So it's our second evening in Newport, Wales. I'm an A4 rider who started racing this year. I've done ...three open races so far. Four club league (Orwell/Lucan/Tiernans/Usher/UCD) races, and the hill climb. So coming here, to quote someone else, was either "bravery or naivete".
Left on the ferry Tuesday evening, boat docked at Holyhead just after midnight. The inevitable queues getting off meant that we got to bed a little after 2am. Up at 7am for breakfast, and the drive down to Newport (a little northeast of Cardiff). Took about five hours, got there in time to sign-on for stage 1, a 7km TT - flat, with a hill finish.
Lots of advice from my team-mates, so warmed up well, and thought I was motoring along the flat (into a strong headwind), until my minute man behind caught me and passed me. Hit the climb, where I quickly caught up with him, but didn't want to make the effort to pass him in case I blew up. This is only stage one of six after all! Clocked in at 13:35, which put me in 88th of 102 riders. Not bad for my first ever TT! (If you don't count the hill climb.) The lads fared better, and my minute man was 20th overall.
We witnessed one lad lose his chain as he turned the corner for the climb. He still managed to get 45th overall! Must have lost about 20s, yet still beat me by over 30s! Puts it all in perspective really.
Woke up this morning feeling fresh. Loaded the car up, and drove an hour out in the Brecon Beacons. The course was described as "rolling", but with six laps and a 0.5km 60m KOM on each, it didn't really feel like that by the end. I have to learn to more aggressive with my positioning in the bunch - I ended up losing contact second time over the KOM, and I'm supposed to be a climber!
Doubled up with a welsh rider, the only woman in the race, and we worked well around another lap. Then we were caught by a grupetto of three riders, including the previous day's mechanical, who had punctured today. Some people have no luck! The five of us worked around another lap, so only one to go. We took advantage of a passing van to draft a bit, but I couldn't even hold that, and ended up cycling the last half a lap by myself, finishing 18mins down. The grupetto was 3mins ahead of me in the end, with the win taken by one of a seven-man breakaway.
Team-mates did better, finishing with the bunch. We're not seriously targeting the GC, it's more about experience really, and I'm getting tonnes of that! Some of the riders here seem to be very serious cyclists, and the GB Paralympic team is here too. Tomorrow is a split stage. Today was the longest road race I've ever ridden, and tomorrow is longer. And followed by a team TT in the afternoon. So I'm off to the masseur now, so I can be as fresh as possible amarach!
Race is very well organised, with the road surface being immaculate, and marshalls at all the major junctions. We're staying on a uni campus, so there's a bar, shop, restaurant all within easy reach, and the food is tasty and the helpings generous! I'm counting down the breakfasts 'til stage six!
PS our biggest victory so far has been second place in the table quiz! \o/
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