Saturday’s  Round 10 of the 4^th Cat  Imperial RT winter Series at Hillingdon ended in disappointment and frustration for most  of the riders. After 50 minutes of fast and furious riding the 4^th Cat riders caught the 3^rd Cat race with 300 metres to go, which rather ruined the sprint finish to the line.

Fifty riders on the start line, five Wycombe riders had entered, Paul Morrissey, Tim Osborne, Stuart Smith, Creighton Varney and Andy Colsell. The race distance being of 40 minutes and 5 laps, it started very fast and only Stu and Andy looked comfortable in the opening stages, holding their places near the front.

Creighton admitted he wasn’t feeling well and made the sensible decision to drop out after 5 laps or so, bitterly disappointed not able to better his fabulous 6^th place of his previous race.

Tim and Paul, starting at the front, soon managed to work their way to the back of the bunch hanging on by the skin of their teeth.  Tim was certain that he would be dropped, and was on the point of quitting too, but hung on.

Tim racing in the Winter Series

Unfortunately Paul had a mechanical problem and took a lap out but rejoined and sat in the bunch for the remainder of the race.

Feeling more comfortable as the laps counted down, Tim spent most of the time sitting on Andy’s wheel, Andy looking very comfortable and steady, with Stu somewhere alongside, all three at the sharp end and hopeful of scoring some points.

So bell rang, last lap, immediately it speeds up, furious pace down the back straight some riders not able to keep up, gaps appearing, Tim got boxed in by a slowing rider, so had to work extra hard to regain his place, Andy and Stu still looking comfortable, down the main straight, past the club room, last corner, start to climb the hill, sprinters getting ready, all hell about to break loose, and then  ………………………………………………………………………..
there’s bl###y 3^rd Cat riders all over the place in front.  Arghhhh!!!!!!

Some brave (or foolish) riders tried to ride through the 3rds, but most of the bunch just sat up and rolled up to the finish line assuming (wrongly) that no points would be awarded. Disappointing for Andy as I’m sure he would have been a top 10 finisher. Oh well, there’s always next week!

Rather meaningless official result – Andy 14^th, Stu 29^th, Tim 30^th, Paul 48^th.

Average speed 24mph - courtesy of Stuart.

Other racing

See the HWCC RT blog for details of other racing last weekend.

Steve Golla, Geoff Powell and James Walker were in action at the Imperial Winter Series whilst Adam Brittain raced in the East London Velo Winter Series round 3 at Hog Hill. Race reports are being posted on the News page, and also linked from the Race Calendar.

Turbo training in West Wycombe

We had a bumper crowd last night at the Turbo Training session. Twenty five club members, and guests, braved the wintry conditions to get to West Wycombe Village Hall last night. This was the second in the ten week series, lead by club coach Dr Gordon Wright. More details available here.

All the club’s training sessions are proving a great success, with large numbers attending the, established year-round, core fitness session and a chain gang session also running. All these club training activities are on Wednesday night, centred in West Wycombe.

Be there early if you want to grab some space in the turbo or core training sessions!

The race conditions meant anyone moving out of the shelter of the peloton would have to chase hard to get back on. Even with these windy conditions the race averaged 25mph, so there was definitely safety in numbers. The conditions kept the bunch together throughtout, with only limited opportunity for a break-away, no one feeling foolish enough for a suicidal charge. Stuart managed to stay pretty close to the front for the majority of the race with only a few minor incidents involving wheels and riders touching. Fortunately there were no accidents this week, and with 5 laps to go Stuart was in the top ten, Cipo and Jeff safely tucked in but towards the back of the bunch. In the final sprint Stuart managed a very creditable 16th place with Cipo and Jeff coming in with the bunch but neither placing in the top 30. A superb, measured, ride from Stuart and next week will see a much bigger HWCC field in the 4th cats (at the time of writing there are 5 confirmed entrants) so fingers crossed for some better results.

Further details of the other Winter Series races have been posted to the HWCC Race Team Blog. In the Cat 3 race, James Walker placed 8th and Joe Clark 24th. Steve Golla placed 4th in the E123, with Geoff Powell 30th. Jamie Pine (London Dynamo) won, confirming his place at the top of the E123 Series leaderboard with Golla in second and Adam Brittain (though absent at a training camp) holding onto eighth place.

The Flat-50 starts at 9am from Stratton Road car park, Princes Risborough.

I would recommend that you familiarise yourselves with the route – it’s all contained on OS map 165 (the best maps in the world as well as being works of art. Everyone should have them).

There is a map here that you can print as well as a GPS file. There will be a limited number of maps available when you sign-on.

Please note

The Berryfields area (just outside Aylesbury where we turn right for Quainton) has a new housing estate being built. There are traffic lights on the main road, we turn right then it is an immediate left turn. This is hard to spot.

After half-a-mile the road forks, we take the left fork past the new houses, then off into open country.

Course details:

2012 Fees
Club Members £3.50 which includes £ 2 Cycling Time Trials Rider Levy
(Note: Levy doubled for 2012)

In the 4th Cat race, Stuart Smith and Creighton Varney lined up with high hopes of points (top 10) following their top 20 finishes in the previous races; Tim Osborne was keen to put last week’s DNF behind him with a strong showing, and Paul Morrissey was hoping for a decent story to tell back at the club house. Four strong riders all with something to aim for.

In the 4th Cat racing this season there have not been very few (if any) successful breakaways, so all the riders knew that the key to a strong finish was their positioning in the final laps. As always the safest place in the bunch is at the front or back, so with about 15 minutes to go when two lead riders fell at the tight hairpin our riders were able to safely negotiate the accident. Both riders were safely on their feet in a moment, but the bunch had sped on. This minor accident meant that leading into the final few laps the bunch was together, and any advantage our riders had at the front was nullified.

Coming into the final lap Varney was the best placed, right at the front, clearly with a top 10 finish and his first points foremost in his mind. Just behind our lead rider, unfortunately, with about 300m to go a rider veered across the track, causing two riders to collide. This put a front wheel into a rear mech, causing about six riders to fall. Varney’s sprint for the finish is improving week on week, and his 6th place finish was well deserved. Osborne was caught up in the tumult, but his keen bike handling skills allowed him to dodge a sliding rider. His push for the line resulted in a fantastic 11th – a personal best placing.

Smith and Morrissey were held up behind the last lap tumble, and they both safely rolled in for 27th and 31st respectively. All the HWCC riders hope that those who fell have a speedy recovery, and look forward to seeing all series riders back on the track racing next week.

In the other day’s races Steve Golla continues to show the youngsters how it’s done with a 4th place in the E123, James Walker, James Norris and Geoff Powell finished mid-pack in the same race and Joe Clarke placed well in the Cat 3 race.

Chapeau to all the riders – HWCC is having a great start to the racing season!

If you decide to ride, be careful.

Most are using the Series to get a taste of racing and get some points, others are using it to get fitter and as hard training and some are doing it just for the buzz. Either way HWCC are being well represented and very visible. Over the last few weeks we’ve seen James Turton placing 4th, multiple top 20 finishes from the likes of Creighton Varney, Tim Osborne, Stuart Smith and Malcolm Binns to name a few.

It’s fair to say that 4th Cat racing can be erratic and a bit crazy but you all have to start somewhere. If you fancy taking part, then I would suggest you either get to Hillingdon and watch or enter a race and have a go , it’s fantastically addictive and that’s why week in and week out so many HWCC riders turn up regardless of where they finish.

A typical race goes something like this:

Fast start – by lap one there is normally a string of riders with some big guy pushing it hard at the front (he is left to die in the wind as there are 40 mins and 5 laps still to go).
Average speed of late is around 24mph, but that’s average, it’s mostly fast on the long flat sections and when you hit the wind the bunch slows to around 18 – 20 mph.

Middle – After the first few frenetic laps some of the stronger (or foolish) racers try and form a break. So far this season each split has been swept up by the peloton, leaving a bunch to contest the…

Last 5 laps – The Commissaire places a lap board up with “5 to go.” This is what it’s really about. It’s where the real action is. As the pace lifts in the lead bunch, it’s all about positioning and making sure you’re near the front. Unfortunately, that’s where everyone wants to be. Due to this the racers can get a bit nervous and mid-pack does get pretty twitchy, but in most cases it’s fine and you can make a choice to either go for the sprint or sit at the back.

Final sprint – Forget about team working its every man/woman for him/herself. Your reactions/senses and heart rate are bursting as you sprint up the final hill (it’s more like a 500meter drag) pushing hard for that win or top 10 place and then boom , it’s over.

What next?

Give it a whirl – click here for entries

How long does it last? - 40 minutes racing, then 5 more laps. As noted above the Commissaire (race referee) has a lap counter board so everyone knows how much more’s involved.

Come and watch – The 4th Cat races start at 13:00, followed by the E123 at 14:15

Who else has taken part – Tim Osborne – Matt Tapping – Stuart Smith – Paul (cipo) Morrissey – Creighton Varney – Malcolm Binns – Andy Colsell – Jeff Roberts – Luke Bonnet and Hannah Evans have all raced the winter series as 4th Cats and all never thought they would be able to race, keep up and finish.

4th Cat racing is just the start and if you have not tried it you should as you are seriously missing out – so come along and have a go,

Your club needs you.

There were 6 riders in the 4th Cats – Creighton Varney, Stuart Smith, Andy Colsell, Jeff Roberts, Tim Osborne and Paul Morrissey; 3 – James Walker, Joe Clark and Karla Boddy racing in the 3^rd Cat’s and Adam Brittain and Steve Golla representing the club and Race Team in the E123, with Steve out to defend his lead in the Series.

4^th Cats

A rather large field of 48 4th cat riders took part in the 7th race in the Imperial Hillingdon Winter series. The start was unusually sedate, as normally the race kicks off with a quick break which sorts out anyone unable to stay with the pace. Creighton Varney, Jeff Roberts and Stuart Smith were always well placed at the front of the peloton with Tim Osborne and Andy Colsell tucked in mid pack. Paul Morrissey was biding his time at the back of the bunch. A headwind on the back straight was the brake that stopped any breakaways pulling away in the early stages.

The squad from Kingston Wheelers had a few attempts at breakaways, working well together but nothing came of it. Jeff Roberts had a dig off the front, and tried to split the bunch but a strong headwind and lack of any assistance caused him to drop back into the peloton. Ceighton Varney also made a great effort and managed by pure chance to jump onto the back end of the 3rd cat race (he was instructed to drop back to the main 4th cat bunch as this isn’t allowed, good trick though) notwithstanding this he maintained a strong position supported closely by Stuart Smith.

With about 7 laps to go Tim Osborne had a moment of reflection and decided to sit up and pull out of the race to watch at the sidelines. Andrew Colsell was playing a waiting game being well placed and well protected from the wind sitting in and waiting for a chance to jump. Morrissey unleashed a very punchy attack with 5 laps to go causing a gap which no one seemed to want to support, so with a headwind causing fatigue he dropped back to the main peloton. He then tried the same approach again hoping this time that someone would come to support him, however his efforts where futile and he dropped to the back of the peloton; well and truly broken. With 3 laps to go Varney, Smith and Roberts where well placed for the final sprint holding a good position in the pack.

At the finish, after a particularly nervous sprint, Varney got a well earned 18th place with Smith very close behind in 19th, Colsell in 25th, Roberts in 30th and Morrissey in 44th.

All riders intend to race again next week ,its addictive and we encourage all HWCC riders to come and have a go.

3^rd Cats

With many strong fourth cat riders transitioning to the third’s, and more winter fitness regimes taking effect, the pace was noticeably high from the start. Within the first lap the attacks had started. Karla Boddy was keen to chase the lone break from a Dynamo rider, who was safely bought back in within one lap. Thereafter a series of attacks forced the pace up, and kept it high.

With a strong head wind going round the back bend there were times when the entire peloton was stretched out in single file. Disappointingly the change in pace from head-cross-tail wind, delivered some questionable bike handling skills with many near-misses. Eventually the inevitable happened and one rider made a serious mistake in not holding their line on the bottom bend past the finish line. This ‘took a couple of riders out’ but thankfully all are well.

Boddy in the peloton in 3rd Cat Race

As the race unfolded Clark endeavoured to go in pursuit of glory, but again, the high winds meant that a lone break away was unlikely to stick and his efforts, along with many other breaks, were scuppered very quickly by a strong chasing peloton.

Coming into the last 5 laps Walker and Clark were well positioned and in the final lap they did well to keep themselves at the sharp end of the race and avoided a domino-effect crash on the penultimate bend. In the ensuring melee Walker came 11th, earning his first league points, Joe 21st and Boddy safely home in the bunch.

E123

With Steve Golla leading the series going into Round 7 there was much at stake for the HWCC rider. Early on in the race Adam Brittain got into a 2-man breakaway with InGear Quickvit rider Connal Yates but with fresh legs in the bunch and Jamie Pine (London Dynamo) on a mission to retain the series lead it was bought back after 10-15minutes.

Adam Brittain breakaway

Shortly after Brittain’s break was bought back Jamie Pine, Andy Betts (Felt Colbornes), Jerone Walters (VC St Raphael), Connal Yates and Chris Moores (Norwood Paragon) took charge and made distance between the peloton and themselves. The five-up quickly made a 30 second gap, which they manager to extend to over one minute as the race progressed.

As the race unfolded it was clear that the riders in the main bunch were not going to let Steve Golla or Rory Townsend go even though both riders tried several times to create their own break. Coming into the final laps the main bunch was back together, with the leaders out the front.

Golla leading the charge

In the break, with 5 laps to go, Walters and Pine attacked early with only Betts giving chase. At this point it looked like Yates and Moores would have to settle for 4^th and 5^th. However, the front three played some cat and mouse and it was all back together going into the last 3 laps. Betts, Walters and Pine battled hard in the resulting sprint and Pine asserted his class taking the win, and the series lead from Golla. Pine and Golla have now won 6 of the 7 series races (Pine 4, Golla 2).

Meanwhile, back in the main bunch Brittain decided to inject some pace into the race. With three laps to go he came over the top of the bunch and managed to get a modest lead on the peloton along the finishing straight. No one was prepared to chase, and therefore Brittain, with a mammoth time trial effort, built up a decent lead of 20 seconds over the course of the next two laps. It looked like he would stay away taking 6th. As the chasing peloton entered the final lap the pace lifted and it began to look like Brittain would be swallowed up in the gallop to the line. Fortunately, his efforts prevailed and Brittain took 6^th place, ahead of Pete Wager (winner round 3) who had closed the gap to him to about 3 bike lengths!

Adam Brittain taking 6th place ahead of closing peloton

Top riders overall E123 points table after 7 rounds: