Having been at this race for the previous 2 editions, we were familiar with the course and profile. Chorley GP is pretty hilly and the first climb comes very early in the race, so the pace was going to be high on the approach to the climb.
Joe and Liam were in good form, but Charlie, Tim and Jake were recovering from illness and injury. Billy was still unable to race due to a knee injury. The plan was for Jake to help Joe and Liam for the first 2 hours then climb off.
The bunch was constantly being whittled down and after 2 hours of racing Charlie and Tim could hang on no longer. Jake, Joe and Liam were still at the sharp end. In the final stages of the race the wind and pace forced the front group to splinter. Joe and Liam were in a chase group, but didn’t manage to make contact with the leaders again. Joe finished 25th and Liam 39th. Some great team work and hard riding, but unfortunately luck wasn’t with us and we didn’t quite crack the top 20.