Tour of Ulster 2014

Stage 1

Stage 1 for me stated with a bang literally! The phoenix guy who was beside me pushed down hard something went bang when the starter said "GO!!"
I ignored it and just set off at a steady pace not overcooking it and knocked it back a bit half way down the straight. I hit the climb and kept it in the big ring the whole way to the top and rode it out of the saddle with a nice tempo, it was hard but I always felt in control of the effort and got over the top strongly enough I felt. The guy who was racing against me came up behind said his chain slipped or something. Looks like my time was good enough for 33rd not much separating quite a large block of people.

All in all Happy enough as that sort of effort would not be to my strengths I set a PB Power for that time duration so in all I did my best.

Richard Timmins had made the long ride up to watch the hurt on faces going up the hill. The hardest thing was the cold air, when your breathing really deep the cold air really catches the lungs!

Stage 2

From the gun it was so fast and the cross winds had the thing lined out on the wrong side of the road the whole time with the bunch swinging back to the left avoiding cars and marshals crashes were coming all the time and down the back it was just like riding a constant time trial!after a crash between Downpatrick and Castlewellen I lost contact with the front but going up Castlewellen hill. I got into a chase group and up through Bryansford we were just behind the main bunch and went round a few cars and got back in just before spelga.

Block headwind up spelga and the cold was unreal. I got off the front and rode over to Mike and we forged up over the KOM together where at the top the road was blocked and marshals and coms shouting and there was boys going to cars and getting new clothes and a guy with a stop watch setting off the front group of around 5 I Didn't have a clue what was going on and I rode off with that front group and then realised I was in the front chase group and I dropped back looking for Mike who I thought would be coming on his own as we had a bit of a time gap to the point where we got stopped but it was the larger group of around 25 I fell in with them shivering and freezing. just as we turned to decent boys with deep sections got blown off the road into the verge and I swung out to the left out of the wheels to try and warm up with peddling. I was getting seriously cold we dropped down towards Kilkeal and cars were coming up beside us and me and speaking to me but i couldn't understand what was going on. then the team car came up and I seen our other riders in it and it stopped and I stopped I was in serious bother at this point. I was literally shivering so violently it was unreal.

A good half hour before I stopped shivering. I was definitely not a million miles from hypothermia. I've been cold before but that was a different level cold so deep in your body is a strange feeling.

Looking back they called it off too late should not have sent us downhill and stopping us made it worse as any body heat was gone before we started going downhill. A very difficult call all the same for the race directors to make as nobody wants to be the one to end the race.

Stage 3

Weather looked a bit more promising this morning, but I very nearly set off with too many layers on after yesterday. Pulled my leg warmers off just before we rode out, very glad I did. it was straight into climbing at the start of the stage but we were all well warmed up for it on the turbos. A few guys started to shell right at the start of the race! I was down into Newtown last wheel following big hev, made up a few places just through the town before keady climb and made steady progress up through the field on the climb and managed to go over the top well enough positioned. The decent was fast enough and I drifted back a bit. With the standing water and also some diesel on the road the riders took the bends a little easier than I thought they would so made it down into keady with what had made the selection at that point.

Heading for markethill the thing was lined out, absolutely chewing bar tape on the limit! i was praying for the climb up so the pace would drop and it did as riders climbed steady so i got recovery there. was absolutely cooking and then started to try and get my wind vest off which for me was a major achievement with my bike skills! going through Markethill things lit up but had Ronan and Duncan a few riders in front so never too panicked about loosing touch and concentrated on keeping on their wheels. up past Gosford was a big sprint and the guy in front of me blew and had to make the gap to Duncan which was not easy! things seamed to ease halfway to the Bawn.

Through Armagh and to Caledon it was pretty piano! I called up our team car and got myself and the other lads new bottles then distributed them to the guys. Everything was pretty handy from there with those that had made the selection. Rehagey was a non event and much easier than chasing Lorenzos Strava KOM a few weeks back! things lit up again after Balleygalley and I kept up towards the front and make sure i made any selections and went over the KOM with 2 other lads and we drilled it down the decent. was fast and furious, but I did really well keeping my speed through the bends and came off the white bridge road with a few guys with a gap and we tried to drive on but then some lads stopped riding and our group swelled.

From there a the group grew it got very cat and mouse there was still a break up the road at this point but the racing was full on in my group and it was attack after attack.

I gave it a few digs but wasn't able to get a gap. a few clipped off and things stalled Murphy managed to get into that move so then I set about just marking moves. Was fairly handy then just jumping from wheel to wheel.

On the run in to cookstown 10km to go was still plenty of attacking and I jumped onto Colm Cassidys wheel and he drove it over to a small group. we were about 7 guys and were tapping through full gas heading to cookstown.

The main bunch not far behind snapping at our heals. people stopped riding and I did also as I had a man up the road anyway well clear out of sight by this point.

A guy in an Irish top put in a dig and I got on his wheel and looked back and we had a small gap over the main group and the two of us drove it down the hill and through the roundabout but the main field surged through on the run to the line and then it was a case of making sure not to loose any time and keep with the main bunch.

Stage 4

Didn't know much about the course but Paul M had taken a drive around it and said it was going to be tough and pointed out a few of the key places where we needed to make sure we were in touch with the action. Big cross winds again from the word go and lineouts were the dish on offer once again. I kept myself out of bother down the back but making sure on all the wee climbs etc I moved up through the bunch so was never at risk of being dropped. Some sketch moments all the same at times with pace being so high and the winds. Darnell and Conor were pretty active early on and Darnell got in a break but it swelled to be pretty big and the bunch then brought it back. Was pretty quiet after 3 laps or so lots of riders dropped each lap as they couldn't stick the crosswinds or the punchy climbs which took a fair bit out of the legs. I decided i would have a dig on the 2nd last lap out the back on the big open road. Made a bit of a mistake as i should have been at the front going onto the road where I wanted to attack and subsequently when I got up to the front a break had already gone, I launched off the front and tried to ride over to the break. I just missed them going onto the climb they were about 3/4 of the way up it when I hit the foot of it and I knew then it would be difficult.

I looked back to see where the bunch was and I could see a few riders trying to get over to me but decided i would ride on and if they made it to me then all well and good.

Coming through cookstown past the start finish a few riders joined me McCrystal, McLaughlin some boy from CT tomac and maybe one more, McCrystal and Ronan looked wrecked but they rode through then the CT Tomac guy wouldn't contribute which started the breakdown of the whole thing. Irvine jumped off and kept going but on your own into the cross wind was a suicide mission.

After that I just had to make sure I didn't loose time and kept with the front chase group to secure our team place.

Over the last couple of climbs boys were exploding I managed to get round a few guys just at the right time over the last hill and got on Irvine's wheel and was then in the first group home after the break.

A bit annoyed I missed that break as I could have worked and rode in it well but I did well never the less to almost make the ride over on my own was just missing a few % perhaps a set of deep sections might have been all I needed down the fast big main road, there wasn't much in it at one point perhaps 10-15 seconds.

Have to say the Caldwell guys were really good all weekend we were all well looked after and it made riding the bike much easier. So a big thanks to them.