XC Racer Blog Post

Brass Monkeys Round 3 - The Hangover

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BY: Louise Robinson

Published: 14th January, 2013


Once again Gorrick have the luck of the devil with the weather.  Mere mortal race organisers have to contend with rain and snow but Gorrick get a single day break from the continual wetness of late, and we were all treated to a crisp dry race day with even a glimpse of sunshine.

 

Sunshine and (practically) dusty trails at the start of the 2 hour race

 

My race preparation had not gone at all according to plan. In an attempt to avoid the worst of the mud in the last week, I took the cross bike out for a fire road hill run. An over the bars moment caused by a recently dug drainage ditch left me with a shoulder injury that initially made even taking my shirt off an eye watering experience.  A good dose of ice, ibuprofen and a week of rest and gentle stretching did get me to the point I could get undressed without wincing, however a short ride on Saturday proved that my shoulder was fine for riding in straight lines but less good around corners.


Oh well, how much twisty single track can you pack into a 7 mile course? The answer, unfortunately for me, is about 6.75 miles. The organisers surpassed themselves this time in creating a technical, fun and twisty course with pretty much none of that boring fire road stuff. A lot of work had obviously gone into designing and building the best course for the conditions and one that was significantly different from the XC course used in the Gorrick Autumn series.

 

Bottlenecks at the start are inevitable - off the brakes at the front

 

As usual the winter race schedule proved very popular with over 450 riders turning out for a play. Unlike usual, the ladies field also put in a good showing with 31 ladies entered in the 2 hour race (24 under 39 and 7 vets) and 12 in the 4 hour.  With a shoulder to nurse I deliberately set off at a comfortable pace allowing other ladies to disappear.  Now, you are probably thinking that I should have just sat this one out. And I would have done apart from two things. Firstly I had pre-entered and secondly I had already sorted the baby sitting and so not racing would have been a waste of money and a waste of good babysitting. And if you have kids you know you never turn down the offer of babysitting.

 

A cheeky climb to get you started


I am glad I kept with my Pacenti  NeoMotos as whilst I am sure my racing ralphs would have been faster rolling, the extra grip and stability the all-round tyres gave me was defiantly sparing on my shoulder. Given the amount of rainfall we have had in the last months (or rather all year) the course held together well. The "bottle graveyard" got more and more traitorous with each lap, not because of the trail condition but because of all the bottles that littered the ground.   I managed two uneventful laps before my arm started to feel like a bit of dead meat attached to my shoulder. I started to wish I could take it off and hang it up for a while.  Climbing also got harder as I had to resort to sitting and spinning rather than standing and using my arms and at one point Al Fairbairn passed me on his single speed like I was stood still. Oh these races can be such humbling experiences.

 

Blow "fat bikes" this could be the next niche


There were a fair few crashes and blow ups out there yesterday. The slippery roots, unrelenting single track and cold weather seemed to combine.  Refuelling was hard enough in the 2 hour event so in the 4 would have been really hard. There just was very little opportunity to get food and drink down and unless you were seriously paying attention it was easy to complete a whole lap without taking anything in.

 

With the series placing being decided at this event, there were a few local heroes on the podiums.


Notably;  Jo Munden (Pedal Heaven) who romped to a three win victory in the ladies 4 hour event and Gayle Hammond (Tunnel Hill Trolls) who took a well-deserved third place in the ladies 4 hour series (after a tough year it's good when things go to plan).  Viv Hazelton (Mountain Trax) took the ladies 4 hour vets trophy and Little Dean won the Mens 2 hour vets series with Roki Read (Four4th Lights) taking second.  George Budd (Salsa) and Isaac Pucci (West Drayton MBC) also took podiums in the mens 2 hour series showing that a little local knowledge can go a long way.

 

All in all, another excellent series of Mountain bike racing from Gorrick and the Brass Monkeys crew.  Looking forward to the same great service for the Spring Series and the Summer Enduros.


 

cheers


Louise Robinson - Mum, pharmacist and part time mountain biker
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Louise Robinson

Mum, Pharmacist and XCracer Team Rider

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