Pre pandemic I was regularly racing XC at the weekend all through the year. I'm more focused on longer distance events now, but I was still amazed to find I hadn’t ridden a Gorrick XC for 2 years.
That hiatus was my excuse for entering the 'Novice' category like a sneaky trophy hunter! When I looked around at my competitors I realised no excuse was needed! Where I had purposely not put on any team kit, I was surrounded by a professional looking peloton on blinged out S-Works Epics and Santa Cruz's worth over £££££10 grand!!
The actual reason for me masquerading as a newbie was the race time. My daughter was doing her first ever race at 8.50. The family had come up to watch and I didn’t think they’d want to wait around for the Vets race to finish at 12.30pm.
30 riders gathered on the grid in the chill, sunny autumn air. When the hooter sounded we shot off downhill as we’re familiar with at Highland Farm. I made a good get away from the 2nd row and could have lead into the singletrack. I deliberately held back though, because I hadn’t had time for a pre-ride while supporting my daughter, so I wanted a wheel to follow. It was a lucky choice because the rider who would have been on my inside washed out in the sandy soil as we swung around the bends at the bottom of the descent. Instead of wiping me out as he slid to the ground, I was able to brake and just slip by without getting tangled up.
I found myself in a comfortable 4th, rolling along in the snake of riders as we traversed the steep rooty climbs at the beginning of the lap. It felt easy and I wondered if I would have the embarrassment of winning the Novice race and having to sheepishly step on the podium hiding my face!
I am not sure what happened, perhaps somebody else took the lead, but the pace seemed to ramp up. 5 minutes later I was totally hanging, my heart rate maxed out as I struggled to keep my position in the chain of bikes! My thoughts now turned to the different potential embarrassment I’d face if I finished 20th (or lower) in a Novice race!
The reality was that my body had probably forgotten the challenge of the constant on/off surging maximal efforts of a XC race. I've been riding regularly, but haven’t been doing any specific interval training.
The leader began to get a small gap and I knew I needed go with him if I was to stay in contention for the win. But I was trapped behind two other riders. The nature of Highland Farm means overtaking is limited to a few places where the singletrack widens briefly. Since everyone knows this, these sections become flat out sprints and nobody makes the progress they hope! (Well I didn't!)
I was bottled up until the front tyre of the rider in front of me slipped on a root. He was off the bike and despite falling into my path I scrambled through. I was now 3rd and quickly tight up behind 2nd place, but again with no way through. The crocodile of riders behind had begun to fragment and split up. I could hear stronger riders forcing their way through the pack towards the front of the race. I desperately needed to get into free air as soon as possible and build a gap before the faster guys were hot on my heels.
Frustratingly I stayed trapped. The paced dropped further, but he put on a great defence in front, despite my more and more desperate attempts to force a way through. We were into the 2nd lap before I finally got past by digging really deep on the first main climb of the lap. Bumping over the roots into 2nd place. The race now really began to hurt. I was all in, diving into the turns and making every effort I could in the acceleration zones out of corners.
But I wasn’t getting away. The next climb had two possible lines and two of my chasers clambered alongside and both managed to bundle through by cutting inside as we turned into the corner at the top. Now I was pushing just as hard as before only to hang onto their wheels. On the last climb of the lap the elastic broke and the gap in front of me grew. I wouldn't see either of them again.
Final lap. I was at least now free to ride at my own pace, so the last lap was my fastest. It felt like my heart was about to burst from my chest. A new pursuer had closed the gap behind. I sprinted the first two climbs out of the saddle, I held position, but I paid the price. A crippling stitch squeezed my chest with every painful pedal stroke as we entered the closing stages of the race. Each time the course allowed I coasted, gulping huge lung fulls of air. Then, when I needed to, I had to mash the pedals as hard as I could to keep the rider behind. I had my elbows out and cut the corners tight to stop his front wheel sneaking up the inside.
My wife captured the agony on my face as I tried to hang on through the final complex of turns. But I did it! Collapsing over the bars unable to speak after crossing the line.
When the result came through it transpired a mechanical or crash meant the original 'escapee' leader had dropped out, which had promoted me to 3rd!! An acceptable result for a 47 year old novice in his 96th XC race.
At least there was a positive from the days racing. My daughter had crashed out of her race earlier in the morning. A later X-Ray revealed a Buckle Fracture in her left arm, above the wrist. That is 6 weeks off the bike so I won’t have to pretend to be a Novice next time out in October.
(Disclaimer: The Novice category used to be called Open. I've raced Open for years as it is intended to be 'open' to all.)
