Tuesday 31 August 2010

Highs and lows

I was pretty excited about the Parham Kermesse. A 123 Cat, 55mile Kermesse-style race on a 4 mile circuit taking in some of the grounds of Parham House in Sussex, a stately home less than a mile outside of Storrington, the village where my grandparents lived and where the old man is buried.

With a week or so to go however, the organisers allowed a number of Elite riders enter without being eligable for points. A shame for the Lanterne Rougeurs as it meant we were all spat from the back of the bunch within 3 of the 14 laps. Some family came over to watch, to find all 3 of us sitting in the grass by the roadside, watching the 8-strong lead group racing round.

I stayed down in Sussex with the aforementioned family and got fed and watered in amazing surroundings which meant I missed Richard Hallett's Birthday Ride on Sunday. Suffice it to say it was apparently hard and hilly.

Bank Holiday Monday started with me going back to bed to sleep off a hangover before meeting Dave A to ride over to Hillingdon. Spurred on by Saturday's DNF's, the Lanterne Rougeurs were determined to prove our worth, if only to rescue some of our shattered ego's by racing in a 2,3,4 event.

Had there been a prize for Most Combatative Rider, Waters would have walked away with it as he rode like a Duracell-powered Jack-In-The-Box. I had slightly heavy legs and when it looked like Andy and Sean from Mavic's break might stick, Dave and I hauled on the anchors. The bunch nearly reigned them in at one point but some soft-pedalling at the from helped them to slip away again.

30th August 2010 Terry Cronin Memorial Criteriums - 234 Race from MCJ MEDIA on Vimeo.


Sean rolled Waters at the end I took 2nd in the bunch gallop in the end with Dave just behind. Won my entry fee back for the first time this season, huzzah!
Garmin seems to have lost all of yesterday's info annoyingly.

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