Fforest Fields

BY: Matthew Lewis

Published: 23rd April, 2013

Team mate Phil is pretty quick on a bike and for years I have attributed this to him simply putting in hard, consistent hours on the bike. On Sunday, however, up at Fforest Fields I realised that there is one missing ingredient in explaining just why Phil is so bloody quick and that is simply the Donna factor!

I've never recieved such abuse from the touchline (I know they were shorts of encouragement really)! "Get back on your bike", " pedal more quickly", "stop dawdling" and the list of terms of abuse/encouragement go on. Unfortunately for Donna despite her best attempts to get MY legs to spin more quickly- it wasn't happening.

This was largely due to an enforced break from racing over the past two months and the other reason- which I really should do something about is hauling my 13 and half stone frame up some very steep hills.

I should also stop smiling and put more of a gurning race face on too. At least to convince Donna/team boss/generalissimo that I was trying. Although being chased by the bloke from the old Tango ads should've helped.

The course is as most people said on the forums a real old school Welsh affair: straight up, a few wiggly bits, then a monster of a climb, some lovely wiggly off camber stuff followed by a steep drop down into a left hander that I got wrong every lap by overshooting the corner. Then some more singletrack back into the start/finish area. Despite it being a course for the climbers I thoroughly enjoyed it and a as a result of the race I am now on a diet...

All of the racers went off at 1.30pm and to be honest the quick boys got straight to it and the rest of us at the back were left to duke it out for places. The first two laps I was effectively riding around with Ross Farley from Gateway cycles but on the 3rd lap I was able to get a gap and hold onto it finishing 6th out of 10, I think! The standard was pretty high and to be fair the top 3 of Jonny Pugh, Phil Morris and Grant Leavy are all currently leading the Masters rankings in the BMBS so fair enough. Donna shout harder down at Margam on 19th May who knows it may work.

Thanks to Roy Bevis for his photos and also to xcracer for their support.

Good luck to all of those off to Cornwall this weekend. I just can't make it...again.

Matt Lewis

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