May 2016: Le Tour (de la Manche)

May has been an enjoyable month, I've competed in the GP Haute des France, five races in Belgium and a stage race in Normandy. I was 15th in a race in Harshies (Walloon region) the day after the Menen Classic, I made the break but the previous day's efforts took their toll as the race progressed. I finished 19th in Overijse, a really tough race just 10 minutes from where I live. Each lap (11 in total) we went up the Hagaard, a 10% berg used in the finishing circuit of Brabantse Pijl. In Oosterzele I placed 21st, again I made the break but a moments lack of concentration cost me and before I knew it I was in a small group watching the break disappear wondering what the hell just happened. The GP Fietsen D'Hose was organised by my team manager, a race situated in Lierde that passes his front door. We had almost our whole team there and naturally there was a lot of pressure to perform. The weather was apocalyptic but made for a great race, in the closing laps we had 5 riders in a big move. Kevin Van Impe took the win so it was a great day for the team, I finished 17th. In hindsight I should have finished in the top 10 (at least) in all 4 of these races but for one reason or another I didn't. It's frustrating but that's racing, all you can do is learn from it and move forward, op naar de volgende!

There are many reasons to love cycling; the beautiful machines, the thrill of racing, the joy of winning, the people you meet, the feeling of well-being. For me though, one that really stands out is the accessibility. There are few sports, if any, where as an amateur you can experience so much that the pros you idolise experience on a daily basis. Compare it to football for example. If you want to train on roads like Alpe D'Huez or the Passo di Stelvio, you can. If you want to have a kick about at Old Trafford, you can't. If you know the right people and want to train with a World Tour professional, you can. If you want to practice your free kicks at the park with Wayne Rooney, you can't. If you want to race on climbs from Ronde Van Vlaanderen or pavé sections from Paris-Roubaix and your team does races that use these iconic stretches of road, you can. I don't care how much you want to play a match with your mates at Camp Nou (Barcelona), you can't. I was very fortunate this month to be able to race the Tour de la Manche, an elite stage race in the North of France.

May 26th - Stage 1 - Saint Jean de Daye - Briquebec - 170km

We were told that this was the day that normally shapes the GC for the race, a fairly innocuous 115km followed by a tough 28km circuit that we would cover twice. It took a long time for the break to go and almost as soon as it got out of sight the big teams started to real it in. The race blew to pieces as we hit the 15-20% sections on the second climb on the finishing laps. I lost touch with the bunch and finished in a small group. It was a shock to the system to say the least.

May 27th - Stage 2 - CLM a Sottevast - 9km (TT)

A double day on the Friday made for a very early start, as my roommate Stephen said; "I didn't know there were two 5 o'clocks in a day...". The morning stage was a short but technical 9km TT with a climb in the middle. My performance was average at best but with 400km still to race I didn't go too deep on the climb or take any risks on the descents. I jumped in the team car and watched as my teammate Guust did a stormer of a ride and moved from 23rd to 7th on GC.

May 27th - Stage 3 - Briquebec - Marigny - 105km

The pace on stage 3 was frenetic from the off, myself and my teammate Kevin followed a few moves but nothing stuck. Eventually a move did go and the team with the yellow jersey moved to the front of the peloton and shut everything down. I had good legs and it was extremely disappointing to watch the break sail off into the distance while we almost ground to a halt but I was badly positioned when it went and by the time I got to the front they were well beyond bridging distance. The finishing circuits were full gas as CC Etupes and a few other Div 1 French teams worked hard to reel in the break. With 10km to go they still had a minute, we caught them on the line and I finished 37th.

May 28th - Stage 4 - Marigny - Saint Hilaire du Harcouet - 160km

Before stage 4 I tweeted that it looked like a 'lumpy' stage, at least that's what the handbook suggested. It wasn't lumpy, it was bloody savage. 160km and 2,200m of climbing in the baking French sun made for one of the toughest days I've ever had on the bike. Team U Nantes Atlantique hit every climb like men possessed but I knew if made it to the finishing circuits in touch with the bunch I would be ok. Somehow I did and even though the final circuits were grippy I was able to finish with a depleted peloton.

May 29th - Stage 5 - Saint Hilaire du Harcouet - Granville - 145km

The final day, again on paper it didn't look too difficult, I should have known from the previous day this meant nothing. I was active early on and got up the road a few times but as the breaks swelled they lost impetus. We hit the 'petit Tourmalet' and I got over it without any real difficulty but the worst was yet to come. Just after 80km we turned left off the main road and up a steep, narrow climb. I made it over the top in contact (just) but less than 3km later we went up a steeper, longer climb that well and truly killed me off. I was done. It was the strangest feeling, I wasn't out of breath, my lungs weren't burning and my heart didn't feel like it was trying to jump out my chest, I was just empty and my legs felt like they were filled with lead. I arrived at the finishing circuits with my teammate Jan and we rode the last 25km together, in the end I finished 61st in the general classification.

For sure I'd have loved to be more prominent in the finals but given the nature of the course and the guys I was competing against I am in no way disappointed with my result. I'm happy to have completed the race and learnt an enormous amount and am proud of the whole team and the way we rode. I can't thank the staff (Gerry, Bjorn and Chris) enough for all the work they put in and my teammates for everything they did.

Cycling really is a sport of extreme polar opposites. When it's going bad it feels like everything is going against you and all you want to do is take a step away, but when it's going well, it's truly fantastic. I spent last week tearing across the French countryside at 60km under clear blue skies to the sound of gears shifting and chains whirling and it made me realise there really is nothing I'd rather be doing with my life right now,

Tom.

April 2016: A Busy Month

Normally I like to do something a little different when I write a post to try and avoid the stereotypical racing cyclist's blog of 'I raced my bike, it was hard, name drop here, heroically dodged a crash there, 'hitter' this, 'lit' that, I would have won but for... blah blah blah'. This month however I'm sad to report I am that guy. It's been a fairly hectic weekend and I just wanted to give anyone who was interested a quick update on how my races in April panned out before we get too deep into May and it becomes too late to do so.

Ottergem 1.12B
A big bunch and a fast course, myself a few teammates did some bunch-towing late on to bring a large group back so our strongest guys could contest the finish. It came down to a sprint and one of our riders took 4th.
Position: 42nd

Heist Op Den Berg 1.12B
Someone decided to ride into my rear wheel after 5km and take some of my spokes with him. Race over.
Position: DNF

Oost-Vlaanderen U23 Prov Championships - Gijzenzele
The Belgians take Provisional Championships very seriously, they're what we would call regional champs in the UK, only if you win one in Belgium you wear a jersey for the year (and go out on a mad one that evening to celebrate). I crashed hard after around 30km, along with a lot of other guys. After a minute or so of sitting on the floor feeling sorry for myself I was given my spare bike from the roof of the team car and began to chase back to the bunch. I got back on but not long after I blew my doors off.
Position: DNF

Driebergenprijs Stasegem (National 1 IC)
Formerly known as the 2 days of Gaverstreek, a fairly big race with some very strong teams. I can't remember ever finishing a race and being so happy to be in one piece. There were crashes left, right and centre all race up until the finishing circuits. I've never seen riders show so little respect for each other. Nobody pointed out any potential hazards and everyone seemed hell-bent on putting the guy next to them on the deck. On one main road descent at a good 80kph there was a crash in the middle of the peloton and guys were going down like bowling ball pins. I find the best thing to do is just pretend you've not seen it. On the finishing laps I was frozen to the bone from the relentless rain and dropped back to the car for a jacket. Simultaneously the bunch caught the break and all hell broke loose and I spent the rest of the race in the cars. A bloody disaster but an important lesson learnt.
Position: 87th

GP Affligem (National 1 IC)
Having ridden the race last year I knew what to expect. The bunch set off like it had been shot out of a cannon, our strongest rider, Kevin Van Impe, was in more or less every move which made my job very simple. I saved as much energy as possible and planned to be active in the closing stages of the race. I followed a few moves late on and felt good but didn't manage to get clear of the bunch. Team 3M set a furious pace in the final to bring back a break that contained Kevin. It came down to a mass sprint and I finished in the bunch.
Position: 52nd

Herne 1.12B
After three hard races I was looking for a good result at Herne. We set off in a cocktail or wind, rain and hail, the course was testing and the field was strong. After an hour 5 strong riders got clear, I formed a chase group of around 7 with fellow Brit Rob Smail. As is often the way there was little to no cohesion from our fellow escapees, we got agonisingly close to break at one point but didn't make contact. We were later joined by a large group of riders containing all the strongest guys, including Belgian Champ Joeri Stallaert, my teammate Van Impe, The King Mario Willems and the usual mix of Cibel, T-Palm, Veranclassic and Colour-Code riders. The group later splintered and a moments hesitation on my part led to me making a complete cock up of my race.
Position: 18th

Menen Classic (National 1 IC)
My final race of the month and another National 1 Interclub with the team. 3M strung things out from the get go (they have a habit of doing this sort of thing) on what was a fairly flat but extremely exposed course. I found myself in a group distanced by the peloton and at one point we were close to a minute behind the bunch. Unbelievably we all worked together and regained contact 50km later. It turns out most Belgians wont pull if they're up the road and there's the chance of a victory, but they will pull if their pride is on the line and they're afraid of being unceremoniously swept up by the broom wagon. I later punctured and got a wheel from my team car, I've gotten a lot better at using the convoy and after some fairly dicey moves I was back in no time. It came down to yet another bunch gallop and after a hard day of chasing I knew I didn't have the legs to contest the finish.
Position: 80th

Thank you as always to those who sponsor/support me and a massive thank you for reading,

Tom.

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