The third round of the women’s team cup was held at Hillingdon, a fast and flat circuit. I wasn’t expecting any ‘big results’ as the course was too flat for my strengths. But I knew that if I was in the top end of the bunch on the last few laps then I should be okay for the bunch sprint. We rode the course anti-clockwise so the corners were on the top of the climb which I enjoyed, but it also meant we had to go round a big hairpin on the right, something I’m not so confident in. After completing my warm up on the rollers, I decided to do a few laps on the circuit to build up some confidence on the hairpin. I seemed okay with it, but practising it solo and in a group at race pace are two entirely different things.

I had a good start and was sitting in fifth for the whole of the first lap - the pace was high but I felt comfortable. There were a few attacks and then riders were reeled back into the bunch. I knew that the Hutchinson team would be eager to keep attacking, so I made sure I was in the top 20 at all times. A Hutchinson rider made a big attack, and this turned out to be the winning move.

Nothing much was happening, until my teammate went off the front solo. I decided to move up the bunch more ready to follow if anyone chased. No one ended up chasing her, instead they just reeled her in after a couple of laps. Suddenly a JRC rider made a big attack - she’s a strong rider so one to watch out for. Myself, a Laka rider and a Hutchinson rider went to chase, but this came to nothing in the end.

With about 3 laps to go, I knew I needed to move up to the front end of the bunch. I saw a couple of my teammates starting to move up too, so I decided to move up with them. I was doing well holding my position, especially in the hairpin. Things became quite tense in the bunch with the last 2 laps to go, as expected. I was around the top 15 mark so a comfortable position for the finish, and managed to maintain that position on the last lap too. The pressure was on from the hairpin all the way to the finish. The sprint started from the corner just before the finish with around 250 metres to go. I finished the race 17th overall and my team finished 5th overall. I was really happy with both of those results, based on my expectations, and my legs felt good in the race too.

Amy Harvey

Hillingdon Women's Team Cup, 10 Jun 2023

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