Round 1:

In pursuit of trying new things and seeing what I enjoy doing on the bike I decided to enter my first crit race series. I was a bit apprehensive to try something new but having spent years training around arguably one of the best closed road circuits in UK, Cyclopark, Kent, I knew I needed to have some confidence in myself. The skills that I developed all of them years ago would still be lingering somewhere.

As we rolled oof the start, I fumbled slightly to get my cleat in. ‘Phew, managed it’ I thought to myself. It’s those little things that you don’t really think about until you’re racing. Arguably it is lot easier than a flying mount in tri, but nevertheless its still something that you have to think about and refine just like any skill, however hard or easy. I very quickly noticed a strong rider in the group, often positioning herself at the front and kicking out of the bends. I took a quick spin on the front to see how the legs were feeling and see if I could stretch out the group. We stayed tight. I recalled a game we used to play in my triathlon club back home- cat and mouse. I saw the resemblance. People constantly looking around waiting for someone to make a move. For me this kind of call and response riding i.e. someone makes a move, and you cover the move, was really helping me to learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ quickly. Similarly, I sat back a bit and watched how the first prime played out to learn a bit more. Not reckoning myself as much of a sprinter I didn’t think I was really going to miss out on any points. When the second and final prime of the race came round, I decided to give it a go. To my surprise I had a bit of a kick and came over the line 2nd. ‘That was fun’ I thought!

The bell for the last lap rung. Building up to this the pace backed off significantly. Everyone became a bit twitchy, shifting left to right on the track, shuffling positions and waiting for someone to make a move. With a newfound confidence for a sprint, I decided to make a break for it. I call this move ‘new to racing naivety’. Quite honestly, I had no clue what I was doing but really there was nothing to lose so I just went for it. I had a bit of a gap into the final U-bend. Unfortunately, as if out of nowhere two girls swept up the inside. Whilst I probably used to take corners that fast during my circuit based training 5+ years ago, this skill had definitely become rusty. I lapsed for a second but then gave another final push to the finish. 3rd! Not too shabby for my first one. Most of all I really enjoyed the race, maybe even a little bit more than time-trials.

Round 2:

10 people on the start line! That means this race I could score some British Cycling points. After the previous weeks race, I set myself the goal of trying to achieve my Cat 3 this year which would open up some more racing opportunities next season. It was weird how having just a few more riders changed the dynamic of the race. A girl very quickly took to the front, arguably pushing quite hard, but I learnt last week the benefit to sticking in the group early on. The first prime rolled around and I went for the sprint. 2nd! ‘That’s good, the legs are alive today’ I thought. The second prime I came from a bit further back but managed to accelerate through the group into third. ‘Yay, I’m getting the hang of it!’. The thing is with crit racing, as I am learning, is every race, every attack, plays out slightly differently.

Nothing really happened in the race after the final prime, there weren’t any attacks, other than a few feisty jostles for positions in the group toward the front. I tried to stay out the way, feeling comfortable sitting in. The bell rang for the final lap and one of my Loughborough teammates went for an early break. I caught on with the group as we took the u-bend. We were going the opposite way round the track this week so we still had a way to go yet. Unfortunately, a girl swang round the corner wide pushing me onto the grass. ‘Ah damn, there goes the group’ I said to myself as the group sprinted off up the track. I put a dig in, and to my surprise made up the deficit by the end of the back straight. I was quite pleased with this considering the group themselves were putting in an effort, so I had to work even harder to get back on. In hindsight I wished I pushed a tad longer to get toward the front of the group ready for the sprint. However, still positioned at the back of the final 8 I left slightly too much to do, with already spent muscles. I ticked off one more position as I came over the line in 7th. I was a bit disappointed, only because I knew I had the sprint in me and it would have been a great opportunity to score some big points for my license. But as I reminded myself:

It’s all learning and as long as I had fun, which I did, that’s all I can ask for!
Getting my cat 3 license is a new goal, and goals take time to achieve.

The primes still gave me a fair few series points, so I am sitting nicely in third overall still!

Round 3:

Here we go again! In contrast to last week, only 3 people, including myself rolled onto the start line. It was sad that so few ladies are racing, but I thought there would still be lots to gain and practice even in a very small race. In agreement with the race organiser and the other two ladies, we decided race for 15mins +5 laps, and complete the first lap together. One of the ladies has recently had a baby so is in her words ‘ is not quite up to her previous fitness yet’ – I mean kudos to her for getting out and doing it postpartum, with a newborn, I think that’s incredible and inspiring! After the first lap, myself and another cyclist (also new to crit racing) edged a bit of a gap. I felt quite flat as I tested the legs a bit; I hadn’t had a big warm up this week so maybe that was why? Or maybe it was just one of those days? The bell shortly rang for the first prime. The girl who I was with pulled round me and kicked pretty early on; she was very powerful. I thought I might have been toast as we got toward the end of the lap, however I managed to find something from somewhere, and used the draft to springboard me into a sprint, bagging the points as I crossed the line. We regrouped and I took the front again, a few laps later I decided that I really didn’t have much to offer on thee front today, which was ok- you get days like that. I asked the girl if she minded taking a turn on the front, and we cycled side by side for a bit whilst we had a cheeky mid ride debrief! Seconds later the marshal smiles at us and rings the bell for another prime! We chuckled. Juust as we decided to back off! The other girl put down an effort early again. I didn’t know if trying the same tactic again would be the best idea, she may be able to cover it better this time. But in all honesty the legs were really not feeling like taking a long sprint, so I held my nerve and went for a last-minute surge again. Luckily it paid off.

We swapped the lead for the final few cruisy laps. It was nice to sit in for a while, although I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for letting the other girl do the work at the end of the race. But I least I did do my fair share at the start. The bell rang for the final lap. I didn’t want a repeat of last week where the primes had gone well and then the final sprint, where it matters most, falls apart. We came round the final u-bend, I took a different line to the other girl, positioning myself on the opposite side of the track to give myself the best position for an early sprint without giving off any draft. The sprint felt strong, and I crossed the line with a fairly big gap.

It was fun to try different tactics again this week. Even though the start list was very small, I thinks there’s still so much to be gained by showing up and giving it a go- I am excited for the next one. Stay tuned for round 4 and 5.

Lilly Gibbs

Harvey Hadden Crit Races 1,2,3, 28 May-11 Jun 2025

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