Challenge Elle Isole not as challenging as before!

Well this is blog is gonna be slightly different in that today's race was so uneventful I will instead explain what Ive been up to this week in training, a quick recap of the race and what's happening next!

So sit back and enjoy...

After the slightly disappointing race last Sunday at Hennebont, I set about a good week of training. I needed a big block as I want to make sure I am going well for races later in the season, for example the amateur version of  GP Plouay, a big target for me.


So training was to be a 3 day block. 3 hours easy with Sam Allen on Monday. Was probably more a steady 3 hours due to lots of wind! Still a nice and most importantly dry ride down to the coast to visit the nice beaches of Belz and Erdeven.

Tuesday and a hilly ride on the cards for me. Alone I headed of to the hills.  A good 3 and a half hours finding as many hills as I could and basically hacking up them! April showers pretty much sums up the days ride. Unfortunately not good for July. Cape on cape off!

If I thought Tuesday was bad weatherwise. Wednesday was terrible another 3 and a half hours alone. Hilly ride again and rain throughout!

So a couple days easy afterwards and my first of 3 days of racing today!


Challenge Elle Isole Bannalec


A relatively short 30 mins in the car to the race. 112 riders lined up for this one. Part of a series, which I had done the previous round at St Thurien (see previous blog)

A 7.4km circuit to be done 14 laps. Just myself and Philippe from the team present at this one. Favourites were yellow jersey Mael Nivnou of AC Lanester, Cyrille Masse of Leucemie Espoir and the French masters champion.

Still a lot of other riders in the mix as well. 4pm and away we went. The pace was pretty controlled and although moves were going off the front they werent getting far. The circuit basically was not hard enough and the race favourites were cancelling each other out.

So basically it stayed quick and ended with 3 riders clipping off the front in the final few kilometres and holding onto a 100/200 metre lead all the way to the line with the bunch, and myself coming in altogether.

So pretty much a bunch sprint. I'd realised quite early on into the race it was gonna suit a bunch sprint so saved as much energy as possible. Not to disappointed as was good speed work and training.

Tomorrow off to a race at Le Forges, another 100km or so race, lets hope the circuits a bit harder and more challenging and I can get away in a break...dont do these bunch sprints!

Sorry it was a bit of a brief blog but hope tomorrow have more to write about, a win or podium for instance?!