Race Report: Otley CC 10 Mile Open TT

I rode the Otley CC 10 mile Open TT on Saturday, my second race of the season. After a 3rd place finish at the City Road Club Hull Good Friday 10, I was able to finish top step on Saturday with a time of 20:19, and it was really close with a winning margin of only 2 seconds.

Course Conditions

The V212 is a really good early season test as it barely ever lets you settle into a rhythm, and then you’re greeted with the infamous Red Wall Drag after 7 miles. It was a cross headwind on the way out with a few little kickers where you have to raise the power, but I think everyone felt we didn’t really benefit from the tailwind on the way back as it was too close to being a crosswind from our left-hand side.

On the Day

My legs were coming and going a bit the whole way round, but I had enough punch to power over the slow bits that lose you time. The results were announced in reverse order with the time first and then the name, so when I heard “In second place with a time of 20 minutes and..” I thought for sure that would be me. My face was a picture when I realised I’d gone and won it.

Final Thoughts

It was a great day out in the end. Despite rain in the morning, we had dry roads, blue sky, and it was nice to see the familiar faces from the Yorkshire open scene—just a shame the wind couldn’t have been about 20 degrees more southerly!