Round 2 of the Fusion Media Women’s 3/4 Series came around quick and this time it was organised by Haus Race Team. After some gear tinkering and a ‘bike check’ ride the morning of the race, I was praying the bike gods were on my side for this race. As my race season so far had been plagued by issues with my bike I’d forgotten about from last season, but with a full strip down and new cables bedded in, it looked like we were good to go.

This round we were racing at Darley Moor Race Circuit, which is usually used for motorbike racing. There were kerbs on the corners to avoid, as we rode the opposite way to the motorbikes. Even if we did ride the same way as the motorbikes, the kerbs were definitely not something to be hitting on skinny tyres anyway. It’s a sure fire way to hit the deck.

Compared to Round 1, the track was wide with tight corners and lap times were sitting around 4 minutes. Round 1 lap times were close to 1 minute and for the most part you could see where other groups of riders were on the circuit. At Darley Moor if you get dropped, you’re on your own, so certainly not a circuit to get dropped on.

I’ve raced a few times at Darley Moor before, probably before I started my degree, so I quickly became familiar with the track again. After getting dropped at Round 1, I was slightly nervous. The laps felt long and the wind was strong. The start whistle went and I struggled to respond and stay on the back. Luckily I managed to stay on, and tagged on the back of the group whilst I figured how the group would fair in the tight corners. 

There was the odd attack early on, but nothing really stuck. Going into the hairpin, probably not that far into the race, I was rolling down the left of the group. I’m not sure why, but it felt like a good time to attack. I went, but soon heard a crash behind me. It didn’t sound good, but I needed to make sure the group didn’t plough into the back of me, so I kept on pushing. I had absolutely no clue who was behind me, but going into the next corner a quick glance showed me the group was there. I ended up back in the bunch, but it was good to get some experience on the front. I think that’s one of the biggest things to learn with racing, there will always be a ‘what if’ to talk you out of a move. 

“What if I don’t get away?”

“What if my legs give up?”

But what have you got to lose giving it a go? 

I can imagine it matters more once you work up the race categories, but that’s the whole point of them right? Although I still find it impossible to get out of being a 4th Cat!

Hearing the crash didn’t entirely fill me with confidence, and after that I felt a bit off, so just made sure I didn’t get dropped. I was making life harder for myself being at the back, but I was definitely performing better than I would have done a few years ago. 

Before I knew it, there was 10 minutes left. It’s always an odd part of the race as you’re just waiting for something to happen. Some attacks did happen, but ultimately it all came down to the last corner and the finish straight. I was not in a good position going into the final left hand corner, but managed to grab 11th. 

Performance wise, there’s definitely areas I need to work on, but I think a lot of my struggles today came from sitting towards the back of the group. I know it’s not the place to be as you keep having to react to the front, which always means you end up working harder than you need to. My numbers from Training Peaks were promising, but there’s always room to improve. With the next races in May, hopefully see you then!