Road Racing Round-Up – August 2019
Main photo: AERO! – Ollie Rastall tucks during a Cat 2 Road Race in August
Apologies for the lateness of this report, though with prime holiday season having been upon us in August, you may have expected to hear that the FCCC Road Race team has been quiet. However, with many seeing August as the “last real month of Summer”, the team continued to race across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, delivering some fantastic results.
Special congratulations to Luke Stratford, Mark Nuttall and Jamie Parkinson, all of whom earned their 2nd Cat licence during the month. This further strengthens and enhances the FCCC Road Race team which now contains a strong number of 2nd Cat riders.
The most notable results from another busy month are provided below:
3rd August – BIG Events, Hillingdon Circuit, 3rd Cat, Mark Nuttall – 4th Place, Luke Stratford – 5th Place, Adam Bassom– 7th Place, Jamie Parkinson – 8th Place
6th August – BC West Thames Series Rnd 17, Hillingdon, 3rd Cat, Adam Bassom – 4th Place, Jamie Parkinson – 7th Place
11th August – Surrey League Road Race – Norwood Hill, 3rd Cat, Mark Nuttall – 9th Place
13th August – BC West Thames Series Rnd 17, Hillingdon, 3rd Cat, Luke Stratford – 3rd Place
13th August – Behind The Bikeshed Racing – Thruxton Series Round 6, 3rd Cat, Adam Bassom – 4th Place, Matt Davies – 9th Place . 4th Cat, Noel Brooksbank – 4th Place.
17th August – BC West Thames League Saturday Rnd 2, Hillingdon, 3rd Cat, Jamie Parkinson – 7th Place
20th August – Behind The Bikeshed Racing – Thruxton Series Round 7, 3rd Cat, Jamie Parkinson – 10th Place
21st August – Portsmouth Evening Circuits #21, 3rd Cat, Matt Davies – 1st Place, Mark Nuttall – 8th Place
22nd August – Hillingdon Masters Series #11, Masters 50+, Warren Vye – 7th Place
24th August – Portsmouth Omega Saturday Circuits, 3rd Cat, Jamie Parkinson – 2nd Place, Mark Nuttall – 3rd Place, Matt Davies – 7th Place
24th August – BC West Thames League Saturday Rnd 3, Hillingdon, 3rd Cat, Adam Bassom – 2nd Place. Note that Adam was led out for the sprint by Matt “two races in one day” Davies !
28th August – Portsmouth Evening Circuits #21, 3rd Cat, Matt Davies – 4th Place
Race Insight: The August race insight is brought to you by FCCC road race team member, Darren Roberts, who provides a snippet into the final stages of his first race during a Surrey League Dunsfold Park 4th Cat race.
You can see your Club colleagues and your family raising phone cameras. The chequered flag is suddenly further away than ever and still the sprint is getting faster. What? You can’t hear anything behind. Are you alone? It’s chaos. Your vision is closing. 25 metres to go.
The wisp of smoke from your last match is close. 30 miles of strategy is about to be blown into thin air. 15 metres. One last dig. You’re line abreast with 5 riders. Where did they come from? Perhaps you’re in the top 10? Who knows?
10 metres. Cheering. Shouting. Groaning. Grimacing. Aaaaaahhhhhhh, push harder. Harderrrrr.
Whoosh. The flapping chequered flag calls an end to the melee. The last lap decided it all. 30 miles of strategy came down to 200 metres of sprint. One for all and then all for no-one. It’s that brutal.
A hand pats you on the back. You pick your head up and look around. It’s over. Bitter enemies in the final metres of sprint, now gasping for air and congratulating each other.
You realise this is what it’s all about. The teamwork, the exhaustion, and the fact that you lost everything you thought you’d gained in the final metres of the sprint. You laugh out loud. That was one of the most confusing experiences of your life. Incredible.
The ‘what ifs’ and ‘should haves’. All of that can come later because it’s just as your Club Secretary said ‘at the finish you’ll be wanting to know where and when you can race next’.
If you’re interested in the idea of road racing, then get in touch with our RR secretary, Warren Vye. He looks after a friendly team with a wealth of experience who can pass on plenty of advice and tips.
