Jon Woolrich, Martin Smith - Plumaudan Bretagne - Cat 3&J Road Race
August 10, 2015
Howard Greenside of CCC together with Velo's Jon Woolrich and Martin Smith travelled to Plumaudan, Brittanny at the weekend to take part in a Cat 3 & Junior Road Race over 19 laps of a tough and technical 5km circuit in sweltering mid afternoon heat.
With over 100 riders on the start line, many of them Juniors, the VSJ contingent didn't go into the race with particularly high expectations, Woolrich still recovering from serious injury at the start of the season and Smith having not done a race of this kind of intensity for a couple of years. Greenside however was fresh from the Island Games and a season of MTB racing and was getting involved at the head of the race from the off. With Greenside in a break of a few riders straight away, some frantic activity in the bunch behind resulted in a pile up towards the end of the first lap that brought down many riders and split the field. Smith was just to the right of the crash and managed to dodge a few bodies, jumping onto the grass verge and getting going again, eventually making it back to the bunch after a big effort on the second lap. Woolrich wasn't so lucky, coming to a standstill behind the crash with nowhere to go and unable to get back to the bunch along with a number of other riders. Woolrich continued on however for what turned into a long solo effort.
Greenside was reeled in after a couple of laps but was well established near the front of the race throughout. The lack of a last lap bell led Howard to believe there was still one lap remaining only to watch the other riders open the sprint for the finish. It was still a good result for Howard however, inside the top twenty of forty to fifty finishers. Smith payed for earlier efforts, and not really having race fitness, calling it a day at around the half way mark after sprinting out of one corner too many.
Full results here:
http://www.sportbreizh.com/Actualites-Plumaudan-_22__-Leveque_Garel-et-Nio--330-32894-0-1.html