Barn Cross

We missed Barn Cross one as we were roller racing down at Morvelos Battle Royale,

Little did we know that the other end of the county was a similar style race .
Denham of DC cycles invited us along with the roller racing rig.. and despite the chilly evening the expansive Quob Stables started to fill up.
The course was  something quite new. Think of City cross on a very tight circuit.
Start on a longish back straight, a sweeping 180. then choose between two sets of Shoretrax rollers; Left hand 30 foot or so of uneven spaced running to an outside sweeping berm. Or right hand over a set of unevenly spaced  terminated by an abrupt drop off and a tighter steeper berm.  A cross over in between was possibel, but it was tight. Sprint out of the exit into a funnel to another pair of berms, outside faster , inside tighter but slower.
a wiggle, three awkward poles on the floor a left hander, already unclipping into the barriers. Definitly not UCI reg, and more of a high jump than a regular running barrier, all very gymkhana.

  ten foot later thats the lap.
Denhams love of BMX is apparent and the heats are run off as Grand Prix Motos BMX styleeeeee. basically race loads, do the best you can, work your way towards that final.
Roller racing is a bit slow, until we put the frog bikes on and we are suddenly busy. I manage a few laps as a warm up and some sort of dial in the rolling Shoretrax stuff. This is well out of my comfort zone, and i am quite nervous of taking it at speed, give me a flat circuit and twisty bits any day. But hell thats the score, make the most of it.
A mixture of BMXs, cruisers, carbon 29ers and a few cross bikes make up the riders. I don't recognise anyone from the local racing scene, but its a good mix of new people, eager to chat , and if i wasn't driving, we would have attacked the Bowman Ales with gusto.
The floor looks like sand, but actually its a remarkably grippy mixture of sand, 'carpet(!)and rubber chippings, what ever it is its good for cornering, but stinks of horse poop. I regret running Limus Mud tyres I should have gone with Typhoons, or Grifos.. ever better a filetread (if I had any)
Its cold, but eventually the VEts line up, Eight or nine of us. I am used to this now and assert myself in to a good position on the line. not as nervous as usual at the start, but I have a degree of trepidation about my chest / phlegm/ tightness and general lack of activity since Christmas.
The go comes and a get a good start. fluff my clip a bit  , but get onto that first corner in first or second. The left hand rollers and outside berm  allows a few riders slip through, but I can crank it and force myself into that tightening funnel before the next corner. Those poles are awkward, keep speed, bunny hop . I am clean through the barriers and into the second lap.
only three more.. lungs are burning, but I am holding the front.
A chap on a single speed is riding well and pushing hard, Our tyres buzz 
as we round the top turn, and despite a wiggle i manage to win my first Moto.
Straight back into roller racing.. lungs hurting a lot, coughing a lot, with red and brown marbling in gunky shite i am dislodging. recover is hard, but kids roller racing is always good.
Its not long before the second moto is called. I shed a few layers of quilted warmth and line up again. Mr Waterford single speed gets the jump on me and I relax a bit more on this one, the wide way around is my only option as I cant do dropofffs, but i have enough power to catch up and assert myself into that funnel. Barrier technique helps, and the confidence to drive through the corner before remounting.

taking a holeshot (red) photo: DC cycles FB page

Mr  Waterford has a gap , and despite keeping things as smooth as I can, he leads in for the win, I get  second. Fast bargy racing , no flailing elbows but I am not too shy in asserting my racing line.

Race three is a similar affair, Mr waterford gets a good start, I slot into second and it runs to form... another second.


 people are slowing down as the super sticky floor material really drags you, 4 laps is tough going.
The final is called.  I line up in my familiar spot.. Denham holds the count and for some bizzare reason I didnt register that the clanging bell thing is the start. the entire field lurches forward as I sit there like a twat.
Soon enough i recover my limited faculaties but i am in about lats or second to last place.
Shit , arses,,, this is going to be hard to make up.
I sprint hard down the opener, time to put some cross racing into the mix. Assertion is the name of the game.I have to queue into the rollers, and on exit i have to brake hard as Waterford boy is already exiting the berm.
My thumb searches for my usual dingy bell,  but I call out telling people to move off the line I am coming through,
Everyone ignores me of course and as those awkward pole hops pop underneath I am about half way up the field. I am unclipping going into the barrier, going faster than those around. slower riders are drifting rightwards and wider onto my line.
I force through, handing off another rider, defiantly doing a bit of rubbing is racing, Definitely in the spirit of it as I basically force myself through  the pack. A hard sprint away, and I am in a familiar second slot.

Rubbing is racing,.. Someones chainring marks on my thigh

Mt Waterford is riding well, smooth but slowing..i may well have been charging those first laps but the combination of crappy lungs, draggy tyres means there are not enough laps to get him back, If only I hadnt missed that bell. I try switching and crossing lines between the rollers and that berm, eking out as much as I can, but its not enough. Second, again, and a second over all.
A swift half and prize giving. Those BMX chaps love their big trophies.;...

What a  cracking event, definitely worth a  shot and so deserves to be far and wide and hugely popular. Cant wait for the next one.
A massive thanks to Denham of DC Cycles and all of his team.
 Lezyne, Shoretrax, Bowman Ales.



video of the first one:
http://vimeo.com/113909501