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Pretty much the minute I finished the 2009 Drumlanrig Mountian Bike race I decided that I was going to do it the following year and made the trek down there on Sunday 19th to give it another go. I don't go mountain biking much these days since I suffered a separated shoulder a few years ago but after leading this race last year until I punctured, I was keen to right that wrong! Drumlanrig Castle is the final round of the Scottish Mountain bike Series and like last year, I had opted to go for the Open Race. Admittedly, this doesn't have the prestige of the main events or the quality of racer but when I raced last year I frankly couldn't be bothered slogging round a circuit for 2 hrs on my own and fancied actually competing at the front for a change.
Got myself down to the castle fairly early and was greeted with cold, wet, misty conditions and decided then that I would try out my Athelite skinsuit for the first time in competition. This would prove to be a mistake! Got myself round on a practice lap and was instantly reminded how tough a course it is. The lap takes sabout 30 minutes and is great fun but with the endless roots and rocks that you have ride over it is hard going and with the damp conditions, was very slippery.
The open race had a rather decent turnout and as it is not part of the 'series', was last to go of the 11am race starts. Just before we started I realised I had forgotten my water bottle cage and would have to rely on my dad to give me a bottle after lap one which would leave me only one chance to refuel/rehydrate. Schoolboy error! We didn't have long to wait before the whistle blew and off we flew, although for me it was a bit slower as I stuffed my gear changes up. On to the first climb just after the start and I was a good 10 places down and knew it was important to get to the front before the first singletrack. I muscled my way through the crowd using my decent legs (honed over the hills on my daily commute) to make it up to 2nd place by the end of the climb. One of the guys went off really fast and I thought he was gone for the rest of the race but I caught him on the first rooty descent and we were all being held up. It was impossible to overtake though. Onto the next climb and I made it to the front along with a few other guys on my tail. For the rest of the lap, it was me and one other guy who just sat on my wheel the whole time. Just before the end of lap one and a slippery root caught me out....down I went, losing my Oakleys in the process. Got myself together and with some encouragement from my pursuer, got back on only to drop my glasses out of my hand. Disaster! I couldn't let them lie there so had to run back and get them. I was now well behind.
On to lap two and I had about 20 seconds to make up. Not easy on the tough climbs and with the sun now out, it was rather hot in my gear and no water to drink. I put in a good effort and was slowly catching the leader and got right on his wheel before I started to lose ground again. I was now starting to feel pretty cooked but wasn't too bothered about being in second. If I caught up then that was great, if I didn't then so be it. The last long climb really felt awful, riding at what felt like a snails pace. Time to hang on to 2nd. At this point the sweat was just pouring off me and I was really beginning to miss my bottle. Mountain bike racing is a tough sport and it was at this point that I started to feel my upper body strength disappearing and a bit of back pain begin over those relentless roots. Definitely need to work on my arm strength for the upcoming cross season. I could see that I was being caught from behind and was starting to worry that I was going to lose out on a podium spot. 2nd place gone and I really feared for that final podium spot as the 4th place man caught me just before the final, rooty, rocky singletrack to the finish arena. Fortunately for me, I had enough speed to keep him behind and when I heard him crash as I had done, I knew I was OK. Into the arena and my first ever race podium was secured with a hearty cheer from my boy and afew family members who came to see me.
A wee bit disappointed with 3rd as I was leading well on lap one but given that I had no water and was overheating, I shouldn't be. I also noticed that my disc brake was rubbing terribly (probably due to the crash) which might explain why the climbs were such a slog and my speed so reduced. It was actually quite tough to push my bike back to the car! Anyway, a good training session for the first cyclocross race on Oct 3rd.
Col
P.S. I actually found the podium prize giving rather embarassing. Maybe one day I'll be good enough to get used to them more ;o)
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