Phoenix Cycling Club
You are here:
Tour of the North
Lining up beside most of the Norn Irish peleton should mean that savage
starts are followed by savage chases followed by laughing groups, with
the big boys left to their own devices.
Fri Night: All this pomp and ceremony, crap for the cyclists but I suppose
good for the organisation. I’ve been eating chocolate all day with large portions
of rice and pasta. I don’t know if it would do me any good but it felt good
at the time.
It’s a good atmosphere at the start of the race, but the serious head only came
on about 15mins to go and it was Dermot Hughes who reminded me that I probably
should ride hard, easy on the flat hard to the monument, don’t die and try and
continue it for what seemed like eternity but was probably 350ms. While I was
warming up I got a good feel for how hard the lads where hitting the hill , they
weren’t taking it easy, it seems everyone gets caught up in it. I’m underway
27mph first 200, slow down too hard then I hit the hill, it’s staying in the
big ring, 23 on the back, halfway up I’m in the 23, it would be embarrassing
if the guys warming up were going faster than me but I give it hell. By the time
I hit the monument my legs are solid, my chest feels likes its gonna explode,
I’m weezing like I’m on 40 a day. But I try to keep it going over the top I actually
slow on the flat before I cross the line. I think I’m gonna be sick !!! 2:38,
I finished in the bottom 3rd of the race, I wasn’t last !!, Mat was best placed
of our little lot 5th on the day 2:14, I think I was 2 secs quicker than Lennie
Kirk, 3 faster than Sean :_).
Sat:
Things are just about to get serious, wheels in Tommy’s car, Carbo drinks and
grub sorted, tactics, ‘ Ride like an idiot in the first 10 mile, try and get
into a break, get up as far as possible going to Bryansford slide out back get
into the furthest forward laughing group and ride in ’ ……easy. Ok rolling out
this is gonna be tough strong tailwind should make for a Vfast start so I’m on
the tail of the leadout car, me and Nigel NITEMARE, Flag goes down Nige attacks,
laugh, I nearly fell off my bike. Since I’m there too I’m starting to follow
wheels we’re only doing 26-27mph, I thought this was gonna be a lot faster. Launch
attack, token gesture over for the day, but I am staying in the top third of
the bunch and it’s not really that hard. Turning through Clough its quick but
I’m about tenth from the front, just following wheels, one of these might go,
turning at the roundabout at Newcastle things settled the head wind kept things
very much under wraps, all I could think of now was the climb to Spelga. Turning
off the main road the ride up to Bryansford is a lot tougher than I remember
but I’m positioned well, wee ring engaged, hurting but the odd joke is manageable.
Ridin from Bryansford past Tullmore park and things are getting really tough.
To stay up the bunch I use the big ring on the little descents and then the wee
ring is engaged with the 23 to keep me up there. I can still see the good guys
with the group and as we take the left turn on the Hilltown road this is the
bit I’m dreading. I do this climb a couple of times a year and I know it hurts,
this is gonna be hell. As we hit this narrow part of the climb I can see it splitting
but the bloody motorbikes are trying to get through and the bunch is braking
then accelerating this isn’t going well for me, I need tempo if I’m to get over
this at all. I never once looked over my shoulder but I guess guys were going
out the back all the time. I was starting to loose the pace, a wee hand in the
back from Hall, nope it doesn’t matter I need to settle into my own tempo to
be in decent shape for the chase. I’m going past Fofanny at this stage I can
see ahead of me groups already forming. I start to ride with a lad from Madigans
and the two of us are picking off bodies, this is good for the descent, we should
get back on, over the top picked up Paul Kane, another useful guy to have in
a chase. Going down was the most god awful experience, at speeds of 50mph I am
trying to get between cars and motorbikes, but the cops are stopping cars on
the left hand side of the road and this starts to slow the traffic, then the
hairpin, bogged up with cars two guys nip through the gap, I’m left stranded.
I was like a madman possessed riding down that hill, I passed a couple of riders
one of them being Ian Procter, he told me latter that he’d punctured going over
the top but that was going to be my good luck, he’s like a motorbike. When he
came past me again on the flat I thought we might have been doing 25/26 we where
actually riding at 28 on the flat and I couldn’t come round him, but with traffic
an all I lost his wheel and it was only after a hard chase that I got back on
just after Rafriland. As soon as I’d got on, my heart rate dropped it was relatively
easy on the back of this little group compared to chasing through the cars, I’d
been chasing to get on for 13 miles. About 20 in this group, contained Sean and
Mert and a few of the regular faces who I’ve been racing with over the last number
of weeks, I guessed I’d found my laughing group. It was more like tears as we
went over the ‘Broiling Wells’ and through Dromara, the roads where tough and
the legs where sore. We actually started to pick more bodies ones and twos, Jim
McConnell was one and I didn’t realise but people where joining us from behind
as well. What was 20 turned into somewhere between 30/40 riders we started laughing
on the main road back.
Just for the record I won the sprint from our group, I’m hoping to use this sprint
one of these days for a decent placing. I noted my heart rate as we rode in sometimes
I hit 130 which is a recovery HR for me so it was kind of easy ride in, which
probably is a good way to wind it down. As for the others Sean and Mert finished
in the group I was in. Paul’s group was in front of us but the whole race seemed
to fragment, everyone was in a group, even the winner. Mat was unlucky while
in the winning break he was unfortunate to puncture, a number of cars just drove
past him, including neutral service, poor show really. Tomorrow is the 7mile
TT followed by a flat stage I’ve ridden round this Peninsula twice already this
year, no reason to believe it will be any easier the third time.
Sun:
Morning: I did a short TT, I rode it easy/moderate, I wasn’t last, that was ominous,
those who were behind me where contenders for stage wins this afternoon, including
Mert who posted 21:20 compared to my 20:45, a scalps a scalp.
Afternoon, and its down the peninsula AGAIN, third time this year. So I know
the score: hot off the start, pace high until it breaks, then depending on
who is in the break things might settle or there might be a hot pursuit and
hell for ages, anyway roundabouts here we come. My game plan is stay in the
top twenty try and follow wheels maybe get into a break, here goes. I’m at
the back in the rolling start, so I try to get up the group, not as easy as
it sounds even in the rolling start, put yourself in the gutter and you might
puncture, but I manage it anyway. Lovely legs Lee tells me 400ms to the start
and now I’m two bike lengths of the back of the car, it opens up onto the carriageway
Paul Kane moves up the right in front of me, I’m now in a break, 30 secs from
kick off, quickest ever !!!! Paul, me and Ross Blaney, are busting a gut moving
up the road to catch two Cranog guys 28mph, I didn’t realise until we couldn’t
catch them that one of them was Conor Murphy. It took us to Ards to catch him
and Davy McCall was giving us encouragement with the time checks, 30 secs at
Ards. Looking over my shoulder I could see the pack in a line trying to bring
it back, it was splitting up, straight line with gaps, up comes Mat, Big Ian,
Gerry, Mark Creer and a couple of others including some English bloke. This
is hard, I’ve been busting myself with Paul and Ross and we were gonna be bagged
by the peleton. We all rode through for about the first 20-30 mins we started
to open the gap, first 45 secs then 1min then 2. We had about 2:25 at Portaferry
and my legs where sore, the road is terrible and the little undulations coupled
with a strong headwind made sure that we would earn every second, but this
was a good group, no GC riders.
I stopped working going into Portaferry, I’ve been dropped countless times between
Portaferry and Clough and I really didn’t want it to happen this time, I also
wanted to recover for what would be a high speed chase up the other side. Mat
had told me he preferred if it stayed together and if I had the legs I was gonna
try and make that happen. Having made it to Clough 27mph avg between Port and
Clough we had 4 minutes. I started to ride through again, I got a bit of a second
wind, riding through with most of the gang but a couple sitting on, team orders
you know, it hurt 28 avg from Clough to Bangor the wind was on our side. Going
through Ballywalter it started to explode, Murphy up the right followed by Mat
and a couple of others, then Gerry then someone else, Murphy goes again and that
looks like the end of me, we’re ridin at 27/28 but I just keep a constant pace
next thing you know I’m up the road, Murphy’s in front of me and Creer’s coming
up from behind, I’m not fit for jumpin but steady ridin, for a while anyway,
so Mark comes by me, looking over my shoulder Mat is chasing so I don’t work
with Mark. He’s doing a good pace and he’s bringing me closer to the hill at
the water tower. Mat and Co come round me and they go again, this time, Kaner,
Ross and I haven’t a hope, they start to go away from us chasing the strong Conor
Murphy, as we hit the hill they’re at 50ms we drop Ross, Kaner and I do bit and
bit but they still go away from us. I’m now worried about being caught, all this
messing about has probably slowed us compared to the main bunch, but we manage
to keep them off us by 1minute then off-course I sprint Kaner for what ended
up being 7th place. Sore Legs !!
Mon:
Billed as the toughest stage I’m sure it was gonna live up to it’s billing. My
plan was to get over Shanes’ Hill (3miles at 3%grad), then get onto Glenariff
with the main bunch, I didn’t think I could make it over the top with them but
I’d try. It was a quick enough start Brian Stewart was looking for an early break
and obviously a few others where as well, Mat went up the road with Brian and
a few others, Mat was looking for KOH points. In the main bunch I was looking
forward to the ascent of Shanes hill we had a bit of a tail wind and the speed
was up as we went over the top it was sore but I’d made my first objective of
the day. I was hoping that the next objective, ie getting to Glenariff would
be easy, wrong there, Kilwaughter to Cairncastle was painful. The tiredness in
the legs was evident from the session yesterday. As we hit the coast things got
ominously easy 70% on the HRM. I moved up the group for the expected onslaught,
as we turned at Waterfoot the speed went up and bodies went out the back door.
I think we where about 3/4s way up when I couldn’t hold the wheel anymore. I
was close enough to the top to see the bunch go over in three main groups. The
English Scotch and Welsh where all attacking Tommy. Looked like hell!! I was
with Paul Kane again and Ross Blaney, déjà vu, we rode down then up the next
climb talking over yesterday’s heroics. We finished the ride eventually, we still
had 30 miles to ride from the top and every mile hurt more, more sore legs.
Tues:
No Legs no head, no heart, and the fact that I’d no brains meant that I turned
up for more beating. Resting HR was up by at least 20% last nite, the legs were
Vsore this morning god only knows how I was able to use the clutch in the car.
Survival: As we set out the pace was high but I was comfortable, I was well positioned
a straight line all the way to Balloo. Tommy Evans passed by me on the left hand
side of the road – broken chain – he wouldn’t get back on, that left Ryan Connor
very much favourite for the overall. We hit the first KOH very hard, a couple
of people hit the hedges in front of me, Doc looses his chain, I have to put
my foot on the ground now its gonna get harder. I’m still on but hangin in as
they went over the top I started to loose ground about 5 bike lengths as we went
over Cormac , Tommy and Marion shouting encouragement
But it’s too much several guys have come off the back and more where coming off
as I chased, I picked up guys who I’d been with riding alot with this weekend
which I suppose meant I was no worse today than I was yesterday. I ended up in
a small group with Sean chasing through the cars for what seemed eternity. The
roads where dirty slippy and lumpy so cars where either stopped or going full
tilt, very difficult to use the cavalcade to get back on.
I’m now cold wet and dropped, the only thing I could think off was the quickest
way back to the ice-bowl. Although the other guys all wanted to ride to the finish.
As we completed the loop around Raffery and we went into Comber I just went to
the front in order to empty my legs totally. I didn’t really fancy Gilnahirk
and the rain had started to come on heavier, so I peeled off into the Ice-bowl
as the rest of the lads made their way round the Gilnahirk loop to do 25mile
more. So ended my TON, it was a training race firstly important to get the racing
miles in so that I can give those 3rd Cats hell in the next few weeks, getting
in the break on Sunday afternoon was a great bonus, but I paid for my lack of
climbing strength on the Mondays stage and Tuesday was really just a blur. Well
done the lads who I’m sure all achieved their own objectives, Mat was firing
well but I can see he’s not at his full strength yet, I’m looking forward to
seeing him at the National Championship, I think he’ll be more than able to kick
around with the big lads. Paul has a lot to be pleased about besides a good stage
finish he rode well over the difficult terrain and was mixing it with the 1sts
very well. Mert rode up to Sun and went drinking on Mon, good choice, although
I can see he’s coming back to form and even those two days of racing will have
done him good. Sean rode well throughout the whole race, strong when the going
got tough, I don’t think he’s done that much racing this year so far, but I’m
sure the club races will be a lot harder this year than last due to his strength.
Thanks to all the people who shouted for us on the roads, it gives you a wee
lift every now and again.
Navigation
Mert Thompson & Paul Harte
Sean McGreevy
Paul Harte in the prologue
