CX Race blog - I know, I know, It's Summer ....

Hello,

As ever, I finally get around to updating the blog when stuff happens... so.. this should be the start of a short series of entries covering:

1) Summer CX races (this one... the one you are reading now)
2) Job situation (new job... very excited and can finally discuss... will do this one in a day or two)
3) Race support with the fantastic Matrix-Vulpine team at the London Nocturne and final round of the Matrix Fitness GP series in Woking on Tuesday (so... after Tuesday)

Shall we begin ? ...good...

Whilst "between jobs" I've been trying to get a reasonable amount of CX training mileage in. I have a nice loop in Swinley Forest with mixed surfaces, elevation changes and it is VERY susceptible to weather changes...the loop contains mud, gravel, sand, loose, etc... a series of ramps ending in a steep climb. Really useful stuff... as is the ride out and back. The variety of weather we have had recently has made this loop really useful as the changes in surface and condition have given me a huge range of challenges etc.... but not grass....

Each summer, Banjo Cycles in Newbury, organise a summer series in Goldwell Park, Newbury on Thursday evenings. it's a grass park with a stream through it and it rises up a hill at one end (foreshadowing). This is a fun, informal(ish) event organised under the Go-cross rules (no BC licence required) to encourage people to try CX. there are two short under 14 races and then, every one else.. no Senior/vet/women split...just a 40 minute race with all categories, so everything from someone in a British Masters National Champs stripey blue jumper to...well.... me....

The course changes week to week to keep it "fresh", which is a great idea, and for round 1 contained a couple of off camber sections, one of which caught nearly everyone out on their first recce laps... a zig zag up the hill, which made it feel like a bumpy grassy Alp, wooded track at the top, a descent and a little pool of mud, which grew more and more interesting as the race progressed.

P came with me to swanny, as usual, but also took his cross bike and rode the recce laps with me, which he really enjoyed.

P and I on the recce - Picture courtesy of Alastair Jarman

The usual milling about and saying "hi" to friends from the winter Wessex League CX scene followed then we were called to the start.

As usual, I gridded towards the rear and started with my usual pace (not quite fast enough) and, as usual, got caught behind someone having a "moment" on lap 1, in this case it was someone not quite getting the sneaky off camber section right and holding up those behind. After which I got into as close to a rhythm as pandas get... not far ahead of me was another woman, in black and on a white BMC,

She was quicker than me on lap one, but on the second lap, I managed to close her down on the climb.. I am still surprised that the courses with climbs tend to be the ones where I make up ground. Hills and I don't get on... She repassed me on the flat after the start/finish and then I passed her again on the long, zig-zaggy ramp.

OK, so not QUITE Alpe D'Huez, I know - Picture courtesy of Alastair Jarman

The climb gets steeper and the last hairpin would apparently get steeper and steeper as the race went on.... my first few laps were pretty consistent...and I was just stretching my lead on the other woman (Charlotte Kelly, as it transpires) on each climb and she was pegging me back on the descent and flat. The seniors and fast men were lapping us, but our "race within a race" was really motivating for me. as the laps added up , we slowed slightly with each lap, each time I pushed on the climb and each time, Charlotte made some of it back on the descent and mud splash (though I did hear her swear as we went through on the third or fourth lap as it was getting deeper and slicker and it sounded like she almost didn't make the sharp turn after it... in fact, several of the men managed to come off at some point going through there...I had a "moment" a couple of laps later too)...

Coming through there on the seventh lap, P ran over and shouted "finish this lap" .... I had a few seconds on Charlotte, but knew she was closer than ever, so sprinted out of the last corner as if I was actually a racing cyclist and crossed the line 5 seconds ahead... it was brilliant having such a close competitor all race, I don't think we were ever more than 10 seconds apart.. and great to thank her afterwards for such close racing...

The results show that there were 5 women racing, of which, I finished 3rd overall.. and there were three veteran women racing... of which, I finished first.... I'm quite chuffed about that.. even though it was a limited field and not a league race... it's still my best ever result..

The Major (Major P) ran faultlessly throughout, I ran on the Challenge Chicanes which I've been training on and they have coped brilliantly in a really wide mix of conditions...

So... thanks to everyone involved for organising, taking pictures and racing...

The official (and rather funky interactive) results are here

And I'll finish with one of the few race photos where I don't look like I am dazed, bemused or breathing though some orifice other than my mouth !

Lap 1 with Chris Burch (who took the Thruxton race pics) - picture courtesy of Alastair Jarman

And I'll be back soon for 2) and 3)

Ride Safe
Panda