When it was announced at the last cycle club dinner that not even one member of the club had signed up to do the Nogaro 6 heures, a 6 hour cycle race to be held yesterday on the Nogaro motor race circuit, and that they were looking for volunteers, there was an awful lot of navel-gazing went on. After all, we’re a cycle-touring club; those who want to race go elsewhere. But as the event was being held here, we had to show willing; so volunteers were volunteered,  Nick amongst them.

In total, three teams of three were press-ganged; it was to be a sort of relay, with each team member nominally doing two one hour shifts, starting at 4pm and going on well into the dark.

The weather was horrible all day, it was cold and never really even got light, but at least it was dry; until half an hour before the race started, that is. Nick headed off to the circuit laden with fresh changes of clothing, waterproofs, lights, a box of flapjack and some pasta left over from lunch. He was in the first group to go off; after what he took to be an hour, he was replaced by a team mate, and then discovered that Bernard and J-B, the others in his team, thought it would be a better idea if they only did three quarters of an hour each, meaning that Nick, by far the strongest of the three, had to go out a third time towards the end of the evening.

I went down for the start; there were some really serious looking cyclists there, warming up on rollers in the garages (at least they could warm up in the dry). It was then I learned of the calibre of some of the riders; not just keen amateurs from all over France, but even some professionals! No wonder Nick soon slipped off the back of the peloton, the pace was really punishing!

By the time he got home at midnight, he looked exhausted, but had enjoyed the experience, and had done far and away the best of any member of the Nogaro club.

Chapeau, Nick!