18th December 2022, Barnoldswick
It was a cold and wet one for round 5 of the National CX series. The ground was frozen solid so had been running incredibly fast throughout the week as the course builders marked out a testing little number with steps, off cambers, bridges and short, sharp digs aplenty. Then the rain came on Saturday morning making the whole course slick.
After the first race where the senior vet men had slid far too much to be truly safe a couple of sections were straightened out. Keeping warm was nearly as hard as the racing. Overnight it froze again and on Sunday morning the course had to be sanded – yes, we all considered the irony of sandy grass so it could be ridden on. It made it a touch, technical course, one which the better bike handlers thrived on, and the nervous got taken out by the UCI 80% rule. So very different from the mud and running of Torbay and round 4.
Becca was there – the rest of the team having to endure forced rest due to plagues and pestilence. Becca was on fire. Becca is a fine mountain biker with great bike handling skills. Here is her account:
Becca
Back up North for R5 of the National CX Series and it did not disappoint. The course was icy with a slick top layer due to the freezing temperatures. After having illness for most of the last 2 weeks, I was feeling recovered but didn’t know what to expect.
I had a good start, sitting in 12th for the first couple of laps. Spent those laps figuring out which lines worked and didn’t work. The steps I could ride and used to my advantage as I could ride them quickly and save energy.
Laps 3, 4 and 5 I pushed on, found the lines and worked my through the field. Every corner felt smooth, the off cambers I had nailed and the steps felt super quick.
I pushed myself through to 6th, which I’m super happy with and finally got the UCI points! Welsh Champs and this race I was calm on the bike, put zero pressure on myself to do well, which is making me feel a better bike rider mid races. On to a Belgium block over Xmas now!
- 6th overall doesn’t tell quite the full story however. With that superb technical ride, Becca beat several of those much more highly ranked than her in the domestic series and in Europe. It’s great to see her learning so much, so quickly through this cross season.