One Week in July

Ian Watson (Team Owner and DS) gives a great insight into a very impressive week:

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

 It’s a long season, starting in February and finishing in September. There are many ups and downs and it can sometimes be a challenge for riders to maintain motivation and focus month in month out, dealing with everything thrown at them.  Illness, crashes, injuries, travel both home and abroad, work commitments, family commitments and then still find the time to train!

This is when the value of good teammates comes in. People you trust, you can rely on, that you respect and also respect you. The last week in July was testament to this and six months of pushing comfort zones and team bonding came together with three outstanding victories in the National Road and Circuit Series.

Tuesday 23rd July & Friday 26th July

Clone GP & Beverley GP (National Circuit Series)

After a few ups and downs in previous rounds, we took a lot of motivation into the final two rounds. First up: Colne GP.

We had a plan to attack the race, whilst simultaneously keeping Sophie protected for the anticipated sprint finish. The race played out well for us, with all 8 riders getting involved and keeping the race fast, whilst keeping Sophie out of trouble and well positioned. Lucy took the lead heading into the final lap, setting a blistering pace to drop Sophie off perfectly into the finishing straight. She launched her sprint and finished with a considerable margin over second place. A superb win and a fantastic team performance.

Next up on Friday was Beverley, which we went into with plenty of confidence. A similar plan was on the cards, another finish that suited Sophie’s strengths. Fifty minutes of selfless riding from the whole team, attack after attack to force the other teams to constantly chase. As expected, the race came down to a sprint finish and yet again, Sophie was led out perfectly to bring home the team’s second National Circuit Series win of the week. On top of this, we sealed a convincing win in the overall team classification. Team is on fire!

Sunday 28th July

Lancaster GP ( National Road Series )

With just one day to recover after Beverley, we headed across to Lancaster for the 4th round of the National Road Series: The Lancaster Grand Prix. Morale within the team was incredibly high, making up for the tired legs after a busy week of racing!

The Plan 

We had our usual pre-race team briefing, this time on the morning of the race having the unusual luxury of an afternoon start.

After the mid-week success I knew the riders were working well together. Having raced a number of UCI races, which are generally longer and often faster, I knew the riders would be able to make this a fast and attacking race from the start. With 8 riders (two more than most UCI races), and considerable strength and depth, I knew this was how we could win the race.

After putting the plan to the riders, I was met with a couple of blank expressions, most of the team had never attacked from the flag drop before! After taking the plan through, the response was very positive, and the team were incredibly excited for the race. Together, we knew we could win this race and this was how we were going to win it.

This plan is good for a few reasons:

1.    You take charge of the race, the other teams don’t have a say. It’s your race!

2.    Eventually you will form the winning break. You have to. If you stretch the elastic enough it will snap.

3.    Every rider gets involved. Some have less confidence in their own strength, which is an even bigger reason to do it. Riders build confidence and race out of their comfort zones. This is how they progress.

4.    If you don’t try, you will never know.

Did it work?

The short answer: YES!

The long answer:

The race started in Williamson Park and rolled out for a 5 km neutralised section. I am driving team car 1, right behind the race, so am guarenteed a good view. The second the flag drops, the team start attacking and the plan is put into action. Sannah got the first decent gap, quickly gaining a lead of 40 seconds. I could see the effort other teams were putting into the chase, taking more than a lap to eventually catch Sannah. Almost straight away, Morven attacked. This was her first race back since a crash in May, and she quickly gained a 1 minute gap to the peloton. This forced the other teams to chase, again! After two laps out front, Morven was reeled in by the fast-moving peloton. Riders were being constantly detached and only around 30 riders remained. 

As the junction was made to Morven, Sannah attacked yet again. Although she never gained a significant lead, team sizes were now much reduced. When she was eventually brought back it was Darcie’s turn to counter. Two other riders went with her. Although she lost contact with the group up the next climb, it created the perfect launchpad for Tammy to bridge across and join the leaders. The fight and chase from the peloton had almost disappeared by this stage, meaning Tammy could bridge across quickly and form a solid working group whilst we also controlled the race behind. 

Within just a few km’s, the lead group was down to two riders, including Tammy. Meanwhile, a split in the peloton behind meant five riders went clear, including Lucy and Frankie. The team were totally in control of the race and well represented across all significant groups.

Team cars can move forward to their leading rider if the gap is big enough, So I was able to speak with the Chief Commissaire (the person who judges the race, like a referee) to ask if I could move forward. She was unsure given how splintered the race was. I understand, the danger is that I can drive to my riders ahead and assist them in getting across to the leaders. Something I would never do of course but totally understandable. She was able to quickly check with her colleagues and within a few minutes I was able to head up the road to the leading duo, rather than the chasing group of five. No one else is in contention for the race win now, it’s between these seven riders.

I go past the large group I was behind, going as fast as safely possible to catch the front pair. On the closed roads you can drive pretty fast, and you have to, it is surprising how long it takes to close a gap of a few minutes!

I catch up to the group of 5 just as they enter the final lap, just 40 seconds behind the leading pair. I know I couldn’t stop with this group, but I could speak quickly to one of the riders as I passed, so I had a quick think about our game plan for the finish. Frankie saw the car approaching from behind and dropped back. We were able to have a quick chat and I decided it was too risky for Tammy to take a completely unknown rider to a sprint finish. We want to win this race, and there was no need to take any risks. I told Frankie and Lucy to attack their group with the aim of getting one (or both) of them across to the leaders. I drove straight past as instructed and see Lucy attacking in my rear view mirror, taking Frankie with her. I had incentive to leave that group and speed up to Tammy, as I had instruction for her.

I soon caught up to the leading duo and the commissaire behind them waved me through so I could chat to Tammy. I told her about the situation behind and that she should now stop working to help the other two bridge across. Behind, Lucy and Frankie had gained a gap but had taken one other rider with them. Frankie then made a perfectly timed attack and bridged across to the leaders alone, with Tammy conserving energy ahead. This situation was win-win. If Frankie gets across, we have 2 in the break and multiple options. If the catch isn’t made, Tammy has an easy ride to the finish and is in a better position to take the win. All fair in the wonderful world of cycling.

As we get ever closer to the finish, Frankie did a great job to close the gap to the leaders, just at the base of the main QOM climb. Maintaining speed, she attacked straight over the top and up the climb. Behind, Lucy saw a great opportunity to move away solo, in 4th place on the road. Whilst it was unlikely she would catch the leading three, this would guarantee us 4th place too.

Over the top of the steep QOM climb, Frankie had a small lead, but the gap had almost been closed. As they made the junction on the next rise, Tammy counter-attacked straight over the top. Frankie managed to find a second wind and jump on, with a gap immediately opening. Tammy opened the gap out considerably over the next few kilometres, dropping Frankie off perfectly at the base of the final kicker into the final 500m to take an impressive solo win. An exhausted Tammy missed out on 2nd place by a tyre’s width, with Lucy finishing 40 seconds behind to take a great 4th place.

None of this could have happened without the entire team. Together, the team set up the moves and made the race theirs, and theirs only. We had a plan, believed in the plan and then perfectly executed the plan! Everyone played their part and I am so proud of everyone.

This race is no pinnacle for us, the start of bigger things to come!

Love this team.