Success in Sussex as Wass adds to his tally

Neil Wass returned from the Bayeux Landscapes Road Race yesterday with a positive outcome and a bit of work in progress.

"I went a bit further than usual to get a race," he says. "There's a bit of a shortage of races in our local region and the Surrey League have some interesting courses."

The Barcombe Circuit is a tough, uncompromising circuit. Unlike the typical road race circuit, there is a good deal of climbing. In fact, over the 100km raced yesterday, the riders climbed more than Alpe D'Huez - over 1,100m of altitude gain.

"It's great because it does find you out if you're not in form and that means that the strongest guy is more likely to win, which isn't the case with every course," Wass adds.

After a few early moves, Wass was determined to preserve his power for the closing stages. Unfortunately, the narrow lanes and traffic caused complications in the final kms and he found himself further back than planned, "But I was determined to have a dig," he recalls. "I went for it in the last couple of hundred metres."

There was a bit more to it than just that though: "You have to be a bit assertive," he smiles. "I took a trip in the gutter to get past the odd guy."

Having finished 14th, he came away with points, but is convinced he can do better: "There's more to come on this circuit. I'll come back and have another go because now I know the course, I think I can do more."