Hello,
This is my first ride (race) report here, been lurking for a while though.
I'm still grinning from ear to ear after my first proper race in A-grade at
our local dirt-crit event.
As I said in a previous post I was expecting a mud bath as the extended
forecast was for a lot more rain and the previous week was already very wet.
I was keen to find out what tyres would be best but didn't have much luck
here.
Well the rain never came so I never had to decide what configuration of
tractor tyres I might try. The track had dried up almost completely bar a
few corners that still had crates over them to prevent damage. As it turned
out the Michelin 'Comp S light' I bought in anticipation of mud turned out
to be a fantastic tyre in comparison to the fairly worn out Python golds I'd
been running previously.
Anyway, after puncturing last week in my first aborted stint in A-grade all
I really wanted to do was finish the race. The group took off like a rocket
as I'd expected but I managed to get on the back of the lead pack. They
didn't seem to be going to fast but after the first corner I realised this
was due to a brisk headwind. I managed to keep with them through the first
technical section but as soon as we got to the double track they just walked
away. Not surprising really, at least one of those guys competes
internationaly.
For the rest of the race I was pretty much by myself, I'd pulled away from
the other A-grade bunch but had no hope of hunting down the lead bunch with
the reasonably strong wind. Most of the race was spent lapping other grades
and a brief dual with an A-grader who fell off the lead pack.
For a couple of laps I battled a stitch but kept the pace on to avoid the
other pack catching up. Funnily enough on the last lap (of 5) I found a
second wind and had a great run to the end.
I'd obviously miscounted the number of people in the lead pack as I was
absolutely stoked to find I had come 4th. It was a goal of mine to do that
well by the end of the series, now I'll just have to come up with a new one
:-)
Maybe sticking with the lead pack for a lap would be a start.
Cheers,
Duncan.