Race Report | Haus RT 4th Cat & 3/4

As part of the lead up to the National Championships (held at Darley Moor Motor Racing Circuit), I wanted to get a proper race recon done. With that being a closed circuit, the only way to test the course is by joining a race(s)... so I entered two! That all sounds sensible until you realise I entered the (able-bodied) 4th Cat for 10:45 and the (able-bodied) 3/4 Cat for 15:00 on the same day. In other words, I’ll have around four hours to recover from my first 4th cat race in eight years, so go even quicker in the 3/4 cat. 

The circuit isn’t too complex, I’m sure it’s very fun on a go-kart, but for cyclists, it’s essentially three straights with two quick left-handers split by a hairpin. Due to the nature of the course, the wind can make a massive impact if it goes from the correct direction because you could have a crosswind for two straights and a tailwind for the other straight.

I set myself four objectives for the day:

1. I’m hoping to learn my lesson about nutrition from the Paracycling Nat Series Round 2 (Bath) and will likely “over eat” during the day, but I think that’s probably needed due to the two races.

2. Get into front group and survive as long as possible.

3. Make it into the front group for the 1st lap in the Cat 3/4 race.

4. Know the limits of my bike handling skills ahead of the Para Nat Champs.

So, how did each objective go?

Objective 1 was completed easily, helped by having a cafe at the circuit. I ate pasta, four energy bars, four energy gels, two sausage baps throughout the day from breakfast to end of race. I also think I could have potentially eaten more but it’s good to know.

The 4th Cat race was a big shock to the system. No one sprints off the start (like in Paracycling, see photo of me winning the first corner sprint below), but that could be more related to the lead group being 5-10 vs 40+ riders. So I led out the first corner, and then when everyone sat up down the main straight (slight uphill and slight headwind), I used that opportunity to put in a 5-10 second effort and lead out the hairpin. I, then, got swamped and never saw the front of the race again - but I said at the back, just about surviving. However, I got dropped due to a lack of technical skills combined with my lack of sprint. I then TTed until I decided that I was going too much into the red for the 3/4 race later in the day. 

The effort was 15mins 42 secs at 280w average (298w NP) with a VI of 1.07. I think I might be able to certain 300w for 20mins if it is a pure TT, but I put myself into the red too early. Shown by setting a season-best in 5min (299w to 301w), 6min (288w to 293w), 10min (283w to 291w), 12min (277 to 286w) for average power. This is all compared to Paracycling Nat Series Round 2 in Bath. (I will do a full comparison after analysing the 3/4).

The 3/4 Cat was always going to be more difficult… 1) Cat 3s tend to be a lot quicker, and 2) My legs were not fresh after the effort in the morning. The objective was to survive the first lap, and I did that! Having ridden around the track in the 4th cat race, I was a lot more confident and didn’t get dropped due to technical skills. I just didn’t have the legs to kick when others did out the hairpin. So I did a TT for 22mins to see what I think would be sustainable for the Nat Champs TT (which will be 10 laps of the 2.3km circuit). The pace for that was 266w average (271w NP) so I will go quicker during the Nat Champs, but I was happy. Did a bit of CX when I got lapped, which is always fun (I got caught at the most awkward place). 

So, the final objective, which is about understanding my limits on the track… I feel I got close to my limit on the circuit, which is three left-hand corners, my weakness. However, I’m certainly a lot quicker now than I would have been. 

To finish off the race report, I think the progress I’ve shown over the past 2 weeks needs to be put into context. I’m at that awkward ability where I can keep up if I put myself into the red while everyone else is just in suffering mode, and it can feel like I’m not making progress. But if I step back, I’ve made a lot of progress. The efforts I’m making aren’t that much higher for around 5mins, but the efforts are much more sustainable over the 10-20min period. This will then increase from 10-20mins to 20-30mins and so on. 

I also have lots of photos of me!