Sunday 14 July 2013

June + July

So after my podium in the regionals I was looking to build on it with some more good results and hopefully some wins! I headed out to Belgium for two weeks from the end of May through to mid June with my team-mate Lawrence. We were based on a lovely lettuce farm about 15km from Gent, perfectly situated for both racing and leisure! Belgian cycling culture never fails to amaze me, and this happened again when we turned up to our first kermesse of the trip in the pouring rain, yet still there were a couple of hundred people lining the barriers cheering us on every lap, and this is just an amateur evening race in the week!!

The first few races were a mixed bag, I had a few digs in breaks but nothing was ever sticking and I wasn't getting any decent results due to a couple of incidents on corners, and tired legs of course. The last two races were a bit better, and on the final race I spent a lot of time off the front in various little moves, and I was really starting to feel like I could make something stick, however on the final lap I gave it everything to get away and it didn't happen so again no result. All in all Belgium was not entirely succesful, but by the time we left I was starting to feel like I was getting my legs back!

So back to the UK for some more domestic racing, and immediately I bagged a criterium win in my first race back, result!! Very happy. On the road racing scene I secured 8th in a National B race (Nick Clark Memorial Road Race) in a sprint finish which was pleasing, and then 2 weeks later I bagged another win down in Portsmouth.

Amongst these, I also rode the Tour of Dorset, a race consisting of 4 stages over 2 days, I managed to bag 5th and 7th on stages 1 and 3, and secured 15th overall in the race, slightly disappointed to have missed the top 10 overall as I felt very strong on the final stage but could not escape the bunch in a very fast race on a fairly flat circuit.

I also rode the Stockton GP Premier Calendar last weekend, that was an experience! I messed up my positioning halfway through the race and found myself on the wrong side of a split, this meant I was out of the race after 65 miles, slightly gutted as I could have definitely finished that race had I used my head more!! Nevertheless my legs are feeling really strong now and I am hoping to end the season on a high with a load more results and points!! Bring it on!!

Huge thanks to my sponsors BDL and Houston Cox Central for their support, without them I wouldn't be able to race abroad or travel around the country racing big UK races, massive thank you guys!