Blogs
Mon, 28 Jun 2010
Review of the 2010 National Road Race Championships
By Sarah Storey - Horizon Fitness Racing Team
The Horizon Fitness Racing Team arranged a base about 10 miles north of the start of the National Road Championships, and it was here that the girls riding nationals started to arrive just a few days before the event in order to be able to prepare as a team.
It was great fun having the house, and after training on the course we were able to relax over dinner together, and not worry about having to find somewhere to eat.
Everyone was in high spirits and with the weather forecast set to be good for the duration of the race, we were all looking forward to testing ourselves on the course, which is one of the toughest I’d ever seen!
It was a 5.30am alarm call on a very still and sunny morning and surprisingly, despite my usual butterflies before a big race, I felt calm and relaxed. It’s amazing how much better it is approaching a big event with a team around you than on your own.
We set off for the HQ and then went about the process of sticking on our numbers before the rider briefing and the roll out to the start where Hugh Porter announced a few names. Horizon Fitness girls got a mention with Dani having made the podium at last year’s under 23 Championships, and Helen being a European Cyclo Cross medallist and current national champion. I was also announced, and then the countdown to our 8 laps of the 12km circuit started.
We knew the head of the race would be between the Cervelo girls and Nicole Cooke, so we wanted to try and get in amongst it and see whether we could get into the top 10. It was always going to be a classy field with 4 of the top 10 riders in the world all being British; there would be no rest from what we expected to be a race of relentless attacking.
As predicted, the main climb of the race within 200m of the start line was the point at which the attacks started to get launched, and as we made it towards the top, I was sitting about 6th or 7th wheel and, feeling strong, moved up the outside to go over the top at the front. Descending is an area of constant learning for me, and with this course having several sections of fast descending and a long section of narrow, twisty, and very technical descending, I was well out of my comfort zone and adding a big challenge to my road learning curve.
We all slowed to take the right hander over the first cattle grid, and then the road rode over the highest point of the course and then dropped over the second cattle grid and along what could be described as more of a TT section of the course, before starting the main descent. The road literally dropped away through some narrow corners, and then rose on a nasty kick up before dropping even more steeply to the final rise into the double right handers at the far side of the course.
Some people talk about sliding room on a climb, whereas I seem to create sliding room on a descent, and as I drifted towards the back of the group going down, I rounded a corner to see three bikes blocking the road and three girls crouched as far out of the way as they could be. I was thankful for being on my brakes, although still going around 30mph! There was the smallest of S shaped gaps between the bike in the middle of the road and the bike on the right hand side, so I somehow shimmied through the gap and caught Helen Wyman further down on the descent. Helen told me she’d had to brake so hard to avoid coming down with them, that she’s actually brought her bike fully onto the front wheel!
We started the chase to get back on to the girls who’d escaped from the crash and realised that it would be a tough group to catch as it contained Lizzie, Emma, Sharon, Nicole, and Katie Colclough! As we rounded the last corner which marked the end of the proper descending on the course, we saw the riders in front had been neutralised and we all rolled back to the feed zone where we were held until the road had been cleared of crashed riders.
The awful thing about it all was that we soon found out it was far worse than the 3 girls I’d seen laying on the floor. A car stopping behind the crash had been out of sight of the other descending riders, so those who had been dropped on the first climb out of the start had slammed into the back of the car and come off even worse than the initial girls in the first crash.
It was a hideous time waiting for the ambulances and we heard one girl had been given oxygen at the side of the road for a suspected broken hip. Thankfully that was an over diagnosis and she limped out of hospital a few hours later, but what a horrific way to end what should have been an exciting race. With many home counties using the event as a potential selection for Commonwealth Games, there was a lot at stake for many riders.
We finally wheeled back to the start over an hour after the incident and were told the race would then be run over 4 laps, because there wasn’t time to fit a full race in before the men’s. This was met with mixed emotion as some people were grateful for the less distance, whilst others realised how much harder it would have to be in order to get a result over such a short race.
Unfortunately for me, I got shoved out at the start so started the first climb too close to the back of the field. By the time I’d worked my way up to the front, there was a 10 second gap to the front 5 riders, which of course contained the 3 Cervelo girls and Nicole.
Soon enough we were over the top and chasing with a group of about 8 riders, but that again got whittled down as riders dropped their chains on the short rises between the descending sections of the course. By the time we were crossing the line at the end of lap 1, we were about 20-30 seconds down and I was in a group of about 6 riders including Helen, Katie Colclough, and Jo Rowsell.
I started the climb on the front of the group and by the top it was just Katie and I left. She dropped the descents like a stone, and I clawed my way back on during the rises, so we crossed the line together with about a minute to the leaders and getting Emma Trott in our sights as she’d been shelled from the front group after all their attacks! We closed the gap on Emma by the top of the climb, and then I again started the process of chasing back on after getting dropped on the descents. We finished the end of the lap as a group of 3 to take the bell, and then they climbed on my wheel as we started to get Lizzie in our sights with time checks to the leaders of around 30 seconds. This also meant we were getting involved in the cars behind the leaders, which is always a good sign you are bringing them back. As soon as were over the top, I was attacked on the descents and overtaken by another chasing rider, before getting caught by Kara Chesworth as well.
It was so frustrating on the descents because my comparable lack of balance, less effective braking system, and inability to grasp the bars with two hands meant I was struggling, and with shaky legs from all the efforts to get back on going up, it meant I was pretty hopeless compared to the leading girls!
As we came into the finish I tried again to attack on a climb, but without any great speed work in my legs, got pipped to the line by Kara, herself aiming for a Commonwealth Games place for Wales.
I was 9th, 3 and a half minutes down on the winners, which showed just how much I’d suffered on the descents in that final lap. At the top of the main climb, Kara had been around 25 seconds down, but managed to claw that back by the home straight, so I’ve got a big area to work on. In some ways it’s very frustrating, but then looking at the results I can’t be descending too badly as the next group of riders came in over 2 minutes down.
It was a tough day for all concerned, but there is no doubt it’s far easier to perform with team mates around you, and I’m chuffed to be in the top 10 at only my second National Road Championships. I’m ready for the next challenge, and looking forward to improving even more before my title defence at Paracycling Road Worlds in August.
For more information about the Horizon Fitness Racing Team, visit www.onthedrops.com.