November 08, 2015

Ostlers Plantation Cyclocross

So, following on from the Scunthorpe race a couple of weeks ago, I really wasn't feeling very optimistic about riding yet another Forest course, complete with fire roads and pine trails. In fact, this one had been described as..
 ''One massive long straight fire road a load of single track, some lethal twisty stuff with wet leaves on concrete, two massive whoops, an earth bank on the side of a building and a fallen tree as the dismount .....all good stuff!!

OK, so I read that and all I saw was massive and lethal ! The rest of the description being a blur! Still, another Sunday and another opportunity to win some points in the Wheelers Cross League, so loaded up the bike in the A-team van and then rocked on up at Woodhall super early to avoid the parade for remembrance sunday going on at the same time. mega early arrival then, but plenty of time to relax and ride the course. 

My description would be.... one long time trial straight, a bit of single track, multiple earth mounds to roll through, one log to get off and jump, and a squeeky bum time, muddy undulating section toward the end. I seemed to get on well on the warm up, and there wasn't anything that made me pull up or bottle out of - so, if I could just keep my wits about me, I could navigate the course quite well. 

Gridded again for the main course, but don't know why I bother, as even trying as hard as I could, I couldn't keep my place in the field and slipped backward again - however, crucially got ahead of a few wheelers going into the first whoop and whilst they decided to take each other out, this let me ride off and get some space between me and that particular battle. I had my own to take care of and slowly picked my way up the order. The course turned out to be brilliant, and although I crapped my pants at the arse end section a few times, I failed to blow up this week and kept my effort going til the very end. 

It felt like a breakthrough, albeit with no Wheelers in close proximity this week, maybe the pressure was off early on, leading to a less edgy performance. 

Next weeks action is our very own Nettleham course !
 

 

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