Belgium Races
Hi Everyone
The last few weeks have flown by, I can't believe its April already. Training for me has been going well. I've done a few races whilst I have been out here some which have gone better than others but I think my form is coming on and I'm feeling better every race I do.
23rd March Hamme Kermesse
I arrived at the race and was greeted with a shower of snow it was a cold day and it was leg and arm warmers on, then straight to the start line. I didn't know what the course was like I hadn't raced at Hamme before. There were around a 100 starters. I had a good race; it was fast from the start. There were 12 laps, a small group went with about 6 to go I was boxed in near the front and couldn't get through to get on so I sat in until 2 laps to go, a girl had just attacked and know one chased I decided to go with her, we turned around and had quite a gap from the rest of the field, we stayed away and by the last 500m we were just about 15seconds too late of catching the others that had gone up the road earlier, I sprinted in to take 7th place.
30th March Dolmans Heuvelland Classic Holland
I had ridden this race last year, it's a hard race lot's of rolling hills but only short, the one with about 20km to go is the hardest which gets most people the Keutenberg, the men's Amstel gold race goes up it and its probably one of the steepest climb I have ridden! Unfortunately I didn't get to that point this year, I ended up riding only 30km of the race. I was feeling really strong and at the front of the race, I wanted to stay at the front to avoid any crashes but this day however I girl came down in front of me and I had no other option than to go straight over the top of her and next thing I knew I was sliding across the road and huddled my self into a ball to try and get out of the way of all the bikes coming for me from behind, I stood up and had blood all over the right side of my leg I looked for my bike which was piled underneath about 4 other bikes which were all tangled up, by this point the cars were starting to come past and the riders had all gone I got my bike checked it over and got back on I managed to do about a km before stopping as my leg was too painful I had to get in the ambulance and get cleaned up before getting in the bus for the next two hours soaking wet and cold. So it wasn't such a good day for me.
The following weekend the only race on over here was the tour of Flanders I really wanted to ride but unfortunately our team couldn't as it was a world cup. I decided to still go for the Flanders experience that weekend and go and do the men's course with about 20,000 other people on the Saturday. It was a really good day out despite the rain and cold weather to begin with. There were four of us which rode round together, me, Matt , Adam Blythe and Tim Dalton. By the end we had done 6 hours, and were shattered. I couldn't believe how many people did the course it was crazy , everywhere you looked all you could see was people on bikes. Some of the climbs were so hard to ride, its mad how fast the men go up them.
12th April Evergem Kermesse
I had raced at Evergem last year, it's a fairly small circuit of 6km the roads are long and its always very windy as its so open. There were 150 starters, the race began and Emma Davies attacked to take another girl with her, I didn't do anything and thought it may have come back which I shouldn't have presumed as this didn't happen they stayed away for the whole race. The rest of us were left battling for 3rd place, there were constant surges from the bunch but know one was getting away. With 3 laps to go I went hard into one of the corners into a massive side wind, I turned around to see I had got a gap from the rest of the field, I decided to go with it and try to get away for the next few laps I was on my own, it was hard because of the winds and eventually with just 1km to go I got caught, I was gutted but decided to sit in near the front try and take a breather and go for the sprint! I managed to come in to the last corner In a half decent position and put my head down gave it everything I had left and ended up 5th in the sprint which gave me another 7th place ! I was happy with how the race went and it has given me some confidence in how my form is. I look forward to next weeks race at Woortel-Hoogstraaten a place which I have never ridden before.
Nikki xx