– a purpose built cycling heaven with bmx tracks, mtb routes, road course and loads more!
As the nationals are a two day thing I went up on the Saturday to cheer on my club mates in the Junior, Vet 40 and Vet 50 races as well as help with any pit duties that may be required – luckily due to the dry weather there was very little need to assist as the course rolled well and bikes stayed very clean. Once the Saturday races had finished I had 3 practise laps of the course! Taking it easy and not taking too much out of my legs but trying to learn the course.
Start Finish Straight at the top of the big hill!
Riding it I knew it would be fast and frenetic throughout! Being a UCI conditions race I knew I would get pulled out of the race as they operate an 80% rule based on the leaders lap times, if you fall below this you’re removed to avoid getting in the leaders race. Unfortunately in my race I had Tom Pidcock, the current U23 leader of Cyclo Cross World Cup….
Warm up laps didn’t go so well as I attempted one section I burped my tyre and came off – luckily very slowly, took it on the chin laughing at myself
Hopefully getting it out the way on Saturday would mean I wouldn’t do it on Sunday!
So Sunday rolled around and after a very average sleep I got up to the track for about 11:00 to watch some of the junior races prior, some overnight rain had made the transitions to Tarmac slippy but the strong westerly wind meant this was drying out quick. I got signed on and got my chip number – 11 or 911 (race 9 – no 11). Due to my lowly points I was gridded on the backrow – 80 out of 85 riders. (15 DNS’)
Got to about 12:45 and I went to go get ready putting my numbers on and setting up my turbo etc. I had lots of spare time compared to usual as I wasn’t need to pit like I normally would on a Sunday. Nerves had sort of gone by this point though as I just was trying to enjoy it and realised it’s just like a normal Sunday race just on a grander scale!
After getting the turbo set up and all my kit ready to go I jumped on my turbo at about 13:35 – 55 or so minutes before my race, extra early knowing my effort in the race would be as hard as I could from the off aiming to get to 40 minutes before being pulled. So I added long slow spin to get going and then moved into my normal warmup about 10 minutes later. Warm up finished about 14:05 quick change out of wheel and off I ride to the start pushing through the crowds.
I keep my legs moving and few small sprints to keep warm and the gridding started at about 14:15, whilst I was waiting the commissaire came round and was checking wheels and decided my tyres were too wide even though the measuring block went over, so I went to swap wheels to my more intermediate tyres. Just want you want! This got my nerves going again! But I had plenty of time and was back on the grid by 14:20.
As I lined up on the grid I couldn’t even see the front riders, but got ready for the long uphill drag to the first corner – picking an outside line based on feedback I got from the day before!
Lap 1
We were off! – Or not as the guy 2 places directly in front of me wasn’t paying attention and didn’t start which meant I had to put my foot back down. I took the start relatively tentatively as we hit the first corner knowing that people would be pushing and shoving and no doubt falling off – and I was right! The first transition to mud was carnage as I passed a good 5 or 6 people on the deck, I then moved passed another 3 or 4 in the next corner either in a crash or tangled up and then once again on the 3rd corner. I had jumped a good 10 places at least and was up to about 70th and could see my normal Sunday competitors only a few places ahead. I worked my balls off and made up places knowing I had to dig deep for as long as possible.
The change to the intermediate tyres which I’d never ridden before was actually a godsend as I had plenty of grip and they weren’t draggy at all on the flat smooth tarmac! As the first lap went past I was onto the back of my Wessex crew.
Lap 2
I went with these guys for the next half a lap or so, as I was on the back part of the course I thought my tyre was going flat but it seemed to stabilise so I pushed on as I passed the pits, unfortunately as I passed the start finish and hit the bridge it let out a bit more air (tubeless) and this meant I was running around seriously underinflated but still rideable luckily, albeit slowly, losing 4 or 5 positions, I pushed on to the pits where I swapped over bikes! This was set up with mud tyres, but I worked to get back to the group where I was, which I achieved in about half a lap, as I passed the pits again I didn’t think my bike would be ready, so I avoided it, but it was with my crew reinflating the tyre. Climbing up the steep slope I made up a few places as one person didn’t make it up which meant 2 more behind had to jump off! I was lucking into places but I wasn’t going to complain.
Up the start finish straight was such hard work this time around, but I got onto another group at the top of the straight and then used those for a bit of relief – I was on the limit.
Lap 3
First part of the lap felt like recovery – sat on some wheels and got back on to my Canyon at the pits. Tyres felt good so on the next section I got back on to the wheels and tried to work my way back up the positions I lost and time lost changing bikes – getting back to riders by the end of the next straight! It was a bit one by one for the next section- but as soon as it opened up I pulled past 2 riders, and then back into the main arena, going past one of my riders on the banked turn after the sand, and clearing the hurdles immediately after and smashing it up the next section into the big hill. Keeping to the right where the grip was I rode up it again but one guy on the left didn’t meaning 2 riders immediately behind him had to jump off! Bonus! Going up the straight I powered past another 3 riders.
Lap 4
As I was at the front I pushed as hard as possible to try to make it the 10seconds or so up to my main competitor in the normal Sunday league race. I was slowly catching him with my nose in the wind! And had one guy with me, he tried to go past on the straight but I chucked it in deep on the brakes to keep my position through the narrow section, he went past as it opened out a few corners later. This lap went in a blur and as I passed the pits for the second time I heard that the 80% board was out and I would be pulled at the end of this lap. Knowing this I smashed it up the big hill and repassed that rider and then as it flattened out one more! And I could see 2 more positions mere seconds ahead, so I smashed it allll the way up the start finish straight – unfortunately no more positions made! But just 2 or 3 seconds behind guys gridded 30 places further up from me. Not bad for 2 pitstops in a dry race.
My final position was 64th overall and 39th in my category – with most of the top 10 being locked out by U23s!
I was exhausted but very happy, although I didn’t hit my target of 40 minutes, but the pace of Pidcock at the front was relentless – lapping in 6 minute 30s – our leagues current leader got pulled 3 laps from the end in 23rd place – our league being one of the strongest in the UK.. Showing the difference in capability of the guys who are racing internationally!
The level of organisation was brilliant and the course although crazy fast was great – I was disappointed it wasn’t wet as this would have suited me with what would have been a number of running sections!
The race is here from about 4:16:00 onwards with my name check a few minutes later!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPRLoU-j_0Y&feature=youtu.be
No point seeing my strava as I forgot to start it and only got about half my race – but max HR 190 and average of 180 when I was recording!
Needless to say I’m aching a lot today, my left leg felt like it had been hit when I was riding in this morning!
