Nothing is duller than reading someone's blow by blow account of a race, so in regard to my
first race in the Basque Country, I will try to keep it brief and interesting!
The weather in Soraluce was the same as most of Europe on Sunday, very wet and cold. I was
dressed (as well as normal racing gear) in a long sleeve thermal under-vest, knee warmers,
overshoes, and rain cape, but there were still the diehards out in shorts and jerseys. It was no
surprise that I didn't see them at the finish. It was a relatively short U23 race at only 120 kilometres, however it finished with two, very steep, three kilometre climbs, with a summit finish. I was suffering terribly from nerves all morning and before the start. David Extebarria (directeur sportif and ex-pro), kept reminding me 'tranquilo, tranquilo...'.
These worries soon disappeared when the race started as battling the cold took all my
concentration. After shivering for 100 kilometres, I entered the first climb in the peloton, and
crossed the summit in 6th position feeling confident. A front group of around 20 formed after the descent, with a team called Seguros Bilbao driving the pace. I was caught unawares at the rear of the group for the start of the last 3 kilometre climb. As the group fragmented I found myself picking through riders who had gone too far into the red, and finished 7th at the line. To see the report follow this link- http://www.palcodeportivo.com/index.php/ciclismo/amateur/10739-1oprueba-lehendakari.html
So what's it like to race in Spain? My biggest surprise was seeing that the leading riders over
the climbs were not all 60 kilo, ripped, Pantani look-a-likes. There was a large mix of body types, with the winner being a similar build to me. The racing felt no where near as fast as my experiences in Italy or Belgium, especially on the flat. Albeit it is very early season and this was only an U23 race. It was certainly far safer than Belgium and I only saw one crash. The race organisation was as professional as Italy, however the crowds were not as large.
During my moments of mind wandering, I was particularly impressed with the colours of the jerseys. The Spaniards thrash the British in the fashion stakes. The green of the Caja Rural Squad was particularly striking, but the grey and red of Seguros Bilbao was very edgy. I was particularly jealous of the Cole carbon wheels that Caja Rural were riding; especially up the last climb when I was lugging up my dead powertap on a Mavic Open pro rim. There is more loyalty to local bike manufacturers in Spain. Almost everyone is on a BH or Orbea, however there are also a large contigent of Pinarellos.
Today I recced the course for next Saturday´s race in Ereno. Thank god its only 100 kilometres, as it is the hardest course I have ever ridden. I just wish I had my Serotta with some race wheels........
first race in the Basque Country, I will try to keep it brief and interesting!
The weather in Soraluce was the same as most of Europe on Sunday, very wet and cold. I was
dressed (as well as normal racing gear) in a long sleeve thermal under-vest, knee warmers,
overshoes, and rain cape, but there were still the diehards out in shorts and jerseys. It was no
surprise that I didn't see them at the finish. It was a relatively short U23 race at only 120 kilometres, however it finished with two, very steep, three kilometre climbs, with a summit finish. I was suffering terribly from nerves all morning and before the start. David Extebarria (directeur sportif and ex-pro), kept reminding me 'tranquilo, tranquilo...'.
These worries soon disappeared when the race started as battling the cold took all my
concentration. After shivering for 100 kilometres, I entered the first climb in the peloton, and
crossed the summit in 6th position feeling confident. A front group of around 20 formed after the descent, with a team called Seguros Bilbao driving the pace. I was caught unawares at the rear of the group for the start of the last 3 kilometre climb. As the group fragmented I found myself picking through riders who had gone too far into the red, and finished 7th at the line. To see the report follow this link- http://www.palcodeportivo.com/index.php/ciclismo/amateur/10739-1oprueba-lehendakari.html
So what's it like to race in Spain? My biggest surprise was seeing that the leading riders over
the climbs were not all 60 kilo, ripped, Pantani look-a-likes. There was a large mix of body types, with the winner being a similar build to me. The racing felt no where near as fast as my experiences in Italy or Belgium, especially on the flat. Albeit it is very early season and this was only an U23 race. It was certainly far safer than Belgium and I only saw one crash. The race organisation was as professional as Italy, however the crowds were not as large.
During my moments of mind wandering, I was particularly impressed with the colours of the jerseys. The Spaniards thrash the British in the fashion stakes. The green of the Caja Rural Squad was particularly striking, but the grey and red of Seguros Bilbao was very edgy. I was particularly jealous of the Cole carbon wheels that Caja Rural were riding; especially up the last climb when I was lugging up my dead powertap on a Mavic Open pro rim. There is more loyalty to local bike manufacturers in Spain. Almost everyone is on a BH or Orbea, however there are also a large contigent of Pinarellos.
Today I recced the course for next Saturday´s race in Ereno. Thank god its only 100 kilometres, as it is the hardest course I have ever ridden. I just wish I had my Serotta with some race wheels........
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