They said it was madness to enter. They said we wouldn’t last a lap and they said it would be a complete waste of time trying. Despite the objections from others, six members of the newly-formed Hull Thursday Racing Team made the trip across the country to Liverpool to commence the start of the road race season at the 53rd Eddie Soens Memorial Circuit Race.

 

Check out Pete Mainey’s excellent event photos via Flickr

 

Photos courtesy of Pete Mainey © Pete Mainey https://www.flickr.com/photos/petemainey – thanks Pete.

 

It all started about two years ago when a team of four attempted the Soens and got a bit of a pasting, particularly me. The weather wasn’t great on that occasion, but I came away feeling disappointment in myself and resentment towards the event, when in fact it is a great race. I was therefore particularly keen on heading back and righting a wrong and had this race marked on my calendar a long time ago as a starter to the 2014 season. With the formation of our race team over the past few months, my enthusiasm spread to others and before I knew it we had George Leighton, Matthew Johnson, Will Thomas, Danny Posnett and Neil Dean joining me on the startsheet.

 

In order to capitalise on marginal gains, we opted to stay the night in Liverpool not far from the course, so we could get a good night’s rest whilst not having a mad rush to get up and sorted to get to the event. After a top night’s sleep we awoke to a lovely blue sky although the temperature was a little too cold for my liking. Once we’d filled up on breakfast we were on our way to sign on at the headquarters about a ten minute drive from where we were staying.

 

After picking up our numbers, transponder and pins we headed off to the race course. However I had a bit of a panic when the pins, which were on top of my cars dashboard, fell in one of the fan vents when I turned a sharp left. Once we got to the course at around 8.20am the pins were untraceable. I couldn’t see many staff around other than a car parking attendant so it wasn’t possible to obtain some more either. Fortunately the team rallied round and shared out their pins and the mini crisis was over.

 

However when I was unpacking my things I came to realise that I had brought everything but arm warmers and it wasn’t a day to not have them as it had only just got above freezing at the time. With my big thick winter gloves and skinny arms, my image (not that I had a great one anyway) had taken a hit but if I had to choose I’d rather forget my arm warmers than something more important like my shoes or helmet, so I could at least race.

 

George in the meantime was overly excited for the race and was keen on showing me his wheelbags in the midst of my panic. ‘Mark! Mark! Have you seen my new wheelbags?  They’re well smart.’ he said. ‘Not now George’ I snapped back.

 

Time had pressed on so much that we only had about 10 minutes of track time to warm up. I was riding alongside Will who turned to me and said ‘you must be freezing like that, do you want my waterproof’. Yes, yes I did Will. I thought I could wear it underneath my jersey so the only part that would be flapping in the wind would be the arms of the jacket. There was just one problem though. George had Will’s car key and we didn’t know where he was. So we waited at the side anxiously hoping he would come soon as the start time was nearing ever closer. Neil then came up and looked at me as if to say ‘are you right in the head, you have no arm warmers’. I felt I had to explain and told him that I’d left them at home. Neil, who’s saved me from a few situations in the past, said ‘here have these’ and to my surprise and relief, took off his second pair of arm warmers that he was wearing to help combat the cold. ‘Thank you thank you’ I said in utter relief.

 

I’d never spent so much energy panicking on something before, and this was all before the start of a 50 mile race with some of the best riders in the country to contend with. However we made it to the start without any further mishaps.

 

The start line was made up of four groups with the first group containing 4th cat riders and 3rd cat junior riders. This group contained the majority of the team with Neil, Will, George and Matthew. A minute behind was our group, which included myself and Danny along with other 3rd cat riders and some 2nd cat juniors. 30 seconds behind us was the group containing all of the other second cats with another minute and a half to the final group with all the elites and 1st cat riders. This meant there was a there minute spread between all the groups and Neil said that if the first group averaged 32 mph there was a possibility they could catch the elite group and sit in for the rest of the race. Although unlikely, I do believe this happened a few years ago. However it didn’t happen today.

 

So we were off and it wasn’t long until we were hitting speeds of 30mph on the back section of the course. I was glad to get going and not get blown off the back. I haven’t been doing enough explosive work over the past few months, so I was half expecting to hit my limit by the first few hundred metres. However I was feeling quite strong and surprised myself with my form. Danny also looked good and we generally stayed together for the first few laps.

 

It wasn’t long however until we were caught by the third group containing all of the 2nd cat riders. It’s always a little dangerous when groups merge together, as the faster lads are keen on getting to the front as soon as possible. This means they can get very close to your handlebars as they carve their way to the head of the pack.

 

The speed as a result of the merge increased by a couple of miles an hour, yet it still took a while for us to catch the 1st group containing the other four HTRC team members. When we did, I found George and Matt together with Will and Neil a bit further up. George was going very well and you could see the enjoyment on his face. However he had to be told to stop looking back for his teammates as there where a few occasions when the pack slowed down with him looking the other way. Fortunately he didn’t go into the back of anyone and was soon getting to grips with things. This was his first road race after all and he was doing a stellar job. As was Matt, who seemed relatively comfortable with all what was going on around him and was positioning himself well in the bunch.

 

At about the halfway point I latched on to the back of a relatively big and powerful guy, who acted as a great wind break, and managed to take me from the middle of the bunch, right up to the front. I was feeling really strong at this point and when seeing a Rapha Condor JLT rider on the front I decided to attack and bridge a gap to one of the breaks up front. It was always going to be a fruitless attack but how many times this season am I going to get the chance to get away ahead of such great competition? Will had also latched onto my wheel and there was five of us away. I managed one turn before Will came through but no sooner had he completed his turn we were mopped up by the bunch – still, fun while it lasted and a sign of things to come. However by going into the red it was then a job to get back up to speed and merge into the bunch. It took a while but we eventually did.

 

By this point I was beginning to question where the group of Elites were. I was beginning to think that the group of 2nd Cats had been caught by the Elites before they caught us. It seemed an age before they actually did get up to us and we where almost at the halfway point before they finally did. I was still in the red when they came through so I was beginning to question the need of my previous attack. Fortunately I didn’t goo too deep to get dropped and I was back to feeling comfortable in the bunch once the elites and 1st Cats had settled in at the front.

 

By now we had covered 20 of the 30 laps leaving just 10 laps to go. This improved my morale immensely knowing we weren’t far from getting all 6 of us to the finish. However it was also at this point that I’d lost track of Matt and George. Unfortunately the next time I saw them was on the side-lines having pulled out with just 7 laps to go. A top effort nonetheless and they were far from the only ones.

 

So that left four of us to contend the finish. Will questioned whether we should sprint at the finish but knowing this race it would be too dangerous and not worth it considering who we would be trying to beat, so I downplayed the idea which proved to be a blessing in disguise.

 

Danny, though, was oozing confidence in the last ten laps, so much so we hardly saw him as he was so far up at the front whilst me, Neil and Will stayed together in the middle of the pack. My lower right thigh was starting to ache though. I’d just come back from Majorca and in taking my bike I had not adjusted the saddle properly when I returned, as I hadn’t had chance to ride it. I think I’d set it too high and the pain was starting to become unbearable. I could still turn the pedals and was thankful we only had a few laps left.

 

We went passed the start and finish for the penultimate time with the bell ringing to indicate the last lap. ‘We’re going to do it’ I thought. Yet I was also trying to keep rational by thinking that with a race like the Soens, it isn’t over until its over and you’ve crossed the finish line for the final time, and boy was I to be proved right.

 

With half a lap to go and riders on edge with adrenaline, we suddenly heard that horrible series of noises indicating a crash. First you hear frames banging together then you hear the squeak of the brakes as the rest of us try and stop and then everybody shouting and warning the riders behind. I was quite far back when the crash happened yet with the speed I still nearly came into contact with the crash and the fallen riders. Fortunately I just managed to stop on the grass. Will though was a bit further up following Danny. When I stopped I noticed Will in the middle of it all but still upright and I had no idea where Danny had got to. The other noise you fear is the one of people crying in pain on the floor as you pass them. For those who remember the yelp and cries of Joseba Beloki who crashed in the Tour De France years ago, well the groans of this particular rider was very reminiscent and not nice to hear at all. One other casualty was former Hull Thursday Rider Jacob Trotter, who had a nasty cut on his face.

 

I remounted and got going thinking I had a puncture but realising my tyre was a bit slippery with all the grass. I then saw Will pushing his bike and he had in fact got a puncture. He was riding his new tubulars which meant any cuts to the tyre and you’ve got problems. This cut was huge though, showing how hard he must have braked during the crash.

 

In all of this was Neil who had used his head and kept well away from the crash meaning he was to finish first of the HTRC riders in 77th. I was next in 98th place trying to pass a few riders on the way to the line. I then caught up with Neil on the warm down lap and we went passed the fallen riders. Jacob had his team surrounding him whilst the worst injured of the riders, and the one I presume was groaning in pain, was out cold with an airpipe down his mouth. I, along with the rest of the team, sincerely hope that he is OK and will make a full recovery.

 

Not long after we went passed those two, we then came across Danny walking with his bike. My first thought was that he was upright and had no marks on his jersey so he couldn’t have been too badly involved. However, it proved to be the complete opposite with Danny coming down not far from the heart of the crash and was lucky to escape unscathed. Other than a buckled wheel he was ok and managed to finish along with our other bike pusher Will.

 

So that just about wrapped up another great days racing at Aintree and the mood within the team was jubilant. I thought it would have been too much to ask that I finish with the quality of the field, yet not only had I done that I also had a large number of teammates finishing alongside me too, so it was happy days for everyone. Even Matt and George, who despite finishing early, were also happy and so they should be with this been their first race and managing 23 of the 30 laps of what is a tough race to start with. Here’s what the others thought of their day.

 

 

Neil’s Race

 

Having ridden this race two years ago in appalling conditions I never intended to do it again. I blame Mark for persuading me to enter this year and I’m glad he did.

 

It’s a race that always has crashes due to the large number of riders, their wide range of ability to handle a bike and varying fitness levels so early in the season. So, for me, the main aim was to finish upright and in one piece. This was to be George’s first ever road race, what were we thinking?

 

As a 4th cat I was in the first group with Will, Matt and George. There is a temptation for the better juniors in this group to try and get round the first lap and catch the elite group just as it sets off, thus enabling them to win the race. This has only been done once, but it means that the first lap or so is ridden at full gas until all hope of catching the elite group has gone. My tactic during this period was to sit in and get towed round which, when I think about it, was my tactic for the first 29 out of the 30 laps of the race. From my perspective it was a very successful tactic.

 

I never intended to put my nose in the wind any more than was absolutely necessary. Other Hull Thursday riders seemed to have different ideas as I saw Will, Matt and George at the front very early on. Youth!

 

The Soens is as much a test of nerve as riding ability and, although I wasn’t near my threshold during the race, I never felt comfortable with so much movement going on in the bunch. Even taking a drink, or getting something out of a pocket, required more concentration and planning than in normal races.

 

What was my tactic for the final lap? Perhaps getting into a position to sprint, or leading out one of the other Hull Thursday riders. Absolutely not – it was staying safe! In reality, with a field including 1st cat and full time elite riders, there are only a handful with a realistic chance of getting near the podium. Unfortunately there are 50 to 100 others who, because they are within 20 metres of the front of the bunch, think they can get something out of the race. Hence the increased chance of a final lap pile up which came with about 400m to go. At this point I was riding at the side of the bunch and was able to avoid the bikes and riders who were trying to take pieces out of the tarmac.

 

I was very pleased to finish the race in 77th place and to find that the rest of the team were mostly in one piece. Would I ride the Soens again? No. But I’ve said that before.

 

Matt’s Race

Matt will be providing his report as soon as he can…

Danny’s Race

I had a good day racing and was good to get back into the swing of things after a long winter break. Felt good most of the day but really got my legs in the last 10 laps and was moving up the field comfortably. Unfortunately for me a touch of wheels a few riders up on the last lap ended my race. But a good showing from all of HTRC and a good sign for things to come.

Will’s Race

After only just making it onto the circuit to do a quick feeler lap I quickly realised it wasn’t warm enough for fingerless gloves and went back to car to change them before meeting my fellow 4th cat team mates on the start line. By this point my adrenaline was starting to kick in and I felt more excited to get going instead of being nervous about my first race of the season.

 

Once we got going I quickly settled into a rhythm and got comfortable in our relatively small group thinking to myself “this isn’t too bad” no sooner had I thought this we were quickly swarmed by the 2/3 cat riders and the nice spacious group we did have vanished. It was the first corner after the merge that I messed up as I didn’t seem to realise that it gets tighter half way round the bend and as such I swung very wide however I was prepared for this in all the subsequent laps as was everyone else it seemed so from then on out the pace gradually grew to peak at 3.00 for a lap which was an average speed of 30.5mph according to my Garmin.

 

Coming towards the closing laps of the race I still felt very fresh and was starting to think about the awards for highest place rider of each category and I knew anyone with a number from 141-171 was a fourth cat so I was searching to see who I needed to be in front of. By the last lap I only clocked 2 more people I had to pass in order to get the award and so I started to work my way through the field and no sooner had I reached my team mate Danny did I hear a loud crashing noise which just happened to be directly in front of me.

 

As I started to see a bike go up in the air and people go to the ground I slammed on my brakes, locking up my rear wheel in the process. I was now side by side with Danny with another rider on my right hand side as we all tried to go around the crash the gap we were trying to get through was seeming smaller and smaller, just as I’d started to think of the safest way to fall, Danny unfortunately fell at the side of me and I just managed to squeeze through the remaining gap. However when I rejoined the circuit everyone else was long gone and I’d just discovered I not only had a puncture but I’d worn a rather large hole through my tyre from skidding. Just as I’d got off my bike and started to walk to the finish line Mark passed me as he got stuck behind the crash.

 

In the end I came 115th after walking my bike the last half a lap to cross the finish line and thankfully to my surprise Danny followed after me having got back up after he crashed with only minor injuries.

 

George’s Race

 

After the long wait over winter, the road race season is finally here. As Eddie Soens is my first ever road race, I didn’t really know what to expect from it. The month before Eddie Soens, fellow team member Andy Carroll and I had a bet if I could do more than five laps he’ll treat me to a chocolate orange!

 

On race day, I had a minute to spare to do a warm-up lap to see the course. I was flying around the track in my fingerless gloves feeling a bit chilly to say the least. With the gloves changed I moved to the start line next to Matthew, Will and Neil; all of us ready and rearing to go. The flag swept down and we where off, managing to keep pace within the peleton, averaging 28 mph. I was loving it and totally in my element racing with my team and going at good speed!

 

Overall, brilliant day at my first road race and I can’t wait for the next one. In the meantime, I am now awaiting a chocolate orange! 😉

 

It was a great way to start the road race season and it has left us all eager and motivated for our next events. Now who’s saying we can’t compete with the best.

 

Mark Walker
HTRC RR Secretary