Tuesday Evening Club Races

A few weeks back I was competing in one of our weekly club races. As usual I had difficulty in keeping up with the pack as did a few others. After about twelve ks. I was caught by a young rider of about fifteen years old who had also been dropped by the bunch. I did my best to stay with him and even decided to go to the front , but he would have none of it and immediately passed me again,so I gave up. However he was riding very badly, with no toe clips and riding a gear much to high for such a young rider.Apart from that he was riding all over the road which made me think he didn’t like me being there. As we came into the home stretch I thought it would be nice of me to let him win but I wouldn’t make it easy for him so in the last hundred metres I pulled up almost level to him but let him win by a half a wheel. One kick and I would have passed him.

When the results came out I was mortified to find that another name was given the same time as his and I was relegated to place lower down five minutes behind. I didn’t want to make a fuss but the results are there on the internet for all to see. After some thought I emailed Penny, the results secretary, and also mother to a world champion Wesley Gough, that I didn’t want to make a big deal about it but my tired old legs were complaining, and also telling her about the young lad, and that I thought someone should take him in hand to help him. Well the results were soon amended and I thanked her and said I wasn’t always such a slouch and attached a picture of me on the track in Pietermaritzbug taken by my cousin Ron fifty six years ago.

Two weeks later when I went to enter at the club trailer someone said to me have you seen your picture posted on the door. Penny had enlarged it and pinned it up for all to see. One old lady said ‘You're older than my father and he can’t even ride a bike’. Another asked If I had represented New Zealand. In my dreams.

Well I ride in the weakest group and something has happened. Over the weeks during this summer they have got themselves fitter and stronger and are able to ride in a bunch, and whereas I was more or less able to keep up with them in the beginning, the distance between them and me has now grown exponentially. Eish! What else should I expect?