Lewes Crits #2

Got to Lewes nice and early and rode a full lap with Martin and Driss. Felt good in the warm up, did a few digs on the back lane. Felt calm and collected waiting in the carpark listening to the Commissaire reiterate the rules of the road to us. At the start there was no loitering at back this time, almost all the Mitre was assembled at the front of the bunch from the start.

The neutralised start was a little longer today, just over a mile and the lead car only pulled away after we turned onto the Broyle. A young lad got disqualified straight away for attacking on the wrong side of the road, crossing the double white lines within 30 seconds of the race starting proper.

Coming down the Broyle on the first lap there were 10 of us on the front controlling things as a small breakaway involving at least one Mitre rider pulled away. We were sitting comfortably coming into Laughton Road letting other riders chase the breakaway and give us a free tow. A strong wind was on our backs pushing the bunch along fast. It was going to be a very quick race. Unfortunately about 250m from the small roundabout is where my evening changed fundamentally.

Almost right in front of me Martin hit a massive pothole, wrenching his wheel and bars sideways as we raced along at 30-35mph. In front of me all I could see was his bike spinning along the ground as he tumbled into the hedgerow. Slamming on the breaks and skidding I somehow managed to avoid the bike and another Mitre body sprawled in front of me, but had a feeling someone was about to plough into the back of me. Seconds later I was out of the melee, sprinting for what was left of the bunch disappearing round the corner. The crash had split the bunch in half and we'd not even completed 1 full lap.

At maximum effot for over a mile myself and a few others chased the bunch, just about tagging on as they took the left turn to head up the small rise to the prime. Devilish timing, as the bunch surge in speed meant we had to jump again to keep up. Heart rate was hitting 98-99% after the chase from a standard start after the crash, so this second maximum demand on the body was a tough one. Nick Sky offered a wheel but I couldn't match his pace.

Hitting the Broyle I regrouped with Viv, Mick, Nick Haskoll and 4 other riders. We worked hard through-and-off for a lap to close the gap, but slowly started to lose our number. After a lap of chasing just Viv, myself and 2 others were left. The bunch was at 50 secs and unknown to us speadheaded by what was left of the Mitre chasing down a breakaway. There was no way in hell we were going to catch them.

The last 3 laps were spent riding at threshold, snatching chances to recover as the less experienced in our quadsome took long turns on the front. Coming to the finish we had our own competition, me leading Viv out down Laughton Road for a sprint finish. Unfortunately he was pipped at the line by a last ditch effort from one of our solo companions.

All in all a very tough evening, one of the toughest for some time. Heart rate was good but the early maximum efforts really ended my chances of getting involved later on. My biggest regret is not throwing every last bit of effort into latching onto Nick Sky's wheel to stay with the bunch after the crash. Its easy to think in hindsight but at the time telling your body to go beyond its limits for a third time in as many minutes isn't so easy. Thankfully Martin and the others involved in the crash weren't injured, though his bike came off worse - snapped top tube!

Hillingdon on Saturday is going to feel my frustration!