Gorrick Autumn Classic

After the best part of 5 months it felt fantastic to be racing again. It was great meeting up with friends in the carpark, and experiencing all the emotions of a race day - from the early morning nerves to the post race adrenalin buzz!

The Gorrick Autumn Classic was held at Area 51 near Frimley. We’ve raced there before, but the organisers have been extremely busy creating plenty of new trails that really maximized the potential the area has to offer. Similar to previous races at this venue however the course was a continuous ribbon of singletrack. Which sounds brilliant, but presented very few opportunities for overtaking. The start would therefore be critical so myself and a couple of friends made sure we lined up nice and early. When the horn sounded my friend Ian, who is known for his electric fast starts, burst off the line on my left like a cruise missile. I tried to follow his wheel but was pinched by converging riders on either side. The squeeze meant I had to back off slightly and joined the pack 5 positions behind Ian as we sped into the trees. With only enough space for single file there now followed a high speed possession, as the race writhed left and right. In fact I made no progress at all for several miles. Eventually we began to filter past a slower rider up ahead who had been acting as the cork in the bottle.

All I can say is thank god for the hills! I used my strength on the inclines to force my way past a few riders, I could then follow the wheels on the descents and made myself as wide as possible on the flat sections to ensure nobody even thought about trying to sneak through! This got me back into Ian’s wheel by the end of the 1^st lap and he even asked if I wanted to come through, but after my sprints on the hills I was just fine to stay where I was while I recovered! At the next hill I did pass Ian and I was followed by another rider. We piled on the speed and both began to break away from those behind.

I rode the second lap fast and full out, attacking the multitude of corners, leaning the bike as far as I dared in the sandy soil. Then I'd accelerate away from the bend, bouncing over roots and undulations before braking hard for the next turn. This style of racing is fantastic fun, but hard and my heart was about to burst out of my chest. For training intervals at home I’ve calculated my maximum heart rate at 180bpm, and hold this for a few seconds. During Sundays 90 minute race I averaged 171bpm!! Towards the end of the 2^nd lap I began to feel very peculiar. My heart was beating away like a machine gun, but I felt weak and dizzy with no strength in my legs. I’d gone way into the red and looking at the HR trace afterwards I was constantly above 190bpm during this period of the race, peaking at 198!! A figure I haven’t achieved for 20 years! I had no choice but to slow down, in fact I even considered having to stop I felt so odd. I pulled to the side and let the following rider through. He quickly escaped from view and I began to sense the chasing riders beginning to catch me.

Unable to put power on the pedals I was simply cruising through the corners compared to the previous lap. I could hear bikes clattering through the trees behind me but still nobody else had yet caught me despite the drop in pace. This gave me encouragement and after an energy gel I felt able to begin to push the pace again. From here I had a slightly lonely end to the race. I pushed as hard as I dared on the final lap but nobody came into sight and I no longer had any chasers behind to worry about either.

I finished 14^th from the 30 starters in the Veterans Plus category. This to my surprise is actually my best result at a Gorrick since becoming a Vet. I know my fitness isn’t close to what is was earlier in 2019 or last year, but perhaps the racing difference isn’t so pronounced.  I’ve not been able to train “normally” since June due to my accident and family commitments, added to which I came into the event on the back of a week of total lethargy and gluttony on Holiday. So I’ll take this race as a huge positive! I’m back!