Clayton Velo Classic and Training Camp

Hi everyone

Last weekend was my first race of the year, the Clayton Velo Spring Classic near Preston. At 55 miles and handicapped, it was a great season starter and training race. It was on a small rolling 4 mile circuit on quite tight country roads which made it pretty dodgy at times.

Me and my teammates, Richard Bott, Andy Coup and Andy Hawdon, all started in the scratch group with 9 Rapha Condor riders. Team Node 4 didn’t show up which made the scratch group smaller than expected. Me and the guys did our turns and we soon caught the other groups on the road which included other big teams like Vanilla bikes and Bglobal.

Bunch (Pic by VeloUK)

It was 5 months since my last race, so you forget what it is like trying to hold your position in a large bunch with guys squeezing past you at speed. It takes a wee while to get used to it again, but by the last 4 or 5 laps I was back in the zone. This was the good thing about doing this race, lots of quality fast riders to get back up to speed, physically and tactically.

With 40 odd mile raced, attacks started but nothing was getting much room to get away. On the 3^rd last lap I spotted a group going clear so I jumped across and began working with them. There was the right amount of teams in there for the riders back in the bunch to stall and by a mile or so later 9 of us were well clear.

The winning break  (Pic by VeloUK)   

In the last lap, guys in our group began attacking but each time someone would pull them back.

As we enter the sprint finish, because of the head wind I wanted to leave it late but Richard Hepworth put in a great attack with over 300 metres and none of us could get anywhere near in time.

He crossed 1^st, David McGowan of UK Youth 2^nd and myself 3^rd. My team mate Andy Hawdon was 4^th.

The sprint (Pic by VeloUK)   

As a racer, I was disappointed at not winning but I’m happy to get a podium for the team in the first race of the season.

Good report and Pics here by VeloUK.net: http://www.velouk.net/2012/02/26/2012-clayton-velo-spring-classic/

Training Camp

Two weeks ago, I was away with the team to our training camp in Costa Blanca, Spain. It was well needed as the weather in the west of Scotland had been wet and horrible all winter!

Most of us attended so it was a great way to get some fast miles in together and for me to get to know the guys a bit more. Also, thanks to the sponsors supplying us in time, we could try out our new Specialized Tarmac SL4 bikes and Bioracer team kit.

The team, from left, Simon Baxter, Kit Gilham, Myself, Andy Hawdon, Andy Coupe, Richard Bott and Tommy Bustard (Pic by Ciclo Costa Blanca)

We stayed at the Abir Gardens Hotel near Altia and were supported by Terry Kerr of Ciclo Costa Blanca Cycling Holidays.  They are based within the hotel resort and have a great hub for bike hire, maintenance etc. He followed us, and many other riders that came along, in the van during rides which was good.

Ken Jones who sponsors the team with Bioracer clothing also joined us which was a great addition to the camp.

The team spelling about (Pic by Ciclo Costa Blanca)

We got some great rides in the good weather over there, racing up some of the local well known climbs like the Col du Tudons and the Col du Rates.

Riding hard up the Col du Tudons, Kit, Me, Norwegian Dude and Simon (Pic by Ciclo Costa Blanca)

I really loved the roads over there. They were in great condition and the descents were awesome. It was a good way to brush up on the descending skills after months of Scottish roads full pot holes, ice, slush etc...

On the last day I unfortunately came a cropper when I hit a bad patch of gravel round a hidden bend. The bike’s ok though...

Me (Pic by Ciclo Costa Blanca)

All the guys in the team were going really strong which bodes well for the races. Special mentions to Team Camp Captain Richard Bott for helping the camp run real smoothly.

Link to more pictures by Ciclos Costa Blanca’s Gallery: https://plus.google.com/photos/112511467519481513281/albums/5710131360340343281?banner=pwa

Cheers

Robbie

Some more Pics:

Simon, Tommy, Richard and Andy

The beach at Altia

The Hotel

Simon, Tommy and Me

Benidorm from the Plane!

Braveheart Fund Blog - New Season

Hi everyone

First of all, I want to thank the Braveheart Fund for their continued support for 2012, and to everyone who has generously backed the fund for another year.  I was at the dinner in the autumn and it was great to see the amount of support people give to the fund. It is a real help for getting to race the important races down south and for racing abroad which I plan to do in the summer.

For this year, I am racing for Team Herbalife/Leisure Lakes Bikes. Managed by Neil and Lindsay Taylor and Geoff Newcombe, they are based near Kendal, North West England with most of the riders living in the North of England.

I’m really happy about joining the team. They know me well from 2011 in the Super Six’s and Premiers and they will be focussing on the top British races which is my goals for the first part of the season. They are great group of guys to race with, and have plenty of experience and power for the big races.

The team is getting support from sponsors like Herbalife 24, Leisure Lakes Bikes.com, Specialized, Dulux and Bio racer to name but a few.

Team bike with my racing wheels on. Specialized Tarmac SL4 with SRAM Red Groupset.

Hebalife 24 Products 

Specialized Shoes and Helmet

The team’s riders post regular blogs on a special section of our website called “Tales from the Greenroom”, should check it out: http://talesfromthegreenroom.herbalifeleisurelakesbikes.com/

As well as the Braveheart, I’ll be keep updating my own personal blog with plenty of pictures and videos of my races throughout the season:  http://roberthassan.blogspot.com/

I am also on twitter commenting on my races, training and other things: https://twitter.com/#!/robbiehassan (@robbiehassan)

Thanks for reading

Robbie

Winter Update

Hi everyone

Just giving a quick update on what’s been happening with me so far over the winter season.

In November, I joined Team Herbalife/Leisure Lakes Bikes for the 2012 season. Managed by Neil Taylor and Geoff Newcombe, they are based near Kendal, North West England and are getting great support from sponsors like Herbalife 24, Leisure Lakes Bikes.com, Specialized, Dulux and Bio racer to name but a few. So looking forward to receiving the nice new kit and bikes at the end of the month!

I’m really happy about joining the team. They know me well from 2011 in the Super Six’s and Premiers and they will be focussing on the top British races. They will be a great group of guys to race with, as guys like Kit Gilham and Alistair Kay pack plenty of experience in the big races.

The team's 2012 kit

My winter training has been a lot better than the previous year. Due to the fact I stopped racing in early September for a break, I therefore prevented myself from picking up too many late season illnesses and was able to crack on by putting in the winter miles.

I can’t wait for the team’s training camp in Spain, as the traditional appalling West of Scotland weather has been at its best this year!  

We’re staying for a week from the 11^th -18^th of February at the Ciclo Costa Blanca Premier Hotel and Resort. They are supporting the team and the resort has got a great cycling setup so it’s the ideal place to go to get some training or a holiday in the sun. If anyone’s over, would be cool to see you there!

Hope everyone has a great year!

Cheers

Robbie

Ciclo Costa Blanca Website: http://www.ciclocostablanca.com/

Team's website: http://herbalifeleisurelakesbikes.com/

Braveheart Blog - End of Season

http://www.braveheartfund.com/DiaryPost.asp?id=1102


Hi everyone

Since my last blog, at the start of August, I won the Border trophy race down in Northumberland which was a great event on a super tough course.

The rest of my team and I did our best to help Gary Hand win the Super Six overall title at the last round in Falkirk, well done to him and the guys for that. I lost grip and came off on a dodgy roundabout just before the finish which was a pain but I came off with just a few grazes.

I hit a wee bit of a bad patch later on health-wise, so I did my best at the Scottish Crit champs to help Davy Lines win as I knew I wasn’t capable of winning because the state I was in. It was a well deserved victory for him, well done Davie!

The main break of the day

The sprint

I had my last two Premiers at the end of August, big end of season goals for me.

The Twinings Pro/Am race was a bit of a disaster, since on the first lap, I got knocked off my bike in a big pile up at 40mph and never got back on to the bunch after that. I was lucky to get no serious injuries, so I was up for the next weekend’s Premier, Richmond GP, especially as I was feeling healthier and stronger than the past weeks before.

Next up was the Richmond GP Premier. My favourite course of the season with its mega hills like the 4km, 25%, Buttertubs climb and killer finishing circuits.

A strong break of 4 stayed clear to fight for the win. The Endura Racing team missed out on the move, so the whole race was about chasing the break. I was in the large chasing group and sprinted into to 15^th place on the cobbled finish. It was a good race for me as I was strong on the big climbs but it was tough getting into a good position to sprint out. Something I will be working on for next year.

The bunch on the Buttertubs climb

Bibby and  Teirnan Locke, the best climbers in the Premiers this year,  trying to get away from the pack

On the tough finishing circuits

The winner from the break - Andy Tennant 

Crossing the line 15th

Well after the Richmond, that was my season pretty much over. I did  the cool, well organised Peebles Pro/Am  the week after. British guys from down south were riding and it was won by an impressive ride by Evan Oliphant. I came 8^th.

I’m happy with my progression this year. I am a lot stronger than I was from last year and I am able to compete in the top Premiers now.

I want to thank the Braveheart Fund, and everyone who helped contribute to the fund as it really makes a big difference helping travel to the big races down south and racing abroad like my Basque country trip in July. Also thanks for the support and praise from everyone, it’s much appreciated.

Thanks for reading my blogs

Robbie

Some videos:


Richmond GP

Border Trophy RR - Finish Sprint at 2 mins on video

Braveheart Blog - Basque Racing

http://www.braveheartcyclingfund.com/DiaryPost.asp?id=1085


In July, I travelled over to the Basque Country to do some racing and make the most of my good form when there is not much on back in the UK. It was a brilliant trip, well worth it. I really loved the terrain, the people and the racing.

I stayed for two weeks with an U23 rider, Ander Barrenechea and his family in Galdakoa. They were very kind and generous. They took me to see two stages of the Tour in the Pyrenees which was awesome! I would like to thank them very much for everything they did and for letting me stay with them.

At the races I was riding for Ander’s team, Ibaigane Opel. The managers were really helpful, sorting out all my entries and licences I needed and during the races where they would support me for feeding etc.

I was really happy how I got on in the races especially in the two elite races I did, where I got 10^th and 14^th.They were fast and furious going up and down, and had a lot of strong riders from many different countries around the world.

LXXXIV BEASAINGO LOINAZ KLASIKA – Elite race

My first Elite race was the day after my U23 race. It was a hilly 95 mile Classic in Beasaingo, on a cool, really wet day - similar to Scotland!

It was a really big event as there were lots of Elite teams from across Spain, many of them feeder teams for the professional teams like Caja Rural and Andalucia.

It was really fast from the gun, similar to a Premier calendar. After the first two climbs, the bunch was down from 150 riders to only around 40. After that, on the fourth climb, a break of 8 got away and I bridged across to it on the descent.

We worked well together and got well clear of the bunch. By the time we hit the last two climbs my legs started to struggle as everyone was attacking each other. The last one in particular was a killer.

I finished 10^th, 2^nd U21. Really happy considering the riders I was competing with.

The winner, Jose Belda, drives the bunch on first climb and rides away from everyone on the second - I'm in the green/blue jersey second from the right

The bunch gets decimated on the 3rd climb 

I made the break after the fourth climb and we gained a good gap from the rest

The Finish

22 CLASICA BAIONNE PAMPLONA – Elite race

My 2^nd elite race was the following weekend on much better day. It started in Bayonne, France and finished in Pamplona, Spain which is on a high plateau.

Caja Rural, one of the best teams in Spain, dominated the race. On the main climb that goes up to 800 m altitude, there was 9 of them drilling at the front. The bunch got whittled down until there were about 40 of us left.

The last 30km were very fast as they were trying to catch a lone French elite who was a minute ahead. Surprisingly he survived to win. I finish 14^th after my legs went 400 m to the line

In my two U23 races I got 16^th then 8^th place. They reminded me of my Junior racing as they were non stop attacking all day.

My experience in the Basque Country was brilliant. It gave me a good insight into racing abroad other than Belgium and the system of progression in the Basque country. I definitely want to go back in the future.

My next target is the last two premiers at the end of the month, Twinning PRO-AM tour and especially the Richmond GP as the course suits me well.

Cheers

The publicity caravan comes past us as we wait for the riders on the Luz Ardiden

We made the most of the free jersey's as it was freezing 3km from the top!

Sanchez and Venendert are the first to arrive - the Basque fans were going mental at this point!

I messed up taking a pic of the favourites but here's George Hincapie..

Luis Leon Sanchez and Jens Voigt

Robert Gesink

The Grupetto

Me and Ander at the border on the way home

Stunning views of the Pyrenees

Bilbao

Braveheart Blog - East Yorkshire Classic Premier

http://www.braveheartcyclingfund.com/DiaryPost.asp?id=1083


Sunday was the East Yorkshire Classic Premier Calendar in Beverley.

I was feeling really fit and strong as I had just come back from some brilliant racing during my trip to the Basque Country. I’ll write about that in another blog.


July’s been a great month, form and fitness wise, so much better than I was in the spring. This race was full of power climbs, a bit different from the long climbs I rode in the Basque Country.

The first 20 miles of the race was on big wide, fairly flat roads, so it suited the big guys of the bunch more. My plan was just to keep myself out of trouble until a crucial turn off at the 23 mile mark, where I had to be at least in the top 15 as it goes into single track, undulating, country roads, which is a magnet for bunch splits. I have to thank the guys in my team for their help in doing that.

Further on, the race went into the 3 hilly laps, the highlight of the race with some sticky climbs and fast, technical descents to contend with. I did my best to be in as many moves as I could. It was only a matter time before the bunch whittled down to around 30 riders with the attacking pace being set. I was in there making sure I didn’t use too much strength and energy.

During lap 2, I made it into the winning break of the day. It contained most of the strongest riders in the race. More importantly, all the top teams were represented so there was little chance of us been chased down by the bunch. There were 14 other riders with me and 3 each from the Endura, Rapha and Motorpoint teams.

Guys like Tiernan-Locke and Bibby stepped up the pace on each of the last two major hills. Everyone was suffering and on their limit. Cramp was starting to set in my legs and I was forced to pace myself on the climbs, I was dropped with a few others but we were able to chase back to the group on the descent.

The 2nd hill, the 16% Nunburnholme climb at 70 miles, was the most severe of the whole race. As soon as we hit the climb, I knew my legs wouldn’t keep up with the top guys. 4 or 5 of us got distanced from the leading group.  I did the best to limit my losses and I pressed on as hard as I could after the summit.

I grouped up with Andy Tennant of Rapha, Gallagher of Cycle Premier and Yanto Barker of Pendragon. We held the group ahead at 30 secs for 5 or so miles but after that, the leaders went well out of sight.

We had over 4 mins over the bunch behind, but we had 30 miles of racing still to go so we had to keep ploughing on as fast as we could.

After reaching the finishing circuit, two and a half laps to go, we were starting to toil. The laps don’t look much but when you’ve been flat out for 20miles, they were a killer. The finish couldn’t come any quicker.

During the last lap, a motorbike guy came up and warned us the bunch was chasing hard about 45 secs behind us. After so much effort I had put in, no way was I letting myself be caught. I gave it everything.

By the finish, I crossed the line 3 secs ahead of the pack. Close one!

Jeremy Hunt of Team Sky comfortably won the sprint for first place and I finished 15^th, 2^nd U23. Completely gubbed but happy with my performance.

Cheers

Video of the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGtq1L137vE&feature=channel_video_title

Link to Endura's report:

http://www.enduraracing.com/Item.aspx?dept_id=5&item_id=300