Today 4 riders made the journey to Ludgershall to take part in round 5. As we made our way down the motorway we noticed it had started to snow! Regardless, we carried on. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised to see the race going ahead as normal. After meeting UOBCC riders Thomas Hall and Sam Game there (who had already ridden 8 miles from the station), we headed to the circuit. It was wet. It was cold. After signing on Tom, Sam and Mat were put in the second 4th cat race. Lining up on the start line the cold really hit us (it's worth mentioning Sam was in a skin suit!).

A lap in and we were all drenched and all feeling in our hands had gone. After multiple attacks by Sam we had upset the pack sufficiently and a few had dropped out suffering from the cold. Tom suffered a minor crash (don't try fixing your di2 mid-race). Fortunately a lap later he was back in the race. After 40 minutes a lone rider made an unsuspecting break and got away. UOBCC made an effort to chase but with no one else willing to help we settled down and reevaluated for the sprint. With 2 laps to go Mat settled behind the peloton leader looking at his options. After one and a half laps he knew his original tow couldn't give him the lead out he wanted. On the back straight he looked around hoping for a lead out. From nowhere team mate Sam Game shot past like a bullet! This was the lead out he needed. After Sam's impressive display of sportsmanship and pure power Mat jumped out his saddle and went on to win the sprint - second place for UOBCC! Sam even managed to hold his pace and kept the rest at bay taking 3rd - 2,3 for UOBCC! After a mechanical problem Tom found himself unable to stay in one gear - but he still made an impressive effort to stay with the pack!

Unfortunately the snow had settled during the race and Henry's race was called off. This was disappointing but understandable. Mat now needs to come 8th in his next race and Sam to come 9th to go up to Cat 3. 

1st                  Kim Little                        Gillingham and District Wheelers
2nd                Matthew Mew               University of Bristol CC
3rd                 Sam Game                      University of Bristol CC

13th               Thomas Hall                   University of Bristol CC

Words by Matthew Mew

Eight UoBCC riders braved the bitter morning winds to race at the Ludgershall Winter Series. After Joe's win at the previous event, the newcomers in the Cat 4 race were confident of having an impact, but the increased field size lead to all of the Cat 4s but Georgie joining Henry and Joe in the Cat 3 race.

Georgie's race went off first, with the girls in the field being given a short headstart to establish themselves at the front of the pack. Georgie was clearly one of the stronger riders in the bunch, maintaining her position when the main field caught the breakaway about 5 minutes into the race. While a number of the other girls were dropped from the main field, Georgie rode an excellent tactical race, keeping out of the wind and moving up in the latter stages of the race. However, she lost count of laps in the final stages and was not prepared for the final sprint. Despite this, she placed well and gained important experience for the next round.

The newly merged Cat ¾ race was next, and with 7 riders it was clear UoBCC would be well marked. Our riders road an aggressive race, with Henry getting into an early break that was inadvertently chased down by Sam and Tom's attempt to bridge across. The red Bristol jerseys were always prominent at the head of the pack, but we missed the decisive move of the race when a well organised 4-man breakaway got away and ultimately contested the top spots. The rest of the pack contested a sprint for the minor places, with Henry placing well after a brutally quick lead out from Mat and Tom.
We had a great time, learnt some very important tactical lessons and will be back next week in greater numbers.

Check out the full gallery here.