Cat 4 Circuit in Lancaster - Report by Ryan
This weekend, Rich, Will and I were on the road again, this time the Lancaster University Spring. After a long drive over, a late sign on and a couple of laps of warm-up, we were off. Overall it was a really good team effort with all of us staying in the top 10 positions for the majority of the race, controlling the bunch and shadowing any attacks. Unfortunately, some dodging riding on the last lap caused a split in the bunch and saw me fighting it out for the minor points with the other two being boxed out. So a mixed bag.
Ryan - 8th
Seacroft Wheelers Road Races - Report by Rob
Sunday saw Rich, Will, Frank and I enter the 2/3/4 men’s race, with Katie Pea and Tessa Knowles entering the 3/4 women’s race. It’s fair to say the men’s race was a notch up from our usual Cat 3's & Cat 4's, the over 50% of the field were Cat 2 riders, so survival was the main objective of the day. It started badly with Frank getting a puncture on the first lap but then re-joining a lap down and finishing the race.
The race was pretty tough with a number of attempted breaks and a couple of very windy sections taking their toll on the legs. After about 40 miles I managed to position myself badly going into the more technical section of the course, got caught out by the wind and subsequently dropped from the bunch along with 3-4 other riders. With virtually no chance of getting back to the main group I eased up and called it a day. Our first experience of Cat 2 racing was an eye opener to say the least.
The Alba ladies fared much better, 60 ladies entered the newly formed 3/4 race which is an incredible achievement in itself. The wind had picked up in the afternoon too, which made positioning even more important. The race broke up from the start with various small groups forming behind the main bunch, riders dropping off lap after lap until a group of 20 remained for the final. In a bunch finish the headwind played a big part, Katie finishing around 15th in her first race.
Next weekend Ryan, Paul, Luke and Rich are competing in the Cat 4 Circuit race in York.