Matt Ryan Cycling

The Salt resort is such a beautiful place with magic weather this is where people go to have a lovely time…. JUST NOT THIS WEEKEND!…….

We start our race at 12.30 with torrential rain and this did not really easy up at all until the 15klm mark. Where the roads were wet slippery and visibility was low. So good idea or not I took off, out the front by myself hoping that in all that rain out of sight out of mind might just pay off….. After 3klms they found me fortunately it was at the top of the climb and it was all back together.

Many teams were represented I had a lot of work to do just to keep at the front the first sprint point unfortunately a bit too much work so I only got 3^rd in the first sprint.  After the sprint the pace was on and I noticed a rider from Coffs harbor sneak away. The peloton started to cruse and I sat in and then started to notice the riders were not really enjoying the conditions… nor was I.

The next I knew it we were moving along through the undulating hills with a lot of moves but nothing really sticking ( I still noticed the Coffs rider was still away by himself) It was only when we moved onto the KOM on the Burringbar range did we catch him great effort by himself all that time.

Now on the KOM the pace was high and at point I looked at my speed wow it was high…. The front guys now really put the hammer down and then peloton started to split into two. I was in the front of the second group and this was probably not the place to be so I jumped hard and ended up bridging the gap. Only to the round the corner and find the KOM sign 1 klm to go.  Crap now the climbers started to look to really hit it as they wanted those KOM points I was hoping just to stay on the back. Two riders fell off the back and I was on their wheel so I moved to the front and chased hard Duncan from Tineli racing was on my wheel. I called him to help ….. nothing he was in the box I kept going and finally reached the KOM seeing the front group had now split again into two groups.

My next task was to get onto the back of the second group before the descent was over by the time I caught them they had caught the first group and we were about 15 guys. All the teams present and it looked like they wanted to keep driving it. I sat on Pickles Mainline racing wheel and waiting for the next sprint we moved well through Mooball and I saw the red flag nobody went I hit it I was way in front …. Dam it Feed zone I had sprinted for the feed zone. So on the bright side they legs felt great.

The next few klms went by and I waiting for the sprint point two guys jumped off the front and nobody chased hmm here we go again. I was 4^th across the line and no points this time or time bonus. The small group moved forward and we had two sections to go a windy hilly section that there were a few serges and nothing really stuck. Then to my surprise another KOM one once down from this we moved through the paper bark forest and back onto the coast road. I felt good and the technical finish would help me with the final sprint. A slight head wind and Dave Brown takes a few dives off the front he is brought back then Coffs Boys go then Tineli but it all comes back together.

We turn into the salt resort and its 5klms through the round abouts.  3 guys are just off the front 350 meters if we don’t move soon they will be too far Pickles gets a teammate up the front and he drives it we are gaining. Then he pulls off job done Pickles starts but does not have it in his legs ( big day for him with a flat and only one water bottle all day) he keeps going this is to help me get closer to the break.

I jump and before the round-about into the resort and just then a car pulls out in front of me I break hard and then have to sprint  out of the round-about I’m going way too fast for the last corner. I hit the breaks the back wheels slides nicely and then another kick and I’m in 4^th place only 8 seconds down from the leader. Tomorrow is more bad weather predicted and after today I’m looking forward to it and some sprint time bonus.