phewww. glad nobody caught my crash!

Crashtestmonkey and I ventured to Wessex league (normally Central league) this weekend as it was 20 minutes away in Oxford. Here’s my race report: 4 degrees and a Northerly wind .. CX weather is fast coming in.. we are just missing the mud (not necessarily a bad thing!) up first (for a change) ladies and V50. The course was in 2 segments a fast wide powerful billiard table style grass section with some twisties then a fast technical narrow bit with obstacles and bomb holes! 57 women started, their biggest field yet! I got gridded on the 2nd row & got a good start and up into 4th but slowly went backwards on the power grass sections. I’d pull them back on the technical trees and after some recent Wednesday night coaching my remounting was better! Until I saw a club mate from V50’s (yes I’d caught him) before the trees, I was super polite as I passed then …. boom front wheel wash out in the bottom of the bomb hole and I hit the deck hard! Some swear words were shouted I looked around dazed then as someone went to assist me I was up and off ..but lost a place or so! I spent the next 3 laps with a dead right side, pins and needles and no power. Held onto 9th overall but 5th Senior woman!

So next up Crashtestmonkey in the V40! He also managed to get gridded onto the 2nd row and boom they were off like a greyhound after a rabbit insanely fast and furious, it might as well have been MotoGP! He was doing well, as I cheered him on I heard him shout “I’m going backwards”! Similar story he’d pull the groups back on the twisties but they’d disappear on the flats. He said “I need more power” bearing in mind he was doing 30mph on the straights on grass but STILL got overtaken! 👿 He washed out on some leaves trying to make up time in the singeltrack and snapped a spoke. Another lap he was leaning so much trying to carry corner speed through the woods to make up ground that he clipped a tree on the outside of the tape with his helmet and shoulder (both have grazes!!). They had 2 sets of plants, one 99% jumped, 1 needed running and a tree down!

So conclusion Wessex league is insanely fast and competitive but a great day out! I pedalled into work today as a recovery ride..ouch body so sore and still no power on my right side! Hopefully bruising will be out and recovered in time for Sunday’s race! And up here it is due to be dry ALL week so another fast and furious race for us ahead.

Ferrals.. I did Gorseinon in 2014 .. ooooh that was a muddy day!!! crossisboss

Found it, New course, looks twisty!

[video]https://youtu.be/NcrsoQZLkDM[/video]

Will I be expected to clear up my own vomit?

Well i havn’t raced a CX race for a few years (although i have helped out at my local CX event, setting up & marshaling), the Keynshan Shamcross course was GREAT fun, especially so as its a flat area and they’ve definately put it to good use, so many twists and turns, the spiral of doom, some great woodsy steep off camber stuff, plenty of entertainment at the boards, and a fantastic crowd. Nice for spectators that pretty much the whole course is visible from the finish area. I had a great time. FoD next week, if work allows 🙂

Looks like it’s down to me to do the Welsh League update this week. Made the trip over to Llanerchaeron in west Wales, as did plenty of others despite the 100 mile drive from Cardiff – good-sized fields in all the races. A brand new venue and a good course – a mix of full throttle for most of the first half of the lap (dodging the occasional cowpat) and a much twistier second half. It got slippy in places but not proper muddy apart from 25 metres of ankle deep bog.

Another solid/unspectular day for me – got a decent but not great start, made up a few places in the first couple of laps, but got caught and dropped by a few guys too. Another fag-end of the top ten result, 9th or 10th I think. But that’ll do.

Mooman also there, and did I see Thom around or was that another bearded PRCC rider..? Oh and I’m sure I saw a photo with IdleJon in making a comeback!

Congratulations !

Ah Will you’re the beardy one I saw you battling it out! That dude that won Senior was insanely fast!

Cracking course (although I’m telling crashtestmonkey it was rubbish) I mean who wants sandpits, muddy off camber, slick muddy corners you have to run and some power climbs? Great day out, 3rd for me although a wee bit disappointed as I was 2nd for the first few laps but when she got past I couldn’t stay with her on the grass flat bits 🙁 although I was way better on the technical bits! need more technical courses.

Although racing absolutely wipes me out! Anyone else completely shattered today? I feel like I could spend all day in bed!

@David Jey, yup I was there, had an ok race until I came off in said bog. I am awaiting the many photographs to appear as all I could hear as I wallowed here were camera shutters.
Enjoyed the course. My fitness let me down and I lost 4 places in the last 2 laps. Roll on Bryn Bach..

Correct, couldn’t grow a beard if I tried 🙄 Was a great battle with Neil though, I knew that if he got in front on the final twisty sections he’d probably have me as he was quicker though these. Annoying.

Joe (the winner) is on a flyer this season!

Well done MC, a great result in a pretty big field!

Anybody at Kettering? It’s a good course, stony/sandy in sections, ankle deep mud in others, and if it’s muddy, very hard work!

From what I hear of some guys should used to race Bryn Bach a few years back; it used to be a pretty ‘old-school’ type course, which I think means a mix of everything … and rough. Sorry if that’s just as vague!

Llanchaeron wasn’t good for me, worse race of season. Really good course, the organisers really put in a lot of work taping off course etc.
But I had customary slow start, and washed out on practically every bend. My own fault for putting too pressure in and wearing tyres that clogged up within 2-3 laps.

Hopefully Bryn Bach will be grippy & fast.

ROFL. Keep hoping, and don’t look at the forecast or it will shatter your dreams.

Doing Otterspool on Sat, and have no spare bike – Is it ever worth bringing a jetspray to clean your own bike in the pits, or is that a silly idea?
Just thinking if it’s a proper mudocalypse then a minute in the pits blasting it clean sounds like a decent back-up plan if the bike is overwhelmed with mud.

Not convinced it would be. Anyway, after barely touching a bike all summer / autumn due to illness & injury I will be having a go at Otterspool on Sat. At least it’ll make it easier for someone not to be last 🙂

Excellent NWCCA race at Otterspool today. Properly fun, tough course. Barely riding a bike this year made it pretty tough going but had some good battles towards the rear of the field 🙂

Was a tad muddy 🙂

I raced today in a one off event here in Leipzig organised by a former pro road rider Robert Förster. It was advertised as Germany’s first night cross race but our race was in the day. It is the first track that I would say is in the Belgian style…the venue was at the side of an old open cast mine now converted into a massive lake (there are loads of them around here) and so the ground is pretty sandy. The entire course was 2m wide (the local race series courses have a lot of singletrack sections) which suited me down to the ground as my usual slow start didn’t affect me quite so badly as I could overtake people when I wanted. To cut a long story short I got my first podium in cross! 3rd place 🙂

Oooh! The nightcross race even made the regional news!
news report

Snow overnight up at Parc Bryn Bach. Let’s be honest it was going to be there if anywhere. See you Welshies up there