Cambridge Criterium, 25 Aug 2024

The Cambridge Criterium was a worthy last crit of the season, racing around some very familiar streets in front of an amazing crowd which I joined later in the afternoon to watch some of the best riders in the UK ride the very same course. The course was open to the public before racing got underway so I had an opportunity to ride a couple of laps to make a mental note of the worst potholes to avoid and get a feel for the corners. After the end of the amateur women's race, I met up with my two other teammates for the mad scramble for positioning at the start line. I managed to get a decent position around two wheels from the front giving me a bit of leeway in the case of a poor clip in which ended up being ok but I was still glad to have that wiggle room.

I made a big effort at the beginning to not drift back in the group and maintain position which proved valuable as I was in front of a crash that occurred in the third lap. In previous races with large fields I had been anxious in the bunch and would end up spending the whole race at the back waiting to be dropped. I was much more confident this time owing to my increased fitness after working with Tim the last few weeks. I struggled the most with cornering and I'd often come out of a corner with an extra bike length between me and the wheel in front. It was not disastrous but it did hinder my efforts to position myself well and meant I needed to put in a little extra effort to not get dropped out of the corners. Over the course of the race though I was getting more comfortable and learning the best lines to take.

Overall it was a successful race for me, my goal going into the race was just to stay and finish with the main bunch which would be a first for me in a cat 3/4 race. I managed to achieve this goal, finishing 27th out of the 66 that started. I have proven to myself I can hold my own in a 3/4 race and I can consider involving myself with moves and attacks more in the future. 

Toby Mannall