A win... with a little help from my son

Hooray! I managed a first win of the season and was rather surprised by it. I would have settled for top 10. Top 5 would've been great, but to win is just awesome.

How it unfolded
A small intimate field assembled outside the Ockley village hall ahead of six laps and a finishing hill (Leith Hill). Early on - lap one - Marcus (Brueton) and Steve (Calland) both from Norwood Paragon attacked and went away. Ten minutes later a small group clipped off in pursuit of them. They soon combined and worked well together.

In the main group I marked Gary (Dodd) - knowing that he's a strong contender and should be going well ahead of the Revolutions 5 Day stage race. Gary was riding defensively (I think) as Steve (Gower) from the same team (Sigma Sport RT) was in the break. After a few diggs by various riders I attacked on a climb and managed to take Ben (Wilson) with me. We worked well togther but I sensed he was struggling with the pace I set. With a clear understanding of our intent - to bridge to the leaders - I suggested he 'sit on' me as much as possible to recover then do softer pulls when he could.

One lap later Ben and I bridged the main group. I went straight through and while in the driving mood kept the pace high. We managed to get a two-minute gap, but things were not good in the group. We had two notable riders sitting in and interfering with the work load and not making themselves popular. Some were missing turns and soft-tapping. Steve (Calland) dropped off the group too. Now only Steve, Ben, unknown rider, Marcus and I were driving the group home.

With the chasing group no threat at all we completed the last lap. We turned right and headed to the finish - Leith Hill - purched on the top of the climb. The pace remained high and everyone keeping their powder dry. Appraoching the steeper section of the climb some riders dropped off and now only five were left to contest the finish. As we started the last and steepest section of the climb I attacked and drove on hard. With around 100-meters to go I looked back and realised I had it in the bag opening a comfortable finishing gap. I crossed the line with arms aloft and very happy to take my first win of the season.

At the race I met a few folk I've not met before or haven't seen in a while. Notables include:

Andrew - MTN from South Africa
Jacho (Ehlers) - fellow countryman from South Africa riding for Wildside RT
Sven - organiser of London2Paris annual bike race
Rob (Hurd) - private member I believe

After the race my son (James) sat quietly on my lap and enjoyed our moment.