KW - Milk Churn

 It is such a shame that the days I have less time to ride a report seem to be the days GC Denis chose to do a heroic attack and take a magnificent win at the Juniper KOM.

It is not only that I am short of time though.

I’m not really motivated to tell everyone that I also didn’t take the KOM at Effingham because I couldn’t load the big chainring at the right moment, that I failed to take the Leith Hill KOM because The Pope decided the KOM line was about a kilometer after the line I had sprinted for, and I have zero motivation to tell you that the other annoying Spanish speaker rider in the group took the final sprint at the Horton roundabouts by a country mile. 

With that in mind, why on earth would I want to tell you that GC Denis took the KOM at Juniper riding solo from the very beginning of the climb?

Well, I’ll tell you all about it only so you understand why TY, who was about 7,000km away when this happened, is to blame for it.

GC Denis was at the front of the group when we took the turn towards Juniper. A gap opened behind him. Noel kept his pace, Nigel on his wheel, then The Pope and then myself having everything under control.

The gap grew. No one seemed to want to close it.

I wasn’t worried. I knew at any time I could jump, close the gap, and then out sprint GC Denis.

I sat and kept my poker face.

But the gap grew a little bit more and the group was not accelerating.

I played it cool. It was going to take a big effort to jump across but I knew I could do it. I just had to wait for the right moment.

I wouldn’t be able to tell when that happened but at a certain point the gap was so big we were not seeing GC Denis in front of us anymore. I realised the KOM was lost.

Without taking any merit to GC Denis’ effort (I wish I were brave enough to try something like that), at the moment, I blamed the team. Bunch of lazy riders. 

Later on I realised it is all TY’s fault.

He is the one that planted the sentence: “He was willing to lose the race in order to win the race”.

An advice that hasn’t worked for me in two consecutive rides, and I’m not here to take any responsibility so TY’s fault it is.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/20142825846

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Blame Noel

It was all Noel’s fault.

GC Denis was setting a good pace up Woldingham. Good because I was sitting in third wheel and already counting on taking the KOM outsprinting him and Noel at the top.

But Noel decided to attack and I had to follow. To my surprise when I got to him I felt I still had more to give so I carried on.

At some point, when I was running out of steam, I looked back and the gap looked to me big enough to take the KOM. 

A shame I didn’t know where it was because I got the feeling GC Denis beat me to it on what had to be the top.

Then Toy’s Hill came. The Pope (absent at Woldingham) set a good pace. Good because I was sitting in fourth wheel and already counting on taking the KOM outsprinting The Pope, GC Denis, and Noel at the top.

But Noel decided to attack. The Pope followed him. I’m glad I didn’t have the legs otherwise I would have followed The Pope and that never ends well. All I could do was sit on GC Denis’ wheel. 

The Pope dropped Noel and disappeared at the front. GC Denis closed the gap to Noel and he moved behind me.

For whatever reason I felt the moral obligation to take a turn at the front, something very unusual. Very reluctantly I passed GC Denis and moved to the front for what must have been 30 seconds but felt like an eternity.

When my pace was starting to embarrass the trio GC Denis passed me again and took matters into his hands.

As you would expect as we were approaching the top I “sprinted” to take the KOM only to find out that there was (just another) ramp to go and GC Denis was sitting comfortably in my wheel.

Beaten again by GC Denis.

So, now Juniper was the last climb. GC Denis at the front for most of it. Noel on his wheel, I on Noel’s, Nigel on mine.

I wasn’t planning to sprint for the KOM, but at the final ramp I saw Noel changing to the small chainring. I got a bit over excited, sprinted, and took the climb.

For some reason no one believed me when I blamed Noel when we regrouped at the top.

But then the Horton roundabouts sprint came. I definitely wanted to take that one.

So I move to the back of the group. Behind Noel.

He was doing a fairly good job taking me through the roundabouts and staying at the back of the group until Nigel opened a gap at the front.

I stayed on Noel’s wheel.

Second at the sprint after Nigel.

It was all Noel’s fault.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/20046657266/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González