Getting schooled!

What an awesome weekend, Got home last night from a great weekend with Jac, Chris, Steven, David and James in Mol, Belgium for the World Cyclocross Masters.

The course was fantastic with huge long sections of truly evil wheel eating sand interspersed with truly wonderful winding singletrack and not a drop of mud in sight! We left the UK on Friday afternoon loaded up with spandex, whiskey and 'cross bikes in damp and miserable conditions fearing a mudbath, drove up to Mol in Mandy my ever trusty racing car of a Land Rover (compared to Rosie she is a rocket ship!) Where a little later than planned we met up with the Scottish contingent enjoyed a cheeky beer before being sent to bed so as not to ruin our (and others) chances the following day. I awoke to Davey coming in from outside proclaiming it to be quite cold outside. Now being a southern poof it concerns me when a man from Mull who surely must be used to colder weather than myself says it is cold. However within half an hour the sun had made an appearance and it was not to bad (for January).

We wondered over from the cabin the 100m to the startline in time to miss the start of Jacs race but in time to catch her on her second lap and Heckle out some encouragement and have a wander round the course to see how things were looking.

Now being the in the position of young guns our race was not until the end of the afternoon so we proceeded to eat food and kill time watching the other guys racing whilst trying not to pay to much attention to how fast everyone was going. Eventually it was time to strap on the spandex and go for a pedal round the course. Four crashes later I had soiled my whiteys (knee warmers tsch!) and completed my practice lap. So feeling not so full of confidence we waited for our start.

Eventually 3.15 rolled around and we were called up to the grid and off we went I successfully defended DFL for the first two laps until my body decided to wake up and alow me to go a bit faster. I clawed back two places and dragged myself round to the end of the race to be handed one of the best tasting beers of my life by Chris followed by one more for luck!

Then with post race certificates collected it was back to the cabin for a Burns night supper of Haggis and Frite with a light lubrication from Duvel and Tobermory whiskey. A truly great way to finish a days racing.

The Moulin kit seemed to be very well received by the locals with plenty of support from the commentator and lap counters on every lap and knowing nods from aging gentlemen in Duvel caps whilst recovering at the end of the race.

The race was amazing I will be back next year without a doubt. I had a shocker of a race and loved every minute of it (once it was over).

Cheers to all the guys for letting us arrive late and crash on their floor and for all the support before, during and after the race It made the weekend very special.