Hitchin Nomads Road Race, 11 Sep 2021

On Sunday I took part in my second “proper” road race in Great Barford. My race was just under 50 miles long and we did 5 laps of a circuit that was roughly 10 miles long. The circuit was relatively flat with 2 climbs, one of which was quite steep but as it was at the bottom of a descent, you was able to get up it quite easily if you carried enough momentum. I knew this race would be quite fast as it was fairly flat and so it was crucial for me to get to the front end of the peloton at the beginning.

After a good warm up on the rollers and discussing my race plan with Tim I felt prepared and was excited to race.

I was on the front row for the neutralised section and I knew I needed to fight to keep in the top end of the bunch. The race started off fast but I was sitting comfortably at the front (roughly in fifth place) getting pulled along and away from the ‘danger zone’. After some time on the front I did lose a couple of positions but I was still in a good position in the bunch. At times on the first lap it was quite sketchy so I knew I needed to move away from those riders. I noticed on the first lap that the inside left line didn’t have the best road surface as it had potholes and gravel, so I moved to the middle of the road where the surface was much better.

We got to the first climb and I felt good, I didn’t need to get out of my saddle (surprisingly!). However, some people were dropped on the first lap so I knew I needed to hang on in there because the wind was getting stronger too. There was also a rider that attacked on the first climb but the gap wasn’t big enough for the group to worry about her riding away. We kept her off the front and eventually pulled her back in after she tired. At the end of the first lap the majority of the bunch was still together.

On the second lap the group dropped the pace a little until we got to the climb where the pressure was on. Two riders did a massive attack and the group let them go as we didn’t think they would stay away - little did we know as they stayed away for the whole race and came first and second! My legs were hurting and I didn’t know if I would be able to stick in the bunch for the rest of the race but I carried on pushing hard.

After the break got away, the bunch rolled around at a pretty decent, fast pace. There were less attacks and we pretty much just rolled together. There were roughly 25-30 riders left in the group by the end from 50 riders. Things were still a bit sketchy at times, with some people not holding their lines or tried closing the gaps when they see you riding through them but that’s racing.

Suddenly we were given the one lap to go bell and I still felt good, despite my legs killing me after the second lap, I still had some energy left in me. The group carried on going at a steady pace until just before 1km to go. As we entered the last corner, I was sitting in a decent 15th place. But after we exited the last corner things were becoming chaotic. People fighting to get to the front, people not holding their lines, plenty of almost crashes - the typical build up for a bunch sprint in road races! Someone started the sprint from around 300 metres to go and I was in the top 10 at that point. But I didn’t have the legs for the uphill sprint so I just rode as fast and hard as I could to the line. At the end I finished in 16th place overall and 🥇 junior which I was really happy with!

Overall, I am both surprised and so happy how that race went. This was my second road race and it was amazing to see an improvement made from the first one. It was great to have Tim join to give some extra encouragement, giving some advice pre-race, and of course the brilliant photos/videos- Thanks Tim!

Amy Harvey