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 :-)