Welcome to my third installment of my blog. Since I last blogged it really has been all go! So be prepared, grab a cuppa, its a long one!
The Grand Plan
I think the best word to sum up training last week would have been "damp", actually thats an understatement! I got ridiculously soaked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My plan for the upcoming weeks training wise is a sort of pyramid week, so Tuesdays is sweetspot, which to keep me content I'm doing up hill! Wednesdays is a long steady ride and thursdays sweetspot again before easing off for weekends racing. As the season begins proper I will be throwing in some VO2 efforts and sprints within my Wednesday ride.
Anyway, after resembling a drowned rat after a few days and cursing the fact I didnt bring a turbo or rollers with me, I had infact found some good roads and had a good few days training.
Deliveries a plenty
Saturday and I was relieved to be told a group ride was going out in the afternoon, with some of my new team mates and Sam Allen, a Brit who rode out here last season for the team I'm riding for and with good results has moved to the DN1 team in the area.
Saturday morning, I think can be described as hectic! First, I had a visit from one of my new team mates Sebastien, who brought my new team kit over to the house and also a calendar of upcoming races. With his English not that good and my French decidely worse it was an interesting hour spent talking about races, training and kit.
Just as Sebastien left I had another knock on the door, this time Nick, Tony Mills' son, who had brought across the remainder of my clothes and wheels. Very grateful I was to as I had been living out of a single jumper the previous week! Suddenly I had a full wardrobe and the conundrum of where to put everything!
Rearranging my room, The third delivery of the morning arrived with my energy bars from Zipvit. As if I wasnt trying to cram enough in my bedroom that morning!
Finally calm...and after a spot of lunch I went out for a 3hr spin with the guys to open the legs up for Sunday's race. Now usually group rides meet at some unearthly hour somewhere in the middle of know where, yet the French seem to take a more civilised approach as we met up at 1:30pm, early for a group ride over here so I'm told! In new kit and cruising along in barmy 15 degree sunny February weather (mad considering the previous few days!) I was trying my best to construct a meaningful conversation in French whilst looking at road ahead, you could say a challenge!
With lots of joking and conversation somehow in full flow we rode into Plouay, home to the famous GP Plouay race and previous host of the UCI World Champs, only ten or so miles from where I'm staying. There we stopped briefly for a look at whats said to be one of the best bike shops in the area owned by a local cycling legend by the name of Frank. Soon off again and after a relatively flat loop I was home.
Ride done and in high spirits, Sunday's race was beckoning!
2011 is GO!
Sunday...day of reckoning...first race of 2011 season and an Interclub of DN1 and DN2 teams in the local town of Camor. With the race in the afternoon and feeling slightly apprehensive I was happy to sleep in a bit and after a quick wipe down of bike and pack of kit bag I was soon ready to roll!
Picked up by Nick Mills, We drove the 20 mins or so to Camors, the otherside of Baud. Arriving the first thing that hit me was the finish was up a long, straight, open road...savagery! With barriers up, a commentary and sign on van and food stalls it was very Belgium like.
Soon Tony senior and junior arrived and we went to sign on. The great thing about France is all races are paid by the team so literally a quick signature and I was ready to pin number on, get bike set up and head off for a lap of the course and a warm up.
With slightly chilly conditions I made sure I had a good half an hour warm up and an especially good look at the circuit that consisted of a small drag to the finish another slightly steeper hill round the back, a twisty decent, quite a bit of open, windy farm track and a lot of badly pot holed roads!
2:30pm and lined up ready. 13 laps of 7.5km so not a long race but a perfect one for the first of the season. With about 60 or so riders and some quite good teams with DN1 Hennebont Cyclisme and AC Lanester fronting what seemed like 10 riders each it was gonna be an interesting test. Away we went and I made sure I got near the front in the top 15 to avoid the madness of the descent in the first lap. Up the hill on the first lap and literally 3km in to the race attacks began. As many of you know, and some who do now, I love a break and although the plan was to get round and see how I felt after an hour I couldnt resist and soon got myself into the first break of about 8 riders.
This was short lived though as although I was up for it my legs were in shock, as sprinting constantly out of corners is not something they had done for a while! Before not to long I began to lose the wheel and drift back. Not panicking I sat up and saw another group was clipping off the front of the bunch. As it came thundering through I jumped hard and got on and we were away!
Before long we were the chase group of about 8 riders, through and off we went and after approximately 40km we had caught the front group. Just as the catch was being made, a number of riders attacked off the front group leaving about a dozen of us in the second group on the road. Soon the 5 away began pulling out a gap. Half way into the race and with two team mates in the chase group with me we were in an ok position, although Hennebont Cyclisme and AC Lanester had 4 or so riders each in our group as well!
Five laps to go and the realisation this was the first race of the year and it was February was beginning to tell for me! Powerwise I was good but jumping about, not so, (more work on V02 and sprints needed!) Coming into 3 laps to go a Hennebont Cyclisme rider attacked and keen to make an impression I followed. Soon another Hennebont Cyclisme rider joined us. Outnumbered again! I decided with 2 of them a one of me I'd sit on and let them work. Soon we were flying along and with a lap to go we picked up 2 riders from the front group.
Last lap and due to my sprinting skills (of what there is none!) I had to go on the attack, With 6 of us in the chase group, 3 Hennebonts, 1 AC Lanester and another rider and myself it was gonna be hard. Attacking with 3km to go I got a gap into the headwind and put my head down, 4th place here I come! Or not! As after a few hundred metres I was pulled back. A sprint it was, Oh Joy! Sitting 3rd wheel I thought I'd just hang on a see if I could get round in last few metres but it wasnt to be. 9th place it was.
Race done, and after a quick chat to team manager (who seemed happy) a slab of cake was handed to me as well as a bag full of cake, the benefits of a team sponsored by a cake company!
So there we have it first race of 2011 done and dusted, first top 10 of 2011 and hopefully a good starting point for more results and hopefully some wins later in the season!
1 – Florian AUBERGER (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
2 - David CHOPIN (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
3 - Gwenael SIMON (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
4 – Romain GUILLOU (AC LANESTER 56)
5 – Jérémy LORIC (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
6 - Jordan LE GAL (VC LANGUIDIC)
7 – Romain PINOT (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
8 – Erwan GUIANVARCH (HENNEBONT CYCLISME)
9 – Daniel KOGAN (UCL HENNEBONT)
10 – GAULTIER Matthieu (AC LANESTER 56)
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