Hull Thursday Racing Team was back in action at the weekend (Sunday 30th March) to take on the annual Seacroft Wheelers Road Race. Photos courtesy of Mandy Dean.

The majority of the team, which comprised Neil Dean, Mark Walker, Charlie Carruthers and Will Thomas, took on the 3/4 category race over 40 miles with George Leighton deciding to be particularly brave by entering the later run 2/3/4 event of 60 miles with some of the best riders in the county to contend with. We also had Hull Thursday’s number one cheerleader in attendance, with Mandy Dean cheering us on from the sidelines.

Our race was scheduled to start at 9.30, which actually felt like 8.30 with the clocks going forward the previous night. As is often the case at this event, many of the riders looked half asleep due to the time change when they arrived to sign on at the village hall in Wistow, a small village just north of Selby. The weather was slightly foggy but dry at least and the sun was trying to make an appearance.

After a brief warm up, we headed back to the village hall to line up for the start. On commissairing duty was Hull Thursday’s very own Neil Prendergast, who explained the rules for the day along with warning us about some of the hazards on the course – in particular potholes on the finishing straight. After Neil said his piece, we headed out on mass in a neutralised fashion towards the start/finish line where we were to have a rolling start. Despite it being neutralised, there was still lots of fighting for position with riders knowing that once the pace increased it would be that much harder to get up at the front.

After about 3/4 miles of this we came onto the start straight and the racing was on in earnest. Suddenly the pace had gone up from 20mph to near 30. This gave quite a shock to the legs but nothing out of the ordinary so sitting in wasn’t too much of a problem. What was a problem though was my positioning. I was right at the back of the bunch and we were on a particularly narrow section of road. Neil P had mentioned in his briefing to the riders that if any riders were to cross the white line and onto the wrong side of the road they would be warned and if repeated disqualified.

However if I was to move up there would be no other option but to cross the white line due to the bunch been so densely packed. However Neil, and all BC Commissaires for that matter, don’t say these things for a joke or to annoy people, because as soon as I stuck my head out to see what was up ahead I could see riders scrambling to get back onto the correct side of the road as a car was coming the other way. If for instance they were to risk moving up by crossing the white line with a blind corner coming up, then we most probably would have had some problems on our hands.

Fortunately, the car past without incident but I was still at the back knowing I was doing myself, and my teammates, no favours by staying there. So with us coming up towards the end of lap one the bunch slowed on one of the long straights on offer. I thought if I don’t move now I may not get the chance again. So I took a long look up the road and on seeing it was clear I pressed on the pedals. I whizzed past everybody, rider after rider, right up to the front. However, in doing so I got caught up in the middle of an attack, and without realising, I was away with two other riders. My body was already in the red but I thought “why not?”

So passed the line for the first time and there I was, away with two other riders and in absolute purgatory. One of the riders I was with was particularly strong and just hanging on to his wheel was hard. Hang on I did and I took a few turns to assist the break but it wasn’t long before we were joined by another rider and another then before I knew it the whole pack was with us. I was starting to feel the effects of the break but I couldn’t sit up as I knew I’d be at the back struggling to see the front again.

Having managed to stay around the middle of the bunch I moved up yet again to see Will taking turns on the front. Neil was about halfway up and Charlie was riding very well hogging a place in the first 20. However without realising it Will suddenly ended up off the front just a few metres behind a break of two thanks to his neat handling skills through a tight chicane. This meant that Charlie, who had managed to get to the front of the bunch, was seemingly trying to close Will down. On seeing this I felt I had to tell Charlie to relax and let others waste their energy should they want to bring Will and the others back. Will was looking around perhaps not realising he was away with me shouting at him to keep going thinking he could catch the two up front and perhaps stay away. He managed to keep away for about a mile or so before perhaps thinking his efforts would be best used at the end of the race where his sprinting strengths could come in to use, so the bunch eventually reined him in.

Onto lap 3 and it was my turn to hit the front in a bid to get away. Former Thursday member Tony Goundry launched an attack off the front only to dragged back by the bunch. Once he was caught I counterattacked on a brief descent and suddenly had 100 metres on the field. Problem was I was on my own, so it was unlikely I was going to succeed. Even less unlikely when a rider flew past me giving me very little chance to catch him up. I did try but I got to about 30 metres off his back wheel and suddenly felt the legs and lungs hit their limit. Fortunately there was another rider who had come up to me so I happily let him do the work. The bunch, unsurprisingly, caught us soon after but it took them a while to catch the original rider who had come passed me so quickly. Clearly a strong rider but not quite strong enough to stay away and he too was caught.

Lap four and we were off again. Same place as the previous lap but with a difference, as there was a break of three up the road. I attacked with another rider in tow but it was starting to get be a struggle this attacking lark, so by the time I caught the group of three I was straight off the back due to an increase in pace by one of them over the railway bridge. However I was now really in trouble as I had gone into the red big time and I needed some time to recover. Unfortunately for me there is no recovering in road racing and with the pack swallowing us up yet again, I knew I had to do something to up the pace in order to not get passed by everyone and get dropped. Fortunately the pack caught the break of three and then eased up giving me sufficient time to recover. However, I was done with breakaways for the day. Unfortunately it was around this point that we lost a rider, as Charlie got dropped. A shame really as he demonstrated that he had the technical skills to position himself well in the bunch. I’m sure if he sticks at it he’ll easily make the finish next time.

The next few laps were fairly uneventful from my point of view with just the usual attack and chase being made from other riders. Neil suddenly appeared on the back stretch of the course flying up to the front. I thought he was going for an attack but it seemed like he was just looking for time on the front or perhaps to help pull back some breakaway riders.

Onto the last lap and if I was to have any impact I needed to get to the front. I was once again dead last in the bunch and realising time was running out to help myself or the team’s sprinter Will. I made up a few places one of the corners but was still in the last 15. So coming onto the back stretch I launched myself to the front, partly to try and get away partly to avoid a crash similar to the one that took me down in 2012. I could see Will as I came past but there was no way he could follow my wheel to help get to the tip of the bunch as he was swamped with riders around him. So I thought I’d do the next best thing and try and string it out to the best of my ability. It was hardly a Bradley Wiggins/Tony Martin lead-out at 24/25 mph but it kept me out of trouble.

The final attacks came from other riders and with me on the front, and in the red, I was most certainly not keen on attempting to chase them. This meant the whole pack came swarming passed me and I was lucky not to clash with other people’s handlebars as they overtook me. Before I knew it I was at the back but safe in the knowledge I’d done everything I could to make something of the race. It was all down to Will now to finish off the job, as one of the Beverley Velo riders told me that Neil had ended up in a ditch a mile back on that long stretch of road where I was on the front.

 

The final dash to the line was a usually manic affair and from my position I couldn’t see what was going on. Fortunately, no crashes, as tends to happen, and we all safely finished. I ended up about 30th having sat up at the end but Will thought he may have done enough for a top ten. Mandy guessed at 12th place but still a good result nonetheless. Once we turned round and headed back we saw Neil coming towards us. We were relieved to see him upright and riding but his right knee looked badly grazed. He later told us that someone had wiped him out causing him to go down at the back of the pack. Once we got back to the village hall, it had turned out that Will had just missed out on a top ten by coming 11th. I think he was both gutted and pleased at the same time.

 

So to conclude, I thought it was a top effort by each and everyone of us with teamwork coming to the fore. We had a game plan beforehand and we stuck to it. Unfortunately it didn’t reap the results we had in mind but all you can do is try your best.

 

2/3/4 Update

On writing this I’ve just had a message from George saying he managed to do 2 laps with the fast lads but said the power was a bit too much for him. Possibly the understatement of the year there, as you have a job just to finish with some of those riders. Good effort nonetheless and I’m sure he’ll learn next time to enter the ‘easier’ events when he has the chance rather than leave it too late so that only the harder event was on offer to enter.

 

Mark Walker
Road Race Secretary

 

Footnote from Neil Dean’s wife, Mandy:

 

Neil seems OK. Calf a bit too tight, a sore thumb and a knee uncomfortable but hopefully will soon improve. His bike seems to have survived – gear/brake lever needs putting back in place but otherwise OK – and the carbon wheels appear to be intact!