50 Shades of Grey.......

Proper sunny with Jason Robinson - Four4th Lights, in front of the camera rather than behind it for a change

This is a great venue, and not just because of the hard standing car park and proper toilets. It is almost pancake flat (which appeals to some more than others, and is a personal pet hate of all the Welsh nationals I know) with endless twisting single-track. It produces very close racing and some unusual results, which is always good. Unfortunately the wet weather of recent weeks had not left the trails in the best condition and the usually fast and flowing single-track was boggy and hard going. It was all perfectly rideable but didn't produce the fun factor that you get here in dry conditions.


The start of the mens Expert race

The major disadvantage with using a Country Park as a race venue is dogs, or rather dog owners. I love dogs but there is a time and a place for everything and mid-race is not it for dogs. As my six year old would point of "it is not the doggies fault, it is the naughty owners". I had two dogs attempt to commit suicide by running out in front of me during the race. Dogs are like kids. Even the best-behaved ones don't think before they run if they see something they want on the other side of the racecourse. Thankfully I was moving slow enough to get out of the way but if the same thing had occurred at the pointy end of the men’s elite race it would have been a whole different ball game. The only way to ensure everyone is safe is to keep the dogs on the lead around the racing area, and allow them to run free in a different area of the park. The other problem was dog poo! Being splattered in the face with dog poo, flicked up by the wheel in front, mid race is not a pleasant experience. Why can't these people pick up after their own dogs!


In a train - the narrow, flat single track kept the field together at the start

All the ladies categories set off together at 11am, and with a field of over 40 riders this was a really impressive turnout. From the gun, Cat Ross shot off like a rocket, closely followed by the amazing juniors Holly Macmahon and Abigail Von Twisk. I got a fabulous start (which makes a change as I usually end up being dead last) and tucked into fourth wheel in front of Carla Haines. By the halfway point of lap 1, Cat had pulled out a significant lead as Holly, sitting in second position, was going like a trojan on the fire roads but was unable to match Cat's pace around the single-track. Overtaking was hard on a course that was relentless with long stretches of narrow single track. It resulted in the field spitting into small groups as the roadies pulled away on the fire roads but then slowed in the single track. I thought Cat was gone for good but by the end of lap 1 Abi, Carla and I were back in contact with her. I held my 2nd position in the elite field until end of lap 3 when the lack of fitness kicked in. Carla passed me on the fire road and I had no reply. Lap 5 was positively painful, with Merce Pacios also passing me like I was going back wards. At the front end, Carla gave Cat a run for her money but Cat was able to push the home advantage and held Carla off by a measly 9 seconds to take the win. Excellent close racing girls.


Cat Ross, leading the ladies through the bomb holes on lap 2

I was glad of my Ground Control tyres on the wet mud and slippery roots. There were a few bomb holes that sorted the men from the boys (or rather then men from the ladies) and also some woodwork that caused a few mishaps, especially in the mid-field of the men’s races where shear volume of traffic was a major problem.



Jackie Roberts (Beyond Mountain Bikes) - Ladies Grand Vets Winner tackles the bomb holes without missing a beat

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