Boley impresses in damp debut

The rain hadn't stopped all morning, but on Saturday, Richard Boley had made his mind up - he was racing.

The white jersey takes another soaking. pic: Dave Hayward

After an hour's drive, he lined up for the San Fairy Ann Hog Hill Circuit race in the pouring rain: "I was pretty psyched up. It was too cold to be hanging around," he recounts.

Seems he wasn't the only one with that idea and the pace was hot from the off. Boley stayed near the front and got straight into a strong move with two others which established a gap within the first couple of laps.

"There were one or two stronger riders," he continues. "And any stronger guys who'd been left behind seemed to decide that we had a good move going." Within another couple of laps, the group swelled to ten or so riders. Says Boley,: "It started to look quite useful."

The group worked well together and quickly opened a sizeable gap. "I was keen to get the gap established, but I didn't want to overdo it so the group of 10 helped me dose my effort." Careful as he was, this lead group actually lapped many of the main field before the finish, demonstrating the depth of ability on hand.

Nearing the finish, the hitherto cohesive group started to splinter: "You feel like you have to go with the attacks near the end but I think I could have finished better," admits Boley. He finished 6th after an hour's racing in pouring rain.

Team DS, Nick Walker is delighted: "We're seing some real gritty efforts already this year; I'm full of admiration for these guys who can out and hammer themselves in such terrible conditions, and Richard's result is an awesome way to start the season Hats off to him."

Boley, too, is happy with the day: "It's great to have got a result on a day when some may have written off even riding! I just wanted to get a bit of race pace riding in before the Spring Chicken in a fortnight, but the Hog Hill Circuit is a great discovery for me. I love the layout and the challenge of the climb, so I'll be back for more very soon."