This race starts by going down a short but very steep hill from Eide Stadium onto RV64 to Vevang. The race then goes over what is possibly Norway’s most breathtaking road; The Atlantic Road (see: http://www.visitmolde.com/en/Product/?TLp=32362&The-Atlantic-Road). The race continues to Kårvåg, goes around the island Averøya, and then back the same way through Kårvåg, over the Atlantic Road to Eide. And yes, back up that short but very steep hill to Eide Stadium.
Course map
This race is as good as it gets for me because it is relatively flat. The problem is that hill at the end! I’m not great at hills and tend to do better on the flat terrain so I knew that if I was going to do well, I needed to get into a break.
Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite) was racing today. He is a fantastic talent on the bike. He also runs a ski/cycle shop in Molde (Reser AS) and is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet on the race circuit. Magnus is also a clever and aggressive rider. He was tucked in behind the race car from the start and as soon as we were given the signal to race, he was busy trying to get a break going. The main bunch was lacking a few of the usual local elite riders but despite this, it was a very strong field consisting of 69 riders so it proved very difficult to get a break. Magnus went again and again and again, and knowing that he was likely to succeed in getting a break eventually, I tried to go with him every time until we reached the Atlantic Road. Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) and a few other riders had the same strategy but the main bunch just wouldn’t let us go.
I am not usually so aggressive in races and was starting to feel the effects of trying to get into a break. I was knackered by the time we reached Kårvåg and decided to drop back for a while to conserve energy and recover. Typically, a break of 2 riders got away while I was napping. I was so far back in the bunch sucking on energy gels that I didn’t even see them go but I could see them in the distance. Both guys in the break were very strong riders; Karl Erik Kravik (Ålesund og Omegn CK) and I think that the other was Johannes Reitan (Trek Racing Team). Magnus Espeland must have known this and it wasn’t long before he was off. He powered away from the bunch with ease and closed the gap to the break of 2 within seconds. I can’t help thinking that he was just testing the elastic with his attempts to break earlier in the race because as soon as race winning contenders had got away, Magnus was away too. One of the guys (which I am guessing was Johannes) was dropped from the lead break meaning that it was race on between Karl Erik and Magnus for 1st and 2nd place respectively, and Magnus eventually powered away from Karl Erik to take 1st place in a time of 2:34:44.
Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite)
Karl Erik Kravik (Ålesund og Omegn CK)
The main bunch was not organised enough to close the gap on Karl Erik and Magnus. About 15 of us did start to work together but every time we got into a good rhythm, it seemed to break down. I knew I wouldn’t do so well on the final hill so I thought ‘what the hell’ and reverted back to trying to get into every break, especially when strong riders that I knew like Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) and Marius Tomren (Molde CK) were also in the mix. I did get into a break of about 6 riders with 10 kms to go, and we had managed to create a promising gap but we were a little slow at working together and were soon brought back. I made a last solo effort to get away with about 2 kms to go but failed yet again. It was going to be a bunch sprint for 3rd place up that nasty hill!!!!!!
It’s never a good idea to go into a long sprint finish at the front of the bunch but the approach to the finish starts with a steep downhill section, a fairly tight turn, and then the steep hill up to the finish line. I didn’t want to get stuck behind lots of riders going into that tight turn and knowing that I have good speed downhill; I got on the front and went for it. Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) was to my left and the 2 of us flew into that last turn with far too much speed and ended up going very wide. I also changed down through the gears a bit too quickly and had a flurry of riders fly past me. I eventually got my sprint going and caught a few riders but got sandwiched between 2 guys ahead of me. I eventually got clear and passed one of them as we crossed the line.
Boris in the sprint finish (2nd on the left)
I came joint 11th (with 4 other riders) in the bunch sprint, meaning that I was joint 13th overall and 4th in my age group. Of course, I wish I’d got into a break and finished higher up the field, especially as the course suits me well (except for that last hill!) but I was very happy with 13th place overall. Most importantly, I really enjoyed the race. It was great fun to be up there, riding aggressively, and trying to get into a break. Maybe next year..............
Winner Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite)
Boris happy with 13th place and a banana
Race results
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