Race Report: Ludgershall Round 4

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.

Georgie in the peleton

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.

UOBCC chasing down the breakaway

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