smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
We don't appear to have a thread for people to share their race reports, so I thought I'd start one...
Today I did my third race of the season, Round 2 of the East Kent CX league at Newington Community College in Ramsgate, V40s race. The circuit was mostly grass, twisting around the school playing fields, with a couple of tall hurdles (not rideable) and a section of logs (five in quick succession, easily bunny-hoppable). I made the mistake of going off too fast, picked up quite a few places in the opening couple of laps but then started to tail off and gradually slipped back down the field. The combination of the bumpy ground and very twisty nature of the circuit meant that by four laps in, my upper arms and shoulders were really starting to ache. I settled into a rhythm, though, and had a mini-tussle with another rider - we kept taking it in turns to pass each other at different parts of the circuit. Good fun. I'm totally shagged now though.
Previous two races were the London Cross league events at Happy Valley, Brighton, and Herne Hill Velodrome. Happy Valley is a big expansive circuit, very fast, with a couple of technical sections in the woods, and a nice slippery bank with a 180º hairpin. There had been a bit of rain overnight and a brief shower during the race but there were no real muddy bits for our race - although by the time the seniors race started, the ground was getting churned up quite nicely and the slippery bank claimed a good number of victims.
Last week at Herne Hill was a superb race. I love the circuit there - so compact, with some lovely fast sections and some nicely tricky technical bits. Again, it was warm and dry, so that made for a fast race. The grass in the middle of the velodrome was quite long but the 'racing line' had mostly been flattened down by the time of our race so you could get up a decent bit of speed on the straights. Tried to ride up 'Big Bob' a couple of times but didn't quite make it - first time due to another rider getting in my way, second time due to hitting a rut. Bits of the course are quite terrifying to watch, with drops off steep banks straight into loose, gravelly corners, but if you pick your line, you can take them at speed and it's a real buzz. Plus Herne Hill is such an atmospheric venue, it's a great place to race.
Probably won't be doing the next couple of London league races but looking forward to the next EKCX race in a few weeks time...
Today I did my third race of the season, Round 2 of the East Kent CX league at Newington Community College in Ramsgate, V40s race. The circuit was mostly grass, twisting around the school playing fields, with a couple of tall hurdles (not rideable) and a section of logs (five in quick succession, easily bunny-hoppable). I made the mistake of going off too fast, picked up quite a few places in the opening couple of laps but then started to tail off and gradually slipped back down the field. The combination of the bumpy ground and very twisty nature of the circuit meant that by four laps in, my upper arms and shoulders were really starting to ache. I settled into a rhythm, though, and had a mini-tussle with another rider - we kept taking it in turns to pass each other at different parts of the circuit. Good fun. I'm totally shagged now though.
Previous two races were the London Cross league events at Happy Valley, Brighton, and Herne Hill Velodrome. Happy Valley is a big expansive circuit, very fast, with a couple of technical sections in the woods, and a nice slippery bank with a 180º hairpin. There had been a bit of rain overnight and a brief shower during the race but there were no real muddy bits for our race - although by the time the seniors race started, the ground was getting churned up quite nicely and the slippery bank claimed a good number of victims.
Last week at Herne Hill was a superb race. I love the circuit there - so compact, with some lovely fast sections and some nicely tricky technical bits. Again, it was warm and dry, so that made for a fast race. The grass in the middle of the velodrome was quite long but the 'racing line' had mostly been flattened down by the time of our race so you could get up a decent bit of speed on the straights. Tried to ride up 'Big Bob' a couple of times but didn't quite make it - first time due to another rider getting in my way, second time due to hitting a rut. Bits of the course are quite terrifying to watch, with drops off steep banks straight into loose, gravelly corners, but if you pick your line, you can take them at speed and it's a real buzz. Plus Herne Hill is such an atmospheric venue, it's a great place to race.
Probably won't be doing the next couple of London league races but looking forward to the next EKCX race in a few weeks time...