My First Road Race Since Retiring from the World Tour

Everything you need to know about the Virtual Etape du Tour is right here;

https://www.zwift.com/uk/events/series/virtual-letape-du-tour

Formerly the Perfs, wherer I got my first ever win in the U23 category., my first road race since October 2022 takes me to Portsmouth for the Portsdown classic. I make some errors, avoid a crash and (spoiler alert) don’t win it.

00:00 Introduction
2:20 Virtual Etape Du Tour
3:28 Warmup lols
3:52 Wheely Good
4:18 Neutral start
5:16 Flag drop/Race start
5:52 Crash
6:05 Race
10:13 Race Finish
10:43 Accidental footage….
11:03 Recap and helmet hair
12:52 Red Walters
13:53 Prizegiving
5:19 Ed Clancy

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Hello welcome back we’re at the well the ports down classic formerly the PS and it’s the second time I’ve been here but the first time in the last decade and a half came here as a first year under 23 back in 2007 a long time ago and I risking my 100%

Win rate today by attending so uh I B my dad with me this basically we’ve gone full circle we’re back to back to the start dad didn’t this dad’s first attendance at this race I came here by myself back in 2007 different course completely different style of racing I

Mean everyone’s in a skin suit now back then I think I I raced in a lot baggy long sleeve thermal and uh knee warmers and there was a lot of cables on my bike and now now there’s some very nice bikes I mean look at that over there

Aerodynamics is is key yeah we’re going to see how this goes I’m excited I think it’s going to be fun it’s my first road race so I did a crit which you saw did race Goodwood last year but in terms of a race on like an open road first one

Since the Monsterland zerro in 2022 they gave me a bottle of gin to have I haven’t received a bottle of Jin yet here but uh yeah that’s the same yeah I’m going to let you know my excuses now I’ve got two GoPros on the bike so you can see what’s

Happening I’m hoping the battery holds out on them both or at least the front one I think I found out how to Overlay power data to the GoPro which is good and I’ve been sick all week with the cold cough that everyone seems to have so I’ve got no idea what’s there I’ve

Got no idea what’s there generally cuz the winter bike is such a different machine to this I don’t have a power meter on it so even when I’m having a hard ride with people I don’t know how good that is for me cuz there’s a lot of

Bags of mud guards it’s just solid Steed yeah and in this style of racing I don’t know how the British scene works so going to pay attention at the start and we’ll keep paying attention it should only be a short one gu it’s about 8K

Just under 80k so should get it all done in under 2 hours yeah quite nervous so almost as iconic as the ports down road race is the Tor France and this is one integration I’m stoked to be introducing because it involves too much favorite things prologues and zwift racing

There’s 16,000 people taking part in the virtual laab and over the next few months zwift are running prologs and Grand Fondo events so we’re starting out with some prologs that I’m taking part in this week so all the details you need are in the description below for how to

Come and join me quick fire details we’re starting out with some prologs and I’m going to take part in them this week links are in the description below for how you can join those specific events that I will be in on there is GC tracking for all you competitive sorts

And lastly it’s accessible to all levels of Swift Riders I’m pretty sure once baby’s out Chanel’s going to be on the W bike H so the tap is a stage of the Tor of France I managed to survive a real Tor of France a few years ago so this is

Right up my alley so I will see you on the start line this week and remember everything you need is in the description below back to the equally iconic PA down road race okay yeah heard to the L back that’s the warm up done you’re ready to go Yeah it’s a it’s a new bike he’s uh oh yeah that’s that’s how keep it keep the trigger press trying to break it is he Talent Who you supportting want oh really I can’t Tellon a long season guys let me give the Bell when you [Applause] come [Applause] Now we [Applause] on [Applause] [Applause] why a ni Com come boys go l [Applause] he [Applause] oh [Applause] [Applause] come on Luke go [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] go it He [Applause] [Applause] on Luke so what category is your son um he’s an exp Alex D all right yeah I know well I don’t know him personally but he’s um he won this race about 1050 when he was a whipper snapper before he became a pro yeah wow that’s my claim to fame

I’ve Mets dad there you go so how was that yeah I think I’ve got a hell of a video from the GoPros yeah massive crash at the bottom of the hill really everyone looked all right yeah I think and I’ve got obviously a GoPro facing forward a GoPro facing backwards

They’re all crashing in front of me I look back and they’re all crashing behind me and I didn’t you’re joking you missed it all no I think yeah I think I certainly in my later years as a pro I kept a very cool head on me yeah

In moments of panic and as I watched it all go around and down I was like okay that’s heavy on the front brake light on the rear brake stop this thing as quick as we can someone rode into my leg oh it’s not it’s not mark on I think a lot

Of people just see it all going down grab a load of breake oh yeah and over the bars over the bars to the side of the bars backwards over the bars just carnish well just like being back um in the peltin oh it’s different different well done thanks okay managed to get

Away with to go half to go all right that’s when you yeah I saw so what do you think top 15 oh maybe top 20 maybe okay I mean had to chase back on after that monster climbs yeah no not monster but like hard over the top yeah you went

Straight onto a downhill first two laps I made a mistake but a bit carried away the bottom before the clim and then pay for it on the climb yeah wised up for the last couple of laps but there was a group gone and but yeah fun I enjoyed

That do not regret doing that okay nice day as well after the uh yeah I was too hot it was you you can see you’re sweating yeah okay work to do hold done Good okay all right all right mate you puner no just now I found a a cint I was like let’s see if we can take this out could take it out you like the bike I do to be fair I yeah you probably got a they’re great bik they’re really good bikes I

Like the bars are really good compared to like they propably yeah they’ve developed them a lot since uh the start you have a good race yeah it’s all right bit frustrating but how how it goes sometimes yeah yeah how do you find it that’s fine yeah it’s fine that’s the ports down

Classic done just going to have a little look at the pr giving but uh yeah didn’t win it just still might have been top 20 it was good good really fun made some real novice erors which I’m going to put down to being a newbie and all this yeah

Enjoyed that Sam kov well won it good on himan they were very well represented and more of this to come the quick goes to J Wier wo did on the how old have you got to be to be EV vent I’m pretty sure we’re there never mind we’re not that win that prize Don’t get this in the Pro I tell you say thank you everyone’s really well behaved out there first race of the Year obviously can be a bit Twitchy but yeah you wanted me just to say thank you for for behaving and everything went really smoothly from their point of view and

Yeah hopefully everything goes to plan and we’ll see you again this time next thank you for organizing here Edge more road races we just need people like se you know what I mean all the organizers and everyone’s like Now’s the Time Out not ask what the

Sport’s going to do for you can you do sport really like we need people to put in organizers volunteers like like you all turn up just having a bit F it’s important like fields are f as well people turn up I tell you what I just thinking I was

Laughing to myself when I made the didn’t get dropped after lap one I was just like I absolutely love this and the world would be a worst place without this so yeah I’m glad it happened I’m glad there’s people are still putting in you know this domestic scene struggled a

Bit a but it’s been a day buzzing me see you at the next one yeah that’s it that’s it prize presentation done did not feature learned a lot I just love it I just I want to come like I want to do more of this and see any reason why not it’s

Like Ed said it’s good fun but also you got a support people are putting the effort in like s relies on volunteers but also relies on Riders turning up it’s very easy not to there a lot of people making an effort and the sport needs help do

You have a good day yeah good beautiful day here first first good weather first PS down classic experience fine fine view of the a of white would not know it’s 17° this says it’s not it’s not 17° though is it sitting here yeah so but um the race has

Been off more times and it’s B it’s been on isn’t it yeah we here if it was if it was going to be a wet cold one I’m not sure I’m ready for that cuz I don’t mind in ride in the bad weather anymore so could have been a

Tough one to get round right let’s have some f and go thanks for Watching