Tuesday 4 July 2017

Beware of the dark side!

Today is race day! But instead of packing the shock pump and driving into a muddy wood I'm heading for the glamour of Goodwood motor circuit. This is because I am racing a closed circuit road race.

This will be only my second competitive outing on the black top. Unfortunately my first ended in a London A&E department, having my ear sewn back on. This wasn't my fault. Unlike mountain biking accidents which are a result of your own lack of talent and the trees don't tend to leap out at you. In a road race you are very dependent on the other riders. My previous race came to a dramatic end when the rider ahead of me unclipped and went down as he opened up the final sprint. At 30 mph there wasn't any time to take avoiding action.

Due to the UCI's aversion to disc brakes I'll be taking the same old bike to Goodwood. This has a tiny 46t chainring so there will not be much chance of me taking part in the sprint today - which is probably a good thing! This evenings race is more about the atmosphere and the experience.


No comments:

Post a Comment