Llanerchaeron Cross – Welsh Cyclo-cross League Round 8
Round 8 of the Welsh Cyclo-cross league was at Llanerchaeron, just outside Aberaeron. Although still a 50 minute drive from here it was my local event of the series which meant a fairly lazy start to the day. I was still up early though. Early enough to see the sunrise and to get lots of work done before heading south to the race.
Sunrise
I’d been having some car troubles this week (more on that in another blog post) so I was driving a brand new VW Touran. Very nice it was too especially as I discovered it had Apple Car Play technology built into it. I arrived to a full car park and then wandered along a muddy track to sign on. It was a cloudy dry, windless day but there had been some rain over the preceding week so this could be my first muddy cyclo-cross race.
There was plenty going on as the kids races were already underway and the trials bike rider was setting up. I registered and then headed back to my car to get ready. Once changed and with my cyclocross bike and mountain bike ready to go I wandered back to the race HQ. I left my mountain bike in the pits and went off for an easy ride around the course in between races.
It was going to be a tough race. The flat bits were very rough and bumpy and probably slightly uphill too. There was a log to jump over followed shortly afterwards by a very muddy section that led to a flight of steps. At the top of the steps we rode along a bit of rooty singletrack, being careful not to slip or pinch flat on the roots and rocks. There was then a little twisty section through some trees followed by some more boggy, grassy sections up and down a small slope. A few more twists and turns and it was into a tricky section weaving through some trees back and forth over a steep hump. A few more grassy sections and it was back to the main start/finish straight. It was already quite muddy and my bike was caked in mud and grass after just a single easy lap. It could get messy out there!
Muddy
Trials Bike Skills
We had some entertainment this week on top of the racing. Owen Gawthorpe, a local Team GB Trials Bike rider was there showing off his impressive skills. He had a few platforms and ladders set up along with a bunny-hop high jump bar and was astounding everyone as he made full use of them. Bunny-hopping ridiculous heights and bouncing around the various platforms up to the high platform on top of his van.
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- Trials Riding
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- Bunny Hop
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- Trials Skills
Pretty impressive stuff, made all the better by the fact that he wears a microphone as he does it so provides his own running commentary over the speakers. There was a bit of audience participation too as he encouraged a volunteer ‘Dad’ to lie down on the grass then placed a coke can between his legs before jumping off the top of the van to land between the volunteers legs, crushing the coke can in the process.
Practise Laps
Before long it was nearly time for my race. There was time for a couple of practise / warm up laps first. I met Nick on the way around these so had a bit of a chat and discussed tactics. We also got our excuses in for what could be poor performances to come! Nothing unusual there as everyone seems to have something of a confidence crisis just before the start of a race. The course was indeed a little muddier than before now that other races had been using it. It was holding up well in most places and looked as though it should be good. We then all congregated at the start line and were called forward into our seeded places.
Either I’m improving as I get the hang of this cyclo-cross malarky or there weren’t many fast people there as I seemed to have been seeded much closer to the front than usual. I was in the second row, just behind the really fast guys and probably only about 15th person to be called up. I felt a little out of place, but it had to help somewhat with my start.
Welsh Cyclo-cross Round 8
Soon, and without any pfaffing we were off. As with last weeks tactics I went off hard, but so did everyone else. I was holding my own though and doing well, until everyone tried to get onto the same bit of grass that is. At this point it should have been elbows out and muscle my way into the spot I wanted, but I kind of backed off and let the others go so as not to get too involved in any contact. Maybe not the most aggressive, dominant stance to take but it keep me upright and allowed me to settle into a pace ready for the rest of the first lap.
Log Hop
I negotiated the log OK and then rounded the corner to the deep mud patch. I’d planned to run this section as by the looks of it had everyone else. I dismounted my bike and started running, only to find that my left foot wouldn’t disengage from the pedal. I’m not quite sure what happened by I ended up on the floor in the mud with my bike on top of me!
Running through the mud
Up I got and continued on up the stairs. I’d lost quite a few places but was determined to power past some people over the roots of the little singletrack section. That I did, regaining a few places but risking a pinch flat in the process.
I then settled into the rest of the lap and started to find myself in a bit of clear space. I also noticed that my left knee was covered in scratches and blood from the fall. All part of the fun!
Lap one done and dusted and onto lap two. I managed to remain upright for the rest of the race with just one or two sketchy moments here and there.
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- Cyclo-cross
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- Cyclocross Race
I pushed fairly hard all the way. The guy I’d been chatting to who had been seeded one place ahead of me on the start grid was gradually pulling away from me up ahead and by lap 3 I was beginning to lap some of the slower entrants. Mind you, some of the faster V50’s and women were beginning to catch me too. Laps were taking me around 7 minutes, but after about 25 minutes I was beginning to hope for the bell to indicate the last lap. Obviously with the race being 40 minutes or so that wasn’t going to come for at least a couple more laps. On I went, settling into a maintainable pace and now gradually catching the guy in front of me. I had him properly in my sights as we started the penultimate lap and decided that I would make an effort to catch him enough so that I could attempt to overtake him on the last lap.
As we took the bell he was just 50 yards ahead of me. I upped the pace a bit, passing back-markers as I went so as to be on his wheel by the time we hit the stairs. He managed to get past a couple of back markera just before the stairs and I was held up a little behind them, but got past quickly at the top of the stairs and once again caught him up along the singletrack. I followed for a while and then made my move, sprinting past him on a muddy downhill slope and then powering away over the next few little grassy climbs. I was worried that he’d catch me through the tricky trees but by then I had left him behind by quite a way. I looked back as I came into the final few grassy stretches and it was clear that he’d all but given up the chase once I passed him. I crossed the line pleased with my performance for the day and a little battered and bruised.
Considering it was the first cyclo-cross race that I’d done with any real mud I was happy with that. I was actually quite confident on the slippery, muddy stuff and did fine on the tight grassy turns too. Maybe those new tyres have made a difference, or maybe I’m getting better? Not only was it cyclo-cross ‘first-mud’ for me, but it was ‘first-blood’ too. The blood on my knee had dried to a dark crimson, mixed no doubt with some mud and dirt. The damage was minor though.
First Blood
It was then back to the car to pack up, doing my best not to get the brand new hire car too muddy in the process. At least I only had a short drive home, and I even stopped off briefly to find a geocache.
League Standings
That’s cyclo-cross race 7 for me. The league standings work by adding the points from your 6 best races of the season. Last time the overall standings were published I was in 28th place with 202 points but had only done 5 races. Last weeks cyclo-cross race in Gorseinon went well for me and was probably my highest scoring race up to that point. This weeks went well too. I haven’t seen the results yet but with some of the fastest people missing it may have been another high scorer for me. Who knows, I may have moved up slightly in the overall standings.
I don’t have proof from the actual overall standings yet but I feel as though I may have been scoring higher as the season progresses, so maybe, just maybe I’m actually getting better! Times running out though as I can’t make next weeks race and after that there are only two races left.
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Results are out and I came 13th. My highest place so far so hopefully that’ll be a decent handful of points for the overall standings. I do have to qualify it by saying that the field was quite small this week though so although I was 13th it was only out of 30 starters.
Al.
Mmm sounds to me if some one is getting competitive!! Though it was just for fun lol