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PDCC Dog Hill road race report, Saturday 4th Sep 2010

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Presented for another bash at C grade today.  I don’t mind the Dog Hill circuit, it’s pretty flat and usually fairly fast.  Roads are a little rough but not as bad as the Serpentine course.  A dozen or more punters in C including fellow SPR stalwart Lisa (who had already smashed out 80km or so in the Hills this morning!)

It was a race of fits and starts with a solid core of riders doing most of the work.  Elliot seemed to have ants in his pants and seemed keen to get out in front and Clint wasn’t much better, both of them having short dashes off the front.  Geoff (KD Cycles) was also involved in some good pulls but seemed to have a bit more patience.  Lisa had a small dig on one lap which seemed to take a few riders by surprise but it was short lived.

Nobody was able to get away with everyone generally chasing down any accelerations.  In the second half of the race Lisa seemed to be a fixture on the front with nobody really coming through.  In fact for the whole race there was never any organisation or roll through – it was more a case of just waiting for the rider in front to drop the speed before doing anything about it.

Completing the third (or fourth – can’t remember..) a selection of 3 or four guys got a gap of about 50 metres.  Pretty sure it was Clint, Elliot and 2 other stronger riders so it was certainly a danger.  In my mind I felt it could’ve been the critical move of the race if they were allowed to get away.  I had a plan and was prepared to chase them later on in the lap if they got away but my hesitation (did I say that?  I meant well considered risk/reward decision-making process….) paid off.  The bunch chased and brought them back not long after.  In hindsight here would’ve been a good spot to have a dig myself but it honestly never entered my mind till now.  Knowing what to do and having the legs to sit off the front for a lap or two are two different things….

Last lap was a bit ridiculous.  On the back straight I found myself on the front and it wasn’t where I wanted to be.  Tried pulling off once, twice, three times to no avail.  No one was coming thru.  Swung waaaay out over to the other side of the road, still no one biting.  Back on the front, soft pedalling letting the speed drop 35kph,…. 33,… 30..  all the way down to 23 before someone came past!  Onya Daryl !  Daryl was the most hated man in the peleton attacking fairly regularly to cries of ‘Bloody hell! not again!’
The bunch was all together heading into the sweeping curve left about a kilometre before the finish, riders jostling for position and streaming by on my right.  Lisa was still at the front or near it. I was sitting about 8th or 9th wheel, with maybe 600 to 800 metres to go when I went for it. (I looked on Google Maps and think it was about that far but it’s easy for recollections to be wrong…).  The bunch was drifting towards the centre of the road leaving some room on the left.  I powered up the inside, still seated, but giving it heaps.  I don’t know who was behind me but after I hit the front I glanced behind and had a gap.  I kept going, a little surprised that no one had come with me (maybe jumped too early?)  The finish line seemed an eternity away and I felt myself tiring and losing speed.  Another quick glance behind and I could see the angry bunch catching.  I had to stand and sprint to hold the closers off and crossed the line about five lengths in front!
 
Flat handicap at Serpentine next week.  Only ever particiapted in one handicap before so I’m keen to have another go.
 
Cheers,
Dave

PDCC road race at Parklands Saturday 31st July

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Saturday 31st July PDCC road race at Parklands

Well as per usual I was running late and didn’t really have time for a proper warm up. Just a few zips up and down the road would have to do.
Saw Pickle and fellow SPR riders Josh and Matt at rego. Josh was egging me on to have a crack at A grade but as mentioned previously, I think B grade is where I belong for now. Unfortunately for me this also meant that I’d have no team mates in B grade.

Both A and B grades were up for twelve laps of the four kilometre course. A moved off and the roll call for B grade was executed. Twelve punters on this sunny day. A few riders muttered about the inclusion of an A grade rider in our midst (some quite loudly!) and to rub it in the rider in question attacked from the gun and wasn’t to be seen until more than halfway through the race!

For the rest of us the first half of the race was fairly uneventful. I was sticking to the wheel of one of the stronger B grade regulars for most of the time, taking my turns but not doing anything more than I had to. Heading off on the seventh lap it was clear that we were pulling back the escapee and the call went out to leave him out there for a bit longer. It was going over the sharp pinch on lap nine that the group accelerated and went on with it over the top. They didn’t ride off into the distance but had a good gap. I popped off the back along with two other guys. I had to sit in for a bit at this point as I was stuffed and did the bare minimum work. I came good after a lap and proceeded to do my bit. The front group was five strong but one of those guys dropped off and we sped by him. One of my helpers popped around this time too and so our chase group was down to two with four in front.
We were catching them and going over the hill was within twenty metres or so – but then the elastic snapped and they powered down the back slope. My chasing friend (who won the handicap last week) also gapped me over the hill. I tried to catch him again but fell short by about five metres on the line. 6th for me. The front group stayed away by about 150m I’d estimate. The guy who had attacked at the start won the four-up sprint easily by all accounts.

Lessons learned and noted. Need to recognize when to dig deep and hang tough. If I can do that then I think I can be there at the end.
Time :- 1hr 17min
Distance :- 48km
Average :- 37.2kph

Further details here or here.
Serpentine next week – hopefully I’ll put in a better show than last time there!

Cheers,

Dave

PS – Don’t forget to use the SPR Events Calendar to find out what racing and other events are going on.  A few of us try to keep it as up to date and as accurate as possible. So check it out!

PDCC – North Dandalup Handicap Race Report 17/7/10

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This would be my first handicap race. I didn’t really know what to expect. I had a bit of an idea how it works in theory, but not really in practice. It would be an interesting course; a 200m climb right of the bat, then a general saw-toothiness up to the turn around point just out of Dwellingup. I found out at registration that the organisers had put my in with the A-graders. Hmm. I wonder how this was going to go. 

We all lined up for the race. Each group went off with a few minutes in between. Turns out I was in the last group, with, I assume, was all the A-graders. So after a long wait we were off. My gameplan was to stick with the group as long as possible and try to finish with them. Had a nice roll through going for the first few kms until we hit the big climb. I found myself at the front of the group doing my turn, but as I went to pull off, everyone followed. Hmmm. Fair enough. I was feeling pretty good, so I just sat at the front for a while. A couple of minutes later I looked behind, and there was only two other guys behind me.

After another couple of minutes, it was just me and another guy, Wade Longworth. We both started taking turns at the front, and to my astonishment we started passing people that had left before us. We were setting a pretty cracking pace, no one had yet jumped on the back of us two. One guy managed to jump to just before we passed Dave, but we dropped him at the next major hill. 

Not far from the turn around point we noticed a decent sized group pass us in the other direction. Wade and I started chatting. He wanted a win.

I thought who was I to argue. The plan was to get onto that group and ride with it back to the start/finish line. After the turn around, we tried to keep the pace as high as our legs would allow. Each rider we passed we asked how far away the big group was. We slowly getting closer. About halfway back we spotted them at the crest of a climb. We both put all we had into getting up to the bunch, and managed to catch them just before the decent (catching them seemed to take forever).

I was happy to sit at the back of the pack for a bit of breather, but Wade definitely wasn’t. He marched straight up to the front. Bugger, I can’t let him have it this easy. So off I went after him. The tempo increased down the hill, a few other riders dropping off the back. I made a half-hearted attack but was quickly caught by Wade and another guy. Suddenly the finish appeared (where the hell did that come from?).

Crap. Sprinting, how do you do that again? Come on legs! Wade and two other guys got up for the sprint as well. I just didn’t have enough in me to catch two of them, but I manage to just come in a wheel length ahead of the third guy. How anyone can pull off a sprint like those other two after riding that course is beyond me.

Turns out another group had come in around a minute before us. So I ended up with 9th overall (Wade got 7th). Wade and I had the fastest time overall (well he was a second or two quicker than me) which was pretty sweet. Best of all, I came in 2nd of the A-graders.

I must give Kudos to Wade for the awesome breakaway we had going. He’s one hell of a rider.

The next race at Parklands is flat, so its going to be very interesting to see how it all unfolds.

PDCC – Serpentine/Karnet Race Report 10/7/10

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Better late than never I spose 🙂 

A lovely overcast day in the farmland on the outskirts of Serpentine provided a dramatic backdrop for the second of my forays into the PDCC racing events. I was joined by Toby and Dave in cat B. After all the pre-race formalities, we were off and going in a group of about 15. The first lap and a bit (of seven) was reasonably sedate, we even had a nice bit of rain to cool us down. Someone started to push hard at the front, and before we knew it we were pedalling along in the low 40s. The group lost a few of its members off the back. Toby and I tried to cool the pace a little to allow Dave to jump back on, but the rest of the bunch were having none of it. 

After another lap or two, the rider in the blue kit started attacking.

Toby was keeping a very close eye on Blue man and followed each and every of his attack. I was a little bit slower, but managed to find Toby’s wheel most times. These attacks kept going on, but none were successful. The rest of the bunch seemed keen to not let anyone get away, but no one looked particularly enthusiastic about launching an attack themselves.

On the last lap, I found myself at the front of the bunch with about 3 km to go. Blue man was behind me, so I thought he might be keen for a bit of a quick breakaway before for the finish. So I took off expecting him to be on my wheel, and Toby right behind him. After a little bit, I looked behind to make sure everyone was still there. No one was. Thats a bit peculiar I thought. For a second or two I thought of waiting up for the others, but then I decided I might as well have a bit of a go at it myself and took off again. Toby told me later that the bunch were fighting a bit about who was going to chase me down. They looked at him, and he said no way. Thanks Toby 🙂 I hit the final straight, looked over and saw two riders after me; Blue man and his accomplice. One of them dropped off after a little bit, but the other powered on. He was slowly catching, but I managed to cross the line with a good 100ish meters to spare. Managed to grab first place again. Toby came in 3rd (or 2nd according to the official results, I’m not sure). What a fine day of racing!

PDCC – Casuarina Race Report 3/7/10

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Race report by Michael Thomas

I’ve been meaning to go to a PDCC road race for a number of weeks now, so I thought it was about time to get off my ass and actually go. This weeks was a lovely seven laps of a 9ish km course in Casuarina. Lovely weather for it too. I decided to chuck myself into B grade, cos thats where all the cool kids were hanging out.

With 15 of us setting out, the first few laps were pretty tame. A couple of attacks here and there, nothing too threatening. We dropped a couple of riders somewhere along the line. The action started just after crossing the start/finish to commence the 4th lap. The pace was right up and someone in the middle of the bunch decided to start going a little bit off vertical (tyre rub?). I don’t really know what happened next, it all went by really fast. I think the first guy knocked someone else over and it went from there, domino style. Dave has a lot better write-up of the incident here.  Unfortunately someones handlebars got lodged in his nice new rear wheel. Luckily neither he or the bike was badly damaged.

Those not involved in the crash waited for a little bit to see if anyone was going to jump back into the race. I thought I saw Dave making a dramatic comeback, but it turned out to be a Cat C or D rider. Anyway the pack (now at 8 riders) was back together and off we went. The next 2 laps were reasonably docile, I know I was a bit worried about a repeat of the crash.

Things started to heat up on the last lap. The pace increased a bit.

Toby told me to keep an eye out for Jelly Belly man (there were jelly beans on his jersey) as he was looking pretty strong. Halfway around the lap another rider was dropped. Soon after the guy in the pinkish jersey and his mate had a crack at breaking away from the rest of us, but to no avail. I found myself at the front of the pack with Toby and I thought, if it comes down to a bunch sprint I’m not going to do too well (with my little legs). A little hill was coming up so I thought I’d give it a crack and break away up the hill, and then somehow make it to the line before everyone else. So I took off up the hill and down the other side.

After a few hundred meters I saw the pack was gaining on me, so I got up out of the seat and had a bit more of a go at it. I reached the last corner and almost clipped some traffic furniture going around it. Got up out of the seat again to get down the finishing straight. I had a look around me and the bunch had backed off a little. I was pretty sure I had it in the bag then. I didn’t let up though just to make sure. Crossed the line to grab first place! YAY! Toby outmatched everyone in the sprint to grab second. 1st and 2nd for SPR, pretty nifty!

Wandi PDCC Race Report – Sunday June 27th

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Race Report from Dave Shailer

Great afternoon for racing at Wandi, a bit cool but sunny and only a slight breeze.
I’ve been away for a bit and off the bike for almost four weeks so I was a bit apprehensive about racing again. Forgot my HRM chest strap too. I showed up, paid me money and waited to see what grade they’d put me in. It seems that my previous B grade middle of the pack results and absence in the last month was noted and as such they decided to put me in C. A slightly shorter race of 5 laps was on the menu but it was using the ‘new’ Wandi course. This newer incarnation used Bodeman Rd for a slightly longer distance and added a couple long gradual hills.

Not exactly sure how many were in the pack, but I’d guess about 22. This was divided quite early and I noticed the field seemed to be split in half before the end of the first lap. 2nd lap disaster struck. One of the girls (Tian?) came down many riders ahead of me and a few others crashed as well. I was far enough back to avoid it but had to go dirt. Some stopped to help and the rest of us waited for about 2 minutes before resuming. (postscript – turns out it was just abrasions – nothing broken from what I hear).

Nothing further of note happened until the last lap of the race. About 4.5km to go and I’m sitting second wheel. An attack comes from behind from a guy in grey and nobody seems to pick him up. He did a lot of work at the front during the race and clearly he is a strong rider. I feel a bit guilty (need to train that out…) as I think because I was second wheel it really was up to me to jump on him. So by the time I decide it IS up to me he has 30 or 40 metres on the bunch. I take off after him but to be honest I’m struggling to close it fast enough. Made a bit of a slog out of it and wasn’t getting help by by the one other chaser I’d towed along. By the time I join the man in grey I wasn’t up to much helping – which was what he was hoping for. Once he saw I wasn’t interested he sat up and the bunch rejoined us.

So with about 2-2.5km to go it was a reduced bunch cruising along. No Cancellara wannabe’s showed their hand in the final few kilometres. The final sweeping bend approached and everyone seemed to slow down. The calm before the crazy end I guess. I was completely out of position at the final bend but thankfully the pack was spread out a bit and not bumping elbows. I was sitting on Nicole’s wheel when I saw Elliot start to wind it up and the hole he was planning on jumping through down the middle. After he’d gone through I uh… encouraged.. Nicole to follow through with a “Go Go GO!” which she dutifully did! She was powering to the line seated, as was I when I realised it was time to put something I’d always struggled with into practice. I peeled off and got out of the saddle, smoothly going by for my first ever win at any level .

The aftermath apparently was tricky for the organisers with some debate over the other positions. I was 100% certain that I’d taken the win (as were they) but there was some ambiguity about the placings. I’d thought Nicole had taken second but was awarded 4th. Hopefully PDCC will have final results up later this week.

So, despite having raced B grade before, I feel I’ve earned my spot there now and it’s definitely where I belong in the club level. I’ve had my break off the bike so it’s time to get back to feeling strong and just HTFU and start placing in B grade instead of silly attacks and mid-pack results!

24th Apr – PDCC Winter Road Race #1 – Dog Hill, Baldivis

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It was a bit of a last minute decision to head down to this race but I’m glad I did.  I’ve never raced with PDCC before and the circuit was new to me also.  Also said hello to Chaderotti who was entered in his first road race in C-Grade (his own report of C-Grade race can be found here.)

I rocked up and discovered fellow South Perth Rouleurs members Dan (Hughes-D’Arth) & Josh(Camp) getting sorted.  We’d all been entered in B grade.  I was happy with this – I’d done my research and checked out what the PDCC races last year were averaging.  A-grade was zooming round the courses at about a 38-40kph clip, B-grade usually between 35-37kph with C grade managing 32-33kph.  I felt I was in the right company then.  6 laps of a course just shy of 11km.

We were lined up in in 2 columns for the start with myself at the head of one of them.  After getting the nod our field of 11 headed off.  The guy next to me had some trouble clipping in and so when I had a look back 500m into the race I’d pulled out a gap of 80-100m.  I wasn’t about break solo for 65km so I sat up and cruised along.  And kept cruising….   Finally about halfway round the bunch pulled up behind me.  Pfft.  Towards the end of the 1st lap Dan and another guy had created a gap of about 150m.  Coming into the finishing area Josh went to bridge but sat up as soon as the bunch was with him.  Which was my cue to have a dig.  I made it across to the twosome and started taking turns.  The 3rd guy didn’t last long and it was 2 SPR with a gap on the bunch.  An ideal situation to be in – but perhaps not this far out from the finish.  It was only the 2nd lap.  We soft-pedalled and drifted back to the pack.

The peleton was certainly not keen to push things along.  A roll of sorts was in place but whenever I’d roll off it was near impossible to get others to come thru despite swerving all the road.  Very frustrating.  Maverick’s manoeuvre from Top Gun where he dumps the air brakes and goes backwards entered my mind on more than one occasion…  And there were 2 wiley old sods that were not engaging with the pack at all.

I think it was somewhere into the third lap that Daniel was again away with another bloke.  They had a good lead and once again the bunch wasn’t interested.  Myself and Josh weren’t pulling hard and only taking short turns and no-one else wanted to take the reigns.  This is how things remained until the 5th lap when Dan was pulled back (his breakaway partner had pulled out with a flat).

The 6th and final lap came about the pack was together except for one who had been dropped and the guy who had a flat.  Josh indicated he was waiting for the sprint and I assumed Dan couldn’t have too many matches left after his earlier break (How wrong I was!).  On this final lap I had a few digs.  Before the first corner I had a dash before slowing up on the small incline.  Another hit-out at the end of the back straight for kicks.  I was hoping it would be anyone but Dan & Josh doing the chasing but wasn’t about to look behind.  With any luck this would deaden the legs of the others leaving Josh to do his thing at the end.  Josh asked me more than once how much I had left and everytime I’d reply “Not much” before taking off!  (I’m still figuring out how the legs will respond to the pointy end of a race…)  I put in another effort at the dogs leg before the last corner then latching on when the bunch caught up.  Just enough time for a quick breather before the final corner and the bunch kick.

And kick they did.  Josh was close to getting boxed in and ended up touching wheels with the eventual third place rider.  Did well to stay up and then powered on to the finish,… except somehow Dan had recovered from his earlier efforts and nudged him into 2nd!  I managed 7th across the line.  The bunch was lucky not to clean up (be cleaned up?) by a car doing a 3-point turn several metres past the finish line.

Good race from the SPR boys who, despite some negative racing from other participants, scored the one two.  Credit to the couple of riders who did their share, unfortunately we weren’t able to shake 2 other riders, one of which took a few turns and the other who did exactly zero.  I enjoyed being a part of the race rather than just trying to hang on.

I look forward to Josh & Dan’s take on the race.

Official results can be found here.

My Garmin details of the race can be found here.

Next race is at Wandi on Saturday 1st May @ 14:00.  $10 entry.  All you who were in C grade for the Peter Clark Memorial the other week would fit right in in B-Grade at PDCC.

Cheers,

Dave