My result
With a field of just over 30 riders I wasn’t pleased/ unpleased to come 15th. It was a tough race and not my favourite type of circuit with a hill and some tight corners. I also wasn’t feeling my best after flying back from holiday I felt a bit groggy and coldy so I wasn’t too displeased.
The race
The race was fast paced from the offset as expected. The tight corners and hill in the circuit meant it split up quickly. There was a group of around 8-12 out front and then the group I was in. With the nature of the circuit, I wasn’t much use in the group so didn’t spend much time at the front I mostly just stuck in. With a few laps to go the group split up slightly and I ended up sprinting to 15th.
Pre race
So here I thought I wouldn’t bore you with pre race prep but instead mention that this race was a memorial race for Jose Gilbert. I didn’t know Jose Gilbert but since signing up to the race I did a bit of research about her. Jose Gilbert was killed by a lorry driver when cycling on the roads. The lorry driver admitted causing death by dangerous driving and had actually had his driving license revoked just a few months previous due to sight concerns. There was dashcam footage showing Jose clearly visible on the road and showing the driver at clear fault. In my opinion I believe he should have got a far harsher sentence than what he got. He took a life and got such a minimal punishment! I know there has been recent law changes, but do you think more still needs to be done to protect cyclists on the road?
I felt honoured to take part in this race in memory of Jose Gilbert even though I did not know her. We were lucky enough to hear from her father at the beginning of the race and I cannot even begin to imagine what he must have been through and continues to go through every day since losing his daughter.
Emily x
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