Racing Debut Of Mixed Fortunes

Paul Butler, Matt Lucas and Daniel Lucas were all pre-entries for a 3/4/W/J Criterium on Thursday evening 4th June run by Lewes Wanderers on a circuit just south of Uckfield. Unfortunately Paul was taken ill on the day and was unable to ride so it was Matt and Daniel who represented the club. Its was Daniels first ever Road Race and turned out to be a bit of a baptism of fire with the event being run off a pretty furious pace of just shy of 27mph average. The pace of the bunch meant that any attempts to get way were futile, although Matt did try to get away with two others but only managed to stay out front for half a lap before realising it was a wasted effort given no ground was being made on the bunch who were just leaving the three dangling off the front to cook. Racing rookie Daniel rode very well and despite making that common beginners error of lingering at the back on the first couple of laps, and therefore suffering that criterium nightmare of slowing excessively into, and then having to sprint like hell out of, every corner he performed very well and looked at home with both the bunch riding and the pace. That was until with one lap to go he was making his way toward the front of the bunch when the pack slowed leaving he and two other riders stranded the wrong side of the solid white line in the middle of the road resulting in all three riders being disqualified, a fate which was only discovered when handing in the numbers at the finish. The race ended in the usual ‘kerb-to-kerb’ carnage of a sprint with Matt and Daniel finishing towards the front half of the field but not far enough up to mixing it up for a share of the spoils.