Last race of the season (maybe)

Well today was eagerly anticapted race between me and Tim Butt as well as about 60 others at the Maldon R.R. over 60/65 miles worth 30 points. The course uses many of the roads that were used in this year's Premeir Calendar race, the Tour of the Dengie Marshes. Anyway it was pretty nippy this morning, only about 5 degrees when we started, but we quickly warmed up, the race was going to consist of 6 and a bit laps of about 10miles in distance, the race took us about 2hrs 10mins and it was fast and aggressive from the beginning with it being a perfect day, quiet roads and a lot of quality guys (some pros) doing what is probably the last race of the season for them as may also be for me. This meant everyone was giving it all, breaks were forming all the time, but never sticking due to how fast the course was and how the breaks never contained the right people. Halfway through the 4th lap there was a big crash in the middle of the peloton that resulted in a guy being cartered off in an ambulance, unfortunately they neutralised the race as soon as it happened, very annoying as stopping because of a crash never happens and certainly not for me, but nevermind. Then the right break did form, just after the bell had rung for the last lap a break of six had drifted off the front, all of them quality riders who had good time-trialling abilities, but lacked the ability to sprint up the final climb that was short and steep and where the finish was 800m further on from the summit. They saw a small gap, a couple of stupid people couldn't be bothered to follow wheels and ended up blocking others behind, and they opened up the taps, quickly establishing a 20second gap. I couldn't get across as I was sheltering the middle of the peloton believing that the race would come down to a sprint finish. A lot the guys and teams that had missed the break set out to chase this down including me and Tim, we got it to 10secs, but then everyone sat up and did not want to work with the sprint looming.  It was absolute chaos on the climb, but I got up well enough and eventually finished 11th. Didn't feel as strong as I would usually on this type of finish just because I'm starting to feel a bit run down now after such a long season. Tim finished only a few places behind so all in all it was a great way to (probably) end the season, just a shame that I couldn't have added another win.

There is probably some other stuff that I've forgotten about today's race, but I will update it all as soon as. I'm just a bit knackered at the moment as I only finished racing 2hrs ago!