Cotswold Cross and Cribbs Causeway!

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BY: Matthew Lewis

Published: 26th August, 2013

My Lefty still isn't Righty. It's in pieces awaiting some nice, new shiny internals before it can be put back together just in time for the end of the season. Not that I've raced much this year anyway but fingers crossed it will be here for the Brecon Beast since these internals have to come from the USA. In the interim I've been racing some cyclo cross which have been a little like dirt criteruims due to the hard-packed conditions. When my wife mentioned a visit to the dreaded Cribbs Causeway shopping centre I had a quick look on the BC website and discovered the Cotswold Veldrijden cross series. This series has been held at an airport deep in the Cotswolds and with a combined visit to Cribbs causeway I could get a racing fix in before the pre-school shoe shopping for the two boys! Perfect.

The circuit was shoe-horned into a strip of trees next to a runway and the course was rammed with so many dead-turns it was unbelievable. I forgot how hard cross can be. The pace was high and joining the series for the last race meant that I started right at the back of the field. The prize for the series winner was a flight around the Cotswolds right after the finish. This, of course, led my eldest son to demand that I win the race. Terrible when you have to let your children down(!), I was quite surprised that he had such belief in me since the same boy once told his teacher, "that my dad does bike races, he comes last and drinks lots of beer." The latter statement is a far more accurate reflection of my true ability on a bike.

The pace was high from the gun and a long trail of racers began to wend their way around the trees and there were some nice technical bits of the course that allowed a mountain biker to gain an advantage. Like all races you soon find yourself having a little battle with those around you and for the hour, me and a few others were taking it in turns to lead each other through the trees.

In the end I finished in 11th place which isn't too bad considering it was from the back of the field. There weren't no flights for 11th place. Not that Jack seemed to care too much he had been stuffing his face in the cafe around the corner.

Thanks to Richard Bennett's Facebook page for the picture.

Overall, a great little race that allowed me to endure the visit to the shopping centre. There were no showers though so apologies to those of you that had to put up with me stinking out Cribbs Causeway! I'm looking forward to the start of the Welsh Cross series now but fingers crossed that the mtb is back for the Brecon Beast. Come on internals from the USA!

 

Matt Lewis

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