Well after a long week of training I had a few doubts how I would go in Pinjarra but knowing I needed a big hit out to get the training on track for Grafton to Inverell I set off to meet the rest of the SPR gang there.
Once there Lorraine pulled up next to us showing her newly cooked muffins for later and not long after that Gerry and co pulled up too. Off to registration which was annoyingly slow as they only had 2 people serving but once through headed back off to set up the bike and get ready.
Gerry was wondering around eventually as he forgot leg warmers or any pants so was hiding in his car for as long as possible 🙂 He was handing out Berry growling dog energy bar pieces which didn’t taste too bad I thought. Once bike was set up and numbers on I set off for my warm up which was pretty uneventful and caught up with everyone else also for a chinwag on the events that lay ahead.
With some big hitters here from Travis Meyer and a good size Plan B and Eddie Holland’s I lay awaiting the punishment to come. We went off with Brad Hall smashing it from the gun we strung out from the get go and with numerous attacks all the way out to the first turn off with none really getting away although finally a Brookes Mcmurdo rider got away and stayed solo for the next half a lap.
Once onto the first climb and not knowing these roads I sat in and straight away started to feel the last 9 days of training building up in the legs, when Bam Travis tagged a wheel and came crashing down taking Brad Hall with him. Looked nasty and Travis just got out of hospital a week or so ago from shoulder surgery poor bloke. SO with 2 of the main hitters out we sat a pretty fast tempo up the climb with only a few faster accelerations but basically staying as one but as I was feeling really average and dreading the next 120kms I rode tempo and slipped back from the front of the group to near the back. Once over we accelerated and rode the next few rolling hills at a fair pace with several smaller attacks all but reeled in each time.
Then on a false flat, semi downhill part another crash but this time too close for comfort as it was right beside me so as I was boxed in I leant on the rider next to me and we managed to miss hitting the guys but someone’s bike who was thrown in the air caught my lower leg with what I guessed later was a rear derailleur, so feeling rather sore but adrenaline running high I chased back onto the front of the bunch with a nice grease and blood down the outside of my calf I was thankful I wasn’t on the deck as we were doing about 45kmphr at a guess.
With the next half a lap featuring some very fast downhill and flats we were slowly getting whittled down in size but was happy to see Mike B still in the mix and doing some nice efforts up some hills stretching the pack right out things were looking up. I started to finally feel good at around 80km mark and with the pack happy to let a small break stay marginally ahead we hit the flat again and numerous attacks matched with small slow sections we finally hit the climbs again and I was finally able to hold my position near the front set a reasonable tempo right up and grabbing my spare water bottle from the feed station from Jody settled in for what I knew would be some strong attacks and on the sharpest incline Eddie and Sam Davies smashed the group up with a huge turn of uphill speed I didn’t even try to get on and sat in with bunch and with the Brookes team having someone away not really chasing the slowly pulled away out of reach. We in the bunch had numerous small attacks but none really sticking and the head wind I wasn’t really keen to try and get away so sat in and waited for some opportunities. A few came up which I joined but the bunch always came back. Once we hit 5km to go Brookes set the tempo right in and was setting up their guys for the sprint I picked a wheel and hoped for a nice lead-out.
With 1km to go Paul from Cyclemania hit out but was quickly covered with the final moves starting at 500m due to the head wind I had a look and decided to stay in till 300m to go and got a great lead out from an unsuspecting victim realising and rolled in for third in the bunch sprint with 6th overall due to the 3 breakaways , pretty stoked with that result considering over the last 9 days I have covered just on 1000km and pulling up realising I had also snuck in for the money with $90 for the 6th place, sweet. Realising Mike B had stayed with us and come in around the top 15 or ten and claimed second place for the Masters. Very good ride Mike.
After hearing how everyone else from Lorraine’s 3rd and Jill’s 2nd and Stu/Brett and others doing well it was a good day for SPR. Now heading back to work tomorrow for 5 days onsite for wind trainer recovery rides and awaiting my next block off of 9 days starting next Saturday with pretty much the same with lots and lots of kms and finishing the week with the Collie to Donnybrook and return it will be another tough week but with only 6 weeks till Grafton the countdown is on.
Thanks for taking the time to read my dribble I think it’s time for a Nanna nap!
PS: Hope everyone is considering the Collie race as it’s a handicap and with several thousand up for grabs it could be yours! 🙂
Nico
Nice write-up and an even better ride, Nico. You looked very strong all day, especially when others were attacking both uphill or on the flats, and that was one of the reasons no-one got away. I felt very comfortable on the climbs so tried to be nuisance value whenever I could, hoping to clean out as many of the gravitationally challenged as possible before we hit Dwellingup. There were times coming back into town (usually crossing the railway line) when I was in trouble and got dropped on both laps, but I stayed calm and kept working using other riders or the following cars on the second lap to work my way back to the peleton each time. It was really exciting coming down the hill on the second lap at such a pace.
Being my first ride against the Elite boys in the Open, I was thrilled to finish with the front group which contained some “names”, apart from those left scattered and splattered on the road. (You can tell when riders are pleased with their rides – the report comes in quickly). Last year I couldn’t ride Pinjarra – one of my favourite courses – thanks to Atrial Fibrillation, and I was worried that I had bitten off way more than I could chew by taking on the two laps this year. Thankfully I wasn’t disgraced and even came out $60 dollars to the good.
Hope to see some reports on the Support Race and Women’s Race soon. Stu was in the money here, and Jerry, Dr Mark and Brett also finished strongly.
Congrats Nico, looks like you are riding really strong Nico not to mention wisely (always knew you were a wise man ;-).. Mr B, congrats on your finish with the pack, I am sure you were putting the hurt into them on the climbs.. Congrats to Lozza for her finish as well as to the others in support who seem to have featured well too.
See you on the bike soon…
Yes very happy happy although as today is back onsite teh legs are a little heavy but hopefully will spin that out tonight on the trainer and my long awaited rest day tomorrow 🙂
See you guys saturday .
Great write up Nico! Great to see you doing so well after all of that training and must be great to have some SPR company in the pack.
Well done Lozza!! Fantastic result, well worth it after the effort you’re been putting in. 🙂
Well done to all.
Lorraine strikes- like a cougar!!! Hear her roar!!
Well done Nico, you are riding strong and hopefully take the form to Grafton (although you are a freak for riding 1000km in a week!). Congrats to Mike also for a great effort – sounds as though both of you rode smart races…there is a lesson in there somewhere about staying calm and fighting your way back. And of course once again well done to Lorraine who keeps on adding to her war chest. And well done Jill for 2nd 🙂 Sounds like it was a great all round effort from the SPR crew.