I spent the whole day leading up to it dreading the prospect. I'd been told to just hang in and try to finish.
A pile-up on the first non-neutralised lap meant that the race was stopped and saw us line up for a re-start. Only a few laps in, another smaller crash saw the field split in two, and I was chasing to get back on to the rear of the split.
Much to my surprise, I found my legs after half-distance and started to make headway in my group, the second on the road and at one point I bridged to the back of the front group. The back at the front group was a much harder position to hold than the front of the 2nd group so before long I was back where I started but still in with a shot at finishing strongly.
I spend the remainder of the race taking turns with team-mate Dean Shannon and Magnus Backstedt before a sprint for the lower positions at the end.
An emphatic finish to a great event with a massive crowd by the end of the race. The bad weather of the afternoon had been replaced by a bit of evening sunshine for the mens' race which mean that the centre of Colchester was overflowing by the finish.
Thanks to all for the positive feedback and encouragement.
