old dogs and englishmen - StK crit

well... dunno if they were english!

Having decided all this percieved intent to train specifically fo
something better be used I decided not to do the usual 'BR' ride out t
St Andrews with the guys (and besides Gags was bringing some fast ga
along. harrumph! )

Rode down to StKilda course and saw more familiar faces than last time
A few Hawthorn Dgraders I knew the faces of (but not names. mental note
talk more...) and Carl as I warmed up. Seemed to be a few more lining u
for Dgrade than last time and some whom looked a little stronger too.
Carl said gidday and rode around with me for abit. Nice tall guy on
Hillman whom looked good to wheelsuck. stay behind him me thinks...
Get the lecture at the starting line (altho this time they said th
passing group should shout EITHER left or right. Last time the
lectured us that the catching bunch ALWAYS goes to the right. Bi
mistake! they seemed to do both all at the same time and utte
confusion reined. worked seamlessly and Kew races have adopted th
'right only' since.more on all that later...).

we start and there's (hopeless guess at numbers ) mayb
20-25 D'ers? For the first 10-15 minutes Im sittin pretty betwee
second and tenth wheel. Just tucking in and trying to move as easil
(read lazily ) as possible.
One guy flies off along the back straight but he dont look like he'
going the distance so nobody really reacts and he comes back after hal
a lap. He does it again 1-2 laps later. What's his game? Is he testing
Is he practicing his approach to the final corner? Whatever...
Approach the Banner next time around and an old dude goes to the fron
just as we hear Cgrade shouting out. Cant tell which side they ar
coming on. Cam Woolcock flies by on the left with 2 or 3 others C'er
on his wheel. Then there's a gap and the balance of Cgrade pass as w
take the first corner (near the smelly joint).
AND THE OLD B!$$@^#D has gone with them!%@@$!!!
Did he? Nobody is sayin anything. I pull up next to the guy at th
front and ask is that old guy up with C?
"Yeah". Oh well. We keep going at a silly-easy 30-35kph until the nex
time we pass the judges, I sit up and yell out ther's a D'er up there.
They know, oh well. He'll drop back...
We keep going along. 25+minutes now and every third lap get a surge a
a few from up back come to the front. Im still trying to sit on
wheel.
The old guy was half the straight in front but as Cgrade come past fo
a second (and yet again confusing) pass he seems to go off with the
again!!! Im guessin he's been disqualified so we ignore him.
A few individuals are trying the odd mini-attack but arent getti
anywhere.
2 laps to go. Pace is steadily 40+kph (wasnt lookin too regularly)
There's a few new faces towards the front who are zig-zagging alot
Find the guy whom i'd talked to earlier cos he rides smooth and is tal
(skinny, white overshoes always in the first 5...)
Back straight and a guy goes off up the right. We also catch th
old-sneaky bugger (hah!) who tries to jump back in!!! bu
fails.
One of the hawthorn guys sets off after the flier. Im now third an
expecting to get swampd by the bunch.
Crap! Im out in front and in open air! I wanted to be a few wheels bac
and get towed (should hand out a script next time ). I loo
back and everyone is REAL strung out. What are they doing???
Im 10metres off Hawthorn guy, skinny guy is 5m behind me and i thin
someone is on his wheel.
Oh well, guess this is it. Approach last corner. Not going to make th
same mistake as i did in December, darn it! Go in hard and come ou
hard but Im in open air. Hawthorn guy has gone too soon and I pas
him.
The young kid (brunswick who got 2nd in front of me last time) jump
REAL quick on my left and i see skinny guy trying to hold his wheel, I
trying to get his but they get a gap and I start stomping but soo
realise there's not alot of juice in the pins today! I cant get skinn
and the kid but realise Im not getting threatened for third but chec
to make sure. I see Carl taking a photo at the finishline and decide t
put on my best 'blown' look.

So, 3rd! not bad considering i was thunkin i was at about the same
stage of fitness etc as last time (insert excuses here ).
What to learn, what to learn from this?
Gotta start making some progress somehow
ummm... stop riding in that last lap-finishing straight according to
what others are doing so much and just 'go' at a certain point? jeez, i
dunno. No doubt Carl will tell me...
And no Carl. that is not a prompt for some crule and unusual training
drill!

Sidenote. StK might be expensive compared to Kew (admittedly my only
other experience) but they run the show REALLY well. Marshalls
everywhere, Lady doing the rego's etc is obviously worth her weight in
gold to the club (sorry didnt catch your name, but somehow you knew
me!?).
If only they could do something about THAT smell!
(the decaying corpses of riders who hang on to higher grades perhaps
)


--
flyingdutch

flyingdutch wrote:
So, 3rd! not bad considering i was thunkin i was at about the same
stage of fitness etc as last time (insert excuses here ).

Awesome work FD! Weather for this Wednesday isn't looking the best (Rain,
20deg on weatherzone.com.au), fingers crossed that it fines up in time..


cheers,
GPL

"flyingdutch"
What to learn, what to learn from this?
Gotta start making some progress somehow
ummm... stop riding in that last lap-finishing straight according to
what others are doing so much and just 'go' at a certain point? jeez, i
dunno. No doubt Carl will tell me...
And no Carl. that is not a prompt for some crule and unusual training
drill!

Oh, I think it is.. ;-)

Train harder, ride smarter :-)
(a.k.a. think of what I'd do and then do the complete opposite! :-S)

Cool report dude and congrats on the placing! Some
of the clan have to do well.. :-)

hippy
"I'm not leaving Oz until I win that f*%^n crit!"

hippy Wrote:
Cool report dude and congrats on the placing! Some
of the clan have to do well.. :-)

hippy
"I'm not leaving Oz until I win that f*%^n crit!"

Trevor won Bgrade at Coburg on Saturday too :cool

--
flyingdutch

Well done Dutchy! How did that old guy take being disqualified - h
must've known it would happen.

Hopefully Carl will be able to take a photo of you with your arm
raised soon.

I can just imagine his feedback then. "Make sure you do up your jerse
zip and clean your face a bit for the photo before raising your arms.

--
jazmo

"jazmo"
Well done Dutchy! How did that old guy take being disqualified - he
must've known it would happen.

Hopefully Carl will be able to take a photo of you with your arms
raised soon.

Speaking of rules... you're not allowed to do that either :-)
(raise your arms I mean)

hippy

hippy Wrote:


Speaking of rules... you're not allowed to do that either :-)
(raise your arms I mean)

hippy

dont you have to have energy/strength left to do **** like that
:rolleyes

--
flyingdutch

hippy Wrote:
"jazmo"
Well done Dutchy! How did that old guy take being disqualified - he
must've known it would happen.

Hopefully Carl will be able to take a photo of you with your arms
raised soon.

Speaking of rules... you're not allowed to do that either :-)
(raise your arms I mean)

hippy

You kidding me? What about if you've pulled off a solo breakaway an
there's no other riders around you?

Wouldn't you be spewing if the officials decided to be anal an
disqaulified you

--
jazmo

jazmo wrote:
hippy Wrote:
Speaking of rules... you're not allowed to do that either :-)
(raise your arms I mean)

You kidding me? What about if you've pulled off a solo breakaway and
there's no other riders around you?

Wouldn't you be spewing if the officials decided to be anal and
disqaulified you?

I think it's simply a fine, not disqualification
and it would only be applied, I'm sure, if you
were a repeat offender or did it dangerously or
spitefully.. or you have an evil race director

hippy
- first real post with Mozilla Thunderbird

hippy Wrote:

Speaking of rules... you're not allowed to do that either :-)
(raise your arms I mean)


not even if you're drinking from two biddons

--
aeek