Not quite got the legs

Darley Moor Road Race - 14/06/2006 - Darley Moor, Ashbourne, Derbyshire

With the Gareth stepping in at the last minute as the third team rider in the National Team Time Trial on July 2nd, the Darley Moor Road Race was an obvious choice as a great training opportunity to gain some speed by riding with the Elites.

On a typical Darley Moor night, the wind was blowing with some strength across the course and the temperature was dropping all the time and the rain threatened throughout the race.

Gareths race diary….

‘It was bloody freezing when we started. I almost went back to the car to get my Gilet but instead used the first 2 laps to get warm by sitting in and spinning. My legs were feeling really bad just lik the night before in teh Skeggy 10 and I almost didnt start because I felt I was lacking energy and power.

The first 2 laps were really quick. I never saw the speed drop below 30 and after my crash earlier in the year at the hairpin, I was keen to take it easy on the left hand bends. I soon got warm so on lap 3 moved up and after Shaun Snoddin (Recycling.co.uk) had put in a big turn at the front I attacked coming out of the hair pin. I didn’t look back and no one came past so I put my head down and kept going. As I reached the finish line to start lap 4, 2 riders had jumped across to me, a lap later we were joined by a few others. We stayed away until 10 laps to go when Shaun Snoddin, Barry Charley (Parker International) and Adam Blyth (Pinarello RT) got across to us.

I found working in the group very easy. We were going through at about 29 mph and I think I was one of the strongest but I knew I would struggle in the sprint as Ive lost all my strength in a recent bout of illness. Sure enough, each lap up to the finish line I was struggling to jump out of the bend. We were working quite well together and kept it tight apart from Number 14 who either soft tapped or only came through once a lap.

With 2 laps to go we were all together still and starting to jump around. Barry Charley went off the front alone at the bell and Snoddin took 2 others with him across to Charley. On the back straight into the wind, I started to bridge the gap and rounded the hairpin just metres behind. I was just about to get back onto the 4 leaders as Charley attacked again this time getting some daylight and I should have jumped as well but with only 400 metres to go I thought better of it as we only had 20 metres on the breakaway chasers behind. Charley stayed away for the win and I couldn’t hang onto Blyth and Snoddin in the sprint and guess what, Number 14 came past as well – I think I was about 6th in the end but I don’t know how many of us where in the break'.