I wish I could say this was the break, but it's not. It's the tail-end of the front group and around this time we were doing 32kph, so lively enough. That is me with the arms, legs (and tongue!) out. I finished 46th of 170 finishers and 15th in the M30 category.
By Brian Canty
Last weekend I raced my first ever event in Girona, Spain. It was one of the first on the calendar there and the appetite for attacking racing is always pretty ferocious.
Indeed, local bragging rights count for a lot and as the club I had teamed up with was promoting the race we were keen to try and put on a performance.
Our plan for the afternoon was to get to the base of the first climb after 15 kilometres and just go hell for leather up it.
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Usually, this sorts things out a little bit and the real racing can begin thereafter; weak links would be dropped and stronger guys would emerge.
To race in Catalunya, one requires just a licence. But unlike Ireland where we have three or four different races on any given day, last Sunday was literally one mass brawl, on mainly narrow roads.
Unsure of how my form or level compared to the Spanish was - though I was optimistic after seeing last year's average speed was a glacial 38kph - it was a case of waiting and waiting, or hanging on and hanging on.
The roll-out, as you can see, is nothing different to what we have in Ireland...
Cursa del pa amb el Club Ciclista Palafrugell
Posted by Jose Luis Camacho Cardenas on Saturday, January 30, 2016
The 100-word race report would read
About 220 riders signed on from clubs all over Catalunya and even a contingent travelled across the border from France.
The 94-kilometre event had only one serious climb of seven kilometres but there were a number of sharp ramps – as well as many, many actual ramps and roundabouts for the riders to contend with.
A crash inside the opening 20 kilometres whittled down the huge bunch and by the aforementioned climb the front group numbered no more than 60.
This group continued to be whittled away as the kilometres clicked down and some 54 riders came to contest the sprint, with yours truly finishing 46th after deciding to leave the sprinting to sprinters.
Here are a few observations on the racing compared to home:
If it’s too good to be true…
I have to confess I dreamt about attacking from the gun and riding to the finish in the break.
The dream became more real when I attacked after 2k and immediately got 10 seconds.
I was joined by a rider from the biggest team in the race (Esteve) and soon we had 20 seconds.
The bunch fanned across the road behind and I was already imagining the headline on Monday.
Alas, the Catalan national champion put the hammer down and I was soon vaulted back to reality – a grim place where you’re towards the back of the bunch, hitting the first climb and you're already in the red.
They absolutely love bike racing
While it might not be the spiritual heartland of bike racing, they love their cycling here in Catalunya and every day of the week the highways and byways are clogged with groups of riders.
The racing and leisure calendar is full from January right through October and huge efforts are made by clubs to promote the sport, no more so than they would be in Ireland.
Though it was just the first race of the season, I witnessed hundreds line the route and many leisure cyclists and locals were only too glad to offer a helping hand or can of coke towards the top of climbs.
ProTour riders turned up for a look
Catalunya has its share of top pro riders living here but few are actually from here, David de la Cruz, above, being the exception.
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The Etixx-QuickStep man is a teammate of Dan Martin and he was kind enough to offer his support to all riders before the start, even helping to tune gears right beforehand.
He was also there at the finish to hear our list of excuses for not winning...
A break doesn’t get away
Races in Ireland are almost always won from a break but here, it’s quite different.
Aside from a few brief sallies up the road there was never a break more than 30 seconds clear.
It was a perfect course for an escape to get away given all the twists and turns - as well as 1,100 metres of climbing.
Not the case, however, and with 10k to go it was clear we were headed for a bunch sprint with many teams getting organised at the front.
They have proper leadout trains
The winning team, La Fabrica, did a perfect job for their man Arnau Masferrer – something very rarely seen in Ireland.
Páidí O'Brien would win even more races than he already does if he lived here.
The roads are… questionable
There were times when the road was barely wide enough for three bikes and when you’ve 220 riders vying for a place at the front it can be dangerous…or rather, it is dangerous!
This is how they do it in Catalunya, racing on these tertiary roads where you’re doing well to have 100 metres of flat, straight road.
Those brake pads took a fair hammering…
The scenery is stunning
If you’ve been lucky enough to ever get to the Costa Brava you’ll know it possesses some stunning coastal scenery and we got many kilometres of that along the route.
Granted, it’s not the view from the top of the Wicklow Gap or the Healy Pass but it still is spectacular.
Hurtling down country lanes as well as through town and village with the smell of calcots (barbecued spring onions) wafting through the bunch is a pretty cool way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
I had the whitest legs in the bunch
I’m here 14 months and the skin tone on the legs is as white as it was when I left in October 2014…
It isn’t THAT warm here yet, mind you, so check back in around May…
The marshalling rivals anything we have at home
The work of marshals and outriders is a no-thanks job and without them the sport could not continue.
It’s difficult and dangerous and even more so when there are ramps, roundabouts as well as towns and villages to negotiate.
Saturday is market day in a lot of towns here and that means lots of people milling in and around the place, as well as increased traffic on the roads.
Make it your business this year to salute marshals and outriders for their selfless work.
There are lots and lots of ramps
If narrow roads with lots of twists and turns aren’t bad enough, add in 200 ramps to the course – that is no exaggeration.
That headset took an absolute hammering and though Ireland might have more potholes, Catalunya has ramps and they’re just as potentially dangerous.
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