Varennes St Sauveur & Pont de Vaux

Hi there, this post is pretty ordinary but it is what has been going so......(2 brief race reports)

I have been a little bit sick with some of this cold weather we've been having here. But I have still been knocking out some decent training and this weekends races went Ok

Varennes St Sauveur
Saturday. 130km on a 10km lap.

The main break occurred on the first or second lap. I am not exactly sure because I was off the front for the first 2 laps and then the break bridged up to me and that was the race winning move.

I was really feeling good and also riding with some confidence. But this was probably my main problem because no 1 else was willing to show themselves to far out from the finish.

Cutting down the story, nearing 2 laps to go a flurry of attacks started coming I just sat back and waited for it to cool down then I was going to rip a big counter attack. I did just that but was also followed. Not long after this 2 guys got away and then the rest of us started playing Cat and Mouse.

I was starting to feel pretty Average so wasnt to concerned if we made the catch or not because I knew my legs wouldnt have the juice for the little up hill sprint finish......

I took 8th in the end which was a little disappointing but I defiantly should have ridden smarter   

Pont de Vaux 
I had a pretty good ride here at this race last year so was motivated to be in the mix again.

From the gun I followed an attack, and we had a decent little gap. But it seemed to be a little bit different to the previous year for some reason with the main drag of a climb being a dead slash a bit of crosswind.
So this made it really hard to get a gap with an attack.
After a few laps I was able to realise the style of race that it was turning into. It was a really stop start kind of attacking race. My legs were not liking the consistent efforts of sprinting 1 or 2mins, stop then GO.
In the end I decided to ride on the front a bit to try and nullify the stop start nature of the race. (to help my team mates)
It worked out but when finally the race winning split went we only had 1 guy up there. Who got 5th

Thats about all, just about to head into a big patch of training to build up for an U23 Tour coming up in June.... 

Essor Breton & whatever else is been going on..

So just got back from the lovely region of Bretagne (ie. hotels and a bit of Beach scenery), it was a 1000km bon voyage and mainly just of auto routes with tele payages.

I had been looking forward to this tour for a we while knowing that the conditions up that way should suit me fairly well.
On the Tuesday before a few of us riders voyaged for a Criteruim. I was riding a wave of hard training (with old team mate Sam Lindsay)
followed by rest and I felt really strong. I kept moving forward with break aways all race and so never missed 1 single good move all day..
Coming into the last lap it had all bunched up a little bit but I was still confident in the sprint.
But then came a front deralier problem with just 150m to go (dismount the bike even).....Gutted

After this I switched focus and rested a bit for heading up north:

Stage 1
Rain and a good amount of wind 155km
My type of race, unfortunately I crashed inside the first 5km and that stressed out my whole race. After a difficult chase i was back in the main group. but just after this another cross wind and someone drops the wheel. I used myself to chase for the team but this turned out to be a bad idea because it just burned me down for the tough finishing circuit. (put this stage out of the mind)

Stage 2
The mountains day. Luckily for most it was controlled up front by Etupes and Efc Quickstep, meaning it was a steady tempo for all but the last 30km on the finishing circuit which was brutal. The lap was only 9km but it had some nasty climbs and super fast descents so no reco time......(finished just behind front group)

Day 3 lead to a TTT
We were told to keep us all together. This meant pretty steady on the climbs and then the strong guys drive on the flats. I punctured on a decent with 5km to go so after trying to get back in just sat up.

Stage 4
Probably my biggest result in France so far, took 3rd on the 97km afternoon stage.
It all kicked off from the very start, really fast first 10km and then i jumped across solo to the break of 8.
After this with all the big teams represented it was all on. Once the gap got out to over 1.30 guys were already trying to hide at the back......(not like typical NZ racing where breakaways all lap 100%)

any way with 30km still to go the time gap started tumbling with a serious amount of guys not wanting to work. Attacks came and I was scrambling a we bit. But i just kept trying to stay really relaxed and not panic.
Coming into the last 7km the time gap was under 1min and we had just turned onto a road running adjacent to the beach front with a good amount of X wind (still there was a lot of foxing about). I just sat near the back pretty much in the gutter and moved with the attacks as the others tried to put each other in the gutter. Coming into the final 1000m it had all regrouped. With 300m to go there was a little road furniture that nearly caused a crash. I jumped from the back and took 3rd. Pretty happy but kind of think if i had been slightly better placed i could have had a better run at it.

Stage 5
145km more wind.
I was feeling a little under the weather so just sat back like i was told and didn't really have to put out to much energy apart from 1 section of coast line. Onto the finish circuit it was all on. I had a look for a good place to attack but there was a massive section on the lap with an insane head wind so i thought just to wait for the Sprint, I took 14th which gave me a top 10 in the bunch kick....

Cheers
KH

Chilled

EFC Quick Step guy rolls the breakway...

SnowStorms, malfunctioning bike parts& Yellow: Triptyque de la Vallée de l’Ance

Stage 1
Started out fast, and little breaks started looking promising from the start. I just sat back and waited in the group. After 40km I stared hearing some good grinding sounds coming from the front mech.......

*So changed to 1 of the spare bikes but wasn't really liking the lowered seat height. And so after 10km I jumped back on my bike that had just had a quick fix. In the end I didn't get back to the main group. I was really keen to pull the pin but kept rolling for 70km with just 2 others (fun times!)

Just after I got in, and we were driving down the road and snow was hitting the windows....

Stage 2
After an Average sleep it was up and out of the hotel by 8am or so for a 9.30 depart.
By this stage the Blizzard had really got going, and it was looking like being called off.

but we rolled out, and the stage was reduced down to 48kms

and Xavier managed to sneak away out of sight in the blizzard and grab enough of a time gap to get the leaders jersey. 

And after the mornings weather, the organisers decided to cancel the final stage for the riders safety.

Merci

KH

Found this pic from the start of the year.

Bunny hoops, skids, elbows & Uci riders crashing into farmers paddocks.

Dijon Auxonne Dijon..
160km
Was a pretty flat profile, and if there was more x wind I am sure it would have been a better race.
But after doing the first big circuit I knew that the bunch was going to be hard to split.
I went on a few skirmishes but it was pointless because every move was being shut down. I just conserved the legs and thought about trying to jump away with 5km to go or something like that.
In the run into the finish it was a little bit crazy with a few guys taking mega risks, and a few roundabouts where you needed to chose the right direction.
I had a burst with 3km to go with a couple of other guys but the roads were to exposed. With just over 1km to go I was basically at the very front, I eased off a bit and tried to find a bit of shelter. Coming into the last 800m I got a little swamped but im happy enough with 19th


GP Vougy
150km (home race of CR4C Roanne)
This is a pretty big race for the Roanne team and they didn't disappoint.
Before the race had started I had a gut feeling with only 65 starters that this was going to be a hard profile and hard race.
From the start the pace was on. I tried to get in the early escape so I could take "the wall" (climb) a little bit easier. But no luck.
As the race ticked on I was suffering more and more on the wall, and I found myself not wanting to fight for position before the corner onto the climb.
With 4 laps to go, the Peloton split in half on the climb, and this time around the back half didn't have any fight left to get back to the front half. So that was the race decided.
 
GP Vougy, on the only flat section of the course.....

KH

Bourg-de-Péage

This was 1,2,3 Category race in the Rhone Alpes (La Drome)

I new the area a little bit from 2010s Tour de La Drome, but most of the roads in the race were new to me.
I didn't really know what to except out of this race with a lot of the strong Dn2 teams looking for a strong race and some other big name teams also there. I was told it was hilly and very testing course.

It turned out to be really windy and add some nasty climbs into the mix.<
  The climbs weren't to long but there was 1 section after a tough KOM climb that was really relentless. I was just off the back of backing the front 12. Once the front group turned a corner after the climb it was game over.
I had 1 guy in the front and couldn't chase, a couple of teams gave a reasonable chase but then ran out of steam.
Skipping forward to the finish, I was in the group and did a bit of Sprint training for 3rd from the group.

I am pretty pleased with were im at, just need to be a little more punchy on the climbs, but all good.

Next Weekend: Pan flat race in Dijon


Stay tuned

GP Saint Etienne

After a week of good training (with sunshine etc) and Team presentation, I was ready for a big 1 on this hilly profile of a Lap...



Photo: Climbing with the little guys! 
Photos: Merci Philip Foto 

Pretty much from the start a good break with all the major teams got away, it was a good looking move but the only trouble for them was it was to early in the race to be successful. So this meant the first 2 laps on the climb were relatively steady with no big surges or attacks.

Onto the 3rd lap, the pace really started to heat up on the climb and on the small roads on the course, I was sure that some of the big name climbers were going to make a move at the bottom of the climb. So I positioned  myself up front and waited to follow the attacks. Once the attacks started I was able to follow but each time I was suffering pretty badly. But nearing the top i looked around to see the group splitting up every where so I hung with the front and after all this it finally re group going across the tops...

Last lap problems 

Onto the last lap and final time up the col de Gachet....

I was told to get on the front as there was an escape of 5 guys @40sec. I drove it hard for a couple of minutes and pulled off and no 1 kept the pace on. Then attacks and now I was going into the red. I was able to hang tough but with around 2km from the summit. Some touching of wheels in front of me and then the unstoppable I hit the deck landed on someone else and was fine. Got back to my feet grabbed my bike and took off, the only problem was that the pace just ramped up in the peloton guys were pinging off the back all over the show. So that was me done.. 

Defiantly a bit gutted not to "cash in" with a result in my home race were my legs were pretty good. But that's racing

Thanks 

KH   

just before the start.