Scaer: Grippy

Trophee Aven Moros take 2!

Tuesday

After the pan flat Belgium-like race the day before, today was promising to be completely different. Another round of the Trophee Aven Moros series and if Monday's race was anything to go by was going to be another fiercely contested race.

Awoke at silly a'clock again! Body seems to think 7am is a good time to go to the toilet. Great, only problem is I never get back to sleep and with the race not starting till 3:30pm it makes for a long day!

Still sun was out and I was promised a hilly more suitable race for me, what could be better. Bike cleaned and new tyres put on. I know it is never a good idea to use new equipment and especially new tyres on race day but I needed all the help I could get! Nice set of blue Vredsteins fitted, the colour alone I hoped would add a few kilometres an hour more speed.

So away to meet Sam again. 1:30pm and on the road. Finistere bound. All races at the moment seem to be in this direction. Might consider booking into a hotel for the last few weeks racing as spending so much time in this region.

A 45 min drive and arriving at the town of Scaer. One thing I have learnt since being out here in France is the French love getting to a race early. Arriving and riders were already kitted up and beginning their warm up, with over an hour before the race! Myself and Sam weren't quite as eager for extra chamois time. Still signed on we met Mike Cuming and Tony Mills.

All ready, I headed off for a warm up round the circuit. A 6.2km loop made up of  a false flat finish, a right onto a short sharp kick of a hill, a tight left onto a long wide drag of a hill, a tight right, some descent, another tight right onto some smaller roads another short hill, a descent with a fast right hander before a gentle climb back round to the finish. Warming up it didn't feel too hard. Come the race though it was bound to be a different story!

Lined up. Field was pretty good. Lots of the same guys from yesterday's race. UC Nante, UC Cholet, BIC2000, VCP Lorient, Hennebont Cyclisme (with on form David Chopin present today) Vendee U, AC Lanester and Cotes D'Armor, just to name a few. For UCL Hennebont just myself and Rene. So 86 riders and 16 laps...lets roll!

Away we went. Pace on from the gun, in typical French fashion. Straight up the climb and it was lined out.

This is now where this blog gets simple, for me at least. The next 14 laps were pretty much identical in that I hung on for dear life! About 20-30 riders back I knew I needed to be further up but knowing and actually being able to get there are two different things! For what was meant to be a hilly course, expected to blow the bunch to pieces it wasnt happening. Yes it was hilly but the bunch were intact and the speed never dropped.

Eating and drinking and riding the rollercoaster that was this race. Breaks would go yet with a number of strong teams nothing stuck. This meant racing was full on. I was struggling sprinting out of the corners and after a few laps getting frustrated with myself I decided big gear and roll it over rather than spin would be better. I was right, massive gear and hack! Much better.

Not entirely sure of the size of the bunch over the next few laps (was just transfixed on holding wheel infront) but the race wasnt shredding riders out like I thought it would.

One and a half laps to go. The bunch eased momentarily. Lots of tired legs by now. A break of 3 had managed to escape off the front and had built a 30 second lead. With Vendee U, AC Lanester and Cotes D'Armor each having a rider in it.

I have said in previous blogs how I'm starting to feel effects of a long season. Both legs and rest of body starting to slowly crack I think! One strange thing though is I dont seem to get any worse as race goes on. I seem to finish the same as I start. This is compared to the other riders who start fresh and seem knackered by the end. 

This sometimes plays into my hands. As a lap and a bit to go I attacked. Legs felt ok, good job it took over 2 hours of racing for them too! No luck though. 

Last lap and it looked like a bunch kick for 4th. A few kamikaze moments into the finish and I chickened out of the sprint. I know I should have tried it but some real dodgy riding going on! So across line. Says I came 24th, not sure about that but I'll take it! Sam and Mike came in in bunch as well after what was a strange finish, for on paper a hilly race. 

Race was won by a Vendee U rider with his brother from Cotes D'Armor coming second. A nice family affair!

Only looking at the photos afterwards did I see how close the break was to being caught. Shows how a hilly 100km and strong riders can keep the race pretty much together throughout. 42km/h average not a slow day either.

bunch within sight of catching both 2nd and 3rd place!

So there we have it. August racing done. Not the month of results I hoped for and feeling a bit run down now. One more month of racing and determined to get some good results in it.

Next few days its a case of recovering, trying to get rid of mouth ulcer (sign of tiredness I think) and also trying to get some more sleep.

Next race is a very local one on Sunday, 2km away from me in fact, in Hennebont. 18km of climbing in 90 or so kilometres, gonna be fun!

St Philibert Tregnuc: Horses for courses

After racing The GP Plouay amateurs on Saturday, which I was hoping for a good ride but unfortunately didn't pan out that way, I tried to put it behind me and look forward to the next few days of racing....

 Sunday was spent at Plouay watching the mens pro race. A long day (left home at 8:30am) spent looking round the team buses, meeting loads of familiar faces, team mates, the Mills' etc and shaking hands and kissing a ridiculous amount of people, many of whom I didn't know. Also ended up doing about 8km of walking! So not the day of rest I was after really especially after racing the day before and having a race the following day!

 Still watching one of the biggest one day races in the World live, and on a course I had raced on, was a awesome experience. The crowds, masses of camping cars, electric atmosphere and the world's best riders showing how 248km can be made to look so easy was a brilliant experience.

Great day and all a mere 20 minutes from my door. Cant say that about to many Pro races!

So back to it...

The last week or so my body has been all over the place. Sleeping badly, sore and generally feeling the effects of more racing than ive ever experienced before. Yes I know its impossible to hold form for the whole season but a bit now wouldnt go a miss! Also the lack of a proper deep massage all year has also not helped!

So it's safe to say not going to be going into next few races in the best of states. Still need to make the best out of the situation and rely on mental strength and dogged determination if nothing else!

Race day. 

St Philibert Tregnuc was the town, 3pm was the start and Trophee Aven Moros was the series. 

Normal morning procedure. I still had the team car from Plouay so drove over to first pick Sam up then to the team garage to meet my team mates, Gurvan, Pascal and Laurent.

12:45pm and car packed to the rafters we headed off. Usually with 5 riders in the car the conversation flows pretty easily, yet you can tell its coming to the final part of the season as everyone was a lot quieter, even my normally ridiculously chatty team mate Pascal!

The race was in theory an hour away. In theory because we ended up missing the turn off and having to do a loop of Concarneau! No problem though as we arrived at the race in perfect time, an hour before the start.

Was told by Sam that the race was to be a pan flat, seaside affair and he wasn't wrong. A 7.86km lap made up of a very slight 50 metre drag to the finish, a long windy coast road, a few more flat windy sections back to finish. Warming up I could tell it was going to be fast as was cruising effortlessly at 40km/h.

So lined up ready for the 3pm start. A series race so a yellow jersey leader (Zelinski, VCP Lorient and general hard Polish man) Polka dot climbers jersey, worn by a rider from UC Nantes (think the climbers prize would be safe for today!) and a white and a green jersey both worn by AC Lanester riders, think for young rider and sprints competition. Along with these few riders there was 112 other riders for this one. 

Cotes D'armor, UC Nantes, VCP Lorient, AC Lanester, Hennebont Cyclisme, BIC2000 (including Vignes, Bretonne champion) a Parisien team and winner from GP Plouay amateurs Guyot of The Armee de Terre team all present. For UCL Hennebont there was loads of us, 9 I think! 

Off we went 15 laps, 117.9km and a prime every lap. Was a very Belgiumesque setup today. First lap and the pace was on. Attacks flying yet everyone was attentive and keen to get in moves so nothing was sticking. I was 20 or so riders back, sitting in and following the wheels and the occasional attacks.

Then disaster struck, well for Pascal that is. Down the back of the circuit and at over 50km/h he didn't see a bollard in the middle of the road and ploughed straight into it. I was just behind and saw him somersault over the bike. Was so fast we had passed him before he'd even hit the ground. I was in a bit of shock and thinking the worst. Yet he managed to come away very luckily. Just a few scratches and a bit of a cut to the back of his head. His bike on the over hand was in two! Frame snapped clean in half as did his helmet.

So first lap done and was hoping the next 14 were to be a bit safer. The attacks continued and I tried to follow them. Yet I was feeling heavy legged and on a circuit like this, being fresh is key. After an hour of racing, and a 47km/h average, a break had gone with 11 riders in it. This included Mike Cumings who was on for a storming ride. Soon they had pulled out a sizeable gap. Yet a lot of the big hitters were still in the bunch, including the yellow jersey.

An hour and a half done and I was keen, even if my legs weren't, to try and get in a move and bridge. A big move went with a dozen or so riders including, Zelinski and Sam in it. I knew this was a serious move so with team mates Rene and Cedric we buried ourselves to get across.

We managed it, yet the group was too big and everyone sat up allowing the bunch back up to us. Another lap and the chase group finally did go with Zelinski and Sam along with a number of other riders soon flying off the front. I was feeling terrible and couldn't make the group.

Still Guyot of Armee de Terre, a number of Cotes d'Armor and VCP Lorient were still in the bunch. I could see they were biding their time to jump across to the chase group,which was still in sight. Flat windy section and the big hitters went, I buried myself but couldn't quite get on the wheel. I was dangling a few bike lengths off it, slowly clawing my way up to Guyots wheel. 

Then we turned left! Not good as it meant everyone sprinted out of the corner, I was already sprinting into it! Thus couldn't go any harder and the gap to the wheel in front opened, I was in no mans land. The break going up the road the bunch of 70-80 riders a couple of hundred metres behind. I sat up.

I decided that was it for the day. I'd tried my best on a pan flat, sprint fest course, with bad legs. It was clearly a sign I should take the last few laps easy in the bunch and save my legs for the next days racing.

That's what I did. The bunch weren't to interested now as around 25 riders were now up the road. Last lap and across the line on the wheel of Vignes. Clearly he is either knackered or saving his legs for today's race as well, will soon find out!

Mike did an awesome ride for 5th, Sam was really strong all race but was worked over in chasing group coming just outside top 20 and myself in the bunch. So not a course for me but been told today's is. Same series this time in a place called Scaer. Meant to be ridiculously hard and hilly. 

Horses for courses as they say, lets hope today then I have some horse power!

GP Plouay...the big one

Good afternoon. I don't start my blog like that very often, usually am blogging evening or following morning. Clearly then this wasn't your typical race day.

No this was one of the most prestigious races of the season, the GP Plouay amateur race.

The afternoon blogging is down to the race starting at a very English and very unfrench, 9am in the morning.
This was definitely a shock to the system as the alarm went off just gone 6am and I awoke pretty confused yet also quite excited as to what the day would hold.

Breakfast, bike on car and off to pick Sam Allen up. It was freezing and really dark still, forgot this is normal for going to a race in the UK! Arriving at Sam and he seemed equally bemused racing so early. This was to be my 47th race out here and only my second one which started in the morning!


Luckily the race was not far away. A mere 20 minutes in the car. Arriving at Plouay and the sun was rising, it was still really cold and there was thick fog.

Bit of background info on this Plouay race. It is part of the Plouay festival weekend. Made up of a track race Friday night, Saturday morning, the GP Plouay amateurs (me!), Saturday afternoon The GP Plouay Coupe de Monde womens race (Pooley,Vos and the best female riders in world) then Sunday The GP Plouay Professional race. So a packed weekend of racing and definitely one of the biggest cycling events in France.

So arriving and the first sight, through the fog, was hundreds of campervans all lined up along the course. Next was a massive finishing banner, lots of security, barriers, eating establishments and crowds. Cant quite explain how big this event is!

In previous years this race for amateurs was an Elite National but for this year was for some reason downgraded to a 1,2,3, so although there were still good riders here, a lot of the big hitters were not present. Mainly due also to a stage race being run over this weekend as well. But saying all this still 150 riders for this one.

On the start line was Vendee U, Saur Sojasun, Cotes D'amor, Hennebont Cyclisme, VCP Lorient, Armee de Terre and lots of other possible winners. For UCL Hennebont it was myself, Rene and Mickael. The big news was there was 5 Brits in this race!

Myself, Sam, Chris Seviour (Jersey), James Mclaughlin (Guernsey) and Mike Cuming (twenty3c_orbea)

So lined up, 9am the circuit was the same for our racing, womens and pro mens. A 20km lap made up of a wide finishing straight (with a tailwind), a short sharp climb coming into a longer drag, a fast twisty descent, a nasty couple of kilometre climb, more descending and then an evil motorway like road with a cross wind, uphill to finish off before turning back onto finish.

A hard circuit and with the wind blowing in typical Breton fashion it was gonna be a testing 6 laps making 120km.

Away we went and boy did we go! It was cold and even with a warm up I was feeling it as we flew along. I was about 50 riders back and I knew I should have been riding nearer the front but to be blunt was struggling enough where I was!

First lap done and 30 riders already dropped! Good news in the Brit camp though as Mike had managed to get into a break of 9 and were soon pulling away. Another lap done and I was feeling slightly better, unfortunately another group had chipped off the front of the bunch with 9 riders in it, including James.

Coming over the top of the 2km climb I could see the race was going away from me and also that people were using the top of the climb to take a breather. Perfect time to....attack!

That's what I did, soon away and joined by a Veranda Sarthe rider and an Armee de Terre rider. Yet not for long, they were motoring and I was soon dropped. Luckily looking round another 12 or so riders were coming across. This including Vendee U, Sojasun and Cote d'Armor. I sat up, waited and got in the wheels and with some serious hard riding we were soon long gone from the peloton.

A good move to be in as the front two groups had formed to make 18 riders leaving myself in the second group of 15 or so chasing with a 1 min 40 to make up.

With 4 Cote d'Armor in the group it was down to them to do majority of work. Free ride for me then! In theory yes! In practise no! You know your either not on a good day or your with some very strong riders when your struggling to just hang on. This was a bit of both. Legs were not especially good and they were flying with the gap coming down nicely.

Another lap and 80km. The elastic snapped. Well more to the point the riders in my group decided we weren't going quick enough. Soon attacks were flying up the 2km climb and the group split into 4, 7 or so in front, a 3, myself and 2 others and then a 3 behind me. All that separated us though was a mere few metres yet everyone was on the limit and nothing was being closed.

The two I was with were (surprisingly) even more knackered than me and we soon dropped one of them and the other rider, from AC Lanester, could hardly pull a turn. With 40km to go, surely I wasn't going to have to ride 2 laps alone!

The final climb before the finish and riding up it I dropped the Lanester rider. Knowing I still had a long way to go I sat up at the top and he got back on. Bit more through and off but we were both knackered. Last lap and 8km to go. I was in no mans land (after dropping Mr Lanester again!) and riding solo. Yet looking round and a big group of a dozen or more riders were coming across. I dug deep and got in it.


Basically the next 3km I was hanging and 5km to go on the final climb our group split into two. I was struggling and ended up in the second part. Last kilometre and going for nothing now. I followed wheels and gave it everything I had left in the sprint.

48th. I'd gone from a possible top 20 to 48th in the space of 2 laps! I was knackered and very disappointed.

I was in a relatively good move, yet when the attacks went..my legs didn't. Why? Possibly not drinking enough, tiredness, at time of season, and just not going strong enough. A combination of all 3 I think!

 I know this is a race, if I am in form, I could do well in, but today wasn't my day. What a circuit, what an atmosphere though!

How did other Brits get on then? James did an absolutely amazing ride for 3rd, a big talent. Mike also did a great ride, in break all day for 15th place, myself 48th, Sam 55th and unfortunately Chris a DNF. Yet was a hard race with just myself from UCL Hennebont finishing and just 84 finishers from the 150 starters.

So not the race I wanted yet that's racing sometimes. Tomorrow a bit different as spending day watching the Mens Pro race at Plouay, cant wait! Followed by two races for me, Monday and Tuesday.

Will keep you posted on how they go and hopefully will have more positive racing news!

Challenge Roi Morvan: Meslan...down and back

Il fait chaud...yes another hot Brittany day and another hot race.

After yesterday's Ronde Finistere race I was ready (if probably still dehydrated!) to  tackle today's race at Meslan.

Awoke, and after what was a terrible nights sleep, headed off to drop team car back. Riding back to house, a mere 4km, I thought legs would be tired yet actually felt better than yesterday.

So normal pre race stuff and then was met by my team mate Sebastien and his family for the 20 minute drive to Meslan. Arriving at it was our club who was organising the race. This meant lots of familiar faces, lots of kissing, hand shaking and lots of Hennebont riders for the race, 9 infact!

So signed on and headed off for a warm up round the circuit. On a day like this it doesnt take long to warm up with the temperature again touching 30 degrees! Why do the French race in the heat of the day!?

The circuit then...2.5km a drag to the finish with tonnes of wind, a very small climb, a very windy false flat and the a twisty and quite dodgy descent to finish off. 25 laps so a short one. On the line the normal contenders and around 60 riders.

2:30pm and away we went. Pretty calm to start, yet after a couple of laps the pace was on. I was feeling ok, if struggling a bit on the false flat with the wind. Still following the wheels I waited. A few laps later and a serious move went with team mate Pascal in it. I sat in and soon saw the opportunity and with a couple of others jumped across. Now around 15 of us away and race over for the peloton.

We were out of sight pretty sharpish, yet with such a big group it was very stop and start and lots of attacking. I followed the wheels and tried to save as much as possible whilst drinking loads and eating. A few riders were dropped but other than that all stayed the same.

A couple of laps later and disaster struck. My seat clamp decided to give way sending my saddle back and pointing downwards. This made producing any power pretty hard. Typical, weeks of missing the break, finally get in it only for this to happen.

Unfortunately Pascal wasn't having much luck either as he was suffering, and with attacks flying soon a split occurred and both of us were detached along with 3 other riders. We were all struggling and although the break of 6/7 were within touching distance lap after lap we were not  likely to catch them.

So last lap. Bollocks were in all sorts of pain from saddle position and back was starting to throb. A very half hearted attack with a 1km to go but went no where. Ended in a sprint and came 11th/12th.

There you have it, a race of what could have been. To be honest been pretty lucky this season with mechanical issues, but still very frustrating all the same.

All I can do now is try and fix seat clamp and look ahead to the next race.

 And what a race... GP Plouay amateurs next Saturday!

The support race to pro race, the day after, and a real hard and prestigious one, so I'm told. Really excited to do this as circuit is great and even more exciting is it starts at 9am in the morning!

Literally the second time in over 40 races that I have a morning start..something I much prefer. So that just leaves an easy week to make sure I am fresh as can be for what is surely one of the biggest races of my season next weekend. Cant wait!

Ronde Finistere Briec de l'Odet..hot...humid and surprisingly hilly!

Bonsoir, yes it is evening...and yes I did race this afternoon.

Today was a new one for me in that it was a series race I hadnt done before. The Ronde Finistere series. Being a Morbihan boy its a bit like going from Essex to Surrey to race...different roads, different riders, yet was pretty sure the same high standard of racing.


So awoke and headed to get the team car. Normal pre race jobs done the weather was already heating up. As practically all racing is in the afternoon here this is something I still struggle to get used too and today would mean we would be racing in the heat, of what was going to be a very hot day!

So off to pick Sam Allen up, a mere 5 min drive away and then away for the 50 min drive west. The sun was out, we were slowly cooking as we drove along, all was well!

So arriving for the race at the town of Briec de l' Odet. We were pretty early so sat around for a bit and tried to find some shade! Soon though we went and signed on, got bikes ready and headed off for a warm up.

The circuit then...3.6km a long climb/drag to the finish, a sharp kick round the back, a decent, couple more climbs and fast run back to finish. Surprisingly hilly and as we lined up for the 3:15pm depart we knew it was gonna be a tough one.

So rider wise. Lots of BIC2000, VCP Lorient, Vendee U, Sojasun, Hennebont, Cotes D'amor, UC Briochine, AC Lanester, basically lots of very good riders! 80 or so starters and we had 30 laps of the course.

So away we went, with the temperature 30 degrees and summer finally arriving for racing. Straight away and an attack went. I was straight onto it, as the yellow series leaders jersey was present and I knew its best to tackle these races from the front.

Yet after a lap we were caught. Next few laps and the peloton was already starting to fragment as riders were dropped on the hilly circuit. I was feeling ok, but not enjoying the stop start style of racing. Another few laps and I was making sure I was drinking and eating well in the heat. Yet as the only UCL Hennebont rider I had no one to hand up bottles so was attempting this on just two, and with the heat as it was this was to be a challenge!

So another few laps and breaks went and came back due to the rolling nature of the circuit. Soon though after an hour of racing, a serious looking move went on the climb to the finish. I knew I had to go so went to bridge but legs were numb and I couldnt make it. What I couldnt make ended up being the winning split. Not good.

So back in the bunch and the bunch was not looking to interested in chasing what was basically a massive split of 40 riders up the road! Surprisingly the yellow jersey was still in the bunch. An hour and a half done and I knew the race was going away from me. I put a bit of a dig in on the finishing climb and soon was away in a group of 4.

The next few laps can only be described as painful! As the Briochine rider in my group decided he'd go full gas everytime he went through as we attempted to chase, what now was multiple groups up the road. Yet it was working, as lap after lap we caught and passed groups.

Was pretty shocked even when we passed and dropped Anthony Vignes, BIC2000 rider and Bretonne Champion. Yet soon I was realising a lot of guys had gone too hard early on and with such a hard circuit were now just blowing up.



So my small chase group were slowly mopping up the front markers. I was feeling better, if slightly in need of a bottle!

So last lap and the four of us had caught and passed probably 20 riders. Up to the line and I rolled across it second in my group. Yet although we were riding well as a group we hadn't done enough...still loads up the road and I finished a pretty poor 20th place.

Few minutes later and Sam and the remains of the bunch came in. Could only have been 35-40 or so finishers from 80 or so starters, in what was a really hard circuit.

So what to take away from this...


positives:

1, Felt relatively good as race went on
2, climbing better
3,had a good workout chasing for an hour and a half!
4, a top 20 with a quality field cant be sniffed at

negatives:

1, was in right place, right time, yet couldnt react to winning move..that explosive effort just isnt there at the moment.

2, only 2 bottles for 110km in 30 degree heat...not ideal

So not great race. A lot to work on and know if I could just get in the move I'm pretty sure I'd be ok...it's just that 30-1min effort to get into it!

No point dwelling to much on it at moment though as another chance tomorrow in Challenge Roi Morvan in Meslan, clubs promoting it so hopefully will be able to put in a good ride. Will keep you posted!

Locmiquelic: a message for the legs

Bronzage.... tanning ,what most people with any sense would be doing on a day like today..not for me though. Race at Locmiquelic was on the cards.

After yesterday's shocker. I awoke early, very early in fact. Not sure why but to bright sunny skies I wasnt to worried. After lying in bed for a couple of hours I got up did the usual pre race rituals and headed off for the second race in the two day block.

Locmiquelic was today's town. A mere 20 minutes away by car. I really think I am in the best position for racing in Brittany! When I say 20 mins though that's if you don't end up driving through a funfair, exactly what I did!

 Because today is a National holiday in France (they like their holidays here!) the town was buzzing with attractions and festivities. By the coast the smell of sand and other seaside smells wafted in the car. The skies were bright, the temperature was touching 25 degrees and I was ready to make amends from yesterday.

Kitted up, signed on and ready, 3 laps warm up. Wanted to get yesterdays race out of the legs and make sure I was ready for whatever the race through up. 3.4km circuit. A wide open finishing straight followed by a windy stretch, a right hander a few tight corners before a bit of a climb and then a short descent back to the finishing straight. Not all that challenging although with the wind blowing hard it was not going to be a walk in the park (it never is!)

So 3:30pm and lined up. Just myself and Phil for this one. The field was small but some good riders though, in the form of VCP Lorient and loads of Hennebont Cyclisme. Away we went, 28 laps, lots of primes and with a small peloton no where to hide!

So first few laps were pretty controlled, until I kicked off proceedings. Why me!? Well fed up with the start stop attitude of a lot of these races and bad legs I wanted to grab this race by the scruff of the neck and force both legs and race to how I wanted it to pan out.

So after a few attacks nothing was sticking. Until we hit the windy section just after the finish when attacks began. 5 riders soon had a gap and I had missed it. More that my legs, even with some coaxing, were not good. Soon they had built up a bit of a lead. The bunch began to chase though yet unfortunately another two riders jumped across to the break, without me!

So 7 riders up front. 3 VCP Lorient, 3 Hennebont Cyclisme and a rider from Quimper. This was gonna be hard to bring back as that was quite a workman like group. Soon they had 30 seconds.

The bunch started to thin though. Unfortunately Phil was one of the riders dropped. I was in no mood to sit back and let the break gain on their lead. Working well in the bunch we kept the break at between 20-40 seconds for the next 60km!

A few laps later and I'd picked up a little money from a prime and was starting to feel better. 2 laps to go and ready to hack. To be fair I was hacking all race. Probably doing to much work but using it as training more than anything.

So 2 laps to go and I attacked on the climb taking with me a Hennebont and one other rider. Soon we were away and going for 8th. Last lap and we were riding hard. I was feeling ok and hoping to go for a long one in the sprint. Unfortunately didnt go to plan and ended leading the other two riders out! Plonker!

Still 10th place is a lot better than last few races. I definitely did to much work yet wanted to wake legs up and give them the message I wanted them working for next few races! Some big races coming up so hopefully  today's top 10 will push me in the right direction!

Seglien, Suffering and sausages

Form...a very strange and mystical thing. When you have it your on top of the world...untouchable. When you don't every turn of the pedal, every drag and acceleration hurts.

With a season beginning mid February it is near to impossible to keep form or be going well for the entire season. Like a rollercoaster there are ups and downs, peaks and troughs and at the moment I've been experiencing the trough!

So the last you heard of me I was trying to find some legs and form at the seaside, Concarneau to be exact. Last Tuesday night, and to be honest was feeling a lot better than the previous few races. So moral slightly better I had a few days before the next race.

It's come to that point in the season where I'm not going to make massive gains in training, its more a case of recovery and with lots of racing, make sure I'm prepared for the next race.

So that meant a steady hours recovery ride Wednesday, to get the race from the night before out of my legs, then Thursday a short sharp session of hill sprints, just a couple of hours but intense.

 Friday followed with a day off the bike, spent chilling by the beach! Treated myself to an ice cream and spent the evening watching live music at the Lorient Celtic Festival, pretty good rest day I'd say!

Saturday and awoke to rain, lots of it. Knowing I needed to open legs up a bit before Sunday's race I headed out for a wet hour and a half.


Sunday and Seglien. Another Challenge Roi Morvan race (how many of these are there!?) Awoke to dry skies and brisk winds. After picking up team car and doing the usual pre race rituals of bag packing etc. I headed off for Seglien. A town very near to last weeks race at Cleguerec. 45 mins in the car and arriving at the sleepy town.

Signed on and kitted up. I headed down to see my team mate Laurent and team manager Yvon. Just myself and Laurent racing this one and the field was pretty small as well, think just over 40 riders in fact. Circuit was a rolling one. 6.4km, a long drag like climb to the finish of probably a kilometre, a little descent, lots of open roads and wind. We had 14 laps and although the field wasn't big it had some good riders in it. With AC Lanester, UC Briochine and Scaer riders, Guillemot and Kerneis (Masters National Champion) as well as lots of other possible winners.

So away we went and a break formed literally within metres of starting! I wasn't ready for that, luckily none of the race favourites were either. Still the break of half a dozen or so soon built up at good 30 sec lead. In the bunch and the wind and rolling terrain was keeping everyone on their toes. It was very stop/start, terrible for me! I much prefer fast throughout as the constant change of pace is not something I adapt well too!

So after a few laps, I was not feeling all that great. I will hark back to that search for the magical "form". Clearly I was still on the hunt for it! Every time we hit the finishing drag and attacks would go I was in the red, legs and breathing not good.

A few laps more and the break was coming back. The bunch had lost a few riders as well. The change of pace was really getting to me so I thought the best form of defence was to attack. Soon I was away with 5 or so others and we had a nice gap to the bunch and catching the remaining breakaway rider we were away!

Yet the bunch was soon back up to us. I was a bit spent and soon attacks were going and I just didn't have the legs to follow. No reserves at the moment probably sums it up.

So soon a big group had gone up the road. All big hitters present. Race over with 4 laps to go. What was left of the bunch weren't too interested and although half a dozen of us got away in the last few laps we were basically racing for 21st.

So rolling across the line, 26th. Rubbish.

Laurent was slightly better in 20th but was definitely not a good day.


So what to do!? Good question! I am resting well, although sleeps a bit on and off, training ok, recovery rides and a few short sharp rides, yet going like a deflated space hopper.

Mentally maybe a bit stale as well as all races are sort of rolling into one at the moment! Luckily some big races (Perthes, GP Plouay) coming up will help, giving me something to aim towards.

Maybe its just a bad patch. The result of over 40 races this season or something not right with training, either way I want to get out of the rut and get back to how I was feeling in June/July.

How I'm going to do this I do not know! (answers on postcard please)


Not worth getting down about it though, gonna keep plugging away and keep positive and hopefully legs will come round.

Another chance today at Locmiquelic.

On a much brighter note I had a very pleasant evening spent with the team their families last night at a Grillade, basically a big get together, lots of food and beer in the teams massive garage. A nice evening spent forgetting about the terrible race and  catching up over a few sausages, cheese and a slab of far breton!

Grand Prix des Filets Bleu: Concarneau

Tuesday evening's, usually spent in front of TV, maybe out at the cinema or catching up with friends. Not for the racing cyclist in France! Evenings over here usually mean one thing...nocturne racing!

Rather than mull over the previous couple of races I will basically say they haven't gone to well.

After a stern talking to myself and asking myself what would Jens Voigt do, I decided to stop feeling sorry for my bad form and do something about it!

Tuesday morning then and out for the usual spin in the morning to open the legs before the evening's racing. Sun out, wind howling I headed off for my usual loop. Only difference today was I really had the bit between my teeth. Legs were feeling stiff yet I was in no mood to take it easy. A relatively hard hour of sprints to wake both myself and my legs up, felt much better afterwards.

So normal prep and then away at 6pm for the 40 min drive to Concarneau, Finistere way. Well when I say 40 mins that's if you don't get lost. Probably the simplest race to get to. Literally onto motorway come off at Concarneau. What did I do? Miss the turn off. Typical

So off at the next one and finally direction Concarneau. With many of my races the towns are completely new to me yet this was a bit different having stayed here on holiday with my parents when I was younger. Still that didn't seem to help much, as again I got lost trying to find my way to the start! So finally arriving, a bit fired up, with 45 mins to go before the start.

No idea why I struggled to find the start as it was slap bang in the middle of the town, by the port with massive crowds, hoardings and a big banner and podium! Still signed on I headed off for a warm up.  Warming up I was able to have a look round the town as well. Beautiful town with lots of restaurants, a market and a port, perfect for a relaxing summer evening!

The circuit then. 2.2km. Long finishing straight with tailwind, dead turn (Blackpool Tour series like) Block headwind back straight, flowing right hander, another fast left, a drag then a very very dodgy downhill left, with loads of road furniture to lead back onto the finishing straight.

Technical, fast and very reminiscent of a criterium circuit in the UK. Main difference here, as I lined up for the 8pm depart, was there was an 80 rider field and we had 40 laps of the circuit!

On the start line, normal suspects. Leceumie Espoir, VCP Lorient, Cotes D'Armor, Hennebont Cyclisme, AC Lanester and the winner from The Lorient Nocturne on Friday night, and his team mate.

Just myself from UCL Hennebont. So away we went. I was a bit far back (30th wheel) and knew this was not the place to be as the circuit gave little room for moving up. So abit of kamikaze riding was the name of the game for the first lap. Up the inside of the corner, over a kerb and coming into the second lap I was sitting top dozen or so riders.

The pace was electric, with a strong field and a great atmosphere everyone was up for the race. The bunch was in one long line and this is pretty much how it stayed for the next couple of hours. Moves going off the front only to be brought back. I was now sitting around 20 riders back. Yet my worst nightmare was always only a few minutes away...a dead turn!

Maybe because I'm relatively light or maybe just the fact I literally have zero fast twitch muscle fibres, either way I was struggling out of the corner every lap. I tried everything, on hoods, drops, spinning, big gear, at front of bunch, leaving a gap, sprinting early, the lot! Nothing seemed to work that well! So wasting a lot of energy out of the corner and having to do it 40 times started to become frustrating!

Anyway soon a break was up the road of half a dozen. Due to being pretty worried over last few races of 1 finishing and 2, being good at the end of the race. I for some reason became very negative in the race. Legs were pretty good yet I was not going with moves, afraid I would blow up later. Stupid I know and not the way I usually race.

So anyway the break went out to 30 seconds. Yet the bunch still had lots of the top riders in it. An hour done and the bunch was a lot lot smaller! Probably halved. The pace was still on and I was feeling good.

Soon though tiredness in the bunch started to show as a big crash occurred on the fast left hander onto the finishing straight. I avoided it yet it made the next few laps pretty interesting as we scooted round the mess!

10 or so laps to go and another group had just eased off the front. I again was to worried about getting to the end rather than actually being proactive (not the aim of the game I know!). They were literally dangling though and bridgeable for a good few laps. Also by this time the sun had started to set, plummeting Concarneau into darkness. Last 20km was to be a real nocturne!

So last couple of laps and the bunch were flying. Last lap and the bunch caught some of the second group on the road just as we hit the line. Zelinski, taking the bunch sprint for 12th. Myself, 20-30thish.

So no result as such. Why? Well a few  reasons...

1. Not proactive, too worried about blowing up, not the way I normally race, maybe a bit more confidence needed.

2. The circuit was basically a sprinters one. I would have had to been on a good day for a result here.

3. couldn't get out of the bloody dead turn, even after 40 attempts!

So although no result, I thoroughly enjoyed the racing, fast, furious and finishing gone 10pm! Crowds were massive and Concarneau a lovely town. What more can you ask for on a Tuesday nights race.

So back at 11:30pm, a nice peanut butter and banana sandwich and off to sleep. Bit of a break in racing before Seglien race Sunday. Before that though a bit of time to recover, a couple of rides and a trip or two to the week long Interceltic Festival at Lorient!

Challenge du Roi Morvan at Clegeurec: stupid British Mentality

Challenge du Roi Morvan...always does what it says on the tin...challenges.

As you may have gathered from the previous few posts racing hasn't been going to well at the moment. Why? I'm not entirely sure. After a kicking at Lorient on Friday night I was not prepared for the same scenario for today's race.

After what was a terrible nights sleep  (a very annoying mosquito doing laps of my bedroom!) I awoke a bit bleary eyed. Luckily I opened the shutters to find bright sunny skies, think I would have returned to bed if it was anything else!

Breakfast, bike cleaned, kit packed, then lunch and off in team car to the race. Garmin on I was under it's guidance. Normally this works out fine but today it decided to take me the more scenic route to the race! This meant country lanes for an hour, great!

Still arriving with an hour to go in the town of Clegeurec, near to Pontivy. A strong coffee before to try and wake me from my slumber and signed on, kitted up and ready for the 3pm depart.

Not doing my usual ride in the morning I headed off for a prolonged 30 min warm up round the 5.4km circuit. The wind was howling and the circuit was hard. A few kilometres false flat, a twisty farm track descent and a bit of a climb to the finish. At least it was dry!

Lined up on the start line. About 50 riders for this one. Some good riders as well including AC Lanester, Sojasun and VCP Lorient. For UCL Hennebont it was myself, Laurent and the two Phillips. Watching was an assortment of UCL supporters, family, friends and team manager. A real UCL outing it would seem.

So 3pm and away we went. Literally as soon as foot clipped into pedal and the rain began. Not just any rain, proper full on hacking rain! So lined out, pouring with rain, wind howling and we hadnt yet done one of the 16 laps!

Soon after a mere couple of laps the race was in pieces. It seemed like there was 3 options, attack, get dropped or get off! Lots of riders seemed fall into the last two categories!

Soon there weren't many of us left and I was really suffering in the cold rain. Trying to keep warm I spun a ridiculous gear and kept eating and drinking. Soon though the race had exploded. Riders everywhere. I was in a group of 8 or so with 2 riders at the head of the race, a group of 13 just behind them, then my group and to be honest no idea what was happening behind that.

My legs were actually pretty good, just my body was going into shut down. Could hardly change gear. Wasn't so bad on the drag but on the descent was terrible. Trying to concentrate, stay upright and hold onto some form of warmth.

Soon after another few laps my group was down to 5. Some riders dropped, others just, sensibly, calling it a day. After stopping on Friday I was in no mood to do the same again.

Continuing lap after lap and soon there was just myself and pink jersey rider (leader of series for something?) 4 laps to go. Although ridiculously cold my legs were feeling ok, my companion wasn't! Last lap and I dropped him. 

Final lap and in no mans land alone, I rode in to finish 16th. Surprisingly though handing my number in I was awarded an envelope with 10 euros in it!? Sympathy prize possibly!

Stupid British mentality, probably sums it up though, as riders stopped I forged on. This mentality of needing to finish isnt very European, as my team mates pointed out afterwards! Also with a big race to do on Tuesday, getting cold and wet today for a lowly 16th place wasn't really a good idea, lesson learnt.

So still hunting form, plenty more races to do it luckily. Now to rest up before Concarneau Nocturne on Tuesday and hope legs, head and weather plays ball!

Grand Prix du Port de Pêche à Lorient: switch on or get off

41st. The placing I came? No, the amount of races I've started so far this season. Not quite sure in previous seasons how many I've done, but pretty sure by end of this season it will be the most.

So that in mind my 41st could have been just any other race. Well it wasn't.

After my easy week, a couple of weeks ago I headed back into training this week. With August and September both jam packed with racing and big races like Plouay and Perthes, I was keen to get some quality miles and training in the legs.

So Monday, a recovery ride to Port Louis, Tuesday a day of sprints round the coast and back inland for the final hour or so. Wednesday, a steady 3hrs. All I hasten to add in beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures. Summer weather at last!

So tan lines worked on and feeling good I had Thursday as a day off. I wish I hadn't! What a day, poured with rain all morning, so was stuck in doors with the cat. Thankfully brightened up in afternoon so headed into town for a coffee. Still what a long day and with my landlady out all day till 9pm I was feeling very bored and pretty down by the end of it.

Still Friday at least looked a lot more interesting. Awoke to rain again, yet I had no time to wait till it passed. Kitted up I headed off for my usual hour spin and to pick up the team car. Car picked up and surprisingly no rain for entire ride!

Back and normal pre race rituals. Wipe bike down, bottles, eat. By this point in the season I think I could do this with my eyes shut! Still all sorted and ready for evenings race.

The sun had finally come out as well, just in time for me to leave at 6pm for Lorient.

Off I headed and with The Lorient Interceltic music Festival on (a week long massive all things Celtic affair!) I left with plenty of time. Too much it would seem. I arrived an hour and a half early! Port de Peche. Basically Lorient's massive fishing port and tonight's race.

So 20 min drive was all it took and arriving I realised this was a biggun. Massive crowds, lots of hoardings, big podium and a festival atmosphere.

The race was an Elite National. This basically is, other than professional, the biggest category of racing. Due to being on a smallish team I don't get to do to many of these (Route Bretonne, Manche Atlantique etc fall into same category) So this was the perfect opportunity to see how I figured against the top riders.

Elite National 's also have more red tape, as for the first time in months I had to show my licence when signing on. Lots more numbers to pin on as well! The biggest difference between these top races and others is the prize money. There was tonnes of it on offer. Primes ranging from 100 euros to 250!

Everyone was there for this one, including some pros from Bretagne Schuller. These riders were actually not taking part in our race but acting as celebrities for the preceding support race.

So all signed on and kitted up. I saw Sam and we headed off for a warm up. A 2.9km circuit. pan flat, very windy, wide open roads, not much in the way of corners and only a couple of roundabouts..and a strange pave section to negotiate.

Warm up done and lined up ready for the 7:45pm depart. 32 laps. On the line were only just over 40 riders. Yet don't let this fool you. This was not gonna be an easy race and on a circuit like this the fewer riders the harder it was to be. The riders were of some quality with Leceumie Espoir, AC Lanester, UC Nantes, Cotes d'Armor, VC Lyon, Aix en Provence, VCP Lorient and BIC2000 (with Bretagne Champion Vignes) to name just a few. More worryingly just myself for UCL Hennebont!

So away we went and straight away the pace was on! Through the roundabouts and attacks going from kilometre zero.I was half way down the bunch and was ok. With such a windy circuit and a lot of quality riders the plan was to sit in and save as much as I could for the final few laps.

Not the best of ideas. Soon things began splitting and I was too far back. Two groups up the road with myself and a dozen others in the final segment. Riders were already being dropped at an alarming rate due to the frantic pace. Soon the groups were away. Yet my group, with some big hitters in it, weren't happy to call it a night and after a few laps of full gas riding we were all back together.

I was starting to struggle though. Legs were ok, head was not. Sport is definitely both physical and mental. For me mentally its often my downfall. Yet mechanically I also seemed to be having problems as over the rough pave my front wheel decided to develop a serious buckle. Probably should have stopped and taken a lap out to sort it, but for some reason didnt. This meant for the next few laps I was constantly fixated on my dodgy wheel, not really what I should have been concentrating on as we hacked round at 27/28mph for the first hour!

Another few laps later and I was having fun and games on the pave. The bunch was down to 25 or so and the light was fading fast. Next problem. Sunglasses, I just couldn't see after a while! Sunglasses off and I felt disorientated. As you can see a pattern is beginning to emerge here. I just wasn't switched on for the race as silly other things were taking my attention.

10 laps to go and not many left in bunch. Break off 2 had a mere 15 seconds and the catch was imminent. This also meant to pace was electric. 7 laps to go and I was way to far back. Keen to keep as much back for the last few laps I followed wheels. I shouldn't have, as riders were starting to crack. Soon gaps opened and on wrong wheels I just didn't react in time. At that speed and with that quality of field this was fatal. Myself and a few others were soon distanced and that was it...race over.

5 riders ended up getting off the front in last few laps. With the win going to Pierre Bourlet of VC Lyon, followed by Hennebont rider and Vignes rounding off the podium. Sam did a great racing, only cramping in final metres to finish 19th of the 26 finishers.

My legs although not amazing weren't that bad, which made it even more frustrating, that with better positioning, concentration and being less passive, I would probably have still have been in the bunch and one of those 26 finishers.

So that was it, doesn't happen very often but my race was over, 25 laps of 32 done. I was really pissed off and in no mood to watch the finish. Numbers back and a short drive home at least.

In reflection I was never going to get that great a result, I am not going well enough and it was definitely a sprinters circuit, yet complacency and stupidity made what could have been a good race, a complete waste of time for me.

All I can do now is put it behind me and move onto the next one, tomorrow at Cleugerec.

Gonna make sure I'm switched on for this one. Not making last nights mistakes again!