A Beautiful warm and sunny day……

Was what greeted the riders for the CDNW event at Great Budworth LAST YEAR. This year wasn’t quite like that. On a day when the country was getting ripped apart by gale force winds and the average Daily Mail reader was looking at the torrential rain, questioning the validity of the hose pipe ban, 3 members of Team HOB turned up at Wyncham village hall raring (sort of) to go. Choice of clothing was an issue, leg warmers? Knee warmers? Wetsuit? We made our choices, had our briefing and headed out. It was at this point that one of the key and possibly most sensible decisions of the day was taken by John. He headed straight for the car without crossing the start line (smart move).

The weather made it look likely that volunteers for a long break away would be few and far between so the tactic for Ryan and I we would be to hang around all day for the inevitable bunch sprint. What we didn’t account for is how un-interested many riders were and when Ryan hit the front to raise the pace and his core temperature he distanced himself quite easily. He was quickly joined by 3 others (and a couple stuck in between) and with a bit of glass pedalling on the front by myself, the break had a minute in no time.

 photos by (Cyclesport International RT)

With Ryan up the road I was kept busy chasing down any attempts to bridge or disrupt any organised chase. After a couple of laps one such attack completely split what remained of the bunch and in no time the peleton was a measly 8 – 10 riders.

This all sounds like a nice day out so far, so lets get a couple of things clear:
1. Shortly after the start the air temp was recorded at 3 degrees. With wind chill factor this was probably sub zero.
2. After half a lap, I had no feeling in my fingers.
3. After 2 laps I couldn’t squeeze my bottle to take a drink or feel my legs.
4. Changing gear was virtually impossible (one rider reported he had to reach across with the other hand to   PULL the lever)
5. After 3 laps large parts of the course were flooded.

The break was making good progress, but then sadly Ryan (having started the break) succumbed to point number 4 (in-ability to change gear). With Hypothermia knocking on the door and the prospect of riding in a single gear, he headed for HQ. Motivation levels and interest in chasing the break down the road was now very low, yet good news was round the corner when the decision came to shorten the race. The bell lap brought a few half smiles and thoughts turned to sprinting for the lower places. When it came to the final dash the sprint was decided based on who’s legs were the least frozen and 3rd in the sprint, 9th overall, was the best I could salvage for the team. However, getting round in those conditions was a good enough achievement and keeps the team points total ticking over. I’ve had a couple of rough weeks and been pretty tired, so it was good to feel like a bike racer again. 

Back at HQ there was a lot of shivering bodies and slowly we all started to feel a little human again and by Monday evening I’d finally warmed up!! Coming up in the next few weeks there’s Capernwray Road Race, West Pennine Road Race and a full team turn out at the Regional Champs. As a Team were now in the Top 10 for the regional rankings and Ryan number 1 in Cat 3 along with second in the CDNW league. With any luck we’ll have further improvement in the coming weeks and maybe some warmer races.



Results

1 Chris Quin Macclesfield Wheelers
2 Tom Bracegirdle Team Elite
3 James Chamberlain Cyclesport International
4 Robert Palmer Stretford Wheelers CC
5 Peter Ware St Helens CRC
6 Mark McPhillips Stockport Clarion CC
7 Robert Lockhart Cyclesport International
8 James Tottle Manchester Wheelers
9 Simon Deeley High on Bikes
10 Rick Flynn GMP Racing
11 Nicolas Bertrand Biketreks Racing Team
12 Jake Cowen Biketreks RT
13 Phil Dilkes Stockport Clarion
14 Jordan Rigby teamwallis – CHH
15 Ashley Clitheroe teamwallis-chh.com
16 Zack Williamson Mossley CRT
17 Adam Sant St Helens CRC
18 Jon Taylor Team Cystic Fibrosis