Cyclocross Race Report

Colin has assured me a photo will follow......

Scottish Mountain Bike Series Rnd 7 – 20th Sept Drumlanrig Castle
Having not done a mountian bike race for about 6 years I decided this year that I would give it a go again. Mountian bike racing can be a bit of a slog to be honest and I didn't fancy busting a gut for 2hrs mid pack going nowhere and fancied being in a race for a change. SXC have started an 'Open' category for anyone but it particularly caters for people looking to get into the MTB race scene. I though this sounded great and at 2 laps (or 1 hr) was much more suitable.
Up I rolled at the start line for the first time in my Athelite gear. Sorry folks, its been a busy summer and I've not done anywhere near the number of events I had hoped. Anyway, off at 11:10 as the last race of the 11am starters and we hared off to the first climb. I always feel awful at the start of any race and despite the lower quality field, I was hanging on to the first 6 guys as we headed up the course. I had promised myself I would concentrate and not go too hard but I was nicely in 6th place as we hit the first rocky decent. It was pretty difficult to keep in touch with the front guys as we had already caught the tail end of the super vet men, senior and junior womans races. It was mighty difficult to get past on a track only wide enough for 1 MTB but I managed to stay with the faster guys to the bottom of the next climb. Feeling pretty good, I gave it a dig and made my way to 2nd place by the top. Time to hang on to the wheel of the leader for a short while and recover from my effort. Going through the next section of technical trail, I made my move. Suddenly, I was leading! It was actually going though my mind “I don't believe it. I don't believe it. I am actually leading a bike race!”
I actually put a small gap into the front 5 or 6 guys and was feeling rather good about my form, while dreaming of standing on the podium. I concentrated on working hard and not backing off. It was only 2 laps so I should go all out. Coming through start the 2nd and final lap, I could hear 1 or 2 of the other guys closing on my tail and this is where they stayed for the next 3rd of a lap. I started to have visions of a them using me for the rest of the lap and then overtaking me on the home straight but no use worrying about that for now. Then I felt a bit of a thud as I went over some roots. Thats not good! Yep, thats a puncture! Damn! I ran with the bike for a while before realising that I would be better to keep pumping up the tyre, riding until it was flat again and then stopping to repeat. 1st and 2nd place went immediately as the guys on my tail rode past, then a the final step on the podium disappeared. I soldiered on, pumping up my tyre and at one point even took back a place on a softening back tyre before a few more guys went past.
I rolled over the line in 6th place, not bad considering my flat tyre but my chance of glory, a podium position and some recognition for Athelite Triathlon Club was long gone. I'll be doing these races again next year and won't give up until I've won one of them.

Scottish Cyclocross Series Rnd 1 – Plean 4th October
This is my second season riding cyclocross having stumbled upon the first round last year when I was too late to get into the Stirling Duathlon. For those of you who don't know anything about cyclocross, it was tradionally the sport that road racers did during the winter to keep fit. You use what is essentially a road bike with a few adjustments for cantilever brakes and knobbly tyres to race for 1hr plus 1 lap round a short, off road course taking about 5-8mins per lap. Its a fun sport and everyone is pretty friendly, bringing there families to spectate and ringing cow bells to add a bit of European racing atmosphere to the events.
Scottish Cycocross is going from strength to strength and a record 115 riders lined up for the main event in a sun drenched Plean Country Park (Stirling). That's a good field for any event, let alone this little series. The main event consisted of all categories including Senior (my cat), Vet, Vet 50, Junior and Women. Having not scored any points last year I had to take my chances in the gridding and by not being careful enough, I ended up half way down the field at the start. It is pretty frenetic at the start of these races with people jostling for position. I made a good start and had already made up quite a few places by the time we made it to the run up. Now, cyclocross is a bit like a duathlon except when you run, you've got to carry your bike with you! Up the steep, muddy slope and I made up several more places. That running in the late summer certainly helped. Gen/Colin, I will be back on a Thursday eventually!
I settled in to a nice wee group of 3 or 4 guys and we traded places for the next 40 odd minutes which was pretty fun as none of us could pull away. It was only by this point that I got lapped by the leader. Last year, I was getting lapped twice a race so this was a definite improvement this time around. The plan is to finish on the same lap as the leader. So late in a race, it was nice to still have some power in my legs but this wasn't enough to keep up with the leading Junior who powered past to lap me as well. No disgrace. It never ceases to amaze me how much fitter some folks are and at 17, Kenta Gallacher is quite a rider. He's already represented GB in the Worlds in Canberra this year so a star of the future to keep an eye on.
Anyway, I shook of the guys I was competing with in the final 2 laps and finished a creitable 14th in my category and 28th overall. Not a bad start. Hoping my Time Crunched Cyclist (Chris Carmichael) training program will bear fruit this winter. I can't promise a podium but it'll hopefully help with the time trialling come the spring and the Ayr Duathlon.
Col B