MAP Metropolitan Championships - Road Race Win

Turned up to the MAP Metropolitan Championships at Mt.Alford after a last minute change of plans.  I'd decided it wouldn't be okay to have my daughter waiting by the road while I raced a lapped course.  Too boring and not safe enough, so no racing for me.  C'est la vie.  We were planning a tandem ride instead :)

Come race day an early phone call changed plans!  Thanks to a very thoughtful Duggan my little offsider, Annabel, was given a better offer than me for the day - bowling and a play date with Sophia.  I can't compete with that, so she headed off bowling and I headed off racing!

The women had been told that they had a separate race.  The Tour of Adelaide had cut the A Grade numbers drastically so we were to combine with women's B Grade.  On the start line we learned we were actually racing in with Masters B men.  Long story short - it was hairy as hell.  By the third lap only a handful of women remained in the bunch, either through pace or discomfort in the tight conditions.  I am guessing it was mostly the latter.

I spent the first two laps staying protected and worked to mark where the girls were in the bunch, easier said than done in these big field races.  I kept myself safe as best I could and followed the steady youdan wheels for a while!

1st A Grade Race, 1st A Grade Win.

Come the last lap the pace lifted.  This time I gave it something on the climbs and found myself reasonably positioned towards the front of the bunch.  As is common in these races we hit the descent and everyone let up resulting in a concertina.  Two dudes lent on each other for no particular reason, and another swerved to get away - into my front wheel.  I went down, though thankfully we were on an incline at the time and the pace wasn't too high.   Blood from elbow, knee and a sore ankle but all I focused on was getting back on my bike and finishing it off.   I put the chain back on, twisted my bars back, and dragged my brakes across - not pretty.  I looked up the road and to my surprise thus far half the bunch still seemed to be missing.  Go Go Go!

Cat and I with our medals.

Cat, one of my favourite FNQ cyclists, travelled down for the race and was on my wheel at the time of the chop.  She managed not to crash but unclipped and hit the top tube hard with her gooch.  We like to call this 'doing a denchy'.  Apparently it is a mandatory tradition for someone to smash a gooch with the top tube at some point in this race - this year was Cats year.  She waited while I sorted myself and we had a repeat of cunningham - though Phil also waited to help drag us the last 9km or so home.  She did an awesome job in what was her first experience with the city Masters B bunch.

We rolled it in and somehow we had stayed ahead of most - with a podium for both of us in our respective categories! Awesome stuff.  Less awesome were the riders still on the road from the second crash which apparently took down a lot of riders, including Jane and Lauren.  Get well soon ladies!

All in all a very successful weekend for Koiled with Shannon Duggan taking out 2nd in the Masters B Crit, myself taking 1st in the A Grade Road Race and Captain BP (Tony Lupton) killing it, TTing away from the break to take a decisive win in Masters B Road Race.  Especially stoked for him and his achievement, knowing how hard he has worked.

Tony enjoying the air on the top step.