I arrived at Dunsfold aerodrome to find 50 cars already in the carpark and others still arriving. Undoubtebly a big turnout due to the weather. For a 4th Cat race there was a lot of nice machinery on show, several £5k bikes and lots of bling kit.
Having pinned on my number and with a simple "4th Cats off ya go" from the starter, we were underway. Being an airfield the Dunsfold course is just a flat simple loop of the perimeter road. I had told myself that I was only here on a fact finding mission to gain experience, I wasn't going to get caught up in the racing. That resolution lasted until the second lap.
At 27mph I was finding the tightly packed center of the group quite intimidating. It is nice tucked away only having to freewheel along much of the time - it hardly feels like a race - but you need eyes in the back of your head and to trust those around you. For piece of mind I worked myself to the outside, but then found myself in a chain moving to the front! A small group had broken away and suddenly I was on the front of the main group taking turns to chase them back down. It was only the 3rd lap - this wasn't what I had planned!
I caught the breakaway group and at the exact moment I did the others came surging through from behind. The entire pack of 50+ riders streamed past as if I wasn't moving. My legs weakened from the chase there was nothing I could do either. The final rider came past and the gap grew. I yoyo'd off the back for a few seconds knowing once I had gone that was it. With the last reserves of energy I sprinted to try and stay on! 1st lesson learnt!
Back in the peleton the laps went by while I recovered, slowly working myself back towards the front, into the top 20 or so. I was determined not to waste any more effort so moved around within the group to stay sheltered from the wind. The laps ticked by and with two to go the pace was really high as riders began to jostle for prime position. I held my nerve, getting used now to the tight proximity of the riders.
So into the final straight, the finish line in sight. I was up in the top ten holding my place waiting to time my sprint. Already past 30mph the guy infront got out the saddle to open up, hit something in the road and went down. His bike flew up into the air, I couldn't avoid it.
The next memory I have is being loaded onto the ambulance. Final stop a painful night in Tooting A&E. After 5 hours laying flat on my back in a neck brace looking at the ceiling I was finally given the all clear. What a relief, but then they started picking at my other wounds. A broken cheek bone was cleaned up, and I was told not to sneeze as I might lose my eye. My ear had been worn down to the cartilage so an agonising hour was spent with the plastic surgeon as he stretched the skin I did have and sewed it over the wound.
I'm now back home, the worse of my injuries at the moment are the road rash which makes almost every position uncomfortable. So my first road race, and probably my last as well. It may take a while but when I get back on the bike I'm sticking to the MTB.
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