#projectneopro

WANLOCKHEAD ROAD RACE: Last weekend saw another trip up to Scotland for me, this time to race in the extremely hilly course of Wanlockhead. This course takes in a 7 mile climb up to the highest village in Scotland. The weather added another dimension to the already very difficult route with constant rain and temperatures barely reaching double figures. The race started and my legs felt alright through the first 1/4 of the race over some rolling roads. However this soon changed as we hit the first of 3 major climbs. I found myself slipping back through the bunch eventually right to the back and I was dropped with around 500m to go to the top. I couldn't regain contact with the main bunch however a groupetto did form and we rode together quite well. Unfortunately 4 miles into the 7 mile climb I decided to step off the bike and end my race early. Im going to be honest my form on the road is no where near where I want it to be or where it should be. For crits, yes, and I'm happy with how I'm racing them but when it comes to the road right now I am off the pace and it is disappointing. It's part of the reason I have changed my coach and we're now working on a plan to try and change my fortune for the last part of the season.

MANCHESTER WHEELERS 2 DAY: PROLOGUE: Short and simple, 1 lap of the Tameside circuit would decide the first GC standings in this 3 stage race. I was off around half way through the field and I knew I would lose time to others here because of the duration of the effort so it was all about damage limitation for me. I rode the course as aggressive as I could using the full width of the track in places. I came home in 1 minute and 20 seconds. 9 seconds down on the winner on the day, my team mate Rick. 2 others of my team got a top 10 and 20 respectively while I came home in 44th. STAGE 1 CRITERIUM: In the afternoon of the first day was the 40 lap crit race around the same tameside circuit but the opposite way around. This is where my weekend turned for the worse as at some point either during the morning stage or early on in the crit I injured my knee leading to lots of pain everytime I came out of the hairpin corner. I eventually had to decide to take the sensible option and pull out of stage 1 early. This was really disappointing and it left me second to last on GC but it was a decision I needed to take in order to give the best chance the next day. DAY 2: STAGE 3 Stage 3 was 55 mile Road race around the Oakenclough course with 5 accents of the Delph lane climb which peaks at 15%. Unfortunately the knee injury I picked up on day 1 didn't go away and I suffered from the word 'go'. I had to pull out after just 1 lap as the pain in my knee was too much. Overall this was a disappointing weekend but there was nothing I could do about it.

UCLAN CRIT: Thursday saw the last time I will be racing at UCLAN this season and I went out with the same plan as last week however I was left wanting. I went first with 5 laps to go but couldn't sustain the gap for very long as the bunch were keen to chase me down. I then tried another 3 times to get away including a little try on the last lap however each time I was brought back quickly. I ended up going into the bunch sprint with pretty tired legs but managed to hold onto another top 10. Im disappointed with this as I had really hoped I could of got a win at Uclan this season but I have to take positives out of the race and a new 1 minute all time power pb and a 20 watt improvement in my best 10 minute power from last week to this week are good signs. Key stats: Distance: 28.8km Time: 42 mins Avg speed: 41kmh Result: 7th

Distance: 30.7km Time: 45 mins 19secs Avg speed: 40.7kmh Result: 6th

OAKENCLOUGH ROAD RACE: Sunday was the first Road race on my local course this year so I was looking for a good result. My coach had assured me that if everything went to plan I should be in the mix at the end. The weather proved to be challenging as it was constantly changing throughout the lead up to the start and throughout the race. The course took in the Delph lane climb which maxes at 15% 5 times and it was guaranteed to finish with a reduced group at the front. I was feeling good for the first few laps but unluckily I lost one of my bottles on lap 2 so therefore I had 1 bottle for around 65km that remained of the race. This eventually caught up with me as I was trying to conserve what little drink I had and I cramped going up the main climb on the 4th time. I managed to push through it and start my chase back onto the group, however after chasing for a long time on my own I cracked and ended up loosing a lot of time to the front group but I still finished before lots of other groups on the road. I was really disappointed with this as it was my local race I really wanted to do well but things like this happen and I look forward to more races to come. Key stats: Distance: 78km Time: 2hrs 23mins Avg speed: 32.5kmh Meters climbed: 1,217m Result: 28th

UCLAN CRIT: It was a windy night at UCLAN which meant it was going to be a tough race. I went with a plan to just follow wheels until late in the race and for the most part I followed this plan well and I got in some pretty promising moves but it was hard to make breaks stick with the wind playing such a big factor. I made sure that I was fresh for the final 5 laps as this is where positioning is crucial. A lone rider tried his luck with 1 lap to go however we caught him with around 1/3 of a lap to go and for a few seconds the bunch sat up. It was a perfect opportunity for me to launch the attack I planned however I hesitated and thought about it for a split second and the chance was gone. *Note to self* never hesitate! My chance was gone and it was set for yet another bunch kick. I got a good line through the final corner but I was too far back to contest the win. A top 10 finish however a big chance missed. Distance: 32.1km Time: 46mins 26secs Avg speed: 41.5kmh Result: 8th

SALT AYRE CRIT: After heavy rain in the morning it cleared up to be a great night for racing and this reflected in the large field that turned up to race. As always a flurry of attacks went early but again none stayed away. The pace was constantly high as people were keen to drive it and try and create splits. I tried a few attacks but just like everyone else it came to nothing. With a few laps to go someone slipped off the front and managed to hold the gap to the finish line meaning the bunch were sprinting for second. Unfortunately I had been suffering with stomach cramps for most of the race and these really affected my sprint meaning I just rolled in behind the main sprint. Key stats: Distance: 35km Time: 48 minutes Avg speed: 43.7kmh Result: 17th

** I would like to start by saying sorry that I haven't uploaded much recently. This is due to 2 things. 1) Ive had a week of not racing any midweek crits and instead training and 2) the last few races I have done I have not been in the right frame of mind afterwards to write about them. ** NORTH WEST REGION JUNIOR CIRCUIT CHAMPS: This weekend was the first chance for me to win a jersey and a regional champs. The race was at UCLAN so I knew the track well. The race attracted a very strong field of the best juniors from around the North West and from the off it was clear it was going to be a very hard and aggressive race. Lots of moves went early and I managed to cover a few of the more dangerous ones however I decided to sit in for most of the race as I knew that there were guys there a lot better at circuit racing than I was. As the race progressed a group of 6 got away and stayed away unfortunately I missed this split and I ended up with 9th after being rolled on the line for 7th. Key stats: Distance: 39.9km Time: 57 mins 51 secs Avg speed: 41.4kmh Result: 9th