Mud ready, still technically challenged but raring to go, I entered my first cyclocross race. I have to say, it more than lived up to expectations… It was also waaaay harder than I expected, having been off the bike ill for a little over a month, entering was probably not my smartest move. I’d also chosen to do it at Hog Hill, otherwise known as the Redbridge Cycling Centre, and once I’d paid for my entry, I realised the meaning of ‘buyer’s regret.’
The weather had also just started to change and it was bitterly cold (although now winter’s really here my definition of ‘bitterly cold’ has been recalibrated). As we know, me and the cold are not besties, so I went dressed for battle! Arm warmers, leg warmers, three layers on top and of course an aero skinsuit…. Because you can’t race in anything but, right?
I was a little anxious because I am truly a technical novice off-road: the sum of my skills training was an hour on a grass field practising mounting and dismounting with my coach – oo-er! The idea was that doing cross would improve my on-road skills and help me with cornering and descending. Anyway, I was going with James and my friend Jen, and I was only really expecting to get round one lap, if that – ha!
Jen and I went and did a sighting lap. I was on her wheel because A, she’s a mountain biker and so naturally quicker and better than me technically, and B, I didn’t want to kill her on my unscheduled escapades into the bushes! She dropped me a lot, I skrr skrr’d in the mud a lot and worried about the descent. After the sighting lap I concluded I’d be lucky to do one lap in the 40 minutes we were allocated, let alone finish without being lapped.
Fast forward to the start, nicely placed on tarmac and halfway up the hill, and as it was my first cross race, I was on the very back row of the grid in 30th place alongside Jen. The whistle blew and off we went. Weaving through the bunch, trying to get closer to the front, I managed to make my way up to the top 20 before hitting the technical bit, and then continued trying very hard to pick people off throughout the rest of the race.
Sadly, after being ill for so long (asthma problems) my body seemed to have very little energy and I think I was running on adrenaline. So…….. when it came to jumping over the hurdles, pushing a bigger gear, or running with my bike, when I tell you I couldn’t, I genuinely couldn’t. I wish I was being lazy, but my body wouldn’t comply. Usually after I’ve had a rough chest infection my body leaves me feeling like an empty shell and my muscles forget how to work. It’s like I’m moving through quicksand 24/7 and when I contract my muscles nothing happens. They feel like lead, and hurt.
So anyway, my lack of muscles contributed to a VERY slow hurdle jump and also use of the spiniest gears you ever did see in a race. It actually felt like I was pushing a bigger gear and then I saw a video… OMGEE!
The course was tough with technical bits, horseshoe bends, off camber bits, hurdles, down-hill sections and so much up hill and narrow paths.
By the second lap I’d worked my way into 11th place, where I basically sat the whole time. As the laps went on (much to my surprise) I got quicker at the bits I found harder. And the downhill? By my standards I was nailing it.
Every lap I would cross the finish line at speed, hare into the downhill section, preparing to slide around and try not to automatically touch my brakes, people cheering me on. I’d be going so quickly down to the bottom every lap, I’d slide around the left hander, pop over the bank and crush it down the left-hand descent so quickly I’d nearly hit the tree. Every lap.
I quickly learnt after the second lap what my limit was. I could go at that speed down the short descent while narrowly missing the tree at the bottom and just about staying upright. I loved that I’d found a limit on the bike. On the road I’m usually too scared to test my limits or ‘send it,’ so it felt incredible to finally find one.
The course continued along a narrow ridge with some bends, most people following the indented path the whole way round, but I also knew that if I cut some of the bends and went in a straight line, I would save time (I found that out on a road bike). Luckily, I had wide enough tyres that this didn’t cause any issues. From there we would slide down into the woods, weaving our way around tree’s and back out, onto a very steep uphill section to get back to the top of the circuit. This is where I made up my time, on the hills: my worst nightmare but one of my best skills.
Then there was a very steep bank to get up onto the techie bit. I remembered from cross videos that if you went diagonally across it, it seemed less steep. So that’s what I did, every lap.
After weaving around some bends, along an off-camber section and around a tree there were a pair of hurdles. This was a slow section for me - I didn’t have any spring in my muscles and then it was back onto the tarmac and down the descent.
A thrilling and exhilarating course, maybe not the easiest for a first timer, but equally not the hardest, although hill-wise, it doesn’t get much worse!
Sixth place in the senior women’s race at the first attempt? Not bad.
The support was wild, the turnout was mega and the cake in the café was lush! What more can a girl ask for?
Ride bikes, eat cake, be happy :)
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