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1st Broceliande Historique - 20th May - 104k

Brocelliande Historique Sunday 20th May 2007

Country - France

Area - Loheac

Distance - 103.5k

Time - 3.11.14

Entrants - 650

Placing - 51st category (103 o/all)

Race Report

Well after a 2 1/2hr drive back northwards after yesterday's excursion we find ourselves requiring food and drink - not to stiff or tired - checked into hotel - Best Western Bruz - after picking up numbers. Nice location, pleasant surrounding's...but....no dinner, kitchen closed at night (?), but open for breakfast, thankfully. Oh well a recommended resturant just down the road, should be Ok.

Now I've booked for a second night, with a view to totally chill and take a steady ride back to the ferry on Monday, might have to change that, no real point if one is going to re-fuel if one get's my drift!

Feed and watered, nice resturant well worth the visit and it made up for the closed kitchen. Anyway bedtime get ready for tomorrow.

0730hrs breakfast, pleasant and ready to go again. 0930hr start, 15min away from hotel, parked up 2min down from start line, nice. Its a rolling hill course, according to a gentleman that rode yesterday. Tony confirms this, so how are my legs going to stand up to them? Well its a suck it and see procedure. A neutral rolling start again, meant to be about 5k, but no! opps off we go or should I say off they go, bugger. No soon as the start/finish line is crossed than off the front lot go, a gap appears and I'm stuck behind again. Now this isn't going to help the legs.

Ok let's see if we can get across again, no help, nothing new there then! 30k no nearer, that's it lets re-assess. Its a big bunch, some 200, I'll keep near the front, out of any trouble. The roads are tight early on, scenary nice, even before we reach the forest. With having tight roads don't want to get stuck at the back for the moment.

Another learning curve, watching the french style of riding, fine going along the flat, but as soon as we hit a hill its all backwards. Noteably the lady (very nice by the way) who rode from the back of the pack straight to the front of the bunch without breaking wind - if know what I mean!! - but as soon as we hit a rolling hill she went straight out the back door.

Now where was I, in relation to the race position, well we came to a u bend in the road, about 60k into the course, and I grabbed a quick peek to see how many we had left in the pack. Only about 100 now, so thats it, lets take a ride, drop right out the back, drink loads, eat a little and watch.

The only problem with that is that if a break should occur I might get distanced. So I'll have to be careful on that one. Anyway, 40k'ish left and we start to hit the rolling hills. A small gap appears, but no panic, as mentioned earlier and yesterday, the French have 'problems' climbing, so a watching game is on the cards. My style of climbing? lets just tap away and see what happens.

The gap gets a little bigger, my leisure time is over, effort required please. Now this hurt, not a lot but enough to require a bottle of wine with dinner! Eventually after some roadside cheering and encouragement I make the gap and again sit in. My game plan is now to recover a little and make my way to the front with 10k to go. We pick up a couple of other riders from the front group, which gives me cheer as they can't be to far ahead.

Anyway with my computer saying 90k - 10k to go - I move to the front, take the pace up, the rolling hills are now a little less 'steep' nice power climbing - power down and power up the other side, this should make the frenchies think - the group thin's out, only 10 left, I'm looking for the final 10k sign or 5k to go sign, nothing, bugger have I got it wrong? Only 1 guy helps by coming through, mine you he was good and strong, 30 secs each on the front, the pace was good.

The finishing area was interesting - 90 degree right hander, followed by 90 left, 90 left, 90 left and 100m straight - still on the front and a bend appears, is this it? shouts from the back bellow down - in french then in english - RIGHT RIGHT!! now I know we are at the finishing area. One guy goes through, will the rest follow? no, grab his wheel, can't get passed, stay there then. The turns are taken and my race is run, he gets away and I slide through the finish line, there's Mr Williams.

So close and yet so far, he beats me by 46 secs !!! Its really strange because at no time did we see Tony and yet he was so close. Never mind another learning curve.

So thats it, bikes away, the weekend's racing is over, we grab the awaiting food and chill for a bit, wait for the results (about 20mins) take in the atmosphere, chilled atmosphere, its like having a race day in St John's Village, that sort of area. Now travel back to St Malo stay in the Ibis and re-fuel...nice!

Final thoughts on the whole weekend? A great learning curve, great riding, great company and yes I will be doing it again.