A downhill start is unique in my experience. As well as the unusual
incline, rather than the traditional start loop we were faced with an arrow
straight 200m drag from the start into a sharp and narrow 90 degree corner. At a real pinch the
opening into the trees was just wide enough for two riders side by side. With
40 riders sprinting downhill fighting to lead into that bend, the first few seconds of the race
were going to be quite exciting!
The first two rows on the grid were already filled with the
leading 12 riders in the series. The initial challenge was to force my way to
the front when the rest of the riders were cleared to move forward behind them. I
did well! Mission accomplished I sat smugly on the 3rd row, still with
the dozen guys in front, 5 alongside and 23 breathing down my neck! A good
start was crucial, anyone not in the top 10 around the first bend would
quickly lose significant chunks of time as the field strung out single file through
the woods.
The sun blazed down from the clear blue sky as we sat and
waited. It was stiflingly hot as the commisaire read
through the standard rules of engagement. I tuned him out, focusing on the start, my glasses beginning to steam up and
sweat beading on my forehead. The 10 second warning was issued. I tuned back in, “The race
could start any time in the next 10 seconds!”. You could hear a pin drop. The silence
was broken by the piercing whistle and then the cacophony of clattering pedals,
the crunching of tyres on gravel and the grinding of gears.
I dodged straight through the 2nd row and was on the
pedals sprinting flat out on the straightest line for the corner. I
jinked left and right amongst the dust and flying stones, trying to find gaps
ahead. A chink of daylight appeared and I surged through. Immediately I
was on the brakes, rear wheel locked up and sliding towards the corner. One
rider cut in infront of me, I had to give way to a second to prevent a collision which let a third draw up on the inside. As I mentioned there was just about
space for two and we squeezed through, handlebars interlocked. I was on the outside, but had the
slightly better line and powered into third.
The adrenalin was really flowing and I was buzzing to have made it into contention at the sharp end of the race. We swung left and right, I was faster than the rider ahead and he was holding me back. The
leader started pulling away and I was frustratingly bottled up. I tried a couple
of times to squeeze past, but there wasn’t enough space. I felt like screaming “Come
On, he’s getting away!” I could hear the riders right up behind me, undoubtably
equally frustrated. I had to take a tight defensive line into the slower
corners to stop them from sneaking up the inside.
Between the trees I could see the leader charging
the other way down a wider gravel path in the sunshine, while we were still threading our way through
the wood. Desperate to give chase I was already alongside 2nd place
as we burst into the daylight. I shot past and down the open track and up a
loose stoney slope before sweeping down into the woods again. The gap ahead was
closing, I used the short climbs to kick hard and inched my way towards the head of the race. Chasers were hot on my tail and despite defending the racing line, through a series of tight
bends I was passed by two of those behind.
I definitely wasn’t going to be nudged just off the podium for
the second time this season. I’d already experienced the emotion of a 4th
placed finish at the same venue in May racing Cyclocross. So I stuck to
the two ahead as we continued to close in on the race leader. The other two slithered past
on consecutive corners, and desperate not to be left behind I grabbed my chance
as the course briefly widened. Passing on the right I was back in a podium position.
Just before the end of the lap the course emerged from the
wood and fired us up the hill for a few loops through a copse of trees. Bumping
over the roots my momentum swung me around the outside of the rider ahead
before sprinting down the start finish
straight. Only 6 laps to go!
My first warm-up lap on arrival at Matterley had been a
huge disappointment. The route had been freshly cut into the woodland, with hardly any of the 1.8 mile
circuit using existing trails. I’d bumped slowly around on the loose stones and
bracken stems trying to remember a worse course. (I couldn't!) The short lap meant there was
time for a second warm-up circuit which I rode faster, the extra speed
helping the lap flow much better, although it
was still very rough and basic. As the race laps ticked by, hundreds of riders
quickly produced a racing line amongst the flints and rocks. However, the surface was
still extremely uneven, perfectly suited to a full suspension bike. On
my hardtail, I probably only sat down for about a third of the lap!
On the gravel road half way
around the second lap, I could hear a rider in my slipstream. It was the guy who had held me up at the start, who now seemed to have got his eye in and warmed up. He came through and I followed,
but he was definitely no longer holding me up. The racing was increadibly close, the leader
was still easily insight and in range. When I looked two or three riders were always on my
tail. I had pushed really hard on that first lap, but there was no chance for recovery. The
next 4 laps were all consistently within 15 seconds of the first. On lap 6 I made a concerted effort to close the
small gap to the rider ahead, while there was still time. I nailed every corner,
taking risks on the rooty descents, brushing the nettles on the bends, ignoring
the stings. I sprinted up the first two inclines and got right up to the wheel
of 2nd place. My heart was about to leap from my chest and stitch
started to creep in.
I have suffered quite badly from stitch recently during
interval training. It has been totally debilitating, leaving me unable to even turn
the pedals. It's been so unbearable I did some research and learnt that nobody
actually knows the cause, and therefore there is also no known cure. I had no choice, even with 4th place only 15 seconds behind, I had to ease off slightly and try and recover whenever the course
dipped downhill. Luckily after a minute or two the pain receded, but I was back where I had
been, 10 seconds behind 2nd place.
It was a really close battle. We all attacked during the final lap, putting in faster times compared to the
lap before. But in the end we cancelled each other out! I finished 3rd 43 seconds off the lead and 11.2 behind second
place and 12.9 ahead of 4th. It had been unrelenting for the full 90 minutes. I hadn’t even planned
to race at Mattersley, but after missing the previous round I decided a bit of
race practice would be perfect preparation for the Nationals next weekend. The bike worked flawlessly and the legs proved themselves strong! This result was a brilliant confidence boost ahead of the big one next Sunday
.
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