LWCR league - Round 1

Coralie reports...

Pearson Pink girls turned up en force, in form and feisty spirit to their first Womens League race at Hog Hill last Saturday. The weather was gorgeous and 39 riders lined up to confront the tight corners and the devil’s hill, the “Hoggenberg” of Redbridge cycle circuit. The Pinkies positioned themselves at the front on the start line in order to gain good position on the first corner. The pace was soon dictated by the Cat 1 and 2 girls, but the Pink girls hung on and sat tactically in the bunch. After 20 minutes and a bit of shouting from within the peloton to remind everyone to hold their line (!!), the pace increased to contest the Prime lap, followed by attacks off the front. Despite the pain, the Pinkies stayed composed and stuck to their guns, bridging the gaps when they had to. Unfortunately, Steph had a mechanical forcing her to abandon the race. Three top girls (from Look Mum No Hands, London Phoenix and Corvida) broke away, never to be seen again until the finished. The rest of the bunch continued to increase the pace, but the Pearson girls held on. The sprint for the finish started at the bottom of the hill with Look Mum’s Anna leading the way. The Pink girls gave it their all with Coralie being the first one to cross the line in 9th position, quickly followed by Helen Ralston, Vikki and Nicole. Nellie, our mascot, who sat on the side of the circuit for the whole race, was proud of her colours! Some of us hung around afterwards to watch the men’s race (with a couple of Pearson debutants), enjoying the lovely sunshine and fine cake on offer.

The next outing for Team Pink is the first round of the Team Series on 6th April at Hog Hill (again...)


Quote of the day:
Char to Nikki - "You're doing everything right, you just need to do it faster"

March Hare - Steph's first race

It was with some trepidation that I met Team Pink at Liverpool Street station on Saturday. Together, armed with sandwiches, coffee and Nellie, we travelled out to Redbridge cycling centre where I'd be taking part in my first race and also the first race of the season. The sun was shining and there was a great turnout for the womens' race with a field of 33 riders - more girls on bikes than I've ever seen before!

Helen R, Deborah, Vikki and I lined up at the start in our pink racing kit, received a quick briefing and then we were off. The pace was fast and from my position in the front third of the group, I could see Vikki, Helen and Deborah holding position for the first few laps. One rider was unfortunate enough to clip a wheel as she drifted across the track and did a commendable airborne somersault before landing on the grass but luckily was fine, didn't take anyone else out with her, and was back on her bike soon after.


About 20 minutes in, there was a surge at the bottom of the hill followed by the climb and I watched as my pink-clad teammates disappeared with the group and I was left with a smaller bunch. Realising that we had no chance of getting back on with the leaders, we agreed to work together and spent the remainder of the race picking up the others who'd been dropped, managing to keep behind the main group and thankfully not getting lapped. We picked up Vikki just before the final 3 laps began and the pace picked up again, finishing with a sprint up the hill and over the line. Helen came in at an impressive 9th, while Vikki finished ahead of me, both of us towards the back of the field (although there were a number of drop-outs!).


All in, a great first race and I'm looking forward to many more!

Pearson Ladies RT Training Camp: Day 7

Some very tired cyclists gathered at 9.45am to roll out for our last ride of the week. Clear blue skies and a warm sun welcomed us. With Tania promising a good coffee stop today, we headed out along the coast. Much to our excitement, Rabobank men's team were also out, luckily for them heading in the opposite direction - being beaten up a hill by a bunch of girls would have been embarrasing. Nellie also accompanied us, looking out from Nicole's pocket.

We climbed up to a viewpoint, once again waving to our new friends Rabobank, and then took full advantage of the switchbacks on the way down, with a few top speeds being clocked. After about 60k on the road, a few people began to prepare their teddies for throwing, so Tania cleverly pulled into a coffee shop. Revived by ice cream, we set off for home, with some quick through and off, and the final climb up Col de Desert Springs. 

Total kms for the week: 637

Quotes of the day:

"Nobody wants a mouldy Nellie" (Nikki)