April Blog
- corlettrj
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
April has been a strong month of both training and racing, carrying on the positive trajectory from March. I’ve been settling into a really consistent rhythm lately – long hours on the bike, solid intervals, and some good hard sessions that have sharpened both fitness and race instincts. I’m starting to really feel the benefits of the work done earlier in the year, and it’s showing not just in results, but in how I’m riding. I’m more comfortable in the bunch, making better tactical decisions, and recovering quicker between efforts.

The month kicked off with the Tour de Ferre, which turned out to be a solid weekend overall. Stage 1 went well – my teammate got up the road and took the win from the break while I cleaned up the bunch sprint behind. Unfortunately, the race transponder didn’t work, so I didn’t get an official placing, which was a bit of a kick in the teeth. Stage 2 was a TT the following morning – I managed to slot into 5th place, only a few seconds off the win, so I was really happy with that. The final stage was tough. The first half was all about helping to defend our GC lead, and then I spent the second half hanging on and surfing the convoy – the legs were pretty fried by that point. Still, I came away from the weekend feeling like I’d done a good job and contributed well to the team effort.

The form carried through into the next week, where I picked up a couple more solid results – 16th at GP Calan and 7th at GP Elven. Elven was especially exciting; I launched a late solo move that almost stuck, only getting caught with two laps to go. It was one of those races where I felt really switched on – reading the moves, making decisions instinctively, and backing myself to go when it mattered.
The final race of the month was Bignan, a big elite race with a brutal course that included the famous Côte de Plumelec – one of the iconic climbs in Brittany. This was a major target for me, and I came into it feeling really confident. My positioning throughout the race was spot-on, and I was riding exactly to plan. Unfortunately, I twinged my back partway through, which caused a lot of pain and prevented me from pushing properly. I ended up getting dropped and just rolled around to the finish. It was frustrating, especially after feeling so good, but sometimes that’s just how racing goes. These things happen, and the key is to take it in stride and reset.

Looking ahead, I’m feeling really optimistic. The form is there, the training is clicking, and I’m motivated to keep building. With the consistency I’ve got at the moment, I’m excited to see what the next block of racing brings.

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