Cotswold Veldrijen Summer Cross Round 2--Newbury Showground.

The aftermath of a few heavy showers meant that we finally had a bit of mud... I know summer cross is supposed to be all about dry dusty grass crits, with little need to wash your bike week to week, but hell yeah.. a bit of mud.( maybe I shouldnt wish for it too much.. it will come in spadefuls later in the year!)

The circuit was the same as last weeks. just in reverse. The dry hardpack trail was a bit softer, especially under the trees, now including a puddle at one point and some lovely squirrely wet stuff on one particular corner..
The reversal of last weeks course meant we knew what to expect. The two tricky banks were now drop offs. The double step was rideable by some, but I didnt have the confidence to find a line. so decided on a running line.. ( blunder)  and the single step step was just a regular drop in as last weeks race had cut a diagonal ramp across it. still a bit hairy, but safe with soft gravel landing for anyone who ballsed it up.
I was expecting damp grass, but the open parts of the course were dry and the only puddle on the circuit was the swoopy bombhole under the trees. The double hump back was a bit hairier as the roll out of the second mound was rutted. For some reason it felt more technical this way around, and I expected the downhill sections to be a bit hairy, ( but this wasnt the case)

Pic: Graham Robins

Due to the wet and the cut grass, I had decided to bring a pit bike this week. . My usual Focus pit bike was off the road (!)after a midweek mishap.  So I opted for the Merida with its cantis ( mini vs were terrible in the wet cut grass a few weeks ago).
I arrive a bit later this week, and less prepared.. food the previous day had been a bit pants, and i was a bit groggy after a few late nights strugglling in the heat. but bollox that just excuses.
A few new guys in the paddock and last weeks victor is away elsewhere, maybe I will have a chance today.
I spot a group of Banjos Cycles racers and recognise Peter Kench and a few other regulars from the Banjo Cycles Newbury series.
One lap to warm up, spin the legs out after  the monotonous drone up the A34 from Southampton. the legs dont seem as fluid and bouncy as last week, I just hope that they pull themselves together once racing gets underway.
I try and find a line through the double stepped dropoff, but err on the side of caution and decide to run it from the outset. teh only variable was when to remount. run over the second mount or remount on the short table top in between obstacles.

Riders start amassing around the start area. so as the minus ten minute gel is slithering down my throat, I neck the last of the tepid water and make my way over .

Pic: Graham Robin. from VeloUK

Gridding starts , and last weeks second means I am called up first row. Tom is next to me.. and Dan of Banjo on my left. Woo hoo , Gridding. Got called up :-) first time  ... front row.

The whistle goes and we are off. Tom is off like a shot, and even though my roll off was slow, i gatehr speed quickly.
Tom got the holeshot,. I was second row, but I kinda messed up and went wide where the tarmac ended and a puddle had formed. I opened a barn door and a few riders came inside me pushing me back into about 5th or 6th..
the usual sorting occurs as the race strings out, Pete Kench moves up and a small group of 3 formed up front. they steadily worked up to Craig of Dream CC
I was off the back of this chase group. Seat post boy from last week came crashing through, washing out in front of me, .. On the second time he did it I gently asked him to take it easy and concentrate. Very strong chap kinda rides like Captain Chaos..

I work my way up into fourth place.. I can see
Tom ahead easing off the back of the little group up front. I am closing in on him, heart rate is fairly steady around max..Rythym is good and making no mistakes on the corners. the lap board counts down... thank fuck only 2 laps to go .. still closing in on Tom..my two chasers are way off  not even in sight.
On the downhill section of this penultimate lap I get that unmistakable feeling of the back end going squirrely..
HOw?? my tubs have sealant in them..SHit shit shit...turns become laboured and long, my speed just plummets as if I am in treacle.
fuck iy.. they are tubs,.. I can ride them flat...so I stay on the grass as I approach the finish line and the bell. As I pass the pits ( opposite side of the runway)  shout out to prep the Merida..

I go around the top corner like an old lady on a happy shopper, and as I approached the switch back gates 25 meters short of the pits I get off and sprint, shouldering the bike. The chasers pass the bell, they are almost on me, my minute in hand is plummeting, one more corner they will be on me..
A very helpful marshall had my spare bike ready for me. Unfortunately I hadn't heard his call for which side remount and I fluffed my right side remount ( Practise these!!)
I get going again , totally anerobic, I had the presence to take my garmin off and slip it in my pocket just before I had started running. ( hell I was going slow enough!)

This bike is a lot slower than my race bike, its shit, it doesn't brake and it doesnt corner..., I over cook a corner and come to a stop wrapped in tape. hemorrhaging time.. The catch comes as I am running the double bank. I have the bike shouldered, so would have been within reason to hold and defend my line as I was still racing, but Dream CC guy had been towing that pair for laps.. and I had seen him ride the double step, so fair play, I stepped aside and let my two chasers through.. ( no point being an arse about it) I fluff my remount, pausing before getting back up to speed again, but I am cooked. I have been anerobic since the bike change and my former chasers get a gap on me.
I tap on as best I can. The handling is awful, over-steering into most corners, whereas before  I had the lines dialled in, its as if I am just riding the circuit for the first time again., my cornering confidence is slipping.
I oversteer into tape. and the canti brakes are shit and howling and juddering. They have a corner on me now and I know I wont get them back. relax.. stay calm,. I look around to see if I have new chasers,  another group is within striking range , and I bury myself in that bell lap desperate to maintain my gap.
I make mistakes and fluff one of the step ups, but I am moving again pretty quickly. Morgan Jones of Banjo Cycles ( a Newbury regular) is withing 50meters of me.. With every gear change skipping and the chain railing and complaining I painfully complete my lap. as I put the power on to sprint for the line something weird happens, and I cross the line with the whole sickening feel of a derailleur locking, going north, and straining against the chain tension.
I look down..

WTF.. two broken spokes and my rear mech is straining, An ounce more pressure and it will let go and rip the (already bent) hanger .. I skid to a halt, almost taken out by a sprinting Morgan.. luckily the 60 minutes haven't dulled his reactions and he just manages to avoid me..
A bit gutted that my two chasers that got through were both Vets, so 3rd Vet and sixth over all.. and a few good lessons to boot..

Thats me for a while now.. Bikeless Family holidays beckon and a nasty saddle sore will keep me off the bike for a few weeks.. If I can I will try racing on the last of the series, but failing that it will be building up for the Wessex League starting in September.

Here is the official write up:
http://www.velouk.net/2014/07/19/report-cotswold-veldrijden-summer-cx-2/

What went well.

• Finished the race.
• racing on on tubs ( couldnt have finished on a clincher)
• raced hard . heres a pic of my race heart rate. that blip at the end was teh bike change..

• identified two new drills to do... Right side remounts and smoother bike swaps.
• New riding position is getting more natural and comfortable.

Nots so good.

• Couldnt / didnt have the balls to ride the double step so ran it.. need more technical practice./ watch other riders who are capable. 
• punctured tub ...expense..:-(
• fucked pit bike ( well second pit bike)Merida by name Mierda by nature. The Merida gears were crap and were not shifting at all.
• poor pit bike choice. . and the handling very different to the Hiver. very hard to hold into corners.
• slipping gears/shit indexing cost me my 4th place.
• more running. I do a bit of running,  but when it really counted my running legs let me down. 
• fucked kit.. two broken spokes on the Meridas rear wheel. slightly bent hangar and a dodgy mech now... damn..

Cotswold Veldrijden Summer Cross Round 1--Newbury Showground.

A Glorious sunny afternoon, and its the first of the Cotswold Veldrijden Summer Races at the Newbury Showground.
Fresh off a good race on Thursday, Friday had  been a lazy rest day, and with clearance from mission control my crappy rollerskate polo got me to Newbury safely.
A light breeze wafted across the field, but did little to keep the temperature down. Glugging yet another bottle, I was concerned about cramp , especially with the extra 15 minutes tacked on the end of my familiar 45..
Sign on, and chin wagging, the familiar routine,
Pinning on my number and a quick fettle on the bike. Tyre pressure ok. Shifting ok. no brakes rubbing.
Aaron gives a heads up about the circuit, and it isn't long before I am rolling out for a reconnaissance lap.

Pretty good course, with a mix of flat field,  hardpacked tracks, punctuated by banks of varying heights and technicality..

The start on the tarmac runway...into slight head wind. hammer westward and with a kink , just missing the post. onto the  field
blat across the field into a 90' right hander. Across field, trying to find a less bumpy line towards to the far end of teh course. a tightish corner, but careful on dusty loose exit. through a loose gravelly corner byu some farm machinery and onto a long straight of hardpacked soil . two lines made this section a good place to move up.  the slight rise led to a hairpin left and an awkward drop off.  track before a bounce over and sweep right back under the trees again.
Double hump..
rutted run down to corner. inside line or sven line using berm.
back on yourself again pumpy bomb hole to hairpin with a step. ( easier than in the winter)
off again hammering parallel to the motorway.
awkward very bumpy stretch hidden by the long grass, teeth jarring potholes hidden by the grass, that didn't really flatten out  as the race went on.
On to the top end of the course, left hander drop through the trees, carve through a flattened horse shit. and  immediately pop out of the tree into hairpinned gates.
short sprint to more taped gates, left wards through gravel trap to line up the awkward step up.

50cm high step, with a groove cut in it.take it at an angle, unload the front and flick the back end up.

. keep the power on as the exit took you into deeper grass, and accelerate away up the remainder of the bank.
right through a farm gate, avoid a nasty pothole, and then hard left onto the field. sprint past the car park towards a set of double backed gates.. and then follow the line down to another farm gate on smooth grass.
go wide to just miss the gate post and a little jink to you to the really technical section. I think this was maybe an old 4x4 test track , or something similar, but a bump section a tight right hander and chose your line carefully. go wide, right hand rut was the easier of the two, but the left turned tighter and was less dicey on the exit. a sweeping rutted corner and a right hand drop followed by a shortish bank. rolling off the back into another dip before the most awkward of obstacles so far.

Bastard awkward

a steep double stepped bank , only 2 foot high, but impossible to find a rideable line up it. awkward and bumpy. . the approach was a sod as well, still rolling fast out of the back of teh bump, hard to determine when to unclip and dismount.. I think i did it differently each lap, aincluding going straight on and endoing into the bank when i was tired.
Running remount and a  scrubby nasty little  right hander, only the field.
run around the perimeter followoing easy lines.a long straight along the side of the start straight, with a hairpin takes you back onto the start straight. At about 1.5 miles per lap, a cracking circuit, a bit different in places , but great to ride it iin the dry ( after tetsing it in the wet last Wessex season.)

Two laps to warm up felt about  right, I was really worried about cramping up in the heat, so it was water> pee> water>pee , but at least the site had  great facilties, Cotswold Veldrijden do a fantastic job of promoting Cross events.
Slowly circling the show ground, in ever decreasing circles ending up at the start line. Andy Commissionaire( resplendent in his Heisenberg hat) held us back as I lined up front row. but we seemed to grid ourselves reasonably well to his satisfaction as he let us roll onto the start line. A quick brief. and then the nervous wait after " I will start you in the next 30 seconds"
Low over the bars. twitching and ready to go. Jamie Newall on my left and Aaron Taylor on my  right..
The whistle comes and with a  surge we are off.
I dont get such a good start today... but still make that first corner in about 5th place. Jamie is off like a rocket. by the time we are onto the bottom field, we are already stretching out..and as we round the corner at the far end, that's pretty much the last we see of Jamie.
I settle into a rhythm. the race is an hour, so I am nervous of wrecking myself in the first ten minutes. Pacing myself in a cross race?... that's not right... its hot, its longer than usual, Cramp is likely to be my biggest opponent later in the race... gaps open up quickly.
A guy comes tearing through, but really balls up the dismount for that double step and flounders left, breaking his seatpost in the process. All credit to him, he remounts and finishes the race standing up... I am in about 3rd or 4th,.. Hugh of Team Tor makes a mistake going into the gateway , losing concentration,. and I pass him.. I keep the tempo up, still digging hard after each corner.. conscious that any mistake, the slightest slip will allow the chasers to gain ground on me.
I pass young Tom Sewell and he tucks into my wheel. As the laps tick down he manages to stay there. I cant shake him. Each acceleration from a corner creates a small gap, but each time he can bridge back. I cant slow down in case the chasers gain ground on us, I will need that gap if anything goes pear-shaped later on. I dare not attack too hard in case I burn a match and cant hold a gap, so I am stuck in limbo, just dragging him around.

On two occasions he comes through, but it only lasts a corner or so, before I surge again. We are cutting through back markers, I even call back to check on him after any hold ups, or a tough section. Cotswold Veldrijden  supporters are cheering him. (home advantage) What about me,.. I am towing him around?! Hes been sat on my wheel for six laps now...
I start to worry about him jumping me, I need to get away, then I hear him make a mistake on that muddy step, I think he dabs a foot, so on the next lap I make a concerted dig on the short rise after the step. A short out of the saddle effort and a good dig gives me a gap, this time I manage to make it stick and it soon starts opening further.
One lap to go, I nod to Jamie who reappears going the opposite way, he has managed to lap the entire field except for Tom and I.
I screw up the double step going into the dismount way too fast and not lining up, smacking my knee in the ensuing endo. Its sore, but doesn't really slow me down as I kick off for the last stretches across the fields and a very welcome finish line.
I cross the finish fairly knackered. The hour wasn't as bad as I thought it would be , but I had made a conscious effort to sit up and ease off a bit , staying loose in the last two laps. no mistakes., ride conservatively to stave off the cramp. I am pretty chuffed with my second place, and first Vet. ( Does that count as a win?)
Here is the Official race write up:

http://www.velouk.net/2014/07/12/report-cotswold-veldrijden-cyclo-cross/


what went well.

• drilling in the position change and the core work I have been doing is paying dividends.
• finishing the 60 minutes .( normal vets races are 45 mins)
• No cramp :-)
• 2nd place. best result since Citycross motos.
• my crappy VW Polo got me there and back 
• Good dry course.

not so good.

• bashed my knee hard.

Racing Banjo Cycles Summer CX Rnd 6.. Final Round

Last race of the series..and after the past few weeks trials and tribulations cock ups, I felt I had one last opportunity to get it right. One of my 2014 goals was to do well in this series, so time to get it right!

The weather played ball and we were greeted with a glorious evening, sunny, with a bit of a westerly breeze, but nothing too gusty.
Bikes came off the roof, we signed on and with the usual chatting,  numbers were pinned on.
On James ( Rock n Road) advice, after last weeks footage, I had changed my stem for something a bit longer. Some advice on my riding style had led to a few small tweaks, and a few mental notes to heed for when the hammer goes down.  I had done two cross rides in the week, trying to apply and test these, and these initial rides had felt pretty good. So with James with us again, Ben and I were hoping to apply these while under race conditions, and see how practical the advice works when you are well in the red and breathing out of your arse..Its easy to slip into old habits.
My cool digital Lezyne pumps shows 35psi spot on ( it really is a good bit of kit and takes the guess work out of tyre pressures)
We pause to cheer Jacob, our team mate on, who riding in his first race in the U14s, he whizzes past. ( He did well for his first race)
I rummage around in my bag and realise that I had left my heart rate strap sitting on my desk in work, ah well no data tonight, but everyone knows its nought to 100% and near max heart rate in 5 seconds anyway.. I know the next 45 minutes are going to be in Zone 4 , so I don't necessarily need Garmin to record that fact for me.

Ben and I pass keys and phones to James and we roll out onto the course to warm up and size up the course.

Ooooo another good clockwise circuit.. No boards this week, and gone are the cattle gates. But as inventive as ever, the Banjo cycles guys had put the banks of the flood defenses to good use, creating a pair of tight cambered turns that were to prove testing at any speed.
The start was in a similar place to last weeks ., running parallel to the access road. a relaxed right and an easy left led to the dried out 'muddy' dip. You still had to chose a line through the dip and exit fast with a shoulder brushing the overhanging trees. an arcing right hander and over hump with an awkward bump on the left disrupting  your approach into a 90' left by the kids playground. Sprint with a fast left, again disrupted by awkward loose soil, before digging hard up onto the hill.

the tree and berm at the top

This week the climb was interrupted by short and tight chicanes as the tape led you diagonally up the hill. these felt a lot tighter this week, with not as much space to overtake. The lone tree near the top lends its worn berm  as the course breaks left. another 180 and a "there and back" at the top before turning eastbound into the woods. As soon as the smooth relief of the  gravel up there starts, an awkward blind right, shrouded by overhanging foliage zips you off around the back of the pump track. A lovely rut creates a tiny berm back towards the gravel and then back onto the grass. Hammer across the top. and the familiar right hander as you come out of the trees. The cornering on these off cambers didnt seem as awkward , as it was easy to rail around and line up to go around the top tree .
Riders seemed to be split between going wide and missing the overhanging branches, or cut it close to the trunk and risk a face full of green stuff.
Around the second tree and build speed up. Sweeping around a tree. An awkward 90 left abruptly stops you, as you bounce over the flood defenses 5 meters and then back over again. scoot left onto the lower field and line up your chosen line over the bank again. The layout creating an awkward steep off camber.
accelerate again, building sped, as the straights and back on yourself corners lead you back to the start.
Those Banjo chaps know how to build a good course....

We amble over to the start , and I plant myself squarely in the middle of where the front row will be.. A few doubts cross my mind regarding my eligibility to be there, but what the hell, push forward give it a go.. last weeks start had given me a bit of confidence, but I avoid making too much eye contact, as guys who regularly finish in front of me, line up second row.. gulp.. this is soon forgotten as we all prep for the start.. I flick my gears down, but decide against a grinder and opt for a flicky second cog.  " Please , Please Please let me get  clean clip"
The Go! comes soon enough, and my starting sprocket choice proves to be a good one as I accelerate fast and thrash down through the block, still accelerating into that muddy dip. I could hardly believe it I had the holeshot.. But now what.?. I usually get swamped by the second or third corner as the 'grown ups' come around me and I work my way back to a more reasonable position.
The swamp doesn't come, I manage to hold the front and I lead onto the hill. Breathing is laboured, I stay seated and accelerate from the saddle between each chicane. I can feel riders behind me, a 29er wheel appears in my periphery vision but doesnt come through.
as we exit the woods at the top I still cannot believe that I am still leading, as the race is strung out all the way up the hill. I hold it down the hill, but to be honest I am blowing pretty hard. The off cambers come and go, and on the lower fields I hold my line, determined to hold on as long as possible. I feel like an imposter, and I definitely burnt a match to stay out there, but hell it was worth it. leading a cross race from the front for one lap.. shit.. its a highlight of my pack fodder season so far.

My Holeshot (pic by Alastair Jarman (kinesis.t2))

I cross the start line blowing out of my arse.. as a rider in black smoothly attacks out of the saddle. A group of five or so riders go with him.. I jump to stay with them, but my legs cant react.. a nod from the back rider as they pass signals the end of my 5 minutes of glory and I resign myself to the task at hand. hold off the attrition back through the pack for as long as possible. I know I cant catch them. That's the selection, the elites, semi pros. Hugh from Team Tor works his way up to me..and passes.. But I manage to limit the gap and eventually get back up to him.. he sits on for a while..and we work to try and maintain the gap on Aaron Taylor of Cotswold Veldrijden who is slowly catching.
I mess up on a corner and go wide, losing momentum and giving Hugh a chance to skip past and get a gap.. My 25 minute nemesis from last season rears its head and I drop back. I can feel tiny pre cramp twinges in my left quad.
Aaron catches me... and I think we work together for a bit. He passes when the opportunity opens. But he never gets more than about 5 meters , I just don't have the strength to get up to his wheel, and I am determined not to get dropped.
 Three chasers come into view, but they are way back. Its that game again. try holding the wheel in front,      'work' together to hold off a chasing group.
after what seems like an age I manage to get up to Aarons wheel, but I don't have the strength to go through and do what is my fair share. Two laps to go and I am still wheel sucking... .I have no option to just sit on his wheel. I hate it,  its not racing , .. Hugh is well away, and the three chasers are closing , but still a long way back. There is no point on utterly wrecking myself and pulling through for 10 seconds and popping or cramping. I feel guilty, but self preservation tempering any heroics.
I yo yo on and off his wheel.  I use the Sven line at the bottom of the hill. ( James had pointed out an alternate line around the Lone tree, riskier, but quicker. Most of the riders had been going right and wide and then dropping off the bank, losing a  lot of speed., however, if you tucked in and took the right side of the tree you didnt drop off the bank and could carry a lot more speed into the next corner.)
I call up to him that I would not contest a sprint ..honest guv. cross my heart.

Looking back up the hill

We pass through the bell , and tap out the last lap, warily keeping an eye on the three chasers, who seem to be working well and closing the gap. I half expect Aaron to jump, I wouldn't trust me either, but he must be just as fucked as me. I get an opportunity to attack him when he cocks up the off camber switch back. but I give him a gentle push as he resettles himself. As the last chicane comes I sit up and ease pedalling letting him know no sneaky shenanigans ...I  wont be jumping him.. and I roll over the line for a contented 8th. The two of chasers roll in as I gratefully thank Aaron.

Pretty chuffed and still buzzing with that holeshot lap...

Made a bit of  a mess of that Ben.

I was dismayed to look back over the course and see team mate Ben running with his Gunnar on his shoulder.. a bump on one of the tight corners had rolled his rear tyre. As it was the last lap he had stoically picked the bike up and ran in for 29th. unfortunately I didn't have a camera for a pic, but this was the state of his rear tyre ( Clichers)




Prize giving for the end of the series started and I was stunned to be called up as second overall Vet in the series. This wee trophy and an envelope containing a generous portion Banjo cycles vouchers.. Pretty shocked considering my couple of bad races. but very satisfying all the same.


We spent a little while checking out another Sven line through that awkward chicane... Damn he knows his stuff, I just hope I can spot them in any upcoming races...









What went well:

• Tyre pressure was good. I didnt risk any higher
• James' Positional advice was spot on. And, most importantly, I managed to apply some of it when it mattered. 
• I managed a race with no mishaps.
• 2nd Vet in the series.. hell yeah chuffed with that.

Not so good.

• Cornering on the bottom field was pants.. one corner caught me out most laps and I never quite dialled it in.
• Position change has meant that all new aches and pains have appeared.
• New drive train time as my setup keeps dropping from the big ring to the inner on very bumpy terrain.

Massive thanks to team mate Ben;  James for all of his advice and of course Banjo Cycles for promoting the series. its been another brilliant summer :-)

Right thats it

Its bollox... Once again my Kaptajn seatpack has disgorged its contents . its  a shit piece of kit... This is the third time taht it has done it..Seatpack woes.

looks good. But total bollox to use.. Means I need to go buy a new multitool , co2 and a set of levers..

Racing Banjo Cycles Summer CX Rnd 5

Hole shot to whole lot of chasing.

Thursday already? That hard run on Tuesday wasn't such a great idea as my calfs felt like solid blocks and, as usual, a day of clock watching at my desk, had left me tired and lethargic.
A quick espresso before leaving home sorted out one of those, and the cyclocross contingent of the Rock n  Road Race team, wound their way up to Newbury.
This was to be our inaugural (cross)outing in team colours, as Kalas had delivered a pile of new team kit in the week and for the first time in 15 years, I found myself pinning a number onto team clothing.
James, from Rock n Road had traveled up with us, with the intention of watching Ben and I racing, take a few pictures and pass on his advice.

Slightly different setup tonight, I was forsaking my tubs and would be racing on my Powertap. While usually, we dont get on, I had taken it down from its perch in the garage, dusted it off, furnished it with new batteries and ran it on a mud 2 with latex inner. The intention is to get a stack of race data , possibly to be analysed later on. Due to the dryer conditions, I had decided to run pressures a bit harder than last week.
Bikes ready, Ben and I rolled out onto the course for a two lap warmup. What a cracking course this week..

Anticlockwise , starting with a  decent straight parallel to the access road. a sweeping left hand bend into a sharp hair pin, taking you all the way back again.. full speed past the kids playground, where there was a pair of running boards as a very welcome change.. Excellent, I  thought, something to slow up the roadies, and unsettle the MTBers.).. through the drying up 'muddy dip. (though with the dry spell, its not a slightly churned up rut). A great arching right hander round the back of the trees and instead of up the hill , over the hump and back to the lower field. a lovely sharp right hander, where the off camber helped you around..
a short straight led to a set of 'gates'. A series of short tight switch backs that slowed everyone down. I hate these .
Out of the saddle sprinting again, over the bank and as it bears left the steep 'lee side of the bank lends an awkward off camber to the mix.then off up the hill  with a much straighter run up this week. The turns around the trees didn't feel as tight, but the sting came with two off camber witch backs up the top. The second of these had a large flattened mole hill, right in the riding line. a dig for the top and westwards on the gravely path.
spat out the other end of the path into a relaxed left hander. a quick dig to the lone tree, before another set of inventive switchbacks, these ones a bit wider spaced. a cracking roll off, with the tape pinching and making choosing a line difficult. awkward bumps and the flattened mole hills spicing things up..
Hitting the 'muddy ' dip at speed and back out onto the start straight.
Cracking course.. loved it. Unfortunately The Banjo guys remove the boards just before the race starts , I think someone clipped them and trashed one :-( maybe next week eh ?

So to the start.. I lined up earlier this week , and as there is no gridding, I plonked myself squarely in the front row.
On the Go! I got straight in. and went for it, pretty much elbow to elbow with Jamie Newall, he had the inside line and managed to get the holeshot, and going into the first hairpin I was in 3rd.

The race strung out a bit, and I relaxed, comfortable in my position, I moved over to let Steve James of Hargroves pass me ( for the first time) as I cranked to maintain my position. I am not quite sure how it happened, but my chain jumped off the big ring and dropped between the crank arm and the ring. Unfortunately the pin that usually stops this was a bit short and the scooped back of the crank arm, allowed a good press on the pedals to wedge the chain past, steadfastly locking itself in there.
I pull over to the right, as the entire race buzzes past me. ... Bollocks...
it takes an eternity to dislodge it.. strenuously pulling on it on the hope I could pop it back out. As time ticks away, I consider canning the race there and then.
Eventually I manage to twist the chain past the blasted pin and re-seat the chain. a quick hop and I am off again , with only two riders behind.  I am in 52nd place. Time to get a motor on.
 The remainder of that first lap was a bit of a blur. but by the time we went through the finish I was up to 34th. and making up places. 
As the race settles I continue working hard, picking off riders individually, there is no polite "Passing left" as these are not lapped riders, each one is riding their own race, fighting for each corner, and defending their line.By the end of lap three I am back up to 23rd.
Just after the sharp off camber before the hill, I overtake a guy on the right ..accelerating towards the corner. He takes exception to this and accelerates over me and tries blocking me into the corner, but I hold my line as I have 2/3 of a bike length...
I have to brake harder than him and he accelerates past me before he swings right,switching across me , deliberately forcing me into the tape..I made a bit of a daft move, but his was well out of order. Petulant, .so I tell him..Racing is racing, but a deliberate retaliatory move to push into the tape is just being a cock...
His fred move is wasted as I easily pass him on the hill.
I come up behind Stu Gough of VC Venta, a Wessex league regular. I know he races hard, and we have had regular battles in the winter. He gaps his sitter on, and I jump around to grab his wheel. But its not long before the hunt is back on and I pass him on my way over to the next rider.
Other regulars pass, as I am working my way up to my usual peer group... Morvelo guy comes and goes,
Dan Clark of Banjo Cycles, who had a good dig during the start is next.. As I pass him, he jumps on and gives me encouragement to catch the two in front, telling me that " they are our group , you are doing it" as I ratchet them back.. It takes a while and my legs are full of lactic. I still cant get that long sweeper down hill right, taking a different line each time and losing momentum each lap. Each turn comes up shorter, or the line is awkward and bumpy.
 towards the last lap, I pass an Army CU guy and he tucks in behind, I havent eased off at all and still going as hard as I possibly could.
Steve James of Hargroves ( Nat U23 champ?) laps me... and I try to get his wheel. ...No chance,.. I hold it for about 10 seconds before he dispatches me.
Army guy is still there , and as we approach the long straight I worry that he will jump me in the finale.
With " Sorry mate , but F**K off" I jump pretty hard and gap him, then without looking around I cane it as hard as I can to the finish.. He may beat me but he will have to seriously dig deep to do it...
( I didnt mean to be rude,.. just wasnt going to tow him to the line then get jumped. He may well have eased off and let me go )
I finished pretty blasted, one lap down on the winner (No one else lapped me) A credible 16th after such a disastrous first lap..
What a  great race.. Seriously loved the course and the return of the infernal cattle gates and the off camber switchbacks up the top. Start fast... finish fucked....


What went well:

• tyre pressure was good for the conditions.
• got a power file of the race.
• good start. 
• raced very hard to work up from 52 to finish 16th.
• The new team kit is excellent.. 

Not so good...

• Dropping the chain and watching the ENTIRE race flash past.
• The cattle gates ( very tight double switch backs) were bloody awkward, 

Shame there is only one race left.. hopefully I can finish one with mishap

June Stats

Well June has come and gone, with a start to this years racing (Fairthorne Manor in January aside.)

Due to illness June didn't start that great. CTL took a great big nosedive due to feeling pretty unwell ( maybe it was the spiky nature of my training ATL) anyway I got sick. knee started again, and all month I have struggled to go hard.
The first race on the 6th was a bit different... my heart rate data scared the crap out of me. over 30 minutes in Z5... horrendous.
since then training has consisted of two hard sessions Monday and Tuesday, generally off road. rest Wednesday. race Thursday and an easy recovery ride on Friday.  Weekends have been fairly busy with family stuff, so i have only managed to squeeze a late night run in on Sunday night.
Racing has been ok. despite the heart rate worries in the first race I managed a top 10(8th) but since then and untimely crash put me out of the top ten and last weeks grass/wet ness / equipment issues handed me a good lesson in humility

Only 284 miles in 20 hours, but despite the drop in miles the intensity is consistent , despite 3 rest days a week.
I am tired though and not peaking as I had hoped..
The only goal for July is to race as often as possible and stay injury free. See if I can work back into the top ten and see how the Cotswold Veldrijen weekend races go.

.

Great quote.....

A great piece about racing cross, by the team that brought you The Rules....

http://www.velominati.com/cyclocross/dont-make-me-cross/

I especially liked this quote: "...the appeal of pinning myself to within a whisker of a heart attack, on a bike that is sketchy enough just riding on a flat, smooth surface, on terrain that has no appealing features like corners, descents, roots or rocks, in the middle of winter while wearing a diaper filled with what equates to wet sandpaper."


"To be able to go from a standing start, after waiting statically for five or ten minutes in sub-zero temperatures, to sprinting at maximum heart rate, then sustaining it for an hour is truly impressive. Not only that, but to ride those inappropriate machines in those crapulous conditions takes a special character. It’s like someone handed you a bowl of dishwashing liquid and an apple and told you to knit a cardigan with it. Skinny tyres, drop bars, shit brakes, off-camber corners, sandpits, fucking running for gods sake, it’s everything that should be kept well away from each other thrown into a blender and then force-fed, and you’re expected to give the thumbs up and a “ooh, that’s delicious” appraisal. It’s fucking ridiculous."

Caps not hats

New cap time... all my old ones seem to have snapped peaks :-(