Junior Tour of Wales
Day One
Stage 1 – Simply a prologue, mainly uphill with a middle sector where you spin out on your junior gears. First section is uphill, this then moves into the rolling section finished off by an 11% climb up to the summit of the Tumble. Everyone’s ride is the same, your own world of pain. It is the worst I’ve felt after a time trial. We finished in 19th, 20th, 21st and me 44th.
Stage 2 – The first road stage. Mainly flat with a few lumps in finished off by a massive hill finish. Break of 6 hit the climb first with a minor advantage follow by the peloton. In fact on the bend at the bottom of the climb the peloton split with all the main contenders getting a small gap, but due to the toughness of the climb to hard to bridge. Jonny got in this select group with me and Jamie at the front of the peloton. I set tempo up this just riding up it at my own pace. Luckily this dropped most the peloton, but did mean that I towed a few riders up but then I was riding for a good GC. Jamie was just behind me and Jonny right up there.
Day Two
Stage 3 – The hardest stage of the race in my opinion. All can be lost, not necessarily gained, and the weather is always rubbish!! It went straight from the gun, I missed the front group by about 5meters but never committed thinking it would come back on its own. It never did so I ended up in a second chase group but got dropped from that and ended in the 3rd group. Jonny was in this group with me and so I rode on the front to keep the speed respectable and to stop others gaining too much time and our GCs. Jamie did an awesome ride to get into the first group and got a top results of 4th with Dan Mcclay getting the win. Jamie beat some top riders that day and flew up on GC. Unfortunately, Laurie sustained a knee injury on the first day, and despite icing, he could not finish the stage and so retired.
Stage 4 – Typically the easiest stage of the race, flat carriageways with a power finish climb. It was not easy. Small group got away before a small climb, which Jamie was in then all the GC riders smashed it up the climb and over the top resulting in the peloton splitting. I just missed it, but only just, realised it was going and so bridged across on my own. In addition, a few riders then made it across after this, but all the favourites but a few top 20 riders having missed it meant there was time to gain. Jamie did another storming ride getting into the front group again while Jonny and I were in the 3rd group which merged into the 2nd group. I finished 1tth, Jonny 9th and Jamie another outstanding 3rd. Dan Mcclay got away with Tom Moses with loads of the main GC riders blowing, Jamie smashed it up the climb to grab himself 3rd. A podium!! A very good day.
Day Three
Stage 5 – The Queen stage. This is known as the hardest stage due to its length and the fact you finish going up Tumble Mountain, the opposite way to the prologue. The stage is very rolling passing over some high moorland that has some spectacular scenery but mainly descends from the beginning until you the reach the bottom of the Tumble, which has average gradient of 8%, and at its steepest 11%, roughly 5 km long. It’s a brute!!
Anyway, the neutral flag went down and it didn’t look like much was going to happen so I was going to attack, but just as I was going to Paul Young (Glendene) whose wheel I was on attacked so I followed him. We then ended up in a 2 up break. I did start to panic at this point as 98km is a long way in a 2 up break. But luckily after about 5km we were joined by a group 8, then another group of 8, to make a total of a 18 man break!! Brilliant times, no GC riders were here, I think there were 4 riders in the top 20; me, Paul Young, Josh Cole and Chris Sherriffs. So this break was allowed to gain 3mins!! Due it being such a large group, it was very easy to ride in with everyone doing a turn. There were a few guys sitting on but the break worked well. Due to the race being the last stage it was pretty slow, which allowed Josh Edmonson to bridge to our group which was pretty spectacular. Problem with this was everyone panicked and stopped going through. This meant it took a lot of work to get people working.
Over the moorland the group was quite strung out, and I had moved to back to stop myself from doing too much work and force others to work, but on a short decent a couple of sheep decided to jump out in front of us. It missed the roughly the first 3 or 4, hit the next 3 and then everyone was able to avoid them. Due to me being at the back I saw the sheep run into group, shouted ‘SHEEEEEEEEEP’ then didn’t see much until closer and saw bikes somersaulting and found my way through the carnage. I believe one rider suffered a broken collarbone, and/or maybe a broken arm. Either way, hurt pretty bad, I hope you make a speedy recovery!
Back the to the race, 3 riders nipped off the front on the moorland after the crash and with few people working I worked hard to make sure that they were brought back before the really long decent. Then we hit the rolling carriageways that takes us to the dreaded Tumble. With a couple of largish lumps the groups stayed together with only one rider, of large composition, getting tailed off.
On one of the smaller descents after a small climb the group split a little bit with Edmonson at the front forcing it and got a decent gap with another rider. No one worked and meant it stayed away, and with the knowledge that Jamie was bridging over with one other rider I sat on. He joined just as the gap formed. After this I waited to see if anyone else would take up the chase like Glendene (who had two riders in the break), but they didn’t.
5 minutes later with the two still in sight it suddenly occurred to me that with Jamie in the break, and the peloton 3mins behind he was technically in yellow on the road. Suddenly the game changed. I went straight to the front to try and 1. Chase Edmonson but 2. Mainly keep the advantage on the Tumble to give Jamie as much chance for GC hopes. I kept trying to work, but due to cars getting in the convoy and no one really coming through or sitting on my wheel I rode off the front a couple times. It meant it was very stop start and didn’t bode well.
Leading up to the Tumble Edmonson had 1.20 advantage and we had no idea on the peloton. I now hear that Wallis and Hargroves were working on the front to bring back the time. So effectively it was me against Wallis!! And with our group not doing helping matters they probably got it.
Going through the estate at the bottom of the Tumble, I tried to set tempo and do what I did on stage 2 and try and tow Jamie up and stop too many attacks coming. I got to the first bend on the front the Simon Yates suddenly came through and I had no answer. So the group split. Jamie on Yate’s wheel. This is where every rider hit his own world of pain, forcing the pedals, with cramp/tiredness/hunger/in need of sleep ect… really taking their tole, there is no other purgatory on a bike I have met yet. I was no exception, feeling the start of cramp and tired legs from riding for Jamie meant I lost a lot of time, pushing me back on GC instead of upwards like I had hoped. As there were climbers there who I know I can beat but were up the road due them having an easier ride to the Tumble.
Jamie hung onto Yate’s wheel as long as he could, but with him not being a natural climber it took its tole. The GC riders had smashed it out of the peloton and flew past me and then most came past Jamie. Resulting in Jamie moving down to 7th on GC, me down to 20th on GC. Jonny had another superb ride and also shot out of the peloton and held onto his 11th on GC.
The last stage was a true battle, but considering we were a man down we gave it everything. We came away with a really high place on GC, 2nd team overall and a new confidence. Shame it was the last junior series!!
Thanks must first and foremost Peter Kay for sorting it all out, but to parents for being financial backers along with the team and sponsors for their encouragement and backing. Without the team, we wouldn’t have had half the opportunities nor confidence to fight on the level we did. Also a special thanks to Angus Knox for helping on the first day and taking some kit back so we had a more room coming back from Wales. But anyone I’ve missed, sorry, but thank you! (oh and Ian, thanks for checking my punctuation/grammar/and making sense of this in advance!!)
p.s. Jamie and I are off to Belgium this weekend, so hopefully I’ll have something to write about then!! Oh and sorry for no photos, but there are loads here: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20100829-2010-RIS-Junior-Tour-of-Wales-0
