“Hyper sec, hyper roulant!”, that’s what Fabrice told me when I signed on. I lined up on the front next to Charley Baborier (Junior departmental cyclo-cross champion, junior departmental and regional VTT champion). Right on the stroke of 5 minutes early, according to my watch, we were on our way.

These randos aren’t races, but you know what it’s like when someone lines a bunch of cyclists up with a marked circuit in front of them and says “GO!”………. Four of us move clear. 🙂 There’s a rider in red with Velo Culture shorts who seems dead keen, he sets the early pace. Things are fairly straight forward out of town, and the pace is high. Charley is cruising, looks very comfortable, I’m hanging on as usual.

We’re down to three now, just come onto a big climb, Charley goes to the front and lifts the pace. The rider in red cracks, I scramble to get Charley’s wheel as we reach the crest, and that’s the end of it really. I spend the next hour and a half getting a masterclass and a half from the young master in the art of finessing bike and terrain. At about half distance I thought he was begining to tire a little, but he simply pulled to one side, put some more air in his soft tyre, and continued like a bullet shot from a gun.

Thanks Charley – for teaching me how to ride some of that stuff, and for waiting for me at the top of the climbs. You have super form, and with the nationals only three weeks away you must be a podium placer.

Thanks Briance Roselle Aventure – for a superb event. I loved some of those shelf-like descents down along the river valley. Chasing Charley so fast I hardly noticed the muddy bits! 😉

Thanks Fabrice – for sorting out that ‘T shirt’ for my friend James. He was ‘well chuffed’ with it. For those of you who don’t know – James dad rears Limousin cattle on a farm in the UK.