Brightly coloured cyclists huddle together in a meadow. Over the buzz from their chat, a man with a clipboard, shouts and a dozen or so step forward to the front of the pack. The seeded riders. Moments later the rest shuffle in the same direction. Suddenly, I realise that I'm near the back, but too late, we're off! Sprinting ahead over the grass, the group soon stretches out into a line. I can feel some riders near me losing ground, while others dart daringly into gaps in the group. I take it steady, uncomfortable in this big fast crowd. Yes, I'm nervous of a wheel overlap, a rider in front going down, a pile up. Already, I notice I'm with the tail enders! Note to self: the first seconds are crucial in cyclocross, next time I must get a better start.
We hit the first steep bank. I'm in too high a gear and have to dismount just a few meters from the crest. Darn it, I didn't recce it properly before the race! I clambour back on. Now we enter into another meadow, spectators around. Lungs labouring up the long drag to the tent where the finish line will be, I wonder how many laps we'll do and realise that this is going to hurt!
Round a hairpin and down the grass meadow, gaining speed. The grass gets longer, there's a pothole, then straight into a chicane around trees with sand at each apex. Judge the speed and steer carefully, or the front wheel will dig in. Then down a fast dry stretch along the road. This feels good! Shifting through the gears, I try to judge my effort for the short hill coming up. Wow, I must have done something right, as I pass some riders labouring up it. Round the top and down across a cambered grassy bank. The ground is higher on the right than the left and I'm thankful that it is dry. A few seconds on a flattish section and then I know, after the next right hander, lies the dreaded steep muddy double-bank. Prior to the race, I had already figured out that if I try to ride it, I'd have no energy left for the rest of the race! As I round the corner, I feel relief, because other riders must have reached a similar conclusion, as they are picking their way up the hill on foot. I wonder how the top riders manage to pedal up this? I get to the top and try to climb back on, but the surface is loose, covered in bark chippings. I faff about and eventually get back on. Hmm, so much for the flying cyclocross remount!
The next section is along a track through the woods. It twists about. Avoid a tree root here, nearly wipe myself out on a hairpin with adverse camber and loose surface there. Then out of the trees, down a fast path covered in bark chips. Just as my speed picks up, there's a left hander on to grass up a hill. Whoa! I nearly overcooked that as my leg almost touches the boundary stake. Mashing of gears all around as we all struggle to sort our drivetrain lives out. On this first lap, I did not know that five laps later, I would be unsatisfied with the way that I failed to manage properly this fairly easy looking bend and climb on every single lap.
Then back into the woods. Watch out for the brambles! Right hander down a wettish path - waaay, watch the slipperyness - then left into a STEEP downhill bank. Waaah! That was fast! And there's the start line again. One lap done! Quick glance at my HRM and I'm at TT pace. As we have a new baby at home, I know I haven't trained or slept enough recently, so I don't pressure myself. I'll just try to ensure that I don't blow up during this race, and I'm so glad it's 40 minutes long, not an hour. I've got to judge my efforts, go for it a bit on the hard sections, take easier on the downhills. On the third try, I finally pick the right gear for that first steep bank. Not having to dismount is a small victory for me. The dreaded double-bank continues to flummox me though and at one point, at the top of it, I'm just too knackered to remount and focus sufficiently to clip my shoes in! What would it feel like to be fit enough to handle this!?
As the laps go on, private battles with nearby riders develop. I overtake, get overtaken back. Eventually, the front runners lap us, I lose sense of where I am in the field. I see 2 laps to go on the board. Wayhay, not long now! Hitting the cambered section again, I can see it's muddy and greasy now. I unclip the right foot as it's on the up hill side, but judge my line incorrectly and don't put enough pressure on my left foot. The tyres lose traction and whoosh, down I go. A spectator shouts "Very professional!" I guess he's a senior waiting for their race to start. Slowly stand up, checking that I'm ok. I watch, literally crestfallen, as a chap I overtook goes by me. It's slippy here so I walk (I'm too dispirited to run!) to less slick ground further ahead and remount.
At the start of the final lap, at the top of the long drag to the tent, a woman overtakes me. This is in front of all the spectators at the finish line, but I don't care. She looks very proficient and executes me at the top of the climb in text book style. I console myself by thinking that I don't mind being overtaken by a "proper cyclist"! So, here I am, trying to dig a bit deeper for the last lap. After the fast section by the road, I'm thinking, hang on, I may be able to catch her? But then, on the very same hill where I had been overtaking others, I totally mess up my gear changing. What a plonker! I have to get off and unstick my chain in the front mech. I must have pushed the left paddle instead of the right one! Well now, I muse, I don't really deserve to catch her! I sort the mech out and finish the lap, overtaking a few riders, presumably lapped, along the way. Everyone already seems to have finished and for a moment I feel downhearted.
Quickly, emotions change. The chap who overtook me is there, we stop and have a friendly chat. I've a sense of relief, for finishing the race. In it's own way, it was fun and enjoyable, at least, occasionally, I felt I was laughing while feeling sick with exhaustion at the same time. I fell, but didn't get hurt. As to results, I ended up 53rd out of 71 riders in the combined junior/veteran/women event. I noted that the woman who overtook me on the last lap was on the women's podium. Is it bad that I feel happy about that?
I have memories of golden autumn sunshine backlighting the leaves, as I sped under the trees. A great day out, meeting good company. And fantastically well organised by Reading CC - well done Steve Bale and friends.
CX racing - try it!
