Last Tuesday night I rode the local "Hennessy Cycles-Summer League". Since I won it the year before I was excited to get racing it again. The question I keep getting asked is - "Are you out to defend your title?" the answer - "No". The win came last year as a bonus. League races aren't something I sit down at the start of the year and aim to win, or even do well in, the main aim is to try and hurt myself and everyone else - and if you win, fair enough. So Tuesday, as soon as we got going I started to ride hard along with a few others and kept doing it throughout the 5 laps! I basically tore the legs off myself riding through and threw in a few attacks just to hurt myself more, but no luck in getting away! I ended up in the front group but just rode in and didn't contest. It's not the hardest of races to "sit-in" but you sure can make it difficult for yourself if you want, and to be fair, that was one of the fastest Fermoy league races I've been in! Not sure what average speeds we did, but this week we caught the first handicap group after a lap and a half and the week before 2 u16's riders stayed away. So that just shows..
Over the past few days I've been talking to the guys at Prendas Ciclismo, A clothing bike store which has been running in England with 15 years. Big thank you to them for all the support and quality accessories they provided me with. Over the years they have provided top pro's such as: Brad Wiggins, Dan Lloyd, Dan Martin, Matt Brammeier, Peter Kennaugh and many more with accessory clothing.. Their service was fantastic and I'd definitely recommend them for anyone looking to purchase accessories and more. Really great guys! I'll definitely be going back for more.
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| Can't wait to use these! |
Thursday night, I raced the "St. Finbarr's Summer League" in Cork. In the morning I got a solid session in so I didn't have the freshest of legs going up to the race, but I didn't worry as all of the "Ras" riders wouldn't be there to smash it! (Although the average speed was still 25mph+) The conditions were very windy. Especially out the back of the course! As soon as the race started I tried an attack but didn't get too far. It was a very jumpy race but 99% of the time nobody lasted due to the strong headwinds. I tried to get away a few times throughout the race but no luck, I got hauled back every time! With 2 laps to go I had a bit of mechanical difficulty. When changing gears they weren't slipping into the cassette as they should and as I got out of the saddle the chain jumped, and so did I! A few hundreds meters after the jump, on the roughest section of road the chain dropped. Don't ask how, because I'm still trying to figure it out. With only 2 laps to go and the strong winds there was no hope I was going to get back on, so I rode to the line to watch the finish! I wasn't too bothered really as it's only a league race and it was almost over, better happen now than Sunday eh?
As I mention it, Sunday I'll be racing the "Frank O'Rourke Memorial" in Wexford. I did this race last year and ended up 7th, so I'm looking forward to having another go at it. I like the course and if theres good weather and no winds everything should be great! Fingers crossed..
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| Finish - Frank O'Rourke Mem. 2010 |
Should have another post up either Sunday or Monday, until then..
Stay Tuned, E
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