30 riders took part in Sunday's 30 mile Goodwood Cat 4 race, many with the aim of picking up a few more points before end of the season. Redhill CC was represented by Ryan Visser and Dan Mitchell who bravely risked the forecast of heavy rain on this exposed circuit.
Once the race got going the pace fluctuated wildly as various breaks tried to establish only to be pulled back. With five laps to go, a 4 man break got away, gaining about 200 metres on the bunch. After a lap, Ryan and Dan had to do the work themselves to pull it back, as no-one else wanted to put the effort in with only a few laps left. Redhill hit the front and dragged the 4 man escape back in within half a lap. Job done.
With two laps to go, the pace dropped as riders started thinking about the sprint finish. Unlike most Goodwood races, no-one wanted to try any solo efforts so close to the finish, so the pace dropped down to a little over 20mph as the bunch rolled through the final lap. Going into the last few miles (with the rain starting to pour), Redhill were on the front, alongside Brighton Mitre and i-Team riders. Inside the last mile, a 2 man attack went away from the bunch, forcing the front riders to jump after them. Redhill managed to pick up a wheel and stay out of the wind as the bunch stretched out but, going round the final bend, Ryan was forced to start his sprint a little early as his lead out man tired, jumping past the two break away riders and into a headwind. With 300 metres to cover, it was a pretty big ask to stay away and he was passed on the line by a Worthing Excelsior and an i-Team rider to finish third, taking enough points to step up to Cat 3. Dan worked hard throughout the race to control the breaks and set up the team for the sprint finish.
Ryan was probably glad he was not in the Cat 3 race that followed the Cat 4 race as it rained for pretty much the rest of the morning! I suspect Sean McAuliffe is still drying out now.
The Cat 4 race result is at http://www.surreyleague.co.uk/results/results2011/sep2011/sep4-4.htm
Well done to Ryan on his promotion and his help in creating this report!