Author: Dan PattenI might have dived in at the the deep end, but my first experience of racing an Elite Crit was the National Crit Champs. On what was a nice summer evening in Beverley, and with a good crowd watching, the atmosphere was good and I couldn't wait to start racing.
The speed was high from the start and dominated by the big teams. I rode most of the race at the rear of the lined out bunch watching riders go out the back as they were no longer able to keep up. I managed to avoid the crashes, including one in the closing stages which meant I had to work extra hard going into the finishing straight. As race reached the finale, I moved up in the closing laps to take 17th. This was a pretty respectable result for my first elite crit, but one i will definitely be looking to improve on a little later in the season. The race was won by Dean Downing (Rapha-Condor Recycling) who rode superbly to hang on to the win ahead of Rob Hayles (Halfords-Bikehut) and Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven RT).
Result:
1.) Dean Downing: Rapha-Condor-Recycling
2.) Robert Hayles: Team Halfords Bikehut
3.) Anthony Gibb: Plowman Craven Racing Team
4.) Peter Williams: Pinarello Racing Team
5.) Ian Wilkinson: Science In Sport - Trek
17.) Dan Patten: Ciclos Uno-Plowman Craven-Isaac RT
Thanks to Larry Hickmott/British Cycling: www.britishcycling.org.uk for the photo
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