End of the XC Season - Gorrick Autumn Classic 2

After enjoying the hospitality of the NHS for a few days, followed by a much needed  week away recuperating and devouring Pasta in Rome, I had no idea what level of performance to expect this Sunday at the second Gorrick Autumn Classic. Despite the possibility of embarrassment I had no hesitation in going since it was the final XC race of the year and Gorrick always produce an enjoyable  course. Entertaining cycling was guaranteed!

The organisers struck gold with milder weather than the wintery flavour of the week before and the sun shone all morning. The torrential rain from Saturday meant there were some puddles, and the majority of the trails were covered in a thin layer of mud, but below this was a good firm base, so racing was still fast and the grip was actually pretty good. Even the wet roots didn’t seem to be as scary as they can be.

Crowthorne is a Gorrick classic so parts of the course are very familiar including the famous corkscrew! There were also some new sections too to link it all together, creating a mixture of fast open trails and fun twisty bits. As at the previous round the course was pretty flat, again not providing enough climbing for me to make up for my (lack of) technical skills!

I decided to man up this week and raced in the recently renamed ‘Masters Plus’ category. This basically means an extra lap compared to the regular Masters (30-40 years) race. My thinking being that the longer race should provide a bit more training for the Brass Monkeys series which starts in a  fortnight.

Unlike the previous round there was plenty of space for the riders to spread out as we sped away from the start down the wide fireroad. The only worry is riding in close proximity at such high speed. Round the first bend I counted a group of 8 riders ahead and as the first lap went on I fought hard to keep them in sight. A top 10 finish would be nice I figured! On a strength sapping rooty incline I caught and passed one rider and a few minutes later as we started the 2^nd lap I passed another. The rest seemed to have sprouted wings and flown!

The other massive advantage of the Master Plus race was the limited number of backmarkers from other categories to slow my progress. Instead I surged along empty singletrack, only tyre marks in the mud providing evidence that those I was racing existed! Coming up the climb after the Corkscrew I was able to look back and could see another rider 20-30 seconds back. Behind him came the leading Vets who had started a few minutes after us. As a handful of Vets caught me one ploughed through a puddle on his fat bike creating a bow wave like the QE2!

Into the final lap I was hoping I could hold onto my 7^th place at the end. Still with nobody ahead I looked back to see the same rider I had spotted earlier, but my heart sank because he had closed. By now we were catching some slower riders and typically I turned into a tight wooded section to discover a lady crawling along, and with trees tightly packed either side there was no immediate way through. By the time I was past I could hear the other rider was now right on my rear wheel and breathing down my neck. Worse still just before the corkscrew on a steep loose decent he slipped past on the inside as I wandered wide. I was determined to make amends immediately, but he knew I was coming and we both sprinted flat out up the next climb as if the finish line were at the top! With the last few turns of the pedals I pulled ahead and turned into the next bend in front. There was no time to catch my breath now and I worked hard on the next flatter section to try and eke out a little gap of a few seconds. I blasted up the second to last climb in the hope it would be job done, but he hadn’t given up and on the final little ramp he was right back on my rear wheel. Twisting down to the finish line, I stuck tightly to the inside of the bends making myself as wide as possible to prevent him finding a way through. He took defeat well and we had a great chat after the race, once I had recovered enough to speak that is!

So another top 10 finish was a nice way to complete the XC racing for the year. The Gorrick course was cracking as ever, producing another brilliant days cycling. Next up the winter marathon races! Last year I was 5^th in the Brass Monkeys series, but I had months of solid training under my belt. This year I haven’t completed a 4 hour ride since the Kawasaki 100 on May the 5^th!