[Report] Tour of Cambridgeshire 2018
/Another year and another Tour of Cambridgeshire.
This is big weekend of cycling as it encompasses a TT, sportive and race all in one jam packed weekend. The race allows for qualification to the UCI Grand Fondo world series, so it’s no small feat for the competitors involved.
Lots of our members lined up on the course, ready for a fast paced day of racing. Some say that this is the hardest day of racing in the calendar, which really shows how much effort goes into this closed roads event. It was a very hot day, making it that much harder for the field of riders and adding one extra challenge to an already difficult event.
All of our members that raced beat their previous times and expectations, this was shared with the club on social media and there was a humbling amount of proud congratulations from supporting members about how exceptional the individuals had raced.
Stewart Ward a second claim member, raced the Chrono (Time trail race) and the Sportive on back to back days. He had a fantastic weekend of racing and some strong finishing positions.
Caroline Cooli unfortunately punctured on the start line of her sportive race making for a really disappointing day which was over before it begun. Don't worry Caroline, you will be back with vengeance soon to finish what you started i'm sure!
Emily Warner and Jo Payne both finished together, with an exceptional time of 3:41 and a real achievement after lots of hard training through the winter. The last 10 miles sounded particularly tough for the pair, but they got their head down and emptied the tank to get across the line. Very well done.
Richard Bradley had a crash mid-way through the race as he went down on the tarmac hard after hitting a pothole whilst in the middle of a fast bunch. His handlebar snapped in two leaving him with only one half of his bars and one shifter intact. He then showed amazing grit and determination by getting back on his bike and riding one handed, completing the race and course and still beating some fellow competitors in the leader board. To say this is astonishing is an understatement, what an incredible ride.
Steve Lane found his way into a fast bunch for the first half of the race, but at the halfway point, after seeing Rich on the side of the road with a broken bike, stopped to help and ride with him to the finish. A true competitor, showing the real sprit of the 3C club. Not only that, but he still finished the race in under 4 hours.
All in all this was a challenging race for everyone and a HUGE achievement for the 3C Cycle Club.
Chapeau to all riders, a fantastic day in the saddle
