Kelly Brocklehurst

Having previously entered road races just for a bit of speed training between MTB XC or multi-sport events, my usual approach has been attack, attack, attack, die, get dropped. At least this had been my excuse for not ever having accumulated even a single point on my BCF road licence. This season has been different though with an aim to get the ten points needed to finally move out of 4th cat. The last five weeks have therefore seen the Asics gather dust and the Trek Top Fuel get more use as a clothes horse than as a XC race machine. At the end of April a mean looking Giant Propel Advanced SL3 arrived for me at Bournemouth Cycleworks (see the photos on the shop site- thanks Marc!). This is a seriously good bit of kit about which I will give my thoughts after a few more miles, but it also meant one less thing to blame if I didn’t produce the goods. Not only was I going to have to start entering some road races, I was going to have to start some proper road training…

For those who haven’t raced on the road before (or more particularly 4th cat), on the local scene these races invariably involve lapping a motor circuit or airfield for about 40 mins. The speed varies from 20 mph to 30 mph, often several times per lap for no real reason, until a bell gets rung to let you know that the final lap has started. At this point there is a surge of riders to the front (a good handful of which you won’t have seen all race because they have been saving their legs at the back) and the carnage starts. The speed escalates, riders get twitchy, and bikes and bodies fly everywhere as all etiquette and sense goes out the window in the lunge for the line. Quite often you will have no idea in what a place you finished until results get posted on-line a few days later. Even then, quite often only those who made it into the top ten get placed if they were lucky enough that the commissaire could make out their number in the blur of a 30mph scrum.
That said, if you can avoid the muppets and stay upright, they’re a good laugh and a more interesting way of getting interval-type speed work in. For anyone who hasn’t done one but keen to give it a go, the key requirement is to get out with a local road club and learn how to ride in a pack first. Certainly in the initial stages you will find being competent riding in a bunch will help you cope with the speed a lot better than simply churning out training miles on your own.

Although the rubbish weather this winter/spring has meant more hours clocked on the sofa than the bike, a few panic interval sessions in the back end of April got some speed back into my legs and I cracked straight into a few evening crits and the like through May. Amongst the usual local diet of Thruxton, Ludgershall and Mountbatten, I have also managed to get across for a couple of TLI races with the ‘blue’ group at Moreton. These are held on a circuit of quiet lanes and based on a handicap system. This means people tend to work hard together to stay away from the chasers and/or chase the group in front. Personally I find it makes for much more enjoyable and useful racing than the usual 3/4th crits.

As for progress to date, a slightly mixed bag of results (see below) as I find my road legs but after a 3rd at Thruxton last night I should have enough points in the bag to have a 3rd cat licence winging its way in the post shortly. So that’s one goal achieved and what I should really do now is get back on the trails and tune up the XC skills (stop laughing Marc, I do have some); what I’m actually wondering though is how many points I need to get a 2nd cat licence and can I do it before Mrs B produces our first sprog at the end of July…..

Road Race Results May/June
TLI Moreton Round 1 – 7th
Ludgershall 3/4th cat Round 1 – 9th
Thruxton Summer Series 3/4th cat Round 2 – 10th
Kalas Cup 4th cat Support race – 3rd
Portsmouth CTL Circuits 3/4th cat Round 4 – 14th
TLI Moreton Round 4 – 4th
Thruxton Summer Series 3/4th cat Round 3 – 3rd

It was Round 3 of the Woodland Riders Winter Series at Tavistock and after taking the overall win at the last round I could not wait! After a super early start on the Sunday morning we drove through just about every possible type of weather on our journey down to Devon. We arrived to the muddy but sunny venue nice and early so we could walk the course before practise began. The course started off very flat with a few really boggy flat corners and jumps, It then continued over the first road and into a long straight full of flowy jumps, the track then continued through a few more technical muddy sections before crossing the final fire road and jumping into the last rooty corners before the finish line. After the first practise run I found that the course was a lot slower rolling than I thought it would be due to how boggy and flat it was, which meant even though it was quite short it was fairly physical and good training for the longer tracks to come. On my first race run I made a few mistakes but managed a time of 1.20.109 which put me in 2nd in Junior, 3 seconds off of 1st place but I was confident I could make up some time! My dad (Rich Marzetti) had a good first race run and got a time of 1.33.837 which placed him 3rd in Veterans. My second race run went better and I went faster with a time of 1.18.802 so I stayed 2nd in Junior but moved up to 3rd overall which I was happy with. My dad made a few mistakes in his second run so he went slower but stayed 3rd in Veterans which was great considering he hasnt raced for over a year! It was another podium for me which meant my podium streak is now 7 in a row. I am now looking forward to the big races coming up at Bringewood for the Round 1 of the Pearce Cycles Series and Combe Sydenham for the First BDS.

Curtis Saunders

Sam Marzetti

The 17^th of feb saw the second round of the 2013 woodland riders winter series. On arrival we first set off for a track walk. The start of the track was new, dew to there being recent forestry work, which consisted five open flat corner which hadn’t even been ridden yet so we all new there wasn’t much point choosing a line through this section because it was bound to change all the time. This section then lead into a small drop/step down onto the fire road, straight into another drop off the fire road into a right hander through to sections of tight trees with little line choice except from one other which Sam Marzetti was riding that one else was doing. The middle section was a new drop to flat into another new section which was already boggy before it had been ridden this then lead into a steep fast section straight into some tight trees. The last section was the flattest part of the track over a root garden which made it hard to get on the pedals to cross the finish line.

Fist runs were both great and bad for the bournemouth cycle works team with Sam putting in a blinder of a run of 1:04 putting him not only the fast junior but the fast man down the hill in first runs beating some highly named elite riders. I on the other hand had a disappointing run, as I was trying out clipped pedals which I was getting on fine with in practice however race run I just couldn’t stay clipping in meaning I only came down in 1:09. Keith also came down with what he said was a disappointing run however still put him in 3^rd.

Sam’s first run performance gave me a massive confidence boost but also a lot of pressure as there’s also been rivalry between us which is what push’s us harder to get faster to beat one another. So coming into my second run I new I had to keep it smooth and get my lines and stay clipping in. As I passed the finish line Sam was there waiting by the results screen to tell me that I got a 1:05 which I was relieved to get. This result put me in 3^rd in senior. Keith also had a better run gaining valuable time taking him up a position on the podium to 2^nd. Lastly the bournemouth cycle works junior rider’s first time was not beaten in the second runs so Sam’s first run time was the fastest of the day. So all in all great results for the Bournemouth Cycle Works team with 3 podiums.

I came into this round full of confidence from winning southern champs, even though I couldn’t take the south west champ title I still wanted do win. This track that was used for this race was the newest track at Gawton “proper Job” which took 2 years to build. This take was wide and fast meaning very little line choice as railing the main line was by far the fastest option for most of the track.

Walking the track saturday morning was a challenge due to the last few days of rain the track was super greasy. The track started with some really run short switch backs which you had to really pump to carry as much speed as you could into the next faster section where there was an inside line which was slightly off camber but easy to get on and off and I thought a lot quicker then railing the outside burms The rock garden was the only part of the track that I had to really think about as there was a low line which had no rocks in which you could hop into which was the line I chose on race day. The rest of the track was some massive mellow corners which were hard to lay off the brake because of the greasy conditions. All the way down was tables and doubles which were made difficult due the size and steep landings, because they were small and the speed you were carrying into them if meant you really had to squash the jump because if you over clear them you will end up scrubbing off all of your speed.

Saturday practise went really well and because there wasn’t much to learn it meant you could ride the track faster and faster from the start. Nearer the end of practice I became really confident knowing I could go into race day knowing the track and the speed I needed to get a good result.

Coming into sunday first race run the nerves kicked in however all I needed was a clean run. As soon as my first started, it ended with a crash on the rock garden however I decided to get back on the bike and finish my run as I carried on to the next section I when to put the brake on and there was nothing there so I ended up doing start off the track and having another big crash, what happened was in the first crash it must of slide my back brake up which meant that I couldn’t reach it causing my second crash. Luckily for one of the team member Keith Saunders had a great run putting him in second behind English Champ Jon Cobb by only 1.5 seconds which keith was well happy with.

Coming into the section run the pressure was on and having to wait a further 20 mins for my run didn’t help as I got on the start ramp I tried to blank everything and concentrate on my run and soon as they said go I put in the cranks and I got off to a great start making few mistakes, the further I got down the track the more comfortable I was with the run however coming into a tricky section my back wheel slipped out of the main rut and slid round stopping me dead on the side of the track however I was still on the bike and managed to get back on quickly however because of this mistake it meant I had no speed to clear the next double and all of my momentum was lost. As I crossed the line I was disappointed with my run but then I guess that how it is with racing you win some you lose some. Keith’s second run was similar to his first having a clean run and as he got to the bottom he though he was quicker as did most however when a second slower luckily he still held onto 2^nd with his first run.

In preparation for the Auckland World Championships, I figured I should probably compete in another Olympic distance triathlon, considering the qualifying race in Shropshire was the first one I had ever done! With the triathlon season well under way and the majority of popular races full up, I was lucky to get a slot in the Reading Triathlon. With less than 6 weeks to go until the championships, and roughly 6 weeks into my new training schedule, it would be a good test of my progress.

I set off at 5am and arrived early, having slept, eaten and rested well. I still get ridiculously nervous and feel well out of my depth as all the competitors rack up their bikes and lay out their kit. Once everything is racked and ready and numerous trips to the porterloos made, we wait at the edge of the lake. The swim, undoubtedly my worst sphere sets off, two 750m laps of the lake. I start near the front and for the first 500m feel strong, but as the faster girls pull away I start to panic. Even putting in more effort I can’t keep up.  I finish the second loop knowing my time is poor.  As I run into T1 I know I have a lot of work to do. I struggle to pull the wetsuit off with swimmers shaky arms and legs aware the clock is ticking.

Once out of T1 and leaning forwards over my tri-bars I begin to relax, and for the first time in the race, enjoy myself. The legs didn’t feel great and I know I can go much faster but as I started overtaking people I began to gain confidence. Maybe despite a poor swim, I can gain back some ground. The bike leg was long, the route had been changed due to road works last minute and diverted by an extra 6km. Despite the loss of time in the swim, I was sure I’d overtaken most of the girls, so after a quick T2 I set out on the run.

14km of rutted grass, the main point of today is preparation, so I hold back slightly to prevent injury. I’ve done a lot of work on my speed over the last 6 weeks and it’s paid off. I feel strong and start overtaking most of the field. As I cross the line I check the score boards. 4^th female. Not bad, a confident bike and run but I know I can perform a lot better.

I enjoyed the Reading triathlon and will definitely go back again. The set up and organisation is brilliant, helped by the great September sunshine. Six weeks till Auckland, the running and cycling are feeling strong I just need to improve my swim…