Patrick Fotheringham journal #01: better the devil you know

Our 2024 journal contributor Patrick Fotheringham rides for Halesowen Academy. As one of the older members of the squad, his role is part-mentor, part-racer. In his first journal entry, Patrick laments early-season weather which has caused two race cancellations, and underlines his determination for future events.

So far, the UK spring weather this year has been eclectic to say the least. Barely a dry day to be seen, cold temperatures and often fierce winds, not to mention the sheer volume of flooding on the roads. The winter bike has taken an absolute beating this year, and still is yet to be packed away due to the state of the roads.  

My first race of the year was the Royal Navy Cup down in Somerset. I set out to pick up a teammate to drive him down, and in the half hour drive, the roads were covered in snow, and driving conditions became very difficult. The snow continued to fall, with limited visibility, one side of the dual carriageway completely undrivable, and cars spun off the road spattering the snow-covered verge. This all seemed a little over dramatic when we crossed the River Severn and there was no snow to be seen. However, the cold stuck.

A windy day on an exposed navy airfield created a gruesome wind chill. It was bitter

A windy day on an exposed navy airfield created a gruesome wind chill. It was bitter. On the start line, there was every item of cold weather clothing you could imagine. The race unfolded well, with a teammate in the large early break that was never going to come back. I attempted to get in a couple of attractive counter moves, but with a long portion of the race still to go I figured that it was to be a futile attempt; 60+ kilometres in a group of five really didn’t appeal to me, and thankfully my legs made the decision for me. A sweet yet simple get round, followed by trips to the coffee and pizza van respectively.

The appeal of this event and any more of a similar ilk are very apparent; 120 kilometres of traffic free racing, a good prize list and catering vans all made it a great way to start the season. Fuelled by spicy nduja pizza and an unhealthy amount of caffeine accumulated before, during and after, the long drive home followed.  

Next on the list was the Eddie Soens Memorial, a British early season classic held at the famous Aintree racecourse. The race has an incredible past winners list, and always provides entertaining racing. The next chapter of the “Great British Weather” saga was a strong wind, which coupled with the time trial pedigree of Matt Bottril, John Archibald and some questionable handicapping, made for a hilarious race to be a part of. It was just mayhem.  

As the start time grew closer, the mutterings increased; whispers of standing water on the course, of delaying the start time, flustered looking officials talking in lowered tones

Evesham Vale the following weekend was not quite so amusing. Huge rainfall overnight made me wonder upon waking up if the race would end up going ahead. An incredibly boggy car park sporting a beached Citroën further increased the concerns. It’s a very odd feeling getting ready for a bike race when you’re not entirely certain it will end up happening. As the start time grew closer, the mutterings increased; whispers of standing water on the course, of delaying the start time, flustered looking officials talking in lowered tones.

Low and behold, a rider briefing was called ten minutes earlier than the one in the race manual, and there was a general acceptance of what was about to happen. There was a lot of standing water, covering the whole road in some places, therefore the course was deemed too dangerous, and rightly so. While individually or in small groups it may have been passable, with a field of 80 at race speed, who knows what the outcome would be, even without taking into consideration the effect of traffic. A frustrating decision for everyone involved, especially those who put time and effort into organising only to be foiled by the rain. But safety is paramount, and those making the tough decisions must be commended instead of criticised.  

The final race of March was the one promoted by my team, the Halesowen Academy Road Race. As local as it is possible to get, being on the Shropshire roads I regularly train on, it’s always one of my favourite races, mainly due to it feeling like a community gathering. It’s normally one of the only races of the year the entire team rides together, the parents do a great job volunteering on lead car driving, red flag marshalling and helping at sign on. There was even a celebrity guest appearance from Tomos Pattinson, fresh off his UCI podium in Croatia, who came out to watch and ride back with a couple of former teammates.

March has turned out to be a somewhat frustrating month racing wise. With two race days out of five cancelled, and seemingly good legs but without that final few percent to really do much with it, it felt a tad underwhelming

From a racing stance, it was a weird one. The clear few strongest riders disappeared up the road after one lap, but not without jettisoning 10-15 others from the bunch because of their efforts. This left a very depleted peloton with no one to chase, and small groups fragmented off progressively throughout, while the remainder of the bunch rolled home.  

March has turned out to be a somewhat frustrating month racing wise. With two race days out of five cancelled, and seemingly good legs but without that final few percent to really do much with it, it felt a tad underwhelming. But the only way is forward, so it is time to take a moment to refresh and start to prepare for the next block of racing, hopefully in slightly better weather! 

Featured image: Gary Main

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Journals 2024: introducing Patrick Fotheringham