Racing Banjo Cycles Summer CX Rnd 2

Thursdays in June means racing in Goldwell Park in Newbury. I couldn't do Round 1 due to family commitments and a hefty cough/cold, so despite a 2 week ease off in any training, I was looking forward to finally getting some racing in and testing all that Spring training out.

We arrived in plenty of time, nodding to familiar faces, and surreptitiously eyeing up the colossal spec of some of the machinery. relaxed chin-wagging and with 45 minutes to go Ben (Darnton) and I took in our first warm up lap. Tubs pumped up to 33psi, (checked using Bens gucci new pressure gauge) so fairly soft as I hadn't practiced that much on field grass with them,
Interesting course. a bit different to last year, as the Banjo Cycles team have gained confidence ( or permission) new bits appeared.
The course was like this... Start line in an anticlockwise this week. 100 meters straight under the trees a wiggle and into a dip with 6 inch deep mud. arcing left hander, back through the mud, and then a  long grassy straight to run parallel with the road.
Sweeping leftto a chicane and onto a new feature. A long low bank has been built in the off season, so the course builders used it in a few places,
Firstly a very awkward off camber switchback , then a long off camber section along the back of a bank.
and finally a bump before the tree switchbacks up the field. after the tree zig zags it was a kick and an off camber right hander and a mole hill strewn dig to the top. The next section was new ;along graveled path along the top, dipping and rolling..past a pump track ( no time to play) and a tight left hander, that you could take surprisingly quickly)
Across the field before a lovely banked right hander around a lone tree. cane it down the hill, careful not to overcook the sweeping left hander, over a vicious wee bump that must have had more than one rider endoing...back onto the lower field. Tape city again, but no real tight turns as it wends its way back to the start. good fast, and a decent mix of cornering, off camber and lung sucking up hill.

I eased forward at the start, second row.. not so confident with my holeshot speed lining up behind Jough Watson of Charge bikes and a few Cotswold Velidren guys. The whistle came quickly, and we were off, a bit of shoulder leaning in front as two riders clashed, pushed me out to the tape, but I managed to dive around and really open up the sprint into the gap that had appeared. the first left hander saw me making up places and I cornered into the first mud trap. A rider tried manualling it and completely balls it up, forcing a few riders to slow. I skipped through the slower right hand line ( always spot alternate lines through bottlenecks) .and hit the sprint again.
it settled a bit, we had been racing for about 30 seconds. heart rate was at max,  the race already lost for some.
I was on my own into the straight, working hard, towing two riders, nervously into the off camber section. During warm up I had washed the front out on this corner, so I gingerly unclipped , waggled my left leg out and made good time through it. The long off camber section was easy at speed, like one long berm, just take a high line to avoid the longer grass ( have you seen what that does to a rear mech.)
  I hit the hill , picking off another rider through the tight corners.. and burnt a match digging on the top bit to  the gravelled path.
I really struggled on this , loose tiny gravel is a surface I am not familiar, give me thick gloopy mud any day. While I wasn't overtaken, I did lose ground that I had made up .
Aaron the Cotswold guy was opening up , and Beeline cycles guy was firmly on my wheel, eventually he overtook me , suggesting that " you've done enough for while" so I gratefully sat on him for 3/4 lap while we worked together to reel in Cotswold boy. I took over and surged to make the catch, and led our threesome for  about another lap. The legs and chest were really screaming and I looked down to see my heart rate hovering around the 187 mark. ( previous max was 188)
I had a very big dig after the trees again and got a good gap. Aaron dropped Beeline cycles  chap but by now I was hammered. Cotswold Aaron caught me and soon opened a gap, which I was unable to bridge. Beeline and any chasers were no longer in sight , so as I passed through the bell, I eased up a little bit , frightened by the beginnings of cramp twinges I could feel in my right calf. Back markers were polite and moved out of the racing line to allow the snotty mess to tear past.( a small tinggy bell helped)
A rear marker crashed just in front of me, on the last corner nearly taking me out as well, I think he was determined not to be lapped, the tape went tight, but I managed to stay on course and sprinted for the line, as one of the last finishers.( the last rider not to be lapped.)
Chest tight, slightly dizzy, back slapping and recounting detail ensued. Summer Season off to a good start with a  respectable 8th of 50 starters. Ben had already finished a lap down , but a very credible 35th on only his second cross outing.

No amount of prep can prepare you for a cross race. ( except for more cross racing). On the whistle its a hammer and sprint for the finish. 0-max in 3 seconds...
Regular training rides are around 80-90% in Z4.. last nights race was 75% in Z5( Anerobic); thats a whole 45 minutes of full on sprints, with tiny rests in between. Its hard.
What went well,
  racing with a team mate, first time in 10 years or so with a team mate in the pack, someone to talk to and bounce ideas off.
  Tyre pressure and tubs were good.
  down hill confidence
  didnt forget anything.
  Good result despite recent sickness and a dip in fitness.
  Checking out alternate lines through bottlenecks is a good idea.

not so good.
  new team kit hadn't arrived in time,
  racing on gravel. I am shit at it, lacking confidence.
  not so confident in the start, but got away ok.. I am relying on being gridded this year.
  not starting GPS until lap 2.
  Cramp. didn't cramp, but nearly. need a system to manage /offset cramp through the day.