Percy Stallard Race Results

25/06/2012 - DERRICK WOODINGS' BRENDAN CHUI STALLARD BLOG

Location :

BRIDGNORTH, SHROPSHIRE

Results :

The 6th. Brendan Chiu Memorial Road Race
Promoted by The Elizabethan Cycling Club
Round 4 of the Percy Stallard series; sponsored by Onimpex UK-Bioracer
EFG event (2 laps) 36 miles. Weather sunny, light southerly breeze, after early heavy rain.
Many thanks to organiser A. Summerfield and his team, well organised and very well marshalled despite the difficulty of covering such a large (18mile) circuit. We were lucky with the weather today after driving to Bridgnorth, Shropshire through heavy rain.
Three years ago I rode this event, albeit on the larger 1 lap Clee Hill circuit. I was using it as a try out for the Marmotte sportive in the Alps. I vowed then I would never ride this again, well here I was along with fellow G cat. Bob Richards, who also made the same statement and travelling companion Mick Allen who has a pathological hatred of hilly circuits. Mick and Bob were riding to maintain their positions in the category standings. Not knowing this circuit I thought that perhaps it would be easier than last time.
All three races A, B; C, D; and EFG ran concurrently started at three minute intervals. There should have been no problems on such a tough circuit with races getting mixed!
Our event with a much reduced entry, probably due to the weather forecast, from the confirmed 23 starters, of 19 riders set off up the finishing hill to negotiate the first lap, thankfully neutralised. As soon as the flag was dropped the pace upped down the descent and hitting the next climb at a fast pace and the bunch was stretched out in a line, I clung on at the rear and made the summit still in contact, until the next difficulty, this was where it all went pear shaped (for me and several others). The next section is by courtesy of Don Parry, Mick Allen and Dave Rutherford. I was well off the pace now. Apparently Alan Kemp started to ride Eddy Merckx style and just rode everyone off his wheel. Not only that but he proceeded to catch and drop the CD bunch and then their break winning our event by a phenomenal 12 minutes. This was an incredible ride, getting comments from D cat rider Andy Donaldson, himself no slouch, as to what we (the EFG group) were doing letting him off the leash. Well Andy now you know what we have to put up with. Mick Allen riding conservatively for once came in with the chasers winning his age cat. from Dave Rutherford. I was confined to ride with fellow G cat. sponsored clubmates Mick Ives, E cat Martin Hackley who also didn’t make the cut and E cat John Hughes(Coventry RC) chasing the front for the whole race. It was thanks to Martin and Mick who seeing me chasing across from the other stragglers, who were left, eased off the pace, that I made the group. We then worked mopping up other riders on the way; Bill Cotton was one, who couldn’t handle the pace and others from the CD group. I was struggling on the final lap getting shelled out again before Highley on lap 2, but again fighting back on after a chase of 3 miles. This group of us four contesting the sprint for 9th. Place. Mick Ives getting first G from me, Bob Richards abandoned. A word of praise for Dave Woods (CC Luton) who punctured on lap 1 changed a tube and then proceeded to ride to the finish solo.
Mick Ives and I were reminiscing about riding in the Tour of the West and the Tour of Luxembourg over similar terrain 50 years ago. It seemed so much easier then. My legs will not operate on constantly changing gradients these days, they prefer consistency.