Finally, I've finished a race

After a month punctures, lack of fitness and general despondency, I finally finished a race. And not just any old race, Crystal Palace, a circuit that I used to be alright at as a 3rd category rider, but have failed to make any impression on in the E/1/2 category.
It was hard but it always is. And took some time for me to throw caution to the wind and ride the bottom corner without braking. I've realised I'm OK at cornering, but only if I can see the exit. At Palace, you can't, and I'm correspondingly rubbish.
Here's the numbers: we covered 25 laps, or 32.9km, in 49mins 50secs, which makes an average speed of 39.6kph. My maximum speed was 54.7kph. My average heart rate was 171, max was 184, and my average cadence was 90 - quite high considering how much of the time you're not pedalling (cornering etc). According to my Garmin 705, I burnt off 1319Kcals in the race.

Picture © Phil Jones