Racin'n'Snowin!

Shhhhtttt. I'm not supposed to be wearing that blue clothing, it's not my team kit, but it was so cold I went back to the car before the start and put on all the clothing I had. Keep in quiet though! ;)

(Click on pics for larger image)

Sunday's race: Had 4 hours sleep night before as I awoke in the night and couldn't get back to sleep because of my cold. On the start line it was 4 degrees (I went back and piled on all the clothes I had... not many.) shortly after the start it hailed... it hailed twice during the race, SNOWED 3 times, rained... was very very windy... basically... it was all a bit Belgian with a sadistic twist. The roads were small, covered in mud, some weren't even fully paved, we ended the race looking like we had ridden a wet and muddy Tour of Flanders (which was on today BTW).

A group went off the front and after a while I dragged a few other guys up to it. It seemed to take ages to bridge up there. Then by the half-way point in the race I got dropped from the 10-12 man break. I got dropped ON A CLIMB would you believe!!! Shocking!!!

Sim got dropped from the break on a climb

But there you go, I wasn't feeling too hot, my legs didn't seem to move, and as everyone knows, I hate the cold weather with a vengeance! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. So I was back in the chase group. :-(

Bridging back up to the front of the race on wet and dangerous corners through town and through noramally beautiful vinyards

As things progressed and we got nearer the end of the race I somehow got myself away from the chase group and back up to the sharp end of the race, which was now the small remnants of the break, and, with 2 k to go I was chasing alone trying to catch 2 guys in front of me (1 guy was off the front solo for the win). I caught the 2 guys ahead of me right on the line, but there were too many spectators not behind the barriers and I couldn't pass. I wanted to pass them on the right, but it was blocked, the left was blocked, I even tried to go through the middle of the 2 riders but by then we were on the line. So I got 6th.

Blocked at the finish

Not bad really, especially as that kind of weather REALLY doesn't suit me, it's early in the season, I'm sick and I'm not even properly race fit yet.

Apart from the horrific weather, the race did yield some stunning views of the Sancerrois vineyards and hills.

It's off to (hopefully) sunny Spain next week for a week long training camp. Anything beats the snow of northern France!