Singapore Nationals: Race Reports

 

I met Brandon whilst racing for my UCI Continental team Fuji-CyclingTime.com in Thailand last year, and he asked me to race in the 2010 Singapore National Road Race Championships. I jumped at the chance to go and race in a country I’d never been to, and as well as having a great time and meeting some great people, I also managed to win the race!

 

So I was eager to go back and defend my road race title and to see what I could do in the ITT, my favorite discipline. I’m not really one for tactics - I prefer the race against the clock, mano a mano. 

 

So, I arrived on Thursday and had a look at the short, 3.5km course the next day. Below follows a report from both the ITT and the Road Race. 

 

 

 

Not really knowing the course very well and with it having two u-turns on the 3.5km route, I decided to use my road bike. Just before the Elite riders set off the winds picked up considerably, but it was more or less the same for us all. As I got my countdown though it started to rain lightly -  the luck of the English! I got 2 laps in the dry though before the road really became slick. My first lap, as ever, was my fastest, I was clocking 50+km/hr in the back straight which I realized was probably a bit fast!

 

The firs lap I averaged 45.65km/hr, and there was a slight rise on both straights and a swirling wind, so I was obviously hitting the first lap too hard. I settled down after that and started to really enjoy the ride - if you can enjoy a lung-busting 28km TT. I started to pick off riders in front after 1.5 laps gone so I knew I was going pretty well. I became a little tired on lap 5 and realized I needed a break so I just slowed a little to get my power back - that was my slowest lap at 4:52.599, but I picked it up again to finish the last lap with 4:43.815. 

 

Average for the 28km  was 43.1506 km/h.

 

Looking back I wish I'd used a TT bike as I think I'd have got another 20 secs or so but I was very happy with the ride. And for a brief time (20 hours or so) I was SIngapore RR & TT winner! (I'd won the RR the previous year). Should have retired there and then!

 

 

 

The road race was on the same course as the TT, which meant that during the 120km race we'd do 35 laps. I have to say it was the most boring road race I've ever done. The organizers have to take what the police will give them and I'm not criticizing them, but it was a bit monotonous! The course was so flat that there was nowhere to attack, nowhere hard enough to force a selection, so we just had a procession for most of the race. 

 

There were a few breaks but everyone knew who the strong riders were and we were marked every time we sneezed. My teammate Kerry Lau took off with five to go with an OCBC rider and the pair rode well to stay out front for 3 laps but they were eventually caught, then another OCBC rider (Lemual Lee) set off with a Cannasia guy (Tim Wilkins) with about 2 laps to go. 

 

I was waiting to go myself on the last lap and expected the SIngaporeans to chase the escaped pair, but for some unknown reason they just sat up! It was strange, it was like a collective exhaustion had hit. I actually shouted to them that the national title was slipping away, but still no response - so I attacked and took another OCBC guy with me. I had about a lap and a third to chase back 30 seconds so it was a long shot, but I tried! I was hitting 53km/hr on the back straight but couldn't shake the OCBC guy. 

 

With about one km to go the two in front were drawing tantalizingly closer, but when they kicked for the sprint it was over. The OCBC rider came by me for third, I got 4th.

 

Wilkins won the race, and it was a nice ride by him, with the Lee taking the national title. I'd left it all on the road so I couldn't ask for more, it was a decent weekend all in all. 

 

The only sour point is that as a non-Singaporean, I’m not entitled to any of the UCI points on offer from the ITT. Not sure I agree with that ruling!