Team Cyclingnews.com - 2005

Team Journal Entry - March 22, 2005, by Cam Jennings

One of those days...

Hi,

It's the day after another 1.1 race. This time it was GP Rudy D'Haenens, a memorial race for the late Belgium World Champion. It's raced from the town of Nevele; however this year, instead of a big lap followed by a couple of local laps, the organisers changed the course to 10 laps of a 19km circuit with 1.5km of cobbles every lap. Another change is that the strong cyclonic winds of 2004 were still out humming around the North of Scotland and were replaced with a far gentler breeze. Our team was Cody, Hamish (Haynes), Sven De Weerdt, Leigh (Palmer), Tom (Barras), Henry Uys, Daniel and myself.

As the race started I thought I was near the front, but in reality I was nowhere near it as a break took off and stayed away the whole day. The break was pretty big, containing 16 riders, and like us a number of teams missed it. None of the teams, including us, got sufficiently organised to chase it back - and the break, whilst never having a comfortable lead, didn't look in danger of being caught.

The break hovered around a minute for the majority of the first five laps, but the gap began to grow and grow in the last half. So the race for the rest of us really turned into a non event, trying to stay in the front and race for the remainder of the prizes on offer.

Only a broken spoke and an animated chase back to the group, caused by a stationary Cofidis car having a chat in the middle of the road livened up my day and I finished comfortably in the group but wishing and wanting more from the day. Cody, Tom and Hamish all had a similar day whilst the other guys called it quits a few laps out.

Next for me is a good week of training and a few local races before GP Van Het Mergelland, a tough hilly race in Holland and Belgium.

Till then,

Cameron