It was hot at Furzefield on Sunday, yes hot.... and no fog or mist and it was November..... in fact riders had to stop and take bits of clothing off to keep cool.
David Burnham (coach) had the idea of putting everyone through their paces in a single group to start things off, so we did mass-laps of a tricky short circuit.
I built a chicane into it to add a modicum of confusion.... like riders thinking 'should I overtake before it or wait until after it'.... so from time to time there were four riders trying to get into the space of one.... I like chaos theory just as much as nuclear physicists.
After 2mins they stopped and the lap count was 43.
They all stopped again after another 2mins and the lap count was.... 43.... and that was with two new extra riders.
Anyway at the third attempt the figure inched up to 45... and then on the final run they went way over 60 as the riders all learnt how to handle the chicane much better. Well done everyone.
The next exercise caused panic as it was a bike push, a one-handed hold on the saddle and then just walk/run alongside it.
There was a huge improvement from Janith who went from being a slave to a troublesome, mean-spirited metallic lump with a mind of its own... to a speedy runner who got to the finish line in a winning time and in a straight line.... in fact we could sponsor him to do the London Marathon pushing his beast next year as he's so good.... any offers?
Moving on and...
Out came the exclusive red bib and we did a prisoner-and-guards routine though it has to be said that simply putting the bib on was more than a challenge for some.... I'm thinking we could have a new exercise next time without using bikes at all... just the odd half-hour spent/wasted by standing round everyone as they all tried to get their bibs on, or at least part-on.... finding the head-hole would be a good level-one achievement.
Off they went, a group of nine all riding in formation at brisk walking pace, three lines of three, the prisoner right in the middle. The only chance of escape was if the guards rode badly.... and they did.
Well not always, to be fair, as there were times when things were really tight. One good riding block happened when Izzy was trapped in the centre with guards all round. Seeing that there were no doors open, or even mildly ajar, she just barged into a sidewall with her shoulder and muscled her way out.... the result being that Emily found herself moving sideways at a 45-degree angle to everyone else (still upright thanks to some nifty balancing, well done Emily).
They're the best of pals should you be wondering.
Final race - younger riders - 5 laps handicap
1 Aston Gayle
2 Leo Fife-Almond
3 Jess Kirk
Final race - older riders - 14 laps handicap
1 Aston Gayle
2 Issy Cawood
3 Stanley Loxston-Beed
No that's not a mis-print, after the five-lap push and a win in the first race, Aston nodded vigorously at the offer of a ride in the longer race as well. There were four handicap groups and while Izzy pushed on hard from a later group, steadily eating into his lead lap after lap, Aston still got to the line ahead of everyone.
I must say I like seeing all the riders wearing their Raiders tops at Furzefield... it makes us look quite a community.