My first race was in a park in Ealing sometime in the late 80’s. The course was probably closer to a cyclo cross course than what we’d now consider a mountain bike course. Anyway myself and a friend lined up with about 70-80 others and sprinted away at the start. First corner, first place. Second corner, still first place. Approaching the first hill, change down, but the gears don’t engage properly. By the time I had a non slippy gear I had lost a lot of places. Still carried on and finished in the mid twenties.
Second race was last year. Entered a 5 lap sports category race of about 50 riders. Decided not to fight for initial position but rather pace myself through for the duration, so came out of the first corner in a more or less deliberate last place.
For the next three laps i gradually overtook enough people that i was somewhere in the middle ground and quite enjoying it. Lots of little overtaking tussles some of which I’d win and some not, but there was always someone to catch or to get away from, it was a good laugh.
Then shortly after starting my fourth lap the elite category riders started, most of whom seemed to be taking it very seriously. On a relatively short course consisting of mostly singletrack it was carnage. I lost track of my position and who was in my race, all the little battles that had made the race fun evaporated within a couple of minutes. I rode back to the start of the final lap, got off and handed in my number, DNF.
