Sup6r Six Race Report

[Alan McLean]

Hi folks

 

If you would like some full-on Flandrian spring action with bumpy roads, rain and freezing winds then don't bother going all the way to Belgium. Just jump in your car and head off down the M8 for thirty miles to West Calder in July. All the cr*p weather and bone-shaking roads of the Low Countries in March but only one gallon of diesel (about 20 quid now) away.

 

Fifty-seven of us on the start list for the B race, Cat 4s, ladies, juniors and vets. Holidays reduced the entry list to well below the maximum of 80. We rolled out to the start, fifteen minutes after the A race, in drizzle and cool easterly winds. The route was three 15 mile laps around Cobbinshaw Reservoir.

 

Jim Daly had started in the A race.

 

The roads were wet and pretty bumpy. The "red roads" of Lanarkshire, topped with local cinders, are pretty good further south in the county but our route needed some attention, the surface was disintegrating/had disinegrated. Lots of dropped water bottles ricocheted around the bunch. We gave up calling out the holes after five minutes.

 

The first lap was pretty civilised with guys going off the front only for the primes. There were lots of really tight corners. I stayed near the front and made lots of room (elbows oot) to avoid crashes. Sure enough there were a couple of slo-mo road rash fests when guys locked wheels on the turns and slid painfully into marshals. No major harm done. Last year I would have stopped to help, this year, after the wipeouts, I sprinted out of the corners to try to make some distance on the main bunch who were slowing at the crash. Road racing does not make you a nice person.

 

I stayed out of the wind and was pulled along nicely on the flat sections with a few big ring climbs to keep the HR up. On the second lap a dozen guys used the "slinky" effect of the corners to gain a hundred yards or so but were pulled back.

 

The rain came down harder, when I followed a wheel I was rewarded by a slurry of manure spinning off the back wheel of the followee.

 

Still in a big bunch as we entered the third lap, I kept in the first ten. On some of the roads we could only follow in two lines which was useful to discourage passing. You had to be brave to go up the gravel in the middle. We passed Jim who joined the back of the group.

 

The last kilometre had a proper little climb. I was doing ok until I mis-shifted under load and was rewarded with my chain jumping and an ominous click-click-click from my FD. The chain started skipping and I started to go backwards but still in the top dozen or so as we rounded the corner with the 200m to go sign. I shifted gear for a final dig... and my £@£%**^ chain fell off. Not fixable.

 

I jumped off and pushed the bike to the line as the rest of the bunch swept past me. To cap it all I was quite correctly told off by the commissaire for getting in the way of the sprint.

 

No idea of my final place. Oor Jim accidentally followed us over the finish line which was off the main circuit so race over early for him.

 

Super organisation from Pedal Power etc. Actually a very nice circuit despite my comments but the weather was really horrible.

 

Last Sup6r six for me, I can't do the August one, but if it is as good as the last four then I highly recommend some of you have a go. You know you want to.

 

Photos to come, mainly of grimy riders.

[Guest Jim Daly]

Alan

 

I'm sure I saw you swimming through that big puddle so you definitely won the triathlon event, yesterday.

 

http://pbpb.fotopic.net/p51757864.html

 

Jim

[Alan McLean]

Thanks for the link Jim. Nice fotos.

 

That wee run saved me 20th place. More points! More points! (One, I think).

 

Looks like the last event might be in September, not August, so still time for you all to start training and sign up.

 

Alan