East London Velo Winter Series Crit Rd 2

A busy Christmas (will take it easy next year) followed by a 2 week virus was not the best set up for January racing but I thought it would be a great opportunity to see where my fitness was.

At the start line I wanted to be close to my team mate so I didn't bother to move forward to the front. Two mistakes I made right there. For a Crit if you can work with team mates it's great but shouldn't be a top priority especially if you have different goals. And get as close to the start line as possible. 

As soon as we started a bunch of 5 cat 2 and 3 riders formed at the front. I was too far back to catch onto this and spent the next 10 minutes trying to bridge the gap but it never happened. 

Halfway through the race a second bunch formed which seemed like a natural progression rather than a breakaway as I think the group divided depending on how riders were feeling. I was happy to stay with this group and decided my goal would be to do my best in this bunch of 5.

My fitness definitely showed to be not as great as before the season. Part of me was glad I hadn't made it onto the front bunch as I might not have lasted long! I was standing up to get up the Hoggenberg a lot earlier than usual with dead legs, a sore back (too much yoga) and heavy breathing. I couldn't spend too long on the front and rotated off very quickly whenever I ended up there.

The final lap came around and I tried to breathe deeply to get more oxygen into my legs and ease off the pace but make sure I was neck and neck with the person at the front as we came up to the hill. 

The hill is positioned right at the end and I am so glad for its existence as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have won my bunch without it. My watts per kilo were on my side and with my natural explosive power I managed to smash up the climb and make it to the finish line with a couple of bikes distance ahead of the other girls. My legs were on fire, full of lactic acid and my body was completely shattered - but totally worth it for 6th place and 4 points! I'm curious to see what would have happened if I was in the front bunch - hopefully I can find out at the next race in just under a month (and with better fitness).

Maddie Heywood