Cycling Reports

Cookstown U/age Race

 By Patrick Withers

23/06/02

Only beginning to get over the cold, I hadn't been out on the bike in week, until a club league event on Thursday evening in which I managed 20 miles before calling it a day, I wasn't sure how things would fair out today…

This race was going to be possibly my last open race before the All Ireland's, and was going to be the last race for my team-mate, Richard Jones, before he heads of to the USA for a month tomorrow morning.

I arrived to get ready, at about 9:50, 40 minutes before the race start. During warming-up, I noticed there was a terrible head-wind, exactly in the direction where the race was going! We (my team-mates and I) were told that it was going to be as difficult for the rest of them as it was for us, let's hope so…

The race started about 5 minutes later than scheduled, and we were told we had 5 laps of a 4.5 miles circuit. As we started the guy in front of me couldn't get his foot into the pedal, which lead to me having to move out to the outside to go past him, only for my shoe to then slip out of my pedal, the minor confusion was soon over and I was sitting in about fourth place in the group behind my team-mate, Richard. As we approached the first hill Richard let the wheel in front go, after realising this the unattached rider attacked, Adam Petrie-Armstrong shot through the outside, and the race had begun in earnest. Over the top of the first hill, and I was dropped, but feeling ok. I didn't look behind me and rode on, in the biggest gear I had. After turning left we were on a stretch of flat, which lasted a mile or so, I still had all the riders in site, Armstrong was on the front and had counter-attacked the unattached riders attack, the race was blown apart, after only about 2 miles. Turned left again and onto a descent, I kept the head-down, making sure I didn't lose sight of the chase group of 3, which included Richard. In to the roundabout, then left, into a bigger headwind, and a long drag. Through the start/finish area, and there was no sign of the two leaders.

After turning left again onto the flat stretch, I could see Richard on his own, after we turned back onto the descent, I caught him, after speaking to him, he said he had a sore chest. We rode the climb up to the start/finish area side-by-side, then started some bit and bit afterwards. Meanwhile there was still no sign of our other team-mate, Anthony Devlin. We continued our bit and bit on the descent, but it wasn't possible to do it when we were on the climb to the start/finish area with such a headwind. As we got the bell for the final lap there was no sign of any of the rest of the Under 16's, we continued riding together, but by now it was getting more like a training spin than a race.

After riding side-by-side up towards the finish, Richard got out of the saddle and sprinted me for the line, he beat me by about a half wheel, not that it mattered, it was for 6th place.

There was some consolation afterwards when I heard that two of our club's younger members, had finished first and second in the Under 12's, Daniel Carbury, and my younger sister, Rachael.

So, the countdown is now well underway for the All Ireland's, with the Championships only two weeks away, we booked our accommodation during the week, and also sent off our entry forms, this will be the last week of training, and by the looks of things I need it!

To see more on me and my club, go to www.fcc.sports-page.com  or www.go.to/fintonacc