The National Trophy Series visited Mallory Park in Lectershire last Sunday. The course was a tricky one; predominantly on grass with lots of off-camber turns linked by a short gravel climb and a start/ finish straight on tarmac. One practise lap told me all I needed to know- I was in for a tough race! The many off-camber turns were super tricky to get right and a real test of skill on the cross bike.
Come the race I was not confident at all and really struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. My aim was to not get lapped and see how well I could do at a National race. Unfortunately after 40mins the flying Nicholas Bazin cruised past me and I was out. A good experience none the less and riding this race gave me a real appreciation for the skill the top guys have, they make it look simply effortless. I thought the technical side of this race would not be an issue and my mtb skills would get me round nae bother- how wrong I was. So some serious practice required for the next round at Rutland. I am determined to at least finish the race without getting lapped!
It was pretty impressive to watch the last few laps of the Elite race and see the skill of riders such as Paul Oldham and Jody Crawforth. The Vets race was also good to watch, a real close one between Chris Young and Geoff Giddings with Young getting it on the last lap with a cracking pass on one of the tricky off-camber banks. All in all a good day out finished off with a roast dinner in the pub on the way home- braw. Next weekend I’ll have a shot at an Eastern league race so I’ll report back how that goes.
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