Hog Hill from the air.
I made my first visit to the Redbridge Cycle Centre (a.k.a. 'Hog Hill') on 31st January 2009 to try out the road circuit by racing in the Cat 4 race. I'd been following the banter on the London Phoenix forum for a while, and there had been plenty as this was the 8th race in the series. Unfortunately I hadn't managed to make it to any of the earlier races due to a number of frustrating circumstances, including kids' swimming lessons, waiting for parts for my new road bike, and generally not wanting to push my luck too much with my long-suffering wife when I had another event on the following day!
I got the all clear to go this time provided I took my five year old and here pal to a gymnastics party in East Ham(!) later in the day. Sounded pretty fair to me. Luckily the weather gods were smiling, with blue skies but a fairly brisk cold wind. I was seriously impressed with the facilities at Hog Hill. It felt very strange to be at a cycling event where the toilets were actually clean, and the rooms warm. Race numbers on (very fiddly), I did a couple of practice laps in the 'direction du jour', anticlockwise. Immediately apparent was the strong headwind going up the first rise and down the main descent. Serious effort would be required to break away down the hill. Next, through a series of tight, swoopy corners, and back into the wind for the run up to the fabled 'Hoggenberg'. From some accounts, it almost seemed as if someone had made a serious miscalculation with the plans by putting in a "really nasty" climb on a relatively small circuit. As it turns out, I found it a little anti-climactic. OK, the top bit kicks up a little, but it was not too bad. In fact, I kind of liked it!
Off we go then! The first few laps were fairly uneventful, and I stayed out of trouble while I got used to the course. Soon though it became clear the wind was going to cause a few problems, particularly on the climb out of the top part of the circuit to the long descent (not to mention the 'Berg). Sure enough, pretty soon the field had splintered, and a group of 20 or so out of the original 32 formed at the front. There were a few half-attempts to attack on the 'Berg', but I got the feeling these were just testing the legs (and the field). Anyway, I made sure I was near the front on each ascent, and felt pretty comfortable considering my bruised (and curiously yellow) knee from last weekend's crash on the MTB, and the 2 bottles of Bordeaux my Dad and I had shared the night before! I think a few more people dropped off over the next 20 minutes, leaving a group of about 12-15 riders. We started to lap a few of the slower riders once the '5 laps to go board' came out, and I started to feel reasonably confident of a good placing. I was finding the 'Berg to be no problem and was riding it in the saddle most laps while the guys beside me were huffing and puffing a bit.
At the start of the last lap, somebody tried (there's always one!) to break away on the rise to the long descent and powered down the hill into the wind and got a bit of a gap. I was near the front and had to decide whether to be the sucker to chase him down (and drag the rest of the field up to him) or hold my nerve. I held back though as I needed to have the legs for the last sprint up the 'Berg, and someone else took the plunge. I immediately latched on and we made the catch, although, he didn't get too far to be honest. We all regrouped after the curves, almost forming an echelon against the wind, and again I resisted the instinct to hit the front. Going into the last climb we were three abreast, and I positioned myself at the front on the right to allow myself the tightest line around the right-hander to the finish line. We all watched each other closely. My heart rate monitor had given up the ghost by this point, but I could feel my heart anyway. Suddenly I sensed someone moving up on my right so I hit the gas, all out, with just 50-60m to go. Out of the saddle, my back wheel skipped a few times as I gave it everything I had. I looked back and could only see one other rider within striking distance (see below), and luckily the line appeared quickly (unlike the old Eastway, when it seemed to take an age to arrive up the last drag). Phew! I then saw we were just about to catch another London Phoenix rider (Paul Wixon), so in my excitement I blasted up the next climb to tell him the good news, before peeling off to head back to the clubhouse!
The sprint for the line!
I think I won a couple of novice road races at Eastway in 2005, one of them with a similar tactic, and one on a solo break, but I had forgotten how good it feels. It felt even better because it was on my first visit to such a great new facility, and there were actually a few people watching! And.. (apparently) I have now been upgraded to a Cat 3 Licence. Woo hoo! I think.....?
I ordered a set of 2010 alloy TRP Euro-X brakes in the new red colour from Zepnat.com recently. These are destined for my new Focus Mares Team, to replace the very fancy but slightly impractical (for cross) FRM V-brakes that came with it as stock.
