Race Report – James Scott takes 2nd at Velopark!

So this is my first year racing, having only been cycling for about 14 months now . It started with the social rides throughout last year and progressed very quickly into something im now hooked on. That combined with the pressure of Andy Parker and Tim Prowse breathing down my neck to join MDCC and race was enough for anyone.

So as each Sunday club ride rolled on by through the winter and i soon progressed from the B to the A ride. This wasn’t an easy thing in the slightest oh no, most Saturday nights before the club run would be spent wondering whether I was going to get dropped or not and how much the boss was going to make me work in the morning!

Trying to get the weekly mileage up and training as much as life lets me it was soon time to enter my first 4th cat crit at the Velopark this year. Having been briefed over and over by Tim and the Boss I felt nervous but ready! I learnt lots very quickly through the race and place 8th at the finish. I thought that I did well but it took about 5 seconds after the race for the boss to dissect it and tell me all that i did wrong, finished with those little pick me up words “but well done Scotty” Standard boss, hammers me but gives me a glimmer of hope!

9:30 AM Thursday the 4th of April. I/M at work driving to a meeting with the sun shining feeling good thinking about tonight’s SWLaw 4th Cat Crit  race. So excited i call Tim to tell him me strategy and talk through race prep. After much deliberation we agree that none of us have a crystal ball and to just go as fast as i can. Throughout the day i was continuously thinking “I’m gonna win this later” trying to get myself into the right mindset. Watching the clock and counting down the hours till race time 4:45 arrived and i was laid on my back in the living room with my legs in the air shaking them out thinking “I’m gonna win this”. I road down with Stuart at a leisurely pace with a few efforts to wake everything up. 6:30 PM eventually came and Feeling good, we lined up on the start line, we were off!!

The race was great! There were 4 or 5 MDCC riders so i was thinking “right, i need to be the one that goes up the road” But with some strong Plymouth uni lads and some from Exeter Wheelers shutting every attack that I made down by bringing the whole bunch with them it proved to be harder than I thought. So I reverted back to “ hmm what would the boss do?” So i started saving energy and tried to make everyone else work knowing that it was going to come down to the sprint.The final lap arrived and I was about 5th going into the last hairpin, clipped the apex, stood the bike up as soon as i could and boom! The sprint was on! Drafting for as long as possible whilst smashing it up through the gears i passed Dave Lewis (who sounded like he was putting more effort into cheering me on than his own race) I found myself on the home straight. With the determination to make Tim, the boss and the club proud I was neck and neck, wheel to wheel with one of the Plymouth uni lads. We went to the line together and i missed out on first place by the depth of the tyre. Like i said, it was a great race and now I’m only 2 points off 3rd cat which is the goal this season. Oh and for those of you who don’t know who the boss is, its Andy Parker. Ha Ha!