NCRA Handicap Road Race Rd 1, 8 Mar 2020

The race was hard, but felt good. I started in the 3rd group, which didn’t work together much. I used the headwind sections to rest in the group, and prepare for the climb which I knew would be all out as quicker riders pushed the pace. I got spat out of the group when 4 riders from a group behind caught and passed us! The speed rocketed up and I was at the back and not ideally placed for the increase in speed. The group turned in to the headwind and I thought that was my race over, but I dug in and chased back to an official vehicle, caught my breath and chased to the next vehicle, then managed to catch the bunch. I was on my limit for this and it took everything I had, but in the past I would have given up, so I’m pleased to have dug deeper than I would have normally, and this feels like a very positive achievement for me. Sadly, with 1 lap to go and while feeling ok, my rear mech exploded so end of my race. So not a great result but I am pleased with how everything went overall.

Andy Fountain