On Thursday night I took part in my
first race since winning two in 72 hours last weekend. No real surprise then
when I say that I was ‘keenly observed’ by my fellow push-bikers: they stuck to
me like shadows. The race was another semi-nocturne town centre criterium
around the port of Concarneau, one of my favourite places in the region. It’s
absolutely gorgeous there and has heaps of history with a fortified town and
lovely beaches. With all these pros it’s no surprise that it’s a tourist hotspot,
but that didn’t take away from the awesome setting, and it added to the crowd
support!
What a place!
So yes, it was an exercise in strategic
warfare for me, trying to sneak off when my followers least expected it. Unfortunately
a hairpin turn on the course made things rather difficult, or rather the course
wasn’t quite hard enough, so in the
end it just came down to brutality.
This was roughly the point when I had a sense of humour failure.
A group snuck off and of course I
wasn’t allowed in it, so I attacked relentlessly for the final 10k, more out of
sheer pigheadedness than anything else. I was pretty mad and nothing motivates
like anger!
'Snot my day today!'
I think it made a good show for
the crowds anyway, which is something. I won a nice Breton hamper including some
cidre (French is coming on!) and dodgy salty caramel for a prime, so everyone
was a winner. 6th place at the end for me wasn’t anything special
really. Also of note: fellow Brit George Moore got 3rd which was
really good to see and a great ride by him.
George Moore (in blue)
on his way to a solid podium finish.
After the race I treated myself
to a paddle in the sea and that helped me cool off, in every sense! This
weekend holds two more circuit races up near the north coast but honestly I’m
looking forward to the end of crit season. I’m no circuit racer and going round
in circles is giving me a headache. That said if I can eke out a few more
podiums I will not be complaining! Oh and finally, I got shorn a few days back
and in a word it’s short! Talk to you
after the weekend guys.
Heaven?
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