Solihull CC Road Race (Women's Team Cup), 10 Jul 2022

It was nice to be racing with my teammates again for the Solihull Road Race (another round of the Womens Team Cup series) in Inkberrow. The course was quite gently rolling, and with the weather being over 25°, it was most likely to end in a bunch sprint. There was a strong field of 56 riders, and this was going to be my longest race of 100km. I went into this race with the mindset of ‘getting round’ and see how the legs were feeling, rather than setting a target of finishing above a certain position.

We had a shorter neutralised than normal, and surprisingly, no one immediately attacked after the red and white chequered flag was put away. I was sitting in the middle of the bunch, and the pace was fast but the legs were feeling good. Nothing was really happening much for the first lap apart from a rider managing to fall into a ditch, which no one understood how! I made sure to keep hydrated as it was so hot!

The second lap into the race, riders were a little more active. There were riders going off the front, but immediately brought back. My teammates were putting the pressure on at the front of the peloton and chasing attacks. This really wasn’t a course where you could breakaway from the peloton as it was just too flat. I moved up to the front of the bunch, and the headwind was quite nice for a change (it was a nice breeze!). But I obviously didn’t want to stay on the front for too long so I moved back into some shelter. The pace was still quite fast, and the legs were feeling good.

On to the third lap and riders were still trying to breakaway, but still unsuccessful. I noticed that my left shifter had started to come loose from the handlebars, which was a bit unpleasant trying to get up the short climbs. I decided to continue racing and if the shifter becomes too dangerous to continue with, then I’ll have to be rescued somehow! The pace was more controlled and at times it had slowed down quite a bit. At this point, the heat was at its peak, and it was almost impossible to attack in this weather. The peloton size had also reduced to around 40 riders.

On to lap 4, I threw my empty bottle away at the feed zone, as we approached the finish for the final lap bell. I didn’t think that I was allowed to have taken a new bottle at the feed zone as we were approaching the last lap bell, so I kept my other bottle which was still half full. I wasn’t in the best position either, but I knew that there was still some time to move up. I took my final gel and was ready for the finish. I knew I had to move up quick and follow the right wheels, especially with 40 other women in the bunch too, all fighting for the win. We approached the flamme rouge and I was sitting 4th wheel from the front and was on the inside line. I did think to myself that perhaps I should have gone to the other side so I didn’t risk getting boxed in. But, I decided to sit on the wheel in front as it was too late to change anything now. The pace rapidly increased and suddenly riders were becoming very aggressive, not holding their lines- the usual 1km madness! I was giving it my all to not lose the wheel in front.

500m from the finish and I saw in the corner of my eye there was an awful crash. There was a domino effect on the rest of the peloton and the riders to my right hand side were on the floor. I suddenly had to ride on the grass beside the road to avoid the crash. From riders crashing into vans, to bushes, I was relieved to have avoided the crash, with at least 10 other riders on the floor! I finished the race in 11th place, with my teammates taking 1st, 2nd and 16th!

Despite witnessing one of the worst crashes I have ever seen, I am happy with how the rest of the race went. I surprised myself finishing in the top 15 considering the field was very strong, and I have previously been dropped on the Team Cup races! This race was made even better with the results from my teammates meaning our team also finished 1st overall on the day.

Amy Harvey