NMRRL Stainton circuit

[oll]

New thread for the third series.
I am surprised to see group A are racing tonight, as I thought it would be our night off. Looking forward to the race, especially after the disappointment of puncturing last week.

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Group A Race.

PERFECTION, Rich.

No more needs to be said, a very well deserved victory, using your strengths to the full.

[andyr]

Hi All!

A bit of a naff race for me. Legs n lungs were working well but ended up with nothing to show for it! I must've had 6 attempts at getting away but to no avail. The best of which was on the 2nd to last lap. Simon Cocker (TLI) launched off the front on the drag on the Wadworth Rd(just where Ian D was stood). I jumped after him with a Rutland rider on my wheel. We gave it the beans down the hill towards turn 1. Dave Marsden got across to us & shouted " keep it going lads!!" at which point I noticed the small matter of 30+ riders on his wheel...

The sprint started to get abit lairy with riders switching & jostling for position. I was stuck in the middle of it & had zero chance of freeing myself from the melée. A bit of bad positioning by myself! I had the legs for it but got stuck behind a wall of Lycra & carbon that died about 50m from the line.

On the plus side I reckon it's a cracking circuit & DRC got a #1 in the "A" race...well done fella!

See y'all next week.

Andy Robinson.

[bennyburrito]

Sounds like i missed a great race can't wait to get back find out how everyone did on Thursday, where did Cam finish?

Well done to Richard, after all the training you have been doing you deserve it mate.

Ben

[oll]

Thought I would comment on Race 15 (29 July)
A very breezy night, especially at the top end of the course.
In group A myself and Pete did a lot of work early on, to no avail. We only realised later on how hard it was on the front and how much easier it was in the group. As a result a break was unlikely.
Great result again with Johnny and Scott getting second and third. So that has improved the overall standings, although young Tom had a crash and missed out on any points which is a shame. I was happy to lead out our two sprint stars, trying to keep the pace high up the drag.
Another enjoyable night.

[andyr]

Hi All.

The penultimate race at the Stainton circuit turned out to be my most "eventfull" race so far. It was decided that 5 of us would attack from the gun & try to get a decent gap from the off.

We did just that & went for it. It wasn't pretty! There was no smooth thru & off etc, it was a case of riding hard 'til you were spent then moving over. The first lap was brutally fast & we managed to catch the "C" group within 2 laps. I made sure I did plenty of graft in the group so that I couldn't be accused of sitting in after the race. This is exactly what happened after the race & several "B" group riders were moaning to the organisers. The main concern/gripe was that if we hadn't tagged the "C" we would've been caught. What they should've done is caught us & not had a whinge when it was all over.

See y'all next week.

Andy Robinson.

[oll]

You certainly worked hard. What position did you get? I was surprised to see that you were allowed to join group C, but fair play to you for all the effort you put in.

[andyr]

Hi,

I got 4th. We dropped off the C group on the run-in then contested the finish between ourselves. According to the rules the C group should've let us go & dropped back. That would never have worked in practice because once they got going we would've been caught. So it was a case of going with them but not just sitting in & instead our little group were driving it along a bit.

The four other lads that I got away with have been working with me since about the 2nd round at Harworth. We got our heads together then & formed abit of an alliance. It's worked out quite well on about 4 occasions where we've all gone hard to breakaway. I'm not one for fighting it out in the last 100m, I much prefer the breakaway option...

Andy.

[iandv]

Andy,

Fantastic effort last night, a great ride. We messed about so much on the first lap, (I went quicker on my warm up), we deserved to be caught. But your break certainly spiced the race up. I think it's group C for you next year!!

I enjoyed it last night and had a good go at the end, my sprinting is definitely coming on but I got blocked a little and had to ease off in the last 100m which was frustrating.

Ian D

[andyr]

Hi All,

Another eventful race for me this evening but for different reasons. After the insane Rydale Rumble on Sunday my old legs didn't feel as sharp as I would've hoped. As things transpired, once I'd got a couple of laps under my belt I started to feel ok. The chances of "the famous 5" getting a break again were slim. Every attack was chased down, we had a couple of attempts but nothing really stuck. I decided that the best tactic was to pull any breaks back & try to pinch some points in the sprint.
As it went, I gave it some welly through the woods & ended up with a small gap. A Rutland CC rider also jumped & we then started to work together to open it further. The drag towards Edlington has always seemed tough but if we made this a quick & hard section it could give us the buffer needed to stay away. On the rise my legs really did start to hurt. It was at this point I let rip with some sort of primeval shriek! Why? I don't know but it had two distinct results...I went quicker & also dropped the fella behind! I'm not sure if his exit was due to my "war cry" & I psyched him out? Or the unexpected increase in pace??
The net result was I had to dig even deeper into the red as I was alone. I gave it a huge effort on the downhill bit. At this point the bell was rung. I kept it going through the woods & kept a bit in reserve for the drag to the last turn. I peeped over my shoulder at this point & saw the gap was a descent size. This meant an all out push to the finish.
Last race & 1st win! I find my form at the last race!?...can't complain as I've really enjoyed the whole TLI experience & will be back next year for sure. Good to meet Nikki tonight, she was having her first go in the A group...good luck for next year!
Looking forward to DRC's Sept 5th RR & I've entered Donny Wheelers' Autumn RR too. Let's see if I can keep the momentum up a bit longer eh?

See y'all

Andy.

[bennyburrito]

Well done Andy on a great win, particularly liked the 'Primal scream' as you pushed over the top of the hill. Will have to try that one myself next week and see if it works.

Group A's race was all about getting John to the front at the right moment and making sure that any breakaways were quickly shut down. Between myself, Keith, Richard, Pete & Scot (Apologies if i missed anyone out) we worked efficiently and made sure that with 500m to go John was in the right position and he could unload and have a good sprint for the line. In the end i think he got a second and then it was Richard, myself and Scott (not sure which order as i was giving it a bit of a kick myself). Keith was there and there abouts as well after a superbly ridden controlled race and he nearly grabbed the spoils with a very impressive solo effort at the end.

I must say that as a DRC member if felt great last night working as a team and it was definitely my most enjoyable race of the series. Brilliant circuit, brilliant team effort and as usual a brilliant performance from Mr Downing.

One more week to go and i for one cannot wait.

Ben

Ben

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Totally agree, another excellent night of racing.
Brilliant effort Andy and congratulations on your win in the B group race. It is great to see your aggressive riding is paying off, even if it does involve a primal scream!
In the group A race, totally agree with Ben. It was a great team effort as we covered any of the breaks. The two notable efforts came when the Sheffrec boys had a go and then Young Tom also had a couple of attempts. We knew they would try to try and pull back some points on Johnny.
As we got onto the final lap I got to the front to keep the pace high from the top corner and start the lead out for Johnny, when I looked back I had a gap. I thought could this be the one. I dug deep and gave it everything up the drag, then powered down towards the quarry. I took a look back and saw I still had a bit of a gap, but the group were closing quickly. I was now praying for the line. I think with about 50 yards to go I was caught, but managed to get a seventh. A good win for Andrew(shaggy) from Sheffrec, who is proving to be a great rider but it was impressive to see the flash of the yellow jerseys coming through to claim the following places. Well done Johnny, the same again next week and the overall will be yours.
The racing has been great this year and it was good to see Nickki starting her first race. Speaking after the race she was very positive and looking forward to giving it another go next week.

[iandv]

Andy,

For the record an outstanding ride last Thursday, to hold off the bunch for 1.5 laps on that circuit is a fantastic result, well done.

I am looking forward to racing with you next year, Jordan and I could do with the help in group C and we need Andrew Marsh back in it to get a strong team vibe going. Let's see what we can do together in the Sept races.

Also congrats to all the group A squad, yet another fine team performance securing JD in 2nd and everything to play for this week.

Well done to Haris, he rode the full club run yesterday and got a PB of 56 miles. ( we still have the bet that I will be able to beat him when I'm 50 and he's 15 - this is looking increasingly dodgy as each Sunday ride passes, he's getting quicker and I'm getting older - may need to start feeding him chips and lard to stand a chance !! )

Ian D

[bennyburrito]

Can someone please let me know how John went on last night!!!! Couldn't make it last night as i am on holiday but cant find out how last night went.

Ben

[iandv]

Ben,

I think Jonny was 4th last night, possibly 3rd - a good ride in shocking conditions, very wet and very windy. Richard was 2nd. As always the boys rode well.

I had a nightmare, Jordan shipped his chain at the start and I waited to help him ride back up to the bunch - our first mile was flat out! This coincided with a very fast 2 laps with Steve Ellis on a mission to get away. After the initial effort my usual race plan to stay at the front and go with the moves was shot, I found myself at the back recovering from the early effort. As expected a split occurred, and I moved up and chased flat out, I wasn't closing the gap and riders came past me sprinting to bridge the gap, I couldn't respond and after half a lap of trying I gave up, knackered and in the red. 4 or 5 guys with me dropped out. I have never not completed a race and I ploughed on alone for 3 laps in the rain feeling shit and utterly pissed off. But I did finish, about 2 mins behind the bunch. Jordan came 5th, ( He hasn't said thanks for waiting and helping him back to the bunch on the first lap)

After 11 really great races and competing well this was a miserable way to finish the league. It was the first time I've been dropped and I am determined to make it the last. Next race is our BC promotion on the 5th Sept to try and make amends.

Ian D