Gent Wevelgem UCI
My first race in May was Gent–Wevelgem UCI 1.1 (now renamed In Flanders Fields). From the start, the pace was relentless as the race opened with two local laps. The bunch was understandably nervous, and that quickly led to several crashes. Thankfully, I managed to stay out of trouble, although I did suffer a puncture. Fortunately, I was able to get back to the team car, change my wheel, and rejoin the peloton without losing too much time.
After the local laps, there was around 20 km before the first climb. By then, a major crash had already reduced the size of the peloton significantly, but I had made sure to stay well positioned near the front. The climbs followed one after another, and having been caught out by splits earlier in the season, I was determined to stay ahead of any trouble. I focused on positioning throughout this section of the race, ensuring I started each climb near the front and was able to follow the key moves as the field continued to thin out.
By the time we crested the final climbs, the race had been blown apart. A breakaway had gone clear, and only around 30 riders remained in the main chasing group with roughly 30 km still to race. One of my teammates launched a solo move in an attempt to bridge across to the leaders, and from that point our job was to disrupt the chase and protect his effort. We worked well together to slow the bunch and prevent an organised pursuit, giving him the best possible chance of making it across.
In the end, he narrowly missed connecting with the break but still rode to an impressive 4th place finish. I crossed the line in 18th place, a result I was happy with given the level of the race and how selective it had been throughout the day. More importantly, it felt like a step forward from the earlier races in the season, particularly in terms of positioning and race awareness.
Goodwood TT league
At round one the windy conditions were hard to pace but I managed to take the win in a time of 20:32 and had a gap of 10 seconds back to 2nd place.
At round 2 the conditions were much more favourable and I managed a 19:24, just 11 seconds back from the junior course record which is my goal for the last round.
Driedaagse Van Axel UCI 2.1
The four-stage race got off to a great start for me. On Stage 1, I was able to initiate a breakaway which managed to hold around a minute over the peloton all the way to the finish. Unfortunately, I cramped up in the sprint, largely due to the heat being a bit of a shock to the system, but I still came away with 8th place, which was a really positive start to the weekend.
Stage 2 was an individual time trial, and my main objective was simply to limit my losses to the stronger time trialists and hold my position on GC. I executed that plan well, finishing 36th on the stage and moving into 7th overall heading into the road stages.
Stage 3 was a flat and fast 90 km stage where no breakaways were able to get clear. I rode comfortably in the bunch, navigated the cobbled sections without any issues, and crossed the line safely with the peloton to maintain my GC position. Unfortunately, two riders ahead of me in the overall standings were taken out by crashes, which moved me up to 5th on GC going into the final day. Everything was still to play for.
Stage 4 featured a series of punchy climbs that suited me well. As the race progressed, the group continued to shrink and I maintained good positioning throughout to avoid getting caught behind any splits. Things were looking really promising until the final lap, with around 30 km remaining, when I suffered my first puncture. I panicked slightly at first, but managed to stay composed, get a wheel change, and make it back into the group.
Unfortunately, the bad luck wasn't over. With just 4 km to go, I punctured again. This time the pace was simply too high and the bunch was long gone before I could get back on. I did everything I could to limit the damage, but it wasn't enough, and I ultimately dropped to 29th overall on GC.
Naturally, that was a huge disappointment because it felt like a really strong result was within reach. At the same time, it's important to stay patient and focus on the positives. I know the form is there, and despite how the final day unfolded, there were still plenty of encouraging signs throughout the race. While it wasn't the weekend I had hoped for in the end, I was pleased to come away with a top-10 finish on Stage 1 and valuable confidence moving forward.
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