European Road Championships 2009 - Day 1
1st of July, 2009; By Larry Hickmott;
Other Reports from HooGlede
| Day 2 Time Trials | Day 1 Road Races | Day 2 Road Races |
European Title for Joe Perrett in Belgium
On a baking hot day in Hooglede (Belgium), Britian’s Joe Perrett left his rivals scorched by his ride in the European Junior Men’s Time Trial. Perrett, bronze medallist in the Junior Men’s British road race championships last Saturday, was the only rider to go under 35 minutes and he beat his nearest challenger by 16 seconds to record his biggest victory so far in his young career.
Joe and the Great Britain team had an early start with a 7am breakfast and then leaving at 8am for the journey to the start. On arrival, it was a free for all as national teams parked their vehicles up and down the long street near the start and used the front gardens of the residents as their base.
GB carer and Belgium national, Luc de Wilde, used his local language skills to get permission for GB to set up their camp in the front of one of the many houses on the street. The riders then piled out of their team car and first on the rollers for his ‘Magnus Backstedt’ warm-up was Joe Perrett and it wasn’t until 50 minutes later he finished the warm-up and rode to the start.
Bike check done, Joe waited under the shade of the rider tent for his turn to climb onto the starting ramp and begin his race against the clock. Joe was the first of three British riders to go in this event and had caught his minute man very quickly. Taking the course in his stride, Joe crossed the line with a time of 34.58 and was promptly led to the hot seat where he had his very own chaperone should he be needed to go to the medical control afterwards. As winner, he indeed was.
Whilst Joe waited in the hot seat, I was back at the start in the team car (driven by Robin Sharman) to follow George Atkins, newly crowned British road race champion (Junior men). The second GB rider to leave the starting ramp took off like a rocket and the needle on the car’s speedo was soon sitting above 30 mph. Even though the road was dragging up ever so slightly, the ODP rider was riding fast for a person so young.
As we sped down single lane concrete roads, dual carriage ways and round lots of tight twisty bends, the race radio was crackling away and every now and then we’d be actually be able to understand what was being said. First we heard Joe had set the fastest time but having gone off early, the question was, would his time be good enough to stay quickest.
Then we heard George had gone fastest at one of the time checks and the mood was one of excitement at the possibility of having two riders, perhaps three, in the top placings likley. Sitting in the team car behind George, it was certainly an eye opener as I was able to witness just how special these young riders are. Anyone who has ridden at 30mph plus knows how difficult it is to keep that speed up for any sort of distance, especially without the aid of cars and trucks to draft like you get on the open road.
Joe Perrett waits on the starting ramp for the start of his memorable ride.
As the kilometre to go markers sped by, time checks taken at all of them, we hit the cobble section with 4k to go and it was here that perhaps George lost momentum. At least that is how it seemed and when he emerged and entered the finale kilometres, it was clear he wasn’t going to beat Joe’s excellent time. George crossed the line in 6th and finally ended up in 10th place. An excellent result as well.
One GB rider to come – first year Junior Sam Harrison and as he rounded the bottom bend before the climb up to the finish, we knew before the line that his time was not going to trouble the riders on the podium with his 36.29 being good enough for 20th.
Back at the finish line, there was chaos as a car had driven into an empty podium and while Joe sat waiting in the hot seat across the road, unsure of whether his time was going to stand the challenge of the final riders to come after Sam (eight in all), fire engines and ambulances arrived to get the occupants out of the car.
Soon, back in the hot seat area, an official gave a very nervous Joe the news he had been waiting to hear – Joe was European champion!
A smile now filled his face and his arms were thrown into the air in celebration and he told British Cycling “this is amazing! I had no idea how I would do – I was going for top 10! I had a good day and am really happy with that ride.”
After the first podium had been destrpyed by a car, a hastily erected one found Joe Perrett on the top step.
Prior to the end of the race, Joe didn’t want to say anything about his ride so nervous and unsure he was about where he would finish but now he was more than happy to share his thoughts after being declared the winner. “It was a good course” said British Junior TT champion Joe who admits this is by far his best victory so far. “I like a long course like this and had been training hard for it before the nationals.”
It’s been a busy and eventful week for the youngster. Racing last Saturday, recovery on Sunday and then the road trip to Belgium on Monday before a pre-race ride on the course on Tuesday. “I felt as prepared for this as I could have been and felt good out there. Before the race I had to get the mechanics to change my handlebars to those that meet the new UCI rules but that didn’t affect me too much as I was still roughly in the same position on the bike.”
“I was told a week before the nationals I was doing the TT so I started doing 28k time trials around a reservoir on a course a lot like the one today with long straights and a few climbs. I did a few time trial efforts round that as well as a few good long road rides and then backed off for the nationals.
“The bends out there today looked worse than they were and I was still able to fly around them.”
As for memorable moments, he explained that the cobbles were one and another was a corner on a roundabout where he had to turn right and there was this curb which he had to bunny hop. “It was a good hard course that suited me well” he explained before joining his GB teammates for a easy run to warm down and get the ride out of his legs.
Chaos as a car wrecks the podium as the final riders are finishing.
Prior to that ride, we also spoke quickly to George Atkins who explained “that was hard but any time trial is going to be hard. There wasn’t a lot of wind but there was constant resistance on what was a quick course. The cobbles were tough. I did them in one go and didn’t want to change gear and just went as quick as my legs would take me. I would love to have got on the podium but I got everything out and so was pleased with the ride.”
Hannah Mayho two corners from the finish line.
Once the juniors had finished their race, the Great Britain Under 23 Women were being shuttled to the start for their race that started at 3pm with the temperatures now into the 30’s. GB’s Hannah Mayho was first off, never a great place to start and the rider who has medalled on the track before in the pursuit, never really got into her stride and finished with a time of 40.09 which was eventually good enough for 35th, 3.27 down on the winner, Ellen Van Dijk (Holland) who did a good 36.41. Of the other British riders, the best was Katie Colclough who finished with a time of 38.15 for 10th place, an excellent result for the first year senior. Lucy Martin meanwhile, did 40.24 to finish 37th.
Katie explained afterwards that she went out there to get all the effort out which she did. “My aim was to keep the pressure on the pedals and stay in control of the gears and not spin as fast as I normally do.”
Asked for a memorable moment in the time trial, she said the cobbles which was a popular choice with the riders. “I went up a few gears going into them and halfway along found out I should have used an even easier gear! Katie also admitted that she hadn’t noticed any great difference having a disc on the back of the bike over the cobbles.
Katie then joined her Under 23 teammates for a drink whilst I jumped into a team car for the ride back to the hotel to write this report. One day down and one Gold medal for GB which not only motivates the others but also takes the pressure off to a certain extent. On day two, the Junior Women get their chance as do the Under 23 Men and British Cycling will have a report tomorrow evening.
Left: Katie Colclough, right: Lucy Martin.
Results
Junior Men
1. Joe Perrett, Great Britain 34.58
2. Bob Jungels, Lux 35.14
3. Kevin Labeque, Fra 35.16
10. George Atkins, Great Britain 35.51
20. Sam Harrison, Great Britain 36.29
Under 23 Women
1. Ellen van Dijk, Holland 36.41
10. Katie Colclough, Great Britian 38.15
35. Hannah Mayho, Great Britain 40.09
37. Lucy Martin, Great Britain 40.24
Sam Harrison gets every ounce of effort out in the climb to the finish line.
With carer Luc de Wilde and coach Darren Tudor watching, Joe Perrett gets off to a great start.
The holding pen where the hot seat was and where Joe Perrett spent a nervous hour waiting and wondering -- will I be champion?
The GB mechanics John keegan and Steve Taylor busy getting some air into the tyres for the riders.
