HCC head off to tame the Dragon!

Dragon 2-Day Race Report

3 members of Hafren CC headed off to Resolven in the Neath Valley to take part in the LVRC Dragon 2 Day cycling event. Riding in his first road event for almost 3 years, Rob Finch was joined by club team mates Rob Fisher and Mike Filek at the event which is for veteran riders over the age of 40.

The weekend started on Saturday morning with a 3.5 mile individual time trial. Rob Fisher recorded the quickest time on the day from the Hafren team in a time of 8:57. Mike was a close second with Rob Finch 3^rd in a time of 9:39

In the afternoon, Rob Fisher and Mike Filek lined up alongside 50 other riders for the 43 mile Cat AB&C road race. Despite a high tempo throughout, both HCC riders maintained a strong showing in their first taste of full blown road racing and crossed the line in the chasing pack, 2 minutes back from the two breakaway riders. Rob Finch meanwhile was competing in the event for riders 55yrs and over which had attracted a field of 41 riders for the 35 mile stage.

Whilst disappointed with his performance in the opening time trial, Rob’s legs seemed a lot more eager to perform in the afternoons race. 4 riders had managed to escape the field, but after the last ascent of the only climb on the circuit Rob placed 12th in the bunch sprint, moving him up to 29th on General Classification. Rob said, “I wish I’d had more faith in my legs at the end, I didn’t really sprint as this was my first race for so long, but riders were tiring all around me and in hindsight I know that a far higher position was well within my grasp.”

With Saturday over, all thoughts now turned to the following morning. Rob and Mike were once again in the earlier race which saw them both tackle the 56 mile route. Unfortunately for Mike his race was cut short with a puncture 4 miles in after hitting a large pothole whilst in the middle of the peloton. Rob Fisher on the other hand managed to avoid the danger and was in a strong position when the race was abruptly stopped with only 3 miles to go! A crash had occurred in the 45 mile race which fellow rider Rob Finch was competing in.

The stage had started off at lightning speed and speeds of 35mph were commonplace as a stream of breakaway’s launched themselves off the front only to be caught again. The race was destined to stay together if it wasn’t for the crash which brought down 6-8 riders. Thankfully, Rob managed to avoid the carnage, but was severely held up and eventually trailed in behind the bunch sprint by 35 seconds.

All in all it was a successful weekend racing for the Members of Hafren CC and one that will hopefully kick-start Rob’s season after what has been a slow start due to injury. Likewise, Rob Fisher and Mike Filek have certainly caught the racing bug and will be competing in future events in the coming months.

If you’re thinking of entering a race for the first time but are a bit nervous, take a read of Rob Fisher’s perspective as a newbie to road racing.

Day 1

Having booked into the “Dragon 2day road race” relatively last minute I had no time to think about my performance or what to expect which was probably a good move seeing as it was my first event. Rob Finch picked me up at 07.45 Saturday morning. The sun was out and the weather was looking good. It was great to be going to my first event of this kind with someone like Rob Finch with his vast experience and knowledge of road racing.

We arrived at Race HQ by 9.30. Mike Filek was already there just before, so we had plenty of time to prep the bikes, get changed and sign-on in a relaxed manner. Our start times were categorised into age groups, Mike and I were entered into category “A”.  Mike was entered in as rider number 6, which meant he was first up out of the three of us for the time trial. I shortly followed as rider number 10. Rob was entered into cat “E” (for the more mature riders), and given number 82, which meant he had a little while to wait before his TT

Prior to the TT starting we went for a warm up for about half an hour and to see what the route would be like. It was a very fast start with some nice smooth fast tarmac with one small climb.

Time trial (3.5 miles)

The start of the TT was upon us. Mike and I lined up at the starting line waiting to have our number called. Mike shot off, and I closely followed 4 minutes later.  I got to the end where Mike was waiting and managed to quickly sneak a look at the time sheet. I came in at a respectable 8min 57sec so I was happy with that. We then made our way back to HQ to relax and fuel up before race 1 in the afternoon.

Race 1 (42miles)

 2.30pm soon came around and we were back on the bikes on the start line with 50 other riders. Mike and I positioned ourselves in the middle of the peloton for the start and after a short delay we were off! The pace was fairly hot from the start and I’ve never experienced anything like it before. Riding so close at that pace it did make me nervous and I worried about collision etc. With just 4 miles done and 40 to go I found myself spat out the back of the peloton and when I looked behind all I saw was the race official car. The peloton was over 100mtrs away at this point and I thought my race was over! I dug deep and eventually got back on….. pheww! That was my first lesson learnt and I was not going to let that happen again.  I made my way through the peloton and got tucked in the middle where I could see Mike just ahead of me. The pace was fast with bursts off the front continuously throughout the race. There were 2 riders that broke away finishing 2mins ahead. Mike and I crossed the line together in the main group. The pace was quick and the race ended up being 48 miles a little more than it was supposed to be with an average speed of 24.5mph! There was only one way to learn how to ride with these boys and that was very fast and move over for no-one!

Day 2   

Race 2  (56 miles)

I Woke up to glorious weather and the legs were feeling a little tired but nothing like I was expecting. The sun was shining, I was buzzing, and I couldn’t wait to get back out there and put my steep learning curve from yesterday to the test.  After breakfast we made our way to HQ in plenty of time to get ready and sign on.

Mike and I positioned ourselves in the middle of the peloton for the start. We were off, and from the start the pace was very fast, even faster than race 1! We both worked together within the peloton to help each other and stayed in position well considering the blistering start! We were quickly heading down the fast section of road leading to the first section of dual carriageway. My head was down in the peloton with Mike on my back wheel. When you ride so close together you don’t stand a chance of seeing what’s coming. So there it was, ‘the pothole’! It was right on our line. I just managed to do a quick flick of the bars and avoid it by what seemed like millimetres! Mike was not so fortunate and hit it hard at almost 40mph.  All I heard was Mike saying “sugar” (or something that closely resembled that word) then shortly followed by “puncture”! Sadly Mike’s race was over after only 4 miles. I was gutted for him. There was nothing I could do and now I found myself alone in the middle of the peloton with nearly 60 miles still left to cover.  This made me determined to put in a good effort for HCC being the only rider left in the A B C category.  As we headed down the dual carriageway for the first time I saw 2 riders break away.  Nobody gave chase and the pace of the peloton slightly calmed at this point which was a light relief for me.  Having learnt a lot from race 1, I didn’t allow riders to pinch my bit of tarmac and held my position, and after 3 laps we caught up with the 2 riders that broke away earlier on.  The peloton was back together and at this point I was feeling strong and felt I could give this a go. I needed all the help I could get. I quickly refuelled with a gel and with half a lap to go slowly edged my way through the pack to a good position. The last tight turn before the last section and I was in a good place and was starting to feel confident. I stayed protected and nobody was having my piece of tarmac. With just 3 miles to go a few riders started to break away but I sat patient and kept my position. Suddenly, and without warning it all came to a stop!?  A police car was parked in the middle of the road advising us the race was over due an accident in the D E F cat race. What? I couldn’t believe it!  I had come so close to making my final dash! My next thought was that I just hope Rob Finch hadn’t been caught up in it! But the race was finished and we were told to turn around and ride back to HQ. Such a disappointment. I don’t think for one minute I would have won the sprint but I would have given it my all, and from the position I was in there was always that chance. The race ended up being 62mile again with an average speed of 24.5mph! On arrival back at HQ I expected to see Rob Finch waiting there but no sign. I did panic momentarily but then to my relief Rob came riding round the corner.

What a fantastic experience. I had a great weekend with 2 fellow Hafren CC riders and cannot wait to do it all again!

Rob and Mike before the Sunday race!