Abingdon Crit Races, 5 Sep 2020

On 5th Sept I had my first crit race since the beginning of lockdown at the Abingdon Airfield circuit. They set out 3 mini 15 minute races with breaks in between, which was a new set up for everyone under the Covid regulations. I was pretty nervous as I wanted to prove my training had made me stronger, but I was feeling very out of practice.

I had only raced on this circuit once before, and discovered that there's often a high wind on at least one section. It took me a few laps to work out where the wind was and where I needed to take shelter behind or to the side of other riders.

I was also really worried about cornering in a bunch. Although the corners on this circuit aren't particularly technical, it's something I lack confidence with when racing in a group. As it was, three of the four corners were nice and easy and I had no trouble going round them at full speed. One of the corners was a little tighter and it did throw me off at times. I would slow down a little bit more than I should have and then find myself sprinting into a headwind on the other side to catch up again. Although I got better at this as the races went on, it's definitely something I need to practice.

The first race of the three was a little hectic. As it was a super short but intense race, and many people's first race back; everyone seemed to be on edge. There was a crash in the bunch about two thirds of the way in. One rider crossed wheels and wobbled, which caused a few people to come off, myself included. I was boxed in with no way to avoid crashing into the person in front of me, which left a very artistic chainring wound on my arm, as well as some road rash on my legs and face. Unfortunately another rider had broken her collarbone, so the few of us that were caught up stayed with her whilst the remaining women continued to race.

Although I was a bit shaken, I decided to come back for the second and third race. My knee was stiffening up after standing around but it soon felt back to normal. I felt a little more comfortable with racing (and cornering) in the final two races, but still lots of practice to be had. I need to play my tactics right and save something for the final sprint! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series to see how I improve.

Frances Lammyman