assen european youth tour!

This was going to be the first time that i had races abroad and to be honest before i was quite worried about it! 150 youths all giving everything on little country roads and cobbles didn't sound too safe to me. This was going to be the first proper racing that i had done since May i wasn't at my fittest aswell so it was just going to be a fight for survival.

We left on the friday night, got an over night ferry and arrived at the hotel the next day at around 12 ish, the racing started on the Sunday with a short prologue of around 1km. I dont really like things like this and i wasn't at my fittest and finished 106th, which i wasn't post pleased about.

The second stage was a crit, around a 2.2km circuit 22 times, the circuit was very twisty and tight which some really sharp corners which are always fin when you have 150 lads going round them! i was gridded about 3/4 of the way back which was abit annoying, but i managed to make up places off the start, and get up to about half way down. The pace was so quick for all of the race that it was almost essential that you stayed in the top half just to be able to keep on out of the corners. The peleton soon started to thin out and by half way we have dropped about 60 people, there were a few big crashes taking down about 20 at a time, normally off the road into a big ditch. but i luckily managed to stay on and i came across the line in about 50th which i was happy about.

The third day was the big day, a 70km road race over lots and lots of cobbles! right from the start the pace was proper fast, and it was really danderous, about 10km there was a big crash which took down about 30 people. This split the peleton in to several groups as everyone attacked from the front to try and drop everyone. I was in a big group, and which about 10 km of chasing we were back on to the peleton. By the time we got back two groups had got off the front of the peleton. About half way through there were about a mile long stretch of massive cobbles! which were the most painful things ever! ths split the group again which meant more chasing on again, but not as much this time which was abit nicer. I ended up finishing in the main group, as everyone behind us about 80 or so got broomed up. On GC at the end of the day i had moved up around 30 places to around 50th which i was very happy about. But around 20 people fell out this day due to crashes, so there was 130 of us left.

The fourth day was another time trial, but with one was about 8.5Km around the assen circuit, it was very windy and very hard. i didn't do brilliant, but ended up about 70th but managed to stay roughly where i was on GC.

The fifth day was an 'omloop' which was basically just a big cirucit race, the citcuit was about 9km which alot of cobbles and small patch of very bad cobbles. The first lap was abit dangerous, which some very big crashes, snapped frames, snapped wheels etc! but i stayed up and again just about hung onto the main group and finished around 40th, which i was pleased with.

The 6th and final stage was a 3.8km loop around the campsite and woods in which most people were staying for the week. It was a tight twisty course, with cobbles and very narrow roads, it was probably the fastest stage aswell, which after a whole weeks of racing, was very hard. Again i found my self just being able to stay in with the group, after being caught behind a couple of crashes, i finished about 50th once again, but i think i'd had enough of racing by this point and i was just relieved that it was all over and that i hadn't crashed or dropped of the group and i'd had a relitivly good tour!

Looking at the tour as a whole i was very happy with it, i had only come to gain experience, as i'm a first year, so next year is going to be the real thing! i finished 45th out of 150 which was a good result in my mind! :)