Phillip Graves Race Update

I have been extremely busy of late trying to find some cycling form for the next months upcoming races, and I am thankful the weather has been conspiring with me. I have been riding 3-4h in the morning everyday, watching the Giro for 2h in the afternoon and swimming and running in the evening. I managed to put 3 weeks good training behind me throughout the duration of the Giro, and after putting the disappointment of the Corus Elite series race at Reading behind me I looked to get a good result at the Yorkshire Divisional Road Race Championships. After such a long period of good weather, it was inevitable that it would rain, and it did. The race took place on a course that I ride on almost every day as it is only about 10miles away from where I live, and I knew that with a large number of friends coming to watch I wanted to get a breakthrough result in my first year as a senior. The race, 8 laps of an 11 mile circuit featuring 5 notable hills each lap wasn’t really suited for me and after the first few laps I really felt like climbing off and calling it a day, partly because I felt a bit tired from all the training I had done in the previous few weeks and partly due to the torrential rain which made for very unpleasant riding. It was on the second lap that a group of about 20 big names made it off the front, and after some hesitation I decided I had to make an attempt to bridge up if I were to get a decent result from the day. I managed this with surprising ease, and once I had packed a few gels and bars down me I started to feel relatively strong. I managed to sit in for a few laps with a couple of older guys who I go out training with waiting for things to begin to kick off. On the 4^th lap up the 1 in 6 of Bulmer bank attacks started to come from everywhere and I managed to drag myself clear with Kevin Dawson (Sportscover Spiuk JE James) and Graham Briggs (Rapha condor recycling.co.uk) who would later drop back which left just myself and Dawson out front. We managed to get a gap on the chasers of around 75seconds, and realising I was going into the red started to do less and less work, even struggling to sit on Dawson’s wheel with 2 laps to go. I managed to eat some more food just as we began to come into 1 lap to go when Dean Downing (Rapha condor recycling.co.uk) and Liam Holohan (Pear Izumi Planet X high 5 RT) managed to bridge up. With about 10miles to go we had a near 2minute lead and I felt destined for 4^th. With shot legs and a splitting headache - since I had lost my bottle on the very first lap going over a huge pothole hid under a puddle and I had only managed to get limited drink in the feed zone, the pace thankfully slackened and I managed to recuperate a little.  Going down Terrington Bank, a hill a know very well where one can quite easily hit 90kmp/h I managed to chip off the front of the three remaining breakaway companions so just put my head down and go for it in 50 x 11 gear I had (I decided to use a compact because it meant that I didn’t have to change down to the small chainring once during the race on the climbs, but instead grind over them in 50 x 23). I managed to get about 15 seconds by the final hill with 500m to go but unfortunately Dean Downing just sprant passed me half way up the hill. On the last 90 degree left hander with 200m to go I was sure I would get second, a result I would have been ecstatic to achieve, but sadly I ran out of talent and as my wheel hit a rather nasty wet painted white line I took a very heavy tumble. However I got straight back up and woefully crossed the line in 4^th, absolutely gutted as it would have been a result to make my season. Not really the end I wanted but hopefully I will be able to get back in the pool soon when my road rash heals a bit, I may even go and try tonight just 2 days after. The bad weather seems to be hear to stay but I am looking to steadily improve as the month goes on. I have the Beaumont trophy on the 15^th June, Otley Criterium race on the 26^th and the National RR Champs on the 29^th, so hoping I stay on my bike, I anticipate to get some good results by the end of the month.

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