Back onto the racing bandwagon.

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BY: Richard Jones

Published: 21st March, 2013

It feels so strange to be thinking about another season again. I am sure it was only yesterday that we where all at the last National and talking about the winter ahead of us. 

Well sure enough the 2013 race season is fast approaching and with it, the racing has begun already.

 A few weeks ago was my first race since November. As mentioned in my past blogs I haven't raced this winter, so I was really looking forward to the Cannock winter classic. Thankfully my race wasn't until mid afternoon so there wasn't any morning rush. 

The event had a great atmosphere and appeared to be very well organized. The afternoon racing snakes category was an all in one kind of affair with Elites, Expert, Masters and any other male individual who could turn a crank in anger. 

Despite this big category with mixed abilities the start went very well and we where soon being lead out by Dan Fleeman onto the dry undulating course. With in a short time Dan has established a good lead with Alex Welburn chasing hard. Myself and Chris Andrews had pulled a gap from the others and worked hard to reduce the gap to Alex.

With two laps to go my seat post slipped into my frame. I made the judgment to carry on instead of stopping to read-a-just and so two laps of out if the saddle pedaling followed, however it did result in a little lost time to Chris but I maintained 4^th position.  

Fast foreword a week and it was the first race of our local Saturday road races. These are held around Northamptonshire and each week a different local club puts on the race. They are handicapped races that usually are 3 laps around a 10 mile circuit. As is often the case, my group (scratch) never caught up to the other groups on the road. I blame the handicapper or the fact we weren't pedaling hard enough. 

After a quick slice of cake (or two in my case) and a coffee, myself and Scott Clipstone (AW Cycles) started the 3-hour drive to Coed-y-Brenin for the 2^nd round of the Welsh series. 

Sunday morning we where greeted with that hot bright ball in the sky and blue skys. To say the least we here buzzing for some quality racing on what we thought would be some quality trails. 

Quality trails is just what the course was. In fact it was quite possibly one of the best courses I have rode for a considerable amount of time. The course was very technical with rocks and roots everywhere. There was steep down hills and plenty of drops, but for once it was the technical climbs that proved to be the real challenges. I loved the pre lap and was really looking forward to getting racing. 

Two rows of elites lined up with Junior, Expert and Masters closely behind. The start shot was quickly fired and the start was lead out by Alex Welburn and Neil Hayward. I settled onto a wheel a few riders back trying to let my legs warm up a little. After a few minutes I began to move up through the group onto Neils wheel who was currently in second. Alex had yet again got a gap, just far away to make it difficult to bridge but close enough that we could see him at various points on the course. Neil was riding the technical sections very well and after clearing some of the hardest technical climbs we had got a gap from the others. My self and Neil rode together for 3 laps until I managed to gain a small gap over him. 

I settled down and tried to stay smooth through the technical sections knowing that a slip could cost me some serious time. The final 3 laps quickly passed and I rode into the arena just a few second behind Alex in 2^nd position. 

It did later turn out that Alex had suffered a mechanical and had to run the bike to the finish. 

All in all a brilliant race and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Garmin was telling me that I had an average speed during the race of 8mph so that goes to show how tight, twisty and technical the course really was. 

A great weekend of racing and thank you to all of the Welsh XC organizes for such a brilliant race. 

A few weeks later and we where back at Cannock for the first round of the Midlands series. This time we wernt so lucky with the weather and a good few days of rain and snow had turned the course into a sticky, tyre sucking bog. Thankfully the course was very different to the Cannock classic and included a few more challenging sections. 

The elite category seemed to be a small group of some of the UKs best races including Oli Beckinsale and Dan Fleemen. Off course this was going to be a matter of survival and keeping the time difference to a minimum. 

Straight of the start there was a crash and George Budd hit the floor hard; I managed to just miss the pile up and tried to hold onto the wheels of others as we entered the course. 

It quickly became apparent that for reasons un be known to me my body didn't fancy like racing today. I tried to give it my all on the flatter sections but the legs responded with nothing. 

Thank you to Jacob James for this great photo! 

I continued to ride the sticky course for the 6 laps and hoped I wouldn't be lapped. The sticky mud resembled what I imagine riding on a sponge would be like. 

I finished in 7^th position, which I was surprised by, and so all it was not lost after all.

And so roll on Sherwood this weekend for the D-Day of racing up until now. 

 

Richard Jones. 

XCRacer, MTzoom, Accelerade and Scimitar Sports.