I got up about 6am for the Harry Middleton Road race 2/3/4 at Pimbo in skelmersdale just to make sure I was awake and all my gear was in order. I got to the HQ (social club) at 7.45am and I can tell you the club was like a throw back to the 80’s for all the people who can remember them! I was expecting Roy chubby brown or Bernard Manning to pop there head round the corner at any minute! and even slightly younger riders than I were reminiscing!
As I was signing on I came across kris zentek and Steve Fidler signing on too!
The field was about 65 riders with some of the usual suspects! as I was warming up the heavens opened up and all I could think about (for anybody who knows Pimbo) was the fast sweeping corner!
The race started with Declan Hudson charging off on his own (brave soul) only to be caught a couple of laps later! after many attacks it settled down abit until a couple of riders shot off! then a couple more including Kris zentek and Steve Fidler and before we new it! the group had ballooned to 14 riders! We thought surely with the rain and the wind they are never going to stay away! How wrong we were! before we new it they had a minute on us and it ended with riders in the main bunch arguing on how we were going to bring them back!
The laps went by and we resigned our selves to just getting home! As the bell lap came and the rain came down even more! I heard someone shout for the 10th time “come on Tony” the only other Tony I new? was in the breakaway! so I must have one fan in Lancashire? yeah! LOL. As we were approaching the finish straight I adopted a totally different strategy from my past races! which was high gearing! I decided to medium spin upto last 100 yards then high gearing! it kind of paid out as I finished about 9th in the main bunch which I was well happy with considering I was blocked in the run up!
Anyway I understand the finish for the breakaway was a bit mad as the winner put his hands up on the finish line and brought down other riders! the winner was subsequently disqualified for putting his hands up at the finish! A mistake am sure he will learn from
Considering I missed the break and got blocked on the finishing run in, believe it or not am really happy with a top 25 position considering the injuries I’ve sustained and that am still suffering from!
Again I would like to thank the organisers and marshals of Harry Middleton CC. and everyone else who helped out.
result
1)Martin Lonie
2)Paul Wilkinson
3)Ben Trippier
4)Kris Zentek
5)Tony Greenhalgh
6)Steven Fidler
7)Ryan Ellis
8)Charlie Critchley
9)Lewis Ball
10)Aaron Tonks
roll on next year!
Tony