Racing Wessex Rnd 7 Reading CC Prospect Park Reading.

Another Sunday and more racing. It rained non stop for a few days leading up to it, so we were promised mud, and Prospect park in Reading didnt dissapoint.
we arrived a bit late, after miscalculating the travel time / cross country / torrential rain/ sunday drivers on the route through Alton.
As we arrived, it was a desperate dash to sign on, change and prep the bikes. With only ten minutes before the start I only managed to ride half of the circuit, not my customary 2-3 laps. so I was going into some of it blind ..
 Reading CC were certainly imaginative in the course design, packing such a great course into such a compact area.

Long grassy start into a steep muddy bank> run> uphill bit to a hairpin ( finish), then a smooth fast downhill swoop.
two hairpins in a rooty section and down dip onto a section parallel to the main road. this section became very slippy with mud as the race wore on) a steep muddy (but rideable) hill hairpin and a drop back down onto the grass field. another hairpin and a drag with anoteh teep steep grovelly sting, leading into the first wooded section. A short bit if single track and out onto a fast slope to another sharp left hander.
An awkward draggy uphill bit, and off into the woods again.leading to a big hair-raising drop in. This was probably the scene for quite a few scarey squirelly moments throughout the day. straight away dismount and another steep muddy run up.
A bit more fun in the woods, then dropping into the grassy plateau to rejoin and start another lap. The course was remarkably like parts of my woodland loop.
Another week of not being gridded so once again I muscled my way up there, ( I managed to get 3rd row)
as the Go whistle blew, the drizzle became a deluge as we all cherged across the field to that first run up. Some people tried riding, but I was quickly carrying and sprinting up places. I wonder if the pros/top guys can ride it?
I think I messed up a bit and dropped my rear tyre pressure too much, as the back end bottomed out quite a few times, so I was shitting meself that I was going to pinchflat and it felt like riding in treacle in the single track sections. I did alright in that first bit and actually was well inside the top ten in the first lap. but class is class and I was soon dropping places to better riders coming through.  The deluge became a thunderstorm, and I am sure there was some hail at one point.
For the first time since taking up this sport I spent most of the race on the little ring. The hills on the course were very mushy and the only time one could get the big ring was on the longer drags. I managed to overshift and lock the chain between crank and arm, losing contact with my little group.
My thirty minute nemesis called early this weke and around 25 minutes in I went through my familiar rough patch.
By now a good battle had developed . I was chasing down two South Down Velo riders while desperatly trying to stay ahead of a Swindon and Reading guy who were swapping turns.

Brown kit doesnt show up the mud as well

AS the bell went i was really enjoying myself, and I cam up behind Simon of Jubilee Wheelers. Putting him under pressure I could catch him on the run ups , but was opening gaps on the flats. I managed to fluff another shift to the big ring as he got teh jump going into the final run up. despite runninghard out of the top I couldnt close the 2-3 meters on him, but I was pretty chuffed with 12th and ahead of regular top ten finishers.

It wasnt exactly a day for photoes.. but I took this rubbish selfie when we got back to the van.

What went well:
best position yet. (12th)
Great start.
cornering is getting better as I get more experience/confidence.
Run ups. commit to running early .

Not so good.
Wrong tyre pressure ( about 33 ish)
arriving late so didnt warm up or pre ride the course.
Bad back ( tight Psoas? its been a few wekes since I did my stretching and Core excercises. I need to reinstate my morning routine)
totally screwed up clipping back in on one particular part of the course.

A big thank you to Murray of South DOwns for the lift up there. and Reading CC for such a cracking course.