Gorrick Spring Classic 2019

Holding an event in February and calling it the “Spring Classic” could be viewed as slightly optimistic. However, the weather gods looked kindly on the Gorrick organisers. The sky was blue and there was definitely a hint of warmth from the dappled morning sunlight glinting between the trees. After a dry week the trail conditions were a perfect blend of fast and grippy.

The Crowthorne venue has been on the cross country calendar since the 90’s, but the Gorrick route planners had been busy producing new sections to link together the more familiar classics like the corkscrew. In fact I twice turned the wrong way on my warm-up lap, so familiar am I with the traditional layout! Gorrick courses don’t usually feature anything too technical, but the lap included two steep drop offs that offered a choice of the A or less challenging B line. (I rode the A at both.) On the whole though it was the usual mix of singletrack, trees, roots and short punchy climbs, broken up with the occasional fireroad to allow some passing.

Maybe because of my detours during my warm-up I rolled up to the start a little later than intended. This meant I was right at the back of the 38 man Veteran Plus grid, the biggest category of the day. We swept away from the line and I chased the pack along the undulating fireroad making up places as we sprinted up the inclines, rear tyre scrabbling for grip and then tucking into a slipstream on the descents.

Streaming into the singletrack I continued to fight my way forward, sneaking past riders whenever the opportunity arose. Approaching different riders you quickly assess their comparative strengths and weaknesses. I’d catch some and frustratingly follow them through the singletrack twists and turns looking desperately for an opportunity to get by, only for them to power off as soon as the course opened up. Others I would fly past on a climb and then feel them breathing down my neck through the next set of corners. Sometimes they’d repass me and I'd have to wait for a second opportunity to pass and break away.  23 minutes into the race and we completed the first of four laps. I was up to 13^th.

Since I moved up to Vets last year I have discovered how competitive the Vets category is. As well as the biggest field it is also the fastest. Multiple national champ Paul Hopkins was  already several minutes up the road and set the fastest laps of any race category. In the fiercely competitive and closely packed midfield I found myself in a group of five riders. We weren’t always nose to tail, but were constantly within sight of one another. As the race ebbed and flowed we traded positions during the next couple of laps. Although I maintained a consistent pace I now found myself sliding backwards within this group rather than continuing to press forward. An Evans sponsored rider I’d passed earlier was tracking me closely. For two laps the gap behind was never more than a few seconds. I pulled away on the climbs and he’d pull me back on the flat. As we approached the line to begin the final lap he was hot on my heels.

I decided to pop in a gel for a boost of energy, and the brief relaxation in pace was all he needed to sneak ahead. I could see all 5 of the riders ahead of me when the course opened out. If I needed an incentive to push this was it! On my limit I dug really deep on two draggy slopes as we entered the final stages of the race. Despite my efforts I hadn’t made any significant impact on the gaps ahead. Even worse I could hear a rider approaching from behind!

I threw the bike through the final sections of singletrack, bouncing off the roots, elbows brushing the trees. I was so desperately concentrating on not getting caught I was quite surprised when I rounded a bend and realised I had closed right up on the rider ahead. The trouble was that trapped in the tight trails under the trees he was slowing my pace and allowing the rider behind to close us both down even quicker. There was nothing I could do but wait for the last short steep little squirt uphill before the twists down to the finish. I made sure I was tight on the wheel infront as we turned into the climb. I had to take the less favourable line over the roots if I wanted to get past. I jumped on the pedals, the rear wheel bouncing on the roots. I was pushed further left than I wanted to go, off the path and into the bracken. I recovered and kicked again. I got alongside, but I was on the outside of the next bend and had to concede position as we dropped down and crossed the line.

Gorrick produced a fantastic course, in prime condition, boosted by beautiful weather for the time of year. Brilliant close racing is such a buzz and I love the physical challenge. I finished 19^th with the 5 positions ahead covered by only a minute. Vets is tough and unforgiving but such good fun!