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| Jonny Croston leading the field |
Martin Price and Jonny Croston made their debut road races in the early season Barkston Heath circuit race, Grantham. Both of them figured in the race, appearing at the front and in contention for the leading group sprint in the closing stages. Both riders posted gripping accounts of the race.
Martin Price’s race report from the saddle
In true Martin Price fashion, I had tried to get every single piece of information possible, to plan the race to the last detail. I studied the course layout online and quizzed a few people about race tactics. This, along with recent Chain Gang rides was the preparation
that Jonny and I had done. Now it was the day of reckoning.
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| Martin Price on the front |
We arrived at RAF Barkston around 10:00a.m to be greeted with a cool wind and a damp track. It had stopped raining, but the road looked tricky and not inspiring confidence to lean hard into the corners.
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| Jonny Croston monitoring the Front Runners. |
As I turned the cranks for my warm-up ride I had many questions running through my head. Do I go to the front? Do I stay in the bunch? Have I done the right thing by not having a water bottle? How fast will it be? As I turned at the far end, there was a headwind ; just one more thing to add to the mix.
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| Martin Price near the front |
After both of us had paid our 3rd visit to the facilities we proceeded nervously on a sighting lap. I am not keen on the mixed concrete and tarmac surface. The first half looks OK with gentle sweeping bends. On the return is a tricky chicane with steel drain covers across the road just as riders lean in to the corner leading on to the back straight; deadly if it rains. The “S” bend at the end of the fastest straight is tarmac with a concrete patch on the apex fitted with a curb. The second apex has a bunch of tyres to stop you dropping off the 4 inch lip into the natural gravel trap that is filled with 2 inch cobbles. Then it’s the start / finish straight that dips before the last 50 yards rises gently to the finish line. A second lap is completed to try and get my head around what I have just seen. Jonny is saving the legs but I need more information for my last minute fine tuning of the race plan, so I do a third lap. On the fast straight I dip my head and turn the cranks with a bit more vigour, not full beans, just a good pace. 32mph without really trying. ‘That last “S” bend is going to be interesting’ I think to myself as I roll up to the start line.
“Right lads! Lets keep things nice and tidy out there. Last week was very messy with far too many crashes” calls the starter as an impromptu race briefing. Just what I did not want to hear. This confirms my plan to stay near the front and hopefully out of trouble. I assume my position near the front. My heart rate and breathing rates rise. The 4th cat men’s race is started, with the women 30 secs after the men. ‘Don’t get dropped, don’t get dropped’ is all I can think with the first few pedal strokes, but I haven’t got my cleat clipped in right and my right leg comes off the pedal. We are in to the 1st lap and I settle in. “Do a little bit at the front without burning your self out” was one piece of advice I was given so I take this to heart and put in a few early showings without getting the beans out. Things are sensible up at the front and the steel drain cover isn’t as deadly as I thought. The laps merge into each other as we progress. Two lads try and go off the front, but the head wind on the straight running away from the start line proves too tough, and the bunch pull them in after two laps of hard work. After a few laps we begin to catch the slower riders. I take another turn on the front and the headwind is too tough to make a break. Then I hear a call behind that a rider is down. Now I know that the decision to stay near the front is right. The next lap we catch the main ladies bunch and I want to get past them without losing my place. This would be an ideal time for a few of the front riders to work together and make a break, and I want to be in it if it happens. We get on to the fast back straight and I push hard and position myself on the inside line. I look up to see an ambulance 100 yards ahead, coming towards our bunch doing 30+ mph. We are forced to funnel to one side of the road width, but I still need to get past these ladies. After passing the ambulance I push hard for the inside line, close to the curb of the first apex. I go hard on a wide line to allow the other riders a safe passage without losing touch with the front men. A few of the faster women have tagged on to the men’s bunch.
Most laps pass without incident, but I had to take to the grass on one lap as we came through the chicane. 7 laps to go and I’m still going to plan. The odd stint at the front, but I am trying to hide more than work. Lapped riders are called to leave the track with 3 laps to go. With 2 laps to go the pace is quickening down the fast straight with riders jockeying for position, but nobody takes up the challenge of attacking into the headwind.
At the bell, I’m 5th and tuck in to conserve my energy. Jonny goes up the outside to the front, a wee bit too early, I think, but another 50 metres and I need to start moving up too. I get nudged on my left elbow and glance across. A rider is squeezing up the 12 inch gap between me and the grass. “Focus Martin” I tell myself, but it is too late as another rider passes on my right. I need to be on his back wheel, but I can’t because another rider is on his wheel. Damn! riders are passing on either side with inches to spare and I’m going from 5th to 25th in a few seconds.
Half a lap to go and hurtling towards the chicane and steel drain covers, I have visions of carnage as more than 30 riders squeeze through at 25mph. “OOHH SH*T”, I hear Jonny call from the inside. He’s been forced off the road and is banking his bike out of the corner, on wet grass. The field is spreads in front of me and finally I hae room to put the power down. Now there’s an “S” bend and I touch the brakes and lean into it and through onto the home straight safely. Finally I give it the beans, but it is too late, the front guys are 50 metres in front of me and all I can do is make back 1 or 2 places.
I am 17th and the lack of race experience showed at the moment of truth.
I took a minor tumble on the cooling down lap. Some riders took a short cut back to the pits, so I followed, but Jonny didn’t. I have grazes down the left hand side, but the bike is OK, so nothing of importance damaged.
and Jonny Croston’s more succinct version of events….
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Chaingang with Featherstone Road Club for 2 weeks prior to event.
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Provisional licence arrived Thursday before the race.
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Race day – Arrived at circuit in plenty of time thanks to Martins planning in advance.
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Circuit was very damp but weather had cleared up a touch with a stiff breeze to contend with.
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Plenty of carbon on show (including wheels) with kids and adults dotted around the car park warming up on rollers. I felt strangely pleased with my decision to turn up on my old aluminium trek which I think was comfortably the heaviest bike in the race. In contrast Martin had removed his bottle holder to save precious grams.
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After a couple of warm up laps it was clear that the circuit had some very tricky sections – one chicane where riders would be 2 abreast at most and the final corner which was at the end of the fastest straight, damp, two different surfaces and surrounded by spiky hedges, kerbs, cobbles and a stack of tyres.
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The race started and Martin quickly positioned himself near the front whilst I was somewhere in midfield.
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At the end of the first lap I spotted our group of fans (Michael, Tom and Matt) who were cheering us on vigorously which certainly helped.
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I seemed to spend the majority of the race either close to the back of the lead group or right at the front which clearly wasn’t ideal. Moving up the group was tricky unless you were willing to come up the outside into the steady headwind in the first section of a lap which then left you hanging in the wind at the front. It was clear that the vast majority of the front group had no intention of doing any work and were just waiting to sprint.
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I think I saw 4 crashes – all single riders who either clipped wheels or panicked and braked too hard and all in the first 2 or 3 laps. I had to take to the grass to avoid one crash but generally wasn’t too affected.
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At the business end of the race I’d positioned myself badly at the front and despite slowing the pace started the last lap right at the front. By the time people started coming round me i was struggling to respond but decided to put in one last effort through the chicane. Unfortunately at the 2nd to last corner there was no room to get through and i had to take evasive action hitting the grass to avoid taking myself and others down.
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With all momentum lost I rejoined the circuit and sprinted as best I could to finish with the front group in 19th, 2 places behind Martin (i had my revenge on the return lap when he clipped my wheel and went down unceremoniously – apologies for that!).
All in all I’m glad of the experience and will definitely have another go.
Thanks to Martin for organising the journey and to our loyal bunch of supporters who cycled all the way over (and back again in the case of Tom and Michael).
Clarionista Craig Wood of Nottingham Clarion finished 13th.
Video from Michael Vennard Photographs by Michael Vennard and Tom Butler
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