NCRA Handicap Road Race Rd. 4, 12 Apr 2025

I was placed in the 2nd group with fellow SICC Development Squad rider Sam, 6 minutes behind the 1st group and 7 minutes ahead of the scratch group. Before the race, Sam and I had discussed going pretty soon after the gun and trying to get in a 2-up break. I was the first to try an attack early in the first lap, I got a gap which I held for a minute or two before the group reeled me back in.

The rest of the race continued in a pretty similar manner and on several occasions me or Sam or both at one point were off the front forcing the group behind to chase. On top of that I was often pulling at the front of the group and covering attacks from other riders. This kept the pace consistently high and we comfortably caught the first group in the final lap and finished the race with a 40 second gap to the group behind. In the final, despite a few last-ditch attempts to break away, our group was still together coming down the hill towards the finish. Someone tried to do a flyer with 1km that for a second I thought would stick but we managed to catch him at the bottom of the rise to the finish.

Sam opened up the sprint to the line and somehow I manged to get round the right of the group just before the line and take the win with Sam right behind me in 2nd place. Overall, I’m super happy with my performance and not just in terms of power but the race craft and being able to hold a fast position on the bike (no doubt as a result of the time Tim has had me spend in the gym) were also key to getting the win. I look forward to seeing what I can do in future races with this added boost of confidence.

Toby Mannall