by any rider.
Romano Morelli was particularly supportive and welcoming from the
time I turned up at the Cherry Tree (maybe something to do with the
business he's in). Lots of others provided encouragement and
helpful tips throughout the year.
I have to say "Chapeau" to Paul Deans, who never stops
trying to get away from a bunch that seems intent on bringing every
DMS to a sprint finish. Paul got his just rewards when he
slipped off inside the last 2 miles to win a race in July. The
other eternal triers in the group are Tracy Piggott and Mick Mullen
(we'll get away one day, folks).
Full credit, off the bike, to David Blake, for developing a great website.
I never thought I'd be racing into work, but during the year I've
been anxious to get in to see what his latest up-date is. Well
done, David, for all your hard work.
The Group system seems to have worked very well, both in terms of
allowing everyone to compete with others of similar ability and in
terms of awarding Group points. This approach resulted in both
the Tuesday and Sunday Leagues going down to the wire. |