The Bath Road Club Junior National, which is nowhere near Bath but in fact near Aylesbury. The course was rolling, and I remember enjoying it a lot last year, however the road surface had somehow got even worse.
As the racing started, I was feeling good and positioning myself well in the bunch, but after 10k the whole bunch was stopped and given a talking to by the commissaires before getting restarted again.
From lap 2 the breaks started going, with me getting involved in a few on the descent before the climb opening a small gap but being caught up the climb. Put a few more attacks in, but nothing I was getting into stuck, and a large strong group managed to slip up the road, never to be seen again. From then the bunch stopped properly working together as too many teammates were up the road and eventually, they let cars in between the break and us so we had to keep stopping for traffic and all hopes of us getting back into the race were gone. Coming into the finish I managed to position myself well moving up in the group down the descent and I managed to enter the final climb on the wheel of the Anexo train in about 4th wheel. I went to launch my sprint (we were racing for 16th behind the breaks up the road) but the legs just didn’t quite have the kick for the final sprint so got rolled by most of the group.
Bit of a frustrating race with the cars getting involved but good to be feeling strong in the bunch and moving up nicely as well as getting stuck into the early break formation.
Also, a very well done to Will Gilbank for managing to get the win from the breakaway up the road with a very strong and tactical ride.
Onto the big one, Junior Track Nationals, my main goal for the season. I was racing 3 events: the Scratch, Individual Pursuit and the Points. Monday, I got my activation ride done ready for my first race on Tuesday, I was excited for the 80-lap scratch that lay ahead. The race started fast and stayed fast with everyone pulling through and attacks flying from left and right, Ben Marsh managed to ride away from the group and quickly take a lap almost guaranteeing the National Title. I was feeling good in the race until I wasn’t, and as the race went on my legs faded, unfortunately meaning I lost a lap, destroying any chance of a result in this event.
After the disappointment of that event a quick refocus onto the 3km IP, I had prepared well, practicing my pacing and position in the weeks running up, I rode as hard as I could and came away with a 5 second PB however missing out on qualifying by a handful of seconds.
Friday, the final day and my favourite event, the Points, my legs were feeling far better than they had in the previous two events. For the first two sprints I sat in and kept it easy but before the third sprint I found myself in a break of 5 off the front and I managed to score two points in the sprint, but we got brought back without managing to gain a lap. A strong group managed to get off the front soon after gaining a lap and I put in a solo attack shortly after with Ben Marsh (eventual winner) quickly bridging across and riding away to a solo lap gain whilst I got brought back by the bunch. More sprints and lap gains went on, but I didn’t manage to score again.
Not the results I wanted from the week at Junior Track Nats however far happier with how I rode in the Points race than the Scratch, being much more aggressive with the racing and learning a lot for the next major track races.
Tom Adby 