NMRRL...Harworth.

[andyr]

Hi All!

A perfect summers evening started proceedings at Harworth for the first race of series 2 of the NMRRL races. Traffic lights on the A614 near to the A1 caused a last minute change to the route. Instead we turned left towards Serlby Park & did 7 laps instead of 5 of the shorter circuit.

I race in the "B" group & we started at a brisk pace. Things slowed considerably at the left turn towards Serlby. A strong headwind & an uphill drag strung the bunch out. It was here I decided to crank it up a bit on laps 2 & 3 with long turns at the front...just to ensure nobody gets an easy ride!! Soon we had collected a few riders from group C & it became obvious this was going to be a hard race.

A few breaks got a gap early on but were soon reeled in. Wrights Hill became the leveller & plenty of suffering was apparent on each lap. I had a go at getting away on the 5th lap with another rider but this attempt was soon caught. This circuit favours the break more than Torworth so I'm eager to try again.

A couple of guys got away on the last lap, Steve Tompkin & myself gave it all to catch them but it was too late... The elastic had snapped and a sustainable gap was theirs. They timed it perfectly to be honest & I should've been on them a bit sooner, that's racing!

I was boxed in on the gallop so rolled over the line 15th or so. I felt good on Thursday & the course suits me. I enjoyed this race more than the Torworth races. I've managed to score in 2 of the last races but feel more confident about this circuit.

Andy Robinson.

[iandv]

Andy,

sounds like a good ride to me!

I missed the first Harworth race, I went over to Cheshire to ride the Warrington Road Race which was fairly brutal, lots of breaks, and chasing hard to close the 2 min handicapp the older guys had. I had a strong ride but ran out of steam a little on the last lap to finish 10th.

I was down at Wombwell with the lads on Weds night. They all rode well, the U16 race with Joey, Cam & Danny looked a bit tasty. My lad Haris had his first race on his new bike in the U10's and finished 4th - needless to say he really enjoyed it. It was great to be out supporting our young squad and hopefully we will make the next round in a week or so.

My next outing is on Tues evening at the Sheff Rec BC event at Barlow Triangle - i am hoping for good weather!


Ian D

[oll]

Group A get their chance at Harworth tonight.
Last week the pace looked brisk, but certainly showed the greater chance of a breakaway.
Really looking forward to giving it a go!!!

[oll]

Well the A Group got to race last night. I felt up for it, even with the weather feeling cool and windy. There seems to be a more positive vibe at the front of the race, more riders willing to contribute and there was a sense that a break could form.
I tried for a break on lap 2 with Cam and a few others, but that was unsuccessful, however on the next lap we tried again going up towards the aeriel conveyor. This proved decisive. We had opened the gap, with 4 in the break, including a Sheffrec rider who was awesome, doing more than his share. We all worked the chain and it seemed the gap was growing.
The final lap we knew we had a sufficient gap, but I started to feel my calfs cramping. I took the decision to try to take it out up Wright's Hill and try to wind it up more slowly, rather than relying on a sudden burst and fear cramp. Alan got on my wheel and took me with about 20m to go for the victory. I took third (my best result, so am chuffed) so two DRC in the top 3.
Cam had us worried when he decided to give Pete's rear mech a closer inspection, which caused a big wobble.
Scott, again showed his prowess, coming in seventh but winning the group sprint.
All in all a really hard but enjoyable and satisfying race.

[bennyburrito]

At last a bit of racing!!. After Torworth it was a relief to finally get some team tactics going. With Alan and Keith getting into a small break with a couple of Sheff Rec lads we decided to try and slow the group down. Myself & Scott sat on the front for the 4th & 5th lap and managed to cover any significant chases hoping that either Alan or Keith would grab a win.

The final bunch sprint was a complete Dinnington affair with Scott grabing 7th, John 8th, Richard 9th, Me 11th & Cam 12th.

The night got even better when we rode back to the car park to hear that Alan had won and Keith, although on the edge of cramping up, managed a well deserved 3rd. A quick well done to Matt who ended up being the the lone Sheff Rec rider in Alan and Keiths break, i heard that he put in some seriously big turns on the front with some massive efforts.

Well done to Alan and his new bike it was certainly ridden in some style with a very well deserved victory.

I must say that i enjoyed this circuit far more than Torworth as there is far more opportunity to get involved in a break and employ a few team tactics.

Next week is going to be interesting i can feel a large Dinnington break away coming on and i cannot wait!

[iandv]

Well done to Alan and Keith, excellent riding last night, it was great to watch.

Ian D

[oll]

Another round and another excellent race.
Congratulations to Jordan for his win in the group C race.
In group A the pack stayed together with any potential breaks being monitored and closed down. The pace seemed good for much of the race, until the final lap when it slowed with the riders wanting to save what energy they had left for the final push up Wright's Hill.
Great to see Richard making a solo attempt just before the final corner and so close to succeeding, a pleasing second. Well done, that should give you the confidence to go for it again.
I felt I rode well, but didn't have that little bit extra like last week. I worked hard at the front and tried to latch onto a potential break but paid the price in the sprint up the hill..
Johnny, Scott and Ben all managed a top ten, so again DRC had a good showing. It is great to be part of the team.

[oll]

Rather than starting a new thread.
RACE 11 Harworth.
It was a warm night for the A's and B's. Not much wind to start with, although it did seem to pick up on the last lap.
In the A group there were one or two attempts to break, often solo attempts that didn't come to much. Any attempt was closed down. I went on the last lap, but needed one or two others to join. The wind had picked up and it was tough on the first drag.
Rich went near the final corner but was also closed down.
Congratulations to Johnny D winning the sprint up Wright's Hill. We all have so much still to learn. Another good showing from the rest of the DRC crew.
In group B Danny made it a double. They managed to get a break and stayed away with Danny winning the sprint.
Another great night of racing!

[andyr]

Hi All!

That's B group finished on the tough Harworth course. It was (for myself & Dan anyway) the perfect nights racing!

To be honest I was totally kn@ckered before the race, I'd given myself a pasting on the Tuesday day chaingang, followed with a 90 miler to The Humber Bridge & back on Wednesday night. This turned out to be quite a quick ride with an average speed of just below 22mph....not a good basis for a nights action at Harworth!

I had talked myself into sitting in & giving it some welly after the bell. As it went the legs felt ok so started to go with any break that went away & keep my nose near the front. Over the past weeks I've formed an unofficial alliance with a couple of other riders who are keen to break away to deny the Kirby Sprint!

A couple of riders broke away on lap2, 2 were away with a couple in "no mans land" inbetween. The leading two consisted of Dave Marsden who is a strong lad & I knew he'd want to break away. I then fired off the front passing the "no mans land" riders & kept going. I pressume they caught my wheel & the six breakaway riders were assembled.

The group consisted of myself & Dan & 4 other riders who I knew a bit...all strong guys & willing to have a dig! After a bit of organising we started to ride smoothly "through & off" with the odd rider missing a turn but in the main everybody worked hard. We made sure we tapped a steady pace up Wrights Hill as nobody was going to get left, we needed everyone grafting to make the break stick.

When 3 people dropped out of the line it was obvious we were going to hard so the pace was backed down a touch to ensure everyone had a turn...in all honesty it was textbook!

I've already made my excuses about the state of my poor limbs & when it came to the final sprint any thoughts of contesting it were over...I was spent! plenty of "grunt" but the top end power has gone! Still the sight of Danny giving it everything made up for it...a great result for him & (to me) this is what racing is all about.

Stainton....Bring it on!

Andy.

[oll]

The final week at Harworth!! For some this could be a relief, for others it has been fantastic.
I have to say that watching Johnny Downing sprinting up Wright's Hill has got to be an inspiration for all of us. A fantastic couple of races for Johnny. Excellent to see Cam get a fourth spot last night too.
I was gutted to have a blow out before we even got to the mini rounabouts on the first lap. I had my adrenalin pumping and was up for the race and so it wasn't just my tyre that felt deflated!

[bennyburrito]

Here i am sat in Florida absolutely buzzing to hear the Cam grabbed a 4th last night. Well done pal, brilliant effort. Am out on a club ride with a group from a shop in Winter Gardens Florida in the morning, the Dinnington Club jersey will be worn with pride. My only concern is the heat on the two rides i did earlier in the week has been in 95 and 96 degrees which has been a new experience.

Getting back to last night though gutted i missed another race but cannot wait for Stainton.

Ben