It took a long time to feel like I was getting over the effects of Covid, which I caught 3 months ago at the end of November. I missed the entire winter race season feeling weak and unable to push hard on the pedals for sustained efforts. Recovery was slow, and included some humbling social rides, where the group had to repeatedly wait for me or change the planned route to cut the ride short.
As we came into February the new race season was imminent,
but I still felt slow. I was barely averaging 15mph during solo training road
rides. This was on familiar routes where I’d normally expect to be doing 18mph or
closer to 20mph with a bit of effort. That was the trouble my body wasn’t able
to put in that extra “bit of effort”!
Nevertheless, I entered the first Gorrick Spring Classic. My
expectation in terms of the result was low, but I felt I needed to get back in
the saddle if I was to call myself a racer. There was the added motivation of
new team kit from Strada Handbuilt Wheels.
Rows of cars glinted in the dappled sunlight coming through
the trees as I rolled into the carpark at Highlands farm near Deepcut. Post
pandemic the race numbers seem to be on the rise which is fantastic to see.
There was an amusing moment on the start line when nobody
took up an empty slot on the front row! From the security of row two I had a
good get away as we plunged down a wide fireroad and then up into the woods and
the beginning of the serpentine singletrack. I tried to count those ahead to
gauge my position and guessed I was about 7th or 8th.
The pace was hot as we swept up and down, swinging left and
right kicking up the dry loamy soil. Since I got my new wheels I’ve been
experimenting with ever lower and lower tyre pressures. On my pump at least, at
this event I was running 10psi in the front and 15psi in the back. On the road
it feels terrible, like two flat tyres, but once on the loose soil and tangle of
roots that make up a traditional Gorrick XC course it all comes together. I ride a hardtail and the low pressure at the
back increases traction and the comfort, while up front the soft tyre allows me
to hunt out grip in the corners. The new wide 30mm rims stop the tyre from deforming
and squirming, although there were a few scary bangs and nervous moments when one
of the shiny new carbon rims struck a root. Thankfully, the 2.35in Fast Trak
tyres held pressure without ‘burping’ their contents.
I was keen to stay in the top ten and fought hard to hold my
place in the group and make sure none of the riders in the long line behind snuck
past. Then as the first lap wound on, despite the pace I felt I could go
faster. It was hard to find somewhere to pass so I had to just stay as close as
possible to the rider in front and wait for a moment to pounce. My strength is
the climbs so this is where I took my opportunity to pass one and then a second
rider.
Behind me two other riders followed me past and we crossed
the line to complete the first of the three laps in a tight nose to tail battle.
As I mentioned there weren’t many passing places so it was key to defend these
critical areas. Charging hard out of the corner before any wider section of the
trail and defending the inside line as we turned in again.
This is how I rode the entire second lap trying to recover
on the tighter sections where passing was impossible. We caught and passed some
other riders, but those behind stayed glued to my wheel as the three of us
crossed the line again. Despite my strength on the climbs this was actually
where the rider directly behind was able to apply the most pressure, which made
them especially painful!
Twice we caught unobservant riders who I presume were practicing
the course before their event in the afternoon. On both occasions as they came
into sight ahead, the rider was off their bike negotiating a tricky technical
section on foot. Despite my loud shout of, “Riders!” they then decided to remount their bike instead of simply stepping to the side. In both cases I had no choice but to come
to a complete halt right in the middle of the tough section of trail they had
just struggled to navigate. The first time it was nerve-racking because I
worried the riders behind would use the opportunity to find a way by. The
second time I was exceptionally frustrated. I’d just put in a really big effort
to try and open a gap on those shadowing me from behind, who immediately closed
straight back up. I was a beginner once, but I feel have always gone out of my
way to prevent holding up faster racing riders. There is nothing worse than
fighting hard to win a small gap on your pursuers only to have to give it all away
because of somebody elses lack of observation. I guess that it is all part of
racing.
As the last lap began I made a final concerted effort to
break away; digging deep, my legs screaming I was fighting off the burning of
stitch in my chest. It is an indication of how close the racing had been for the
previous two laps, that I considered a couple of bike lengths a success! It did
at least allow me to focus more on speed in the corners rather than having to
take a defensive line.
I finished 4th a healthy 8 seconds ahead of
the chasers who then came over to congratulate me and share tails of our race
long battle!
