This was the second cyclocross race of the season and this would be a case of two down , two to go. In fairness, I'm not the greatest cyclocrosser of all time, preferring to pick and choose testers courses rather than technical ones. The first two have been technical, but the two coming up, lend themselves to the testers, so Bardney would just be a fun outing and further work towards being cross fit.I knew the course, I rode it a couple of years ago or so - it's bleak, it's cold, it's exposed and windy, and it's lumpy - a traditional Lincolnshire Cyclocross course then.
I turned up early and got loads of practice in - there wasn't anything too ridiculous, you kust had to learn the line and know how hard to tackle each obstacle. I wrapped up warm for the warm up, only shedding a layer or two 10 minutes before the Vets race started.
Shivvering, I sat at the back ungridded, waiting for the off. Usual slow start, and hung around at the back for much of the first lap. Some guys got tangled and fell over and down a bank in front of me which moved me up a few places, but other than that, taking places was hard going with a lot of the course being single track. Once settled, I started to ride the more technical bits competently, and felt fast on the long stretches of Testers Country.
Did well Wheelers wise, not lapped for a change, and closer to some of the guys than I have been. Considering I could have quite easily gone home after the warm up, the result and performance today came as a pleasant surprise.
