There's a monkey on my back

So it was with much glee that I left my husband in charge this morning (no longer sitting in his pants) and headed out the door at 8.30am for a mornings racing…on my own! Oh to be able to listen to what I like on the radio, oh to be able to chat to my friends and not worry about who was lying face down in puddle, or needed feeding or wanted the loo. My bike time is my “me-time”. My mummy friends may think that I am bonkers but I know I am the sane one. The fact it keeps me skinny is just an added bonus.


Mens 2 hour Winner Phil Pearce - photo courtesy of Kevin Sheldrake

I only live a stone’s throw from the venue at Frith Hill so I rode a preview Saturday afternoon with my 10 year old. The course was in amazing shape, nice compacted trails, dry roots and plenty of interesting little bits to keep you on your toes. Unfortunately the rain on Saturday night and Sunday morning meant that that racecourse was whisked away and a slightly less enticing, sloppy-slippy affair left in its place. But this is the Brass Monkeys series after all so anything else would have been cheating really.

The start of the 2-hour race was the usual mix of testosterone, adrenaline and carnage. Paul Wellicome got off to a flying start for about the first 10 yards then stopped for a little lie down on a greasy patch of concrete to create a massive bunch up of the field. Luckily Paul is made of pretty tough stuff and he was back on his bike and away before most riders even knew what was going on. Despite re-routing the starting lap to avoid the first bottleneck, it inevitably occurred on the first single track climb and some very interesting lines were found through the undergrowth. The field thinned out very quickly however and I was soon racing in a small group and feeling pretty good.


Donna Waring - Ladies 4 hour vets winner- photo courtesy of Kevin Sheldrake

After I completed the first lap the commentator cheerfully announced me as the leading 4 hour lady with an impressive 34 minutes first lap. Hmmm, I wish!! The two-hour lap board on my bike should have been the give away. Anyway, Fay Cripps was at this point only about 10 seconds behind me and the pressure was on. Fay and I are old friends and teammates but that often increases the competitive sprit. Fay is way fitter than I am but I do have the edge in the single track and home turf is a massive advantage. I pushed hard in the single track until the rider in front of me performed the most impressive 360 degree flip when his front wheel dug into a very innocuous looking bomb hole. I skidded to a stop (also on the floor) in time to see the rider behind me not stop and do exactly the same thing. Another impressive 360. All this provided plenty of time for Fay to catch me however and once we were moving again she was glued to my rear wheel. Then followed some of the most appalling single-track riding I have ever managed to produce. “Bag of spanners” doesn’t even come close! However, towards the end of the lap I created some space behind me and the pressure lifted. Normal riding resumed and I managed to complete another lap to take 1st place in the ladies 2 hour race, just 37 seconds ahead of Fay in the end.

Sophie Hemming - 3rd Placed 2 hour lady- photo courtesy of Kevin Sheldrake

Another lady producing an impressive ride was Jackie Roberts who won the ladies vets category, despite being well into the Grand Vets category. She shot up the first climb like the proverbial rat up a drain pipe, leaving her fellow team rider Nick Evans choking at her very effective (if slightly cheeky) line selection.

Also out on the course was a fair smattering of fat bikes. Completely bonkers riders who find the job of racing a nice light weight race bike far to easy and prefer to lug double the weight around. There are so many of them they even have their own category. But for some, like Roki Read, they just enter the standard race category and whip everyone’s arses anyway. Si Panter also put in a lap on a fat bike and caused no end of controversy as he stormed past the Men’s Veteran podium riders. To be fair boys, Si had a little motorized assistance and was just out for a test run, so I wouldn’t hang up your race bikes just yet. 


Duncan Hards riding for Four4th Lights in the Vets 2 hour race - photo courtesy of Kevin Sheldrake

Many thanks to sponsors Merida who gave away socks and buffs as entry prizes to all riders, as well as all the podium prizes. Also to Four4th Lights for the very cute trophies which are bespoke manufactured for the race, and to Kevin Sheldrake who assumed his usual position in a ditch to take photos. Check out here to view all his photos.

Another excellent event, and well thought out racecourse from the Gorrick Team. Many thanks and see you at the next one.

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