Howard Ashmore and I took the trip up the A1 to Great Gidding to ride the 5th event in the NCRA Spring Handicap series on 5th April.  After a tense wait to see if we would get a ride the announcement was made that all the EOL riders would get a ride and with the usual mixture of fear and excitement we handed over our licences and entry fees.  I must have looked like I knew what I was doing because the handicapper put me in the group setting off 3.30 minutes before the scratch group (Howard speculated that it was the new WW overshoes that did it).  Howard got given a much more reasonable handicap of 6 minutes  - obviously the handicapper hadn't seen his nice new Shorter bike.

The conditions were somewhat testing with a brisk, cold northerly wind and heavy showers/hail but as usual the race set off at a cracking pace.  The format of the handicap race means that the race is formed into relatively small groups of 10-15 riders from the start which makes it easier for people like us who are relatively new to bunch racing on the roads to try to position ourselves in the group.  My group didn't seem to work particularly well together but Howard told me that his group formed immaculate echelons from the start. 

Both me and Howard got dropped by our respective groups at different points on the first ten mile lap.  I then picked up Howard for a mile or so before jumping onto the next group to come through on the second lap.  The pace was pretty brisk in that group and I glanced at my computer to see that I was doing in excess of 30mph (although it was downwind).  I got dropped again but this time I had company so me and the other rider worked together to try to catch up with one of the larger groups.  It was then that I got a front wheel puncture and packed. Howard kindly stopped to see how I was and then also decided to save his strength for later in the season.

Although we were disappointed not to finish, both of us really liked the handicap race format and the course and I think it is a good step between circuit racing and full on road racing mainly because the race isn't all over if you get dropped by the first group.