Well following on from a previous post I made mentioning that after 23 years off the bike smoking and getting fat and slow and old I quit smoking last April and got back on the bike in June, my fitness has started to improve and I thought as I used to do a bit of racing xc in youth catagory (now nearly 40)I would see how I did in a race.

Now all those years ago it was one or two laps of a 8-10 mile course, now of course its only 4 miles ish and more laps. not sure what I prefer tbh. well, I went to meet up with the Reading CTC off road group who I ride with sometimes as was going to ride out with them for a warm up ride, turns out that the one day I presume they will be going the normal route towards the chilters they decide to go the opposite way! so I set off on my own from Caversham on the 11 mile ride to checkendon, setting a reasonable pace but not wanting to use all of my porridge and pasta energy up. I found the race venue with ease as was well signed, and I followed the practicing competitors. I went over to the registration tent and filled in the form, unsure whether to enter Vets or open as my first race, I went for open! I watched the women then start their race and then set off on a practice lap of the course to make mental notes of any hidden obstacles, rocky/rooty sections that may require a bit of running through. All seemed quite nice bar the bone shaking section of farmers field where the tractor treads had left a kind of natural rumble strip, like I may have fallen asleep during the race and needed waking up! Ha.

It was time for the race shortly after completing practice lap, I wasnt really nervous but more curious to see what everyone else was like and if there was still a place for 26″ wheels in the world of XC.

We set off and I started in mid pack and made a few places up on the first sprint along the field, then a few more as I undertook a few riders on tight bends, lost those places on the rumble strip field then it was into more singletrack, made a few places up there then on a section of right hand rock ascent no more than 2 metres where people first decided to try and ride I had a rider in front of me slide back into the front of my bike, I shouted at him he said sorry and after a short scramble we were all on our way again (subsequent laps everyone pre-unclipped and ran it) more feild again and lost a few places here, then into a twist around a few trees, took it a bit fast and hit a root, ebndoed the bike into the tree and after apologising to the guys behind I kept going miraculously without losing a place but gaining a rather bent but still funcioning hope tech brake lever.
More grass with a bit of a gloopy section from previous races, into some sloppy singletrack through woods, could have chosen better tyres than bonty XR0’s but managed to just about stay upright with the bike sliding and pirouetting beneath me.

Back out into the daylight and the fields again for a brief climb back into the gloopy woods again, a few technical rooty sections and some nice fast straights where I managed to claw a place back then back out into the daylight and the finish line was in sight.

Only two more laps to go… I wasnt on the verge of coughing my lungs up so could have tried a bit harder I supose, but now the field was spread out a bit I could enjoy the race a bit more. Loved the singletrack bits and managed to hold the chasers off on the straight field sections and took a few more places back through the wooded singletrack and fast wooded straights. On the final lap I had my sights on a BoB rider in front which I passed and held off for the rest of the final lap and couldnt quite catch the Darenth team rider in front of me and finished a 2 or 3 seconds behind him in 28th place out of a field of 51.

I had a chat with a two guys who were chasing me and we agreed it was a good race, I had a cup of tea then rode the 11 ish miles back home, with a brief stop off to fix a tyre gash on Whitchurch hill. (glad the tyres held up for the race)

In summary I had a good day, I was reasonably happy with 28th place for my first race in 23 years and that I have only been back on a bike since June in that time too. I could have tried harder perhaps, this is reinforced by the fact that I didn’t drink all my water in my bottle and the gel in my jersey pocket remains to rejuvenate me another day.

Next time at Crow Hil – top 20 perhaps, although its only in 3 weeks and don’t think I’ll improve that much in 3 weeks.

Congrats, great performance.

Well done. good effort. A slight correction the field was at least 52.

I was in the Open too, and also ended up in a bit of a pile up on that very short climb. Short race for me as I then managed to pick up a 2″ nail in my rear tyre somewhere towards the end of the first lap, the sealant in the tyre sort of sealed it but it wasn’t holding air properly, so I bailed before the end of the lap. I guess I could have stopped and fitted a tube, but didn’t find the course enticing enough.

Well done! Open was probably the right choice, good mix of abilities.

I had a rider in front of me slide back into the front of my bike, I shouted at him he said sorry

That’s racing – you can expect stuff like that to happen, if people ride into you from behind that’s one thing, but I can’t imagine he expected to slide back into you! No need to shout at people.

no, i know he didnt expect to slide back into me. he probably expected to fly up the short steep slippery rocky bit at slow speed whilst turning 90 degrees right then another 90 degree right. 🙄

Darren YGM

he probably expected to fly up the short steep slippery rocky bit at slow speed whilst turning 90 degrees right then another 90 degree right

Yes, that’s exactly what he expected, otherwise he’d not have tried! Shout at people for riding dangerously or like a dick if you like, but seriously, that stuff just happens.