Cycling Reports |
nervous After Last YearBy Dave WalshCycleways Cup 2nd Cat Race, Navan 2/3/03
Really didn't feel 100% before this year's version, but I felt grand once I was on the bike, warming up. The car park of Navan Rugby Club seemed less full than the last couple of years - and the bunches were definitely smaller. The weather, however was perfect - dry roads, sunshine, and not too windy. The start of the B race was civilized, with less kamikaze behaviour than one might expect for the time of year - lots of conscientious calling of holes and oncoming traffic. Out onto the Trim road, and into the only real bit of a breeze on the course. Riders started falling off the front in twos and threes, and I made sure I got involved, jumping from one attack to the next. Probably too involved, as I was gasping by the time we went through Bective. The backroads were in far better nick than last year - no gaping potholes, just a few bumps, some treacherous gravel, and a few nice dollops of what may once have been horseshit. Up the drag onto the main Dublin-Navan road, and there was a little group out in front. I was coasting through on the outside right of the bunch when one rider - possibly with Sorrento (from the corner of my eye all I caught was a red jersey) - launched himself out of the saddle. Unfortunately, his cleat also launched itself from his pedal. He did a frantic wobble, and his foot hit the ground. I looked straight ahead, and sprinted away out the front, getting myself out of any potential trouble. Fair play, he managed to stay on his bicycle, and no-one crashed... Round and round we went, but the second lap, my legs felt like two wooden spatulas, probably due to being involved in too much action too soon. As a result, I didn't stay close enough to the front as I should have, and missed the boat. A bunch of riders emigrated up the road, around the third lap, didn't even wave. We did have two teammates up there, I wasn't one hundred percent sure who at the time, but it turned out to be Kieran Keane and Ciaran Farrell. On the fourth lap, John Dillon went for a wee dander up the Trim road, with two other characters, but eventually rolled back to us. So I went, and ended up on my own, for a while, with a good gap on the bunch. It was a bit silly, I wasn't about to catch 20 or more riders that I couldn't even see. On the other hand, I wasn't up for spending the entire last lap languishing in the bunch. Three others came up to me, we started rolling through, and got caught by Bective. A few riders appeared up ahead. With no idea about on what was going on up-ahead, Paul, Geoff, Nick and I started doing sentry duty near the front. Just as well, cramps were kicking in, so I wanted to keep my legs spinning. Belting down the Dublin-Navan road, we could see a group ahead of us, 20-30 seconds ahead, so a few hopefuls tried to bridge the gap. In the end, they stayed away, and I took it *very* handy around that last bend, before rolling under the impressive inflatable finishing line banner. The two boys - Kieran and Ciaran had made into the top-ten or so. Very fast race for the time of year, if a little uneventful. No complaints though...
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Ok,
I'll come clean. I was nervous about riding the Cycleways Cup this year. A year
ago, as some of you may recall, my season unraveled following my attempt to bury
myself in the side a car. I spent that afternoon talking delirious rubbish to
the staff of Navan Hospital, the following week on crutches, and several weeks
in pain from my messed-up ribs.