Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt & Trofee Van Vlaanderen

Last week I rode the International Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt der Junioren (UCI 2.1) in Germany, as a part of the Welsh Cycling Junior Programme calendar. We travelled to Germany a day before the race got underway, arriving late on Thursday evening. 

Friday morning, we went for the usual pre-race spin around some of the local lanes with our coach, Michael Heaven. The first stage was a short one, only 66km based around Wallenhorst. I was fortunate to do the same race last year, and had a good idea of what to expect. The first stage was short but intense, with narrow lanes stringing the bunch out. Positioning was pretty important in this stage in order to avoid getting caught behind any crashes. Breaks were frequent along with crashes, I was lucky to avoid the crashes and stay upright. Despite getting myself in a few moves and positioning myself well at the front of the bunch. A late break stayed away to the finish, gaining 34 seconds on the bunch. 

Team presentation ahead of stage 1. (L to R) Stephen Williams, Joe Wiltshire, Gwyn Lovibond, Owen James, Zach May, myself.

Stage 2a was a short 9km TT. The course was a fairly flat one, with a tight turn to negotiate. Having lost 34 seconds during the first stage, I knew that I'd need to do a good TT in order to move myself up on GC from 31st. The TT suited me well and I posted 12:31 on the clock, finishing 9th on the stage, 11 seconds down on the stage winner. I was pleased to gain my first top 10 at an International race and also moved up to 14th on GC ahead of the afternoon stage.

Heavy showers before stage 2b meant that the wooded sections of the course would be damp and slippery. Some of the sprint teams were out to keep the race together for the second road stage and ensure a sprint finish. Despite this, a few threatening breakaway were let go. With 25km to go, I found myself in a break of 12 with a 40 second advantage over the bunch. Unfortunately a strong chase from Denmark meant that the break was brought back on the fifth & final lap. The stage finished with a bunch sprint, and I managed to move myself into 13th on GC.

The final stage was 114km, over 3 laps. The final stage was notably hillier than the previous two stages, with two categorised climbs. The stage was fairly straight forward as the Danish team who had the race lead kept a close eye on the breakaways. The stage finished with a bunch sprint again, meaning that GC remained the same, meaning that I finished 13th overall. 

From Germany, I travelled to Belgium to ride the latest round of the Beker Van Belgie (Belgian National Series) with the South East cycling team. I was dropped off at the hostel by the Welsh team on Sunday evening. We had an easy day on Monday, ahead of the race on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning we drove to Reningelst where the Trofee Van Vlaanderen was based. We'd race the 122km over 12 laps. The race had a strong field, with Avia-Crabbe, Kon Balen, Davo & the Alberto Contador Foundation team lining up. The circuit was fairly technical with narrow lanes, bottlenecks & a decent climb up the finishing straight. The weather worsened as we arrived at the Sports centre, with heavy rain forecast for the race. We signed on and headed the gear check in order to place ourselves as far forward as possible on the starting line. Luckily for us, we started at the very front, meaning the normally chaotic few kilometers would be a little less stressful for us.

Lining up 30 minutes before the start in the pouring rain took its toll on my legs, making the first few kilometres particularly painful.

Myself, Jake Scott & fellow ODP rider Gabriel Cullaigh managed to cover the majority of the early breaks as breakaways started to form. The majority of which were marshalled early on by the Avia-Crabbe team. As the race progressed, the strong crosswind and narrow lanes took its toll splitting the bunch over the course of a lap. The bunch shrunk to around 40 riders at one point, with myself and Gabriel Cullaigh in that group.

We covered the majority of the breaks, bridging across to a few threatening moves. Despite our efforts, the race came back together within the last few kilometres and ultimately came down to a sprint. I placed 21st in the end, with only 77 of the 171 starters finishing. 

I'm pleased with how the last few races have gone and hope to carry on building as I prepare for the final round of the National Junior Series; the Junior Tour of Wales. 

Sincere thanks to Michael Heaven, Karl Nielsen and Robert Rowe for a great trip in Germany, and to John Barclay and Dave of the South East team for the opportunity to race in Belgium.

I'm currently half way through a training camp with the Welsh Junior Programme in Newport; in preparation for track National & the Junior Tour of Wales - thanks for reading.