Gorrick Spring Series - Round 4

Apparently it is possible for the sun to shine on race day! Dry and dusty trails (remember those) greeted the riders for the final round of the Gorrick Spring Series. It was a rare outing for the semi slick race tyres!

My fortunes a Frith Hill near Deepcut have been either one extreme or the other. Two years ago I punctured within 10 seconds of the start, but last year I led the Masters race before being caught (and punched!) on the final lap. There was little chance of me leading the Super Masters this year. After 10 minutes I was dead last with the opposition pulling away! Admittedly there were only 15 entries but I was still tail end charlie!

Keep your head down, maybe nobody will notice you're last!!

Strangely I was actually feeling strong and rather than get demoralised I was determined not to be last at the end! Plus I know a lot can happen in an hour and three quarters! Admittedly it happens 10 minutes quicker for the winner but nevertheless I put my head down and kept riding.

The course was defined by a repetitive series of short steep climbs that provided little recovery between the leg burning efforts. By the end of the first lap my pride had been restored and I was no longer at the back of the field. Trying to follow the wheels of the Super Vet leaders as they came through, brought me up to my team mate Alex Taylor, who I passed on a loose gravely incline about 45 minutes into the race.

The remaining hour was a lonely affair, I moved to within sight of the next rider but came home 13th. Super Masters is a tough category and when entries are low it can feel demoralising. Comparing lap times with other categories I'm not that far off my performances of last year. It is the first round of the Southern XC Series next week, lets hope the sun continues to shine and I can at least finish with more riders behind than a ahead!