I thought I’d just give a quick wrap for my season now it fully finished. I knew it would be a big step up into the U23 category this year so I made sure I had a good preparation in the winter with my coach Dean Downing, which lead into a big block of training in Calpe, I think it worked really well with me hitting the season feeling a level above what I had as a junior.

For me overall I’d say I am pleased with the year I’ve had, obviously there were ups and downs but I’d say the ups definitely outweighed them. The results I was most proud of were a top 20 on GC at the Baby Giro, 14th on one of the queen stages, 12th at Recioto UCI, 16th at Trofeo Piva UCI, 18th at Degasperi UCI and a top 10 at Monte Urano Elite Italian National. Also I finished 21st on one of the stages of the Val d’ Aosta.

I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has helped me throughout the year, it wouldn’t be possible without your support! I’m already looking forward to next year and after a break to refresh and recover I will start my winter training to begin build up into the 2020 season, where I hope to continue my development.

Writing this next Blog sitting in my front room a couple of days before heading back to Italy.  I have been home for nearly four weeks now after a short mid-season break. 

I picked up my training again with a good week at my mate Joe’s house getting some miles in in the Dales.  Then I’ve just had fun riding with Jordan and other friends over the past few weeks putting in some good miles for the back end of the season. 

We also went to the Lake District where I spent some time with my family, enjoying some of the roads the Lake District had to offer alongside my brother.  I’ve also had some fun on the climbs like Hard Knott, taking the KOM which was cool as I remember struggling to ride up it as a young kid. 

The other day I also raced an E 123 Crit getting my legs up to race speed for Italy.  I’m now ready to go back to Italy fighting fit and ready for action. 

I’m sat here writing a quick Blog about how my year has been racing for the Holdsworth Zappi Team up until now.

After a great 2 months getting some good training and some sun in Calpe we headed off to Italy to get the racing year kick started.  I was excited to see how I would fair in my first year being a full time cyclist along with jumping up to the U23 category. 

The first race for me would be Montecasiano which would take place at the back end of March.  Here I finished 21st after crashing I was happy with the result for my first Italian race. 

Following this my first UCI race would be Trofeo Piva after a hard and long race, much longer than I raced the previous year, I finished 16th with team mate Tim in 17th.

After this I would focus on Reccioto which was a big UCI race said to be one of the toughest 1 day races of the year for the U23’s.  I was happy to finish 12th in a pretty stacked field. 

The next race would be an Elite Italian National called Monte Urano where I finished 8th and first young rider.  Shortly after this we would go to altitude camp to focus on the Giro.

We spent a little over 2 weeks there getting in some good miles before returning to the house which was near the start of the Giro. 

Then the next week was about preparing everything and freshening up ready for the race.  The Giro would start on Thursday.  I finished the Giro in 20th on GC and 7th in the Young Riders classification and 14th on the stage up to Monte Amiata. 

After that I travelled home to prepare for Valle D’Aosta.   Valle D’Aosta didn’t go quite as well as I wanted it to having maybe picked something up on the flight over and being fatigued following the Giro so I helped Callum as much as I could on the final few stages but I did finish 21st on stage 4 after being in the break.  

It’s been a great year up to now and living and working as part of a Team has been an amazing experience.  I appreciate the support which has got me to where I am now and I look forward to the rest of the season and next year with special thanks to Barnett and Ravenscroft. 

The next race after the Baby Giro was the Valle d’ Aosta.  It was an unknown to me as to how I would come out of the Giro as it had been my longest stage race by over double. 

So, I set off a few days before the race started to try and acclimatise a little before the race started.

After a few days of training and getting a little more used to the heat we headed over to Aosta where we would be staying not too far down the road for the next week or so during the race. 

The first day would consist of a short 2.7km prologue starting in the evening which would kick the race off.

After somehow missing the start I was a way down the standings but still not half a minute down on the lead which I was sure wouldn’t make a huge impact on my overall result.

Stage 1- This was a really tough stage on the cards going up 2 major climbs both around an hour long. I didn’t feel great this day so it was just a case of getting as far as I could with the group and limiting loses. This meant I was dropped on the 2nd long climb from a reduced bunch. With a big mix up on the valley after the decent the race was stopped and the break then allowed to go off early, with the bunch then cruising into the finish as they were unhappy about the situation (getting sent the wrong way). 

Stage 2- I was hoping the legs would be feeling better with it being another hard day on the cards. The stage started off fast through the narrow roads on the valley.  Then coming into the first climb there was a big crash which messed up my race as I had to sort my bike out and then I never reached the bunch again meaning a 4 hour solo ride to make the time cut.

Stage 3- This was the longest stage with it being 180km in the mountains so it would be a long day out, unfortunately the legs still hadn’t come round for this day with me doing some stem chewing from the start. As I was already a long way down on GC from the previous days I went in the gruppetto to try and save a little legs and hope they could come round a little for the next few days.

Stage 4- Another really tough day on the cards possibly being the queen stage with there being 5 climbs, 3 of them being backloaded at the end of the stage all being over 30 minutes long equating to over 4000m of climbing for the stage. Today my legs finally felt something like what I’d hoped with me attacking as soon as the flag dropped on the 25 minute climb, the pace was on for the whole climb with lots of riders trying to get up the road. I was able to get in a move over the top of the climb forming a break of around 14 riders after the decent. Once we’d finished the decent we hit the next climb which was a lot shorter but quite steep. We rode this really hard to get the gap out to the peleton then settled down in the valley with some riders not wanting to work. Once we hit the first of the final 3 climbs the gap was quickly closed down with people starting to attack each other. After using a lot of matches at the start I wasn’t able to follow the leaders and was caught from a group with Calum. We worked until the top of the climb with me then setting a pace for the next 2 climbs playing a domestic roll for Calum who was up there on the GC. I finished the stage in 21st which I was reasonably happy with having done a good amount of work and being in the break. 

Stage 5- The final day, I knew I’d be tired for this stage having done a lot of work the previous day also feeling a little under the weather. Coming into the final climb of the race I went up at my own pace to finish 40th.

Overall I was pretty disappointed with my results in this race having felt in good shape going into the race but not everything can go to plan and I was happy to get through a seriously tough race feeling a bit under the weather meaning the legs weren’t where I’d hoped.

Baby Giro 

I thought for my next blog I’d give a short stage by stage run down from the Baby Giro (U23). I can safely say for every stage much rice was consumed!

Prologue- For me the prologue was mostly about limiting loses as well as not taking too many risks around the technical corners. I finished under 20 seconds down which I was happy with knowing that it wouldn’t be a gap which would make any difference to my final GC position once we hit the mountains.

Stage 1- A few of the guys had raced the giro the previous year so they had an idea of what to expect, so they warned us that it would be a hard start. So the start began fast with lots of teams trying to get away in the moves, after a good hour on the gas the pace eventually eased with a break going away. Then the final 40km was on as the GB team were chasing and everyone was trying to get up to the front for the final climb, which after the decent was only a few KMs from the finish. Going onto the climb I was decently positioned in about 30th after a bit of help from Jason and Calum. With everyone fighting for position there was a crash unfortunately right in front of me which meant I lost a fair few seconds meaning I had to make a big effort up the remaining part of the climb to get back to the front. Once we got to the bottom of the climb the run in was reasonably straight forward so I just rolled in safely in the bunch.

Stage 2- This stage was a weird one with it being a sprinters stage due to the long section of flat after the 2 mountains but with there being mountains to begin with it would still be a tough stage! Also it was 200km which meant it was the longest race I’d done. For me the majority of the race was quiet with not much happening until with 8km to go there was a big crash which I was involved in, breaking my rear wheel! Thankfully Jason was able to give me his bike which took a while for him to get it to me as he had also hit the deck. Luckily the legs were in a pretty good place so I was able to chase full gas for the next few KM to lose only 8 seconds.

Stage 3- This day was a stage that I was worried about, due to it being the strada stage. Due to the amount of things which are out of your control when on the gravel it was a nervous stage for the GC guys. Early on in the stage I got a puncture which meant a bit of legs were used to get back on but thankfully it was before the strada sections had begun and I was able to get back on reasonably quickly because Calum had given me his wheel. Going into the first gravel sector the pace was FAST mostly because of it being a long straight downhill ha ha. But it made moving up difficult, this meant I hit the sector a bit further back than I would have hoped. After fighting to move up positions I got into a decent place with the pace on at the front. After a tough day I managed to bridge across to the main group with most of the GC contenders on the final few KMs. Unfortunately there was a break which had got away earlier in the day and built up a substantial gap with a few riders finishing nearly 5 minutes up the road. But I was happy to get this day out of the way not really losing any time to the main GC guys.

Stage 4- I was looking forward to this stage with it being the first proper test for me. The stage started off hard straight out of the neutral into a climb. This meant the group instantly splintered leaving around 40-50 of us in the lead group. Once the pace had eased a little I changed bikes back to the road bike as the spare bike had some more hard wearing tyres on for the gravel sector at the start (which never came). It just turned out that as soon as I’d changed bikes the front group had started to splinter with lots of breaks going up the road. I managed to make my way up through the cars with the help of Charlie before having to go a little harder to make it back in. After I’d had a few minutes to take a breath I followed a break which dragged us up to the front bunch. This then swelled again which stayed together at around 50 riders until the final mountain top finish. I was unsure how I’d fair against the field but gave it a good go to finish 14th on the stage. It wasn’t quite what I had hoped for but a solid result which I was pleased with. 

Rest day- The majority of this day was spent travelling up North.

Stage 5- Passo Maniva! This was a flat stage with a big mountain to finish. With there being a bit of wind some of the bigger more powerful guys were able to have some fun on the flat sections before the mountain started. Today I really didn’t feel great coming into the climb I knew I’d just have to pace my effort as best I could and not go into the red too early as it was a long climb, for me with not great legs it was about limiting loses. I was disappointed with my result as it was a climb I felt suited me quite well but under the circumstances I felt I finished quite well in the 30s not dropping too much in the GC. I was told it’s always an unknown how you will be going coming out of a rest day. So hopefully the legs would pick up for the next days.

Stage 6- Today was a stage which I’d had my eye on as soon as the route had came out. It was the double Motirolo stage which was sure to be a savage day out. The race began really quick on the gradual decent down into the first side of the climb I was in a good position at this point a few KM from the bottom of the climb. But in those final few KM leading into it I found myself along with a few others getting swamped. This meant I hit the climb +50 riders back which really wasn’t ideal, I moved around a good few riders still trying not to go over the line knowing the size and length of the climb. Due to this I missed a decent sized group which went up the road with the bunch splitting, I kept going at a good pace picking off riders. A few KM from the top I caught Calum and he was able to set a good pace giving me a bit of a rest before the hard last 1.5km. After a technical decent we were onto the second side this is the most famous side likely pictured with Contador alongside Landa and Aru in the 2015 Giro! Also this year saw Nibali attacking the climb alongside Hugh Carthy. It’s fair to say it’s an iconic climb, I tried to do it and myself justice still fighting to catch as many people as I could. Just a time trail trying to get to the top as fast as possible. As the gradient gripped I kept pushing with more riders in sight, slowly resurrecting my day. Once I crested the top i found myself in a group of 4 riders we shared the pace over the testing 10km surfing along the top of the mountain. The final decent was fast we kept the pace on, I rolled across the line in 32nd I couldn’t deny I was disappointed with this result as I’d really wanted to put in a special result on this stage but looking back it wasn’t a bad result.

Stage 7- This was a flatter stage, not expected to cause too much of a shake up on the GC. This was a good day for the team with Charlie bridging across to the break to finish 3rd on the day! Me and Calum finished safely in the bunch, not losing any time on the GC.

Stage 8- This was the final long stage it was going to be a tough one! The rolling start and wet weather meant for a fast and hard start with the pace on for the first hour. A puncture in the first hour didn’t help with a hard chase back onto the bunch, thankfully making my way back into the bunch. The wet weather made a testing stage even harder with you constantly having to concentrate. Going into the first climb of 2 I was well positioned, Cal was not far back, this used a bit of legs for me to get into a good position but it was needed as the climb would be hit hard from the Colombians. As soon as we hit the climb the bunch began to split, I crested the climb in the 3rd group on the road including the break. We worked pretty well together with no real let up going into the final climb. I finished the stage in 38th with a big break up the road. I was pleased with this stage with the legs feeling pretty good and me being amongst some pretty big names. 

Stage 9- Final stage! This was going to be a tough day for sure, only 40km but it wasn’t to be taken lightly with it being up to a summit finish at 2043m up! Also the accumulated fatigue was to make it even tougher. The stage set off as expected, been really fast with everyone racing to hit the first 5 minute climb in front. Me and Calum managed to position ourselves what we thought was in a decent position just outside the top 20. The pace was on, on the climb as we hit the top. The decent was sketchy with a few riders having problems which split the bunch. Unfortunately I ended up in group 2 on the road with the gap quickly going out to the leaders. Calum did a great job for me going into the climb and on the climb allowing me to rest a little in the wheels. The last 4km was just all about leaving everything I had on the road. It’s fair to say they hurt a lot, I got my head down and went deep to try and hold my GC position. I finished the stage 35th and 20th on GC. 

It was a great race and I’d like to thank everyone who was part of it for helping out. I’d gone into the race with a bit more in mind but can’t be too disappointed to roll a top 20 on GC and 7th in the young riders in my first year as a U23. 

The next race on the Calendar after Recioto was an Elite Italian National, ‘Monte Urano.’ Going into this race I had good legs and confidence coming out of Recioto with a 12th place. It was also just a few days off the back of a big block of training with the team so I was carrying a little bit of fatigue into the race but was feeling strong. We set off on our way down south late Friday morning and after a few hours we arrived. A nice hotel’s always good for the pre-race morale. Once we’d unpacked and had a bit of something to eat we set off on the usual pre-race ride around some of the course. The race would be around 160KM and included 8 laps around a course with a 4 to 5 minute climb into a rolling section then into the town where the race would be finishing.  After this it would drop back down into a few KM of flat before starting the climb again. Then on the final lap after the climb the course would drop straight down to run into the finish climb which we would turn a right hand corner to begin the climb. This climb was just over 5 minutes and had steep ramps before flattening off repeatedly and then carrying on until the finish. The race set off after a few KM of neutralised. Starting on a wet decent made it quite sketchy with some crashes happening on the decent. Eventually the race settled down, while being controlled by some teams. Like most Italian races on these tough courses it was quite attritional with people going out of the back every lap. In the final few laps the pace picked up more and more until there was a reduced bunch of around 40-50 riders hitting the penultimate climb. The pace was high here with everyone trying to get up to the front of the bunch before the technical decent into the finishing climb. I managed to position myself well into this decent with the help of Calum on the penultimate climb meaning I crested the top in around 10th position and managed to move up a few places on the decent leading into the final climb. Once we turned the right hand bend to start the climb attacks instantly started which strung out the bunch, after a few minutes the bunch eased up then I saw the chance…I attacked up the harder part of the climb and looking over my shoulder there were 2 riders who were able to get onto me after the effort, with both not wanting to come through or attack themselves, the race eased off again allowing people to get back up to the front. This then meant that another attack was launched which made others go over the top. Sadly, I wasn’t able to follow the first 5 who went up the road which meant I was left chasing with 4 or so riders. Coming into the final bend I was positioned 3rd wheel in our group and I wasn’t able to make up any more places so finished in 8th which I was pleased with from an Elite field.  I also was pleased to win the white jersey for highest placed first year U23.   It was good to see Tim finish in 14th and the other Zappi guys riding strongly.

So the weekend began with a drive up to Negrar where our hotel was.  After a few wrong turns we arrived mid to late-afternoon to get sorted and go out on the bikes to have a look at the course.  We did a few laps of the circuit before getting back and ready for tea.  It’s fair to say that waiting to eat felt like a long time.  So once the rest had arrived from a days racing at Belvedere we had our tea just the standard pre-race pasta and washed down with the usual sparkling water.  Then it was time to get ready for bed and have an earlyish night after the usual pre-race stretch.  The next morning came around after a decent nights sleep and with the clouds dark and ready to burst it was race day, nothing like a bit of mood to add to the race.  We went down for breakfast which consisted of mainly biscuits which I’m sure the race supporters didn’t mind.  Then we decided to go for a drive up the final climb of the day where the race would then finish after the decent.  Then it was time to get back and have our 10 o’clock rice.  I went big with the rice knowing that a fair few calories were needed for the race.  Once that was finished we went back up to the room to finish packing the bags and sorting ourselves out before leaving to the race.  Once we arrived we got ready and prepared ourselves for the swimming race and with the weather making me feel at home.  We went to sign on and then go for a quick warm up, straight into a 20% climb ha ha.  With the legs feeling warmed up we went to get lined up and the race began, (nice to see a few familiar faces).  It began fast with lots of teams attacking and trying to stay at the front, this meant it was quite sketchy.  Later seeing it must have been a sketchy race in the convoy too with a car crashing through a fence and over a wall.  The race then settled down a little with a strong break of around ten riders establishing itself at the front of the race.  Colpack then began to control the race and tried to drag the break back.  After a hard few laps a good number of the break had been brought back but still some riders were out front.  This meant that going into the final big climb the pace was still on as Dimension Data were trying to bring the race back together.  This meant that only 20-25 riders were still in contact with the bunch going into the climb.  Then the pace was kept on by Dimension Data with people quickly getting dropped out of the bunch until cresting the first part of the climb there were only around 15 riders left in the bunch which I managed to make it into.  After this there was an up and down section with some twisty turns with the pace still on as we hit the final part of the climb which was around 5 KM long.  This is where the pace was ramped up and riders quickly began to lose the wheels.  Unfortunately I was a few riders back from the front so as a few riders lost the wheel in front I didn’t have the legs to close it down which meant the groups behind including me, around 6 of us not working as full on as the group in front the gap quickly went out.  Once the flatter section had hit the steeper part I began to get into a good rhythm which meant I was able to get clear of the group and now commit to an effort of around 2KM to see if I could catch anyone before the decent.  I managed to catch sight of a group of 4 riders, a few turns ahead, this spurred me on to catch them and as I turned onto the beginning of the decent I was only 50 or so metres from the back of the group which I managed to close on the decent.  With everyone descending as fast as they could I managed to pass a rider who was losing the wheels and then once the descent flattened out a little I go straight onto the front seeing if I could get closer to the riders ahead as well as keeping the gap on the riders behind. As we came into the final KM no one wanted to take up the front so I rode at a hard enough tempo to make sure no one from behind was to come back.  Turning round the sketchy wet cobbles I started my sprint with the finishing straight lasting what felt like an eternity I was passed by 3 of the riders and finished 12th place.

First Italian race
So last weekend was my first big one of the season being the first one in Italy.  The race was called Montecassiano. The race was set to be 165KM starting off with 6 smaller laps of around 10KM each which would finish on a 1KM or so climb up into Montecassiano (the finish town) then it would go onto 5 bigger laps which would also include the smaller circuits but with the added loop of a similar distance also with a steep 1KM climb into the town (so the course was a figure of 8 shape). The neutral started, sketchy as expected, once the flag dropped it was a fast start as the race got underway. The pace then settled down a few attacks went on the smaller laps but were all reeled in, the most significant break including team mate, Nick. We then made the transition onto the bigger laps, the race had already started to whittle down the bunch lap by lap but now it was quicker as there was now another climb which was fairly steep. Coming into the second lap I took a bottle which then caused me to have a tangle and have a quick lie down on the floor. I was quickly able to get back up and off after finding my Garmin haha! Unfortunately this broke my shoe dial so after getting back onto the bunch I had to go back to the cars where Calum had some tape for me to do a mid race fix…. was pretty impressed with this one ;). I then got back into the bunch and moved back up before the next climb. Lap by lap the race was getting whittled down until on the final lap the bunch only contained around 40 riders. This is where it then began to split up with some groups splintering off the front. Coming into the final climb the pace was kept on with me starting to cramp in my left hamstring, with the legs still feeling pretty good I managed to get round a fair few to finish in 21st. A good way to kick off the racing here in Italy.  I was pretty pleased with the result considering the bad luck with the crash. Onto the next one! Thanks to Pedal Potential for the support.

So ....... just an update as to where I’ve got to so far. So the season ended with the final 3 races being the Junior Tour of Wales. Trophio Buffoni and the World Championships in Austria. At the beginning of the season the Junior Tour of Wales was one which I wanted to win, obviously with a busy calendar sometimes you can’t go well for every race. I trained hard going into the race but picked up some illness going into the race and didn’t feel at my best which meant after having some days off before the race I didn’t have the legs that I wanted to. So I finished 4th on GC and 3rd on the Tumble Queen Stage. I left the weekend feeling disappointed but it was made better by reading a tweet saying that I had won the Series overall. Straight after the race I trained hard as I was motivated to finish the season well whilst still waiting to see if I’d got into the Worlds line up.  After 2 weeks of hard training we went over to Italy for the final team race of the season.  But this was not to be the last as I found out that I had made the World champs GB team. Me, Ben and Lewis all met at the airport as we would all fly out together and meet Callum once we arrived in Italy (Jamieson and Tom would not be at this race due to it only being a four rider team). Once we got on the plane we realised that Ben has drawn the short straw and that he would be sitting on his own for the flight. Once we arrived in Italy we met Callum (after he’d been waiting for a while) and Paul and Patrick drove us over to where we would be staying.  We built the bikes up … eventually after losing many bolts on the grass, (not sure which muppets decided to build their bikes up in the grass) and after a scare from Callum Macloed that he forgotten to pack his seat post we set off on a recce.  Luckily our hotel was on the course which meant we didn’t have to drive anywhere. We did a few laps of the finishing circuit before going back to the hotel for tea and then we were getting ready for the race.  Flávio had already told us the race was going to be a fast one with lots of strong Italian and other European riders wanting good results being seen as a prep race for the Worlds but also a big race in itself. The race started fast on the flat loops with it being quite sketchy due to a big number of riders and the pace. Ben managed to get into a break away and just before the hilly finishing laps someone crashed into the back of me on a corner which meant my top three gears wouldn’t work. I got back on my bike and after a short bit of pacing back on by Flávio I reached a decent place in the convoy and was able to move back up into the bunch. I got on the back of the bunch just as we hit the climb and was able to move up. Bens breakaway was caught. There were lots of riders going out the back and a breakaway formed before I managed to make my way up to the front.  I then stayed in the bunch until 1 1/2laps to go where I saw a rider sprint out of the bunch and bridge across to the break away which was 30 or so seconds up the road. I did the same and managed to get across to the now break of 8/9 after some had been dropped I the previous climb. We worked together for a few km before hitting the final climb where some attacks went up the road I was able to stay with these. This whittled the break away down another few riders. Meaning there were now 7 of us going into the final few km. The chase back on along with the hard race and not having all the gears had taken its toll and I was 6th. I was happy with this result considering the circumstances and the quality of the field.  It was a great way to end the year with the team! Then there was just one race left to finish off the season! …..
The World Champs was an awesome race to be part of and a mint way to end the year. It was a fast and hard race from the gun with everyone racing to get into the first climb in a good position this meant it was also very sketchy, so after around 40/50km there was big crash which I came down in, thankfully not bad due to me landing on a bike haha which meant I was able to get back on quickly and start chasing. After a fair chase I was able to get back across to the now whittled down front group where I started to move up.  Shortly after we took a right turn onto a fast decent under a motorway tunnel, there was a touch of wheels which meant another crash which I was caught up in. Getting through the carnage again it was time to start chasing hard as there was only a few KMs until the first climb of the day which was sure to split the bunch. Alfie had come down in the crash so we were able to work well together into the bottom of the climb this meant I hit the climb not too far back, around a minute, thanks to Alfie’s tows. The climb was about 10 minutes long so I knew I would have to pace the effort well but at the same time not hold much back as the race could be going away in front of me. As soon as we hit the climb there were riders everywhere which meant I was able to work my way through the riders, until I eventually made my way to the second group on the road and we were able to make our way up to the front group to make a group of around 15 riders. On the long steady downhill into the finishing circuits in Innsbruck the third group on the road was able to make contact after the Belgian team had chased hard. This made a group of 30-40 riders left in contention. On the first long climb I felt fatigued as the race and chasing back on had taken its toll on me until just over half way up when the field was ripped apart due to an attack. I just missed contact with the second group on the road which meant I was now in a group with Ben and a few others. We worked well for the remaining lap and a half until the sprint where we finished 17th and 20th I was disappointed with the result but couldn’t be too disappointed with the circumstances and racing the World’s best.
It was a mega way to end the season representing GB in Austria!

Thanks to Pedal Potential for their continued support.

Aubel-Thimister-La Gleize

Thursday

The trip started off with a very early get up before the long drive down to Folkestone for the Euro Tunnel that morning (thanks to the Dave Rayner Fund for the loan of the van).  So we boarded the Tunnel and got on our way to Belgium where the racing would be starting Friday afternoon.  Once we met up with the others we got our kit on and went out for a spin to loosen the legs.  Once we got back we got ready for the following day.

Friday –Stage 1

We got up and had our breakfast before setting out for a TT recce.  After the recce we got back and got ready for the first stage to begin.  Aubel is notoriously known as one of the toughest Junior stage races in Europe.  The racing started off faster than expected with everyone fighting for position then around 50 KM in when the pace was on I was taken out which left me with an injured shoulder and hip.  After straightening my handle bars and jumping back on the gap was already a big one.  I chased hard hoping to be able to get back on but the racing was fully on at the front with the race now splitting.  I had to keep going hard but knew I wasn’t going to make it to the front of the race.  I had to keep racing in order to make the time cut and race again the next day.  After finishing the race there was a quick visit to the Ambulance to get patched up and I was on my way.

Saturday – Stage 2a and b

This was a split day starting off with a TTT (Team Time Trial) and we were hoping for a decent result as it was sure to have an impact on the GC for the guys in contention.  We set off well and secured 3rd Team which was a good result as we were only a handful of seconds from the win against a lot of strong teams.  The second stage was scorching hot and many bottles of ice were shoved down our backs in order to keep us cool whilst we waited for the race to begin.  This race was set to be another tough one with the race starting fast and a break- away of 4 or so riders going up the road.  This meant the race stayed quite fast with the break staying till the finish and me picking up 7th in the bunch sprint which gave me 11th on the stage. 

Sunday – Stage 3

This was the Queen Stage and a very tough day out.  It began as expected very fast with everyone wanting to get up to the front before the first climb of the day.  I hit the first climb around 20th position with the pace being full on.  10 or so riders got a gap which I then jumped across to on the climb before getting caught again in the transition between the other climbs.  On another of the climbs the pace was pushed on and another spilt happened with me managing to make it into the group of 12ish.  The gap began to grow over the next climb before Remco managed to go clear on his own.  There was a few dropping off from our bunch meaning there was now only around 9 of us left.  We worked together reasonably well meaning we were not caught by the reduced peloton behind, with a few riders having team mates in the group a few attacks went which were not all followed so I rolled in 8th on the stage with only 50 or so riders finishing the stage.

Ronde des Vallees

After a short holiday in Brittany we drove over to the Mur de Bretagne on the Friday which was about an hour away. I then met up with the others and we went for a pre-race ride, (it’s fair to say morale was high in the sun). After this we got back to where we would be staying for the next few nights and got ready for stage one which would start the following day.  Following an interesting meal with unusual concoctions it was time to head back to the boat house.  If it was a good nights sleep we needed this wasn’t about to happen without a few choice words to the Danes below who appeared to be in the party mood.

Saturday- Stage 1

We got up in decent time to get ready for the first stage. The stage was 110km and set off fast and was fairly sketchy with numerous crashes in the first 20km.  After this a break of around 6 riders established itself off the front but it wasn’t allowed a huge gap, then just over half way into the race on a long drag I decided to bridge across to the break which was around 30 seconds up the road, but the peloton then picked up the pace meaning when I bridged it was all but back together. I decided to keep pushing and went over the top of the break as the bunch was strung out and I was away for a few km solo before getting joined by 4 strong riders, we then worked well together until getting caught 20 or so km later. Once we hit the finishing loops another little break was able to go clear and small groups kept bridging across to this meaning there were 10 or so riders up the road by this point. Coming into the closing few km the break had around 1 min 30 and the gap wasn’t going to be closed so I attacked and soloed to the finish to finish 14th on the day. Losing a bit over a minute on the day which wasn’t the best! 

Sunday- Stage 2a and 2b

After eating breakfast with 5 other Zombies who were struggling to open their eyes after the early start we set off on our way to the time trial.  The first stage of the day was an individual TT which was around 12km I finished in 10th which I was pleased with as TTs aren’t my main focus and strength.

The final stage was 97km this set off also quite quickly with it being pretty wet and technical at the beginning of the race there were a few crashes and it was quite strung out as there were a few hills with the pace kept on. Eventually a group of 10 or so riders managed to get away including Ben which meant we were not going to chase this down. After a 10km I saw the chance to try and bridge across with a few other riders who had a little gap but the bunch didn’t let the gap go so we sat up and the pace slowed so the gap quickly grew out. Coming into the finishing circuits which we would cover 5 times, the pace was kept at a decent speed with the gap slowly coming down, once we got onto the final lap and I knew the break would stay away so I decided to press on hard up the short climb into the cross wind and I managed to get a gap with Ben Tulett so we carried on working together for the next three quarters of a lap to roll in 13th and finish around 20 seconds ahead of the bunch.