I’ve heard about these races for some time and they always sell out well in advance year after year. I’ve also heard them be nicknamed ‘Crash Fests’. So it was yesterday that I lined up for the second round of the Lewes Evening Crit Series.

This is only my second open road race. Normally I do the track and Hove Park Crits to satisfy my road-based racing needs but I was keen to taste this new angle. My only previous open road race was the Beachy Head Classic two years ago and that was a brutal race. 60 miles, dirty great big hill, high winds and lashing rain, with over 2/3rds of the field dropping out.

This was refreshingly different. Only 30 miles, long straight sections, a few short pinches and three tight corners (see once again the mountain bikers and ‘cross riders come charging to the front on these :-) I’d had two easy weeks with a stag party in the middle so was unsure as to what to expect out of my body. If anything it was going to be a great ride in the countryside with lots of friends from Brighton Mitre and Paul Hudson from the KMP too.

First lap and I made sure I was riding near the front to avoid any sketchy riding and felt good. Everyone was helping each other spot pot holes and obstructions and rode a well considered race, so I was starting to think that the ‘Crash Fest’ nickname was a bit harsh. I like to think that slowly over the years my tactical awareness and road positioning has slowly improved but on that first lap I was well boxed in on the third corner and as everyone sprinted for the prime all I could do was follow a wheel, unable to move out. And that was it, the break had been made consisting of six riders, three of whom were from Brighton Mitre. I could say I was disappointed as my sole aim was to get in the break but realistically weeks off the bike and not having ridden the course worked against me. Still, maybe next week.

As the break drove ahead, Brighton did a great job of patrolling the bunch. It was still a lively race back in the peloton with riders, including myself a few times, trying to break away but the numbers were against us. This is the first time I’ve ridden a race and seen first hand how disabling a strong team can be on the bunch. You see it in pro races all the time. Couple of people try and get away, always with the lead teams rider on their wheel bringing the bunch back to them, then sit at the front and ease the pace back. I tried a few turns on the front to up the tempo but their was no cohesion between the rest so any burst of speed was curtailed by Brighton Mitre. I applaud their work. A race well run by them.

My legs were starting to feel a little cooked on the last lap but I was confident that the singlespeed and track legs could boost me up the final pinch to the finish. This is where things became interesting. The peloton was getting jumpy now and the riding looser than my bowels after a heavy night. A few riders tried a last ditch attempt and when the final one was caught at the base of the “climb” everyone cranked up the pace and started to open their sprint.

And then it happened and the prophesy was fulfilled. A couple of riders ahead tangled bars and a whole stack of riders came down. I remember thinking, just before I sailed over the top of another rider, ‘Hey, this is just like the Giro!’ Picking myself off the ground I saw a bunch on tangled riders and bikes across the road. Luckily no-one looked too bad and surprisingly my bike after a bit of roadside fettling (‘Hey, this really is like the Giro!) I pootled over the line and back to the pub which was the rider HQ (a pub for a rider HQ! Hell yeah!). Luckily I had scrubbed enough speed off to not do myself any lasting damage and it has in no way ruined what was a very entertaining race.

Hats off to all the organisers and volunteers who work so hard to put on events like this. They are the lifeblood of cycle racing and bring a whole world of fun, excitement and occasional danger to normal lives. Bring on next Thursday!

Thanks to www.kinesismorvelo.com for the blog. More at twitter.com/kinesis_morvelo and http://bit.ly/kinesis_morvelo