Feature: A Sunday in Hell (a mechanic’s tale)

On very technical, hilly, slippery, narrow roads, the riders in the Shibden Apex Racing Team had a hellish day with mechanicals keeping the team car busy

Feature: A Sunday in Hell (a mechanic’s tale)
From Shibden Apex RT

The team’s first UK National Series race of the season – the Cicle Classic, raced on the narrow “roads” around Melton Mowbray and pork pies were definitely not the main things on the minds of the five girls (Alice, Evie, Izzy, Lucy and Ruby) who were racing.

Saturday’s course recce revealed a very technical, hilly, slippery, narrow and dirty series of loops to be raced! Sunday started all good – the best thing you can ask in the team car is to never see your own riders during the race and we were hoping for 107 trouble-free kilometres. As the riders entered the narrower roads after around 20km, many other riders were having issues, be they mechanical issues, victims of crashes or just unable to cope with the race pace.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last. Alice punctured at around the 23km mark, although due to the nature of the course and our team car being drawn last in the race convoy, we didn’t see her for another 11km! Bike change number 1 was coming up!!

Bizarrely, Ruby also had a problem at the exact moment we caught up with Alice. This was to be a double bike change!! Both girls sorted and off they go. Unfortunately, now they are the best part of 3 minutes behind the front of the race. By the time we get the damaged bikes on the car and get going again, we are minutes behind the rest of the convoy with only the race doctor and broom wagon behind us! We pass several stragglers to try and get back to our place. We catch up with a large group that Alice and Ruby have both found themselves in.

After a few more kilometres, we come across the Neutral service car at the side of the road…..and Lucy. She’s been waiting for a while as group after group trail past her – her front tyre displaying a huge hole! Having been towards the front of the race, her wait must have felt like a lifetime since we are last team car in the convoy and, having just recently performed two bike changes, we are right at the back of the race. Bike change done and she’s off, albeit now, at the back of the race.

As Paul is driving the car on the narrow roads, I’m hanging out of the window, sorting out Alice’s bike, in case she needs to change again. We have no idea where our riders are now – the 130 odd riders that started the race are all over the place in various small groups. It’s total and utter carnage!

Pretty soon though we catch sight of Evie (she’s covered in blood after a crash, but still carrying on). I ask if she is OK as we pass – of course she is! (she’s made out of rock).

For the next 40km, we pass a never ending stream of riders and eventually, we catch back up to Ruby. She has been riding like a train, jumping from group to group. We only have 1 rider up in front now and that is Izzy. We are guessing there can only be around 40 or so riders left up front. Very soon we see Izzy and Ruby has now paired up with her. We are nearly in the last 25km and Ruby forces the pace and forges ahead ( we later find out that Izzy) had a puncture and rode the whole of the last 30km of the race with a flattening tyre.

The show of strength from Ruby just carries on and she passes yet more riders. Finally she finds herself in a group of 6 riders, including 3 from the Toffauti team. All in the group are actually juniors. Ruby’s bike is making quite a noise so I get her to pull close to the car. I lean out of the window and give her clunking transmission a shot of lube.

Hopefully, it will help!! Eventually she gets to the finish straight and gets herself a creditable 28th place overall and 3rd junior (after having chased for around 80km!!) Izzy trails in shortly afterwards with a very flat tyre. Alice, unfortunately got stopped on the finishing line without being able to start the last lap. Lucy and Evie are pulled out too.

So, 5 riders started the race. All 5 have had extremely bad luck, but we’re desperately proud of how they raced their first Cicle Classic. They were all hoping for more, but that’s racing. The season has only just started!