I’m not sure if I was cycling or swimming for this one…
Still on a bit of confidence boost from fourth place the week before, I agreed to do this one. Although, I was a little nervous about the number of riders and lack of space to overtake on a bendy crit circuit, so the nerves were well and truly upon me.
I’d also been looking after my nephew leading into the race and of course, families always cause drama rama when you least need it… the evening before my race, typical (cheeky eye roll). Due to my nerves and need to control them I have a pre-race routine which starts the evening before a race for me. With that routine disrupted, the uncomfortable sickening in my stomach was writhing through my body and the nerves boiling my blood to bubbling point, creating a full body tremble.
By this stage, I wanted to give up and walk away from the household and the idea of a race, my pre-race routine and nerve preparation is a well-known ritual throughout the house… so I’m sure you can imagine my dismay when everything was unsettled.
Anyway, race day arrived, and I went about my morning as if I was alone, trying to control the controllable and arriving with enough faff time. My friend had kindly said she would come up and watch, which always makes it better – she has a very calming vibe and we love a good gossip as well!
Once I was at the circuit my morning went to plan, my warm-up was gentle and on the rollers, I’d eaten with enough time before my race, dressed myself, undressed myself, redressed myself in a different choice of outfit and been for about 15 wee’s… I’d say that’s success.
I hadn’t ridden the circuit with the hairpin, so I was apprehensive of it and made it my goal to get on the circuit in between races to get a feel for it and build some confidence on it beforehand, every little helps.
The weather was looking ominous, with clouds brewing and the light slowly hiding away, so I’d made the choice to wear overshoes (although I broke my velotoze trying to put them on and had to go for something not quite as waterproof!), wet feet are game over for me.
As we lined up at the start, the heavens literally opened, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen rain like that in the UK, it was insane, and it didn’t stop! The commissaires advised if it didn’t ease-up they would potentially end the race early, which was comforting. It was so awful we were checking our tyres before the race and cleaning them off to avoid punctures.
The race went like a bat out of hell, from the gun, I didn’t have a particularly good start but I managed to be on top of the first attack and at the front of the bunch. There was so much rain, you could barely see 5metres in front of you, it was atrocious and all I could think about was stopping… like the anti-bad weather fool I am ha.
The first attack went as I slipped back a little bit and I set on my way of bringing it back, unfortunately nobody would work with me, they stayed away, so we kept a fast but steady pace in the bunch. I spent most of my time at the front after that, just trying to follow people moving around and be ready for moves occurring.
The weather was relentless, with people attacking out of the hairpin and trying to stay away most laps, making the race quite a test! The hairpin ended up flooding and without fail my disc brakes reminded me every lap that life was tough…. and I may as well be swimming (not a skill I own).
Eventually I got away in a 3-up break, we had a nice little gap going and were working on pulling further away in the best places on the circuit, unfortunately one of the riders came down in front of me on some rough surface mixed with rain. I honestly thought I was going to crush her poor head, somehow managed to get around her with lightning reactions (sadly those reactions were never to be seen since).
Two laps to go and the pace got more hurty, I think people were trying to get away to avoid a sprint.
Last lap bell!! I don’t think I’ve been happier to hear that bell… It felt like I was wearing a wee filled nappy and I was so cold, I was in that stage of not being able to feel my quads, although strange because I remember being splashed by the pool on the hairpin on the last lap and thinking ‘the water is actually sort of warm,’ – the strange things that go through one’s mind when suffering.
We came through the hairpin and flew round the next corner, one rider tried to pop off the front as we came toward the last bend, I was sitting in the bunch and caught napping! I reacted slowly and struggled to get my legs to work out of the saddle… I was so stiff, thankfully I managed to catch her up and take myself to the line, not really knowing who was where and reminding myself to not stop before the line or look behind! I was so relieved to get to the line, my first thought was I need caffeine… not even where did I finish.
Somehow, I managed to pull off fifth, winning the bunch sprint! In a Nat-B crit, in swimmingly damp conditions with my brain failing me and little ponds in my shoes from ‘not so waterproof’ overshoes which were also no longer white… (kindly fixed by James’s mum, so white I now look brown).
What did I learn from this race? I’m stronger than I think mentally, and I can convince my brain to keep going, even when it thinks it can’t, sometimes. I’d call that a damn big success. I can also corner in the rain and found my limits are way further than I expected. Proud.
Would I choose to race in the rain again? No chance pal… wake me when summer returns.
Ride bikes, eat cake, be happy :)
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