Here we all are, lined up before the race – nerves jangling, adrenalin pumping. A few WVCC riders in evidence – Kev, Nick B, Carol, John Keen, Julian, Andy Newby, Richard Munro, Mark Thompson and me – with Alan and Tim marshalling this week. A good race was had by all. Our race (Carol, Mark and I ride with the over 55s) was fast. A group of four rode off the front (with Mark hanging on to their coat tails) and the bunch spent 6 laps trying to catch them, and despite the fact that we had some well organised “through and offing” going on, we failed – which shows how well the leaders rode. I managed to contribute to the work in the first four laps and then hid at the back, and both Carol and I finished safely in the bunch, with an average of 23.7mph on my computer – it was a much more consistent effort this week because of the teamwork, we didn’t have the normal stop/start stuff going on. I’m not sure what happened in the other races – Kev and Nick got into a break of 8 riders, two went off the front and Nick pipped Kev to the post for third in their age group. Julian, John K and Richard reported a fast ride, with a nasty crash in the early laps.
The best bit of the evening is always afterwards in the upstairs room of the chapel, where we drink tea in china cups, eat cake, discuss our races and watch the winners get their tenners, handed to them in white envelopes. It’s here that Carol and I try not to be too put off by the all-pervasive smell of Ralgex and the sight of male bare bottoms! It’s funny watching these lean, mean racing machines, with calves like walnuts – who when they race are so fit, brave and determined, and who look so charismatic in their club or team kit – get back into their shirts and slacks, and then they look just like normal blokes who do normal stuff like work in offices – a roomful of Supermen transmorphing into Clark Kents…