A Cycle of Success
Valencian Rob Walker (2016) reports on his first BUCS experience and a positive day for Cambridge University Cycling.
- Event: BUCS 25 Mile Time Trial (TT) Championships, incorporating the Varsity Match
- Date: 22nd April 2017
- Location: 2 Laps of an undulating triangular circuit out to the west of Cambridge towards Newmarket.
Race Report:
Time Trials - as the name suggests - are all about the clock, and are seen by many as the race of truth: You, your bike, the road and the seconds ticking away; riders are set off individually at minute intervals, and the fastest to cover the given course is the winner - elegantly simple.
Following on from the BUCS 10 Mile TT Championships the previous weekend (which I didn’t race in), which Cambridge dominated - placing riders 1st, 3rd and 4th individually in the Men’s event and 5th and 6th in the Women’s event - expectations were high for the BUCS 25 TT Championships and Varsity match, especially given this time we would have a home advantage.
Whilst not my first time representing the University Cycling Club, as a fresher this was my first BUCS event and also my shot at earning myself a Blue. So it was safe to say I was a little nervous, but also confident that my buildup over the past months had put me in a good position coming into the race.
Fortunately the weather was just about perfect - fairly warm (for April anyway!), sunny and only a light breeze - and 11 Men and 4 Women for Cambridge gradually took to the start over the afternoon, set off in 1 minute intervals.
I knew coming into the event that a top 3 placing within the riders from Cambridge (the criteria for a half-blue), was going to be tough, but set out with my mind focused and body ready.
However it was not my day; a time of 55m 28s, whilst placing me in 10th overall at the event, meant I was only the 6th fastest Cambridge rider on the day and so my hopes of a blue this year were lost.
Nevertheless there were still many positives to take away from the day:
- A win for Cambridge’s very own John Mulvey, beating fellow Cambridge teammate Seb Dickson by 7 seconds (2nd), with Cambridge riders also placed an amazing 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th (me), 12th, 14th and 18th in the Men's event (113 Entries) and 5th, 10th and 19th in the Women’s (47 Entries).
- University of Cambridge Men’s A Team first overall, Men’s B Team 2nd Overall, Men’s C Team 4th Overall, Women’s Team
- Varsity Win for the Men for the 7th Consecutive year - Our C Team beat O*ford’s A Team!
- Women’s Team missed out on a Varsity win by only 16 seconds over 3+ Hours of racing - the Closest margin since we last won in 2014.
Full results can be found at: https://www.velouk.net/2017/04/24/reportresults-bucs-mens-womens-25-championship/
For many of the riders, myself included, the attention now turns to the BUCS Team Time Trial next weekend in Bath, with hopes of another domination by the light blues on the University Cycling Scene.
Thanks to Rob Walker for the photos
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