Due to circumstances out of my control, the National Trophy at Southampton didn’t happen yesterday. With Paul out of action for a couple of weeks, I simply couldn’t justify a six hundred mile round trip, on my own, to ride. A shame as I’ve realised I like sloppy mud and a notoriously muddy race Southampton is. With no pit crew (due to Heather being on business in Asia) in a quagmire, I also knew that there was more than a passing chance that I’d wreck a rear gear to make a really expensive race even more expensive. Hence I had to make my apologies and settle for something local.
And so the CXNE series race at Durham seemed to appeal. My experience on the road has always shown Teeside and Northumbrian events to be some of the friendliest events, anywhere. The prospect of a friendly and so it turned out, well run event was just the job given the disappointment of missing Southampton.
In fact the whole experience was superb. The course was a classic Euro style course being predominantly rideable on grass, path, road and gravel. It had off camber, steps and a couple of steep grassy banks, one just about rideable and one requiring cramp ons and rope. The early morning frost gave way to increasingly slippery conditions where front wheel grip was critical but rear wheel traction rarely was a problem, it’s just a shame I didn’t realise this before I let all the air out of my back tyre at the start......
Despite arriving two hours before, my faffing consumed time and really only left me time for one practice lap. In honesty I wasn’t too bothered as there wasn’t any part of the course that filled me with dread and staying warm was probably a better plan than getting damp with perspiration then cooling before the start.
Being a non regular rider in the league, I lined up at the back of the grid and thought to myself that I would use the race to practice pacing and technique. Try to ride the race without making a mistake. However, just before the start, the commissaire called my name out and told me that he “didn’t want me lurking back there” and instructed me to come to the front rank of the 80 strong grid. So in the space of about ten seconds, I’d gone from being chilled to being paralysed with nerves.
So off we went , and for a change, it didn’t go too badly. I even remembered to use the big chain ring and change up, and, I even remembered to use the little one when we slowed down. I haemorrhaged about half a dozen places in the first 400m before things settled down.
Now, yesterday was a bit of a revelation for me. I’ve ridden about seven cross seasons now but yesterday was the very first time, I’ve ever actually applied any form of thought to my racing whilst actually doing it......funny, especially because it’s the exact opposite to the way I ride time trials. There was a defining moment about a third of a lap in when I got onto the back of a group of about five riders. Normally, I’d have taken every opportunity to pass them one by one at the first opportunity. But this time I didn’t. I thought to myself.....you know what, I’ll just sit here for a lap, recover from the start, and learn the course and watch how this lot ride.
Into the third lap, the group was down to four, my three companions all being from MTSRacing. I realised I could hear the guy in front of me gasping for breath....constantly, so I knew he was on borrowed time. But then it dawned on me that these guys were undoubtedly going to work me over. So I sat, and I confess wheelsucked, for another half lap, whilst my brain figured out what to do.
With two laps to go I waited until the flat, fast part of the course and kicked.....well I I say kicked, sort of, you’d not notice, more just went into TT mode on the front. And it worked, KABOOM, the group exploded and I got away with just one of the MTS for company.
At the bell, and up the stairs, my companion made a momentary mistake and I had it, a small gap of about ten meters and it was now or never, a big effort and some on the ragged edge riding and I had about 75 yards. It was just a case of then managing the risk of falling against the MTS hounds of death for the remainder of the last lap before I crossed the line 6th.
1 James Edmonds (Ferryhill Wheelers) 39:20
2 James Anderson (Blackhawk Bikes) @3sec
3 Keith Ashbridge (VC Cumbria) @27sec
4 Luke Parkin (Hetton Hawks) @26sec
5 Stephen Lee (Derwentside CC) @38sec
6 Steve Smales (Boneshakers) @1:51
7 Stephen Brazier (MTS) @1:59
8 Barry Kipling (MTS) @2:07
9 Alan King (MTS) @2:12
10 Elliot Davidson (Hetton Hawks) @2:14
From looking at the results there was good, and bad for me. On the plus side I was really pleased with 6th from 67 riders. What was a shame was the time gap between me and 5th place. To get up there, I’d have needed to go around 10 secs a lap faster and I cannot blame starting at the back of the grid. But above all, I raced rather than survived and feel really pleased that for the first time ever, I raced cyclocross with my head rather than my heart.
Packed up and drove home euphoric (via McDonalds for a McRecovery Happy Meal), wondering how Ted & Neil got on after we’d chewed the course up nicely for them. Especially after giving them seriously dodgy advice about not braking on the descent!
And so the CXNE series race at Durham seemed to appeal. My experience on the road has always shown Teeside and Northumbrian events to be some of the friendliest events, anywhere. The prospect of a friendly and so it turned out, well run event was just the job given the disappointment of missing Southampton.
In fact the whole experience was superb. The course was a classic Euro style course being predominantly rideable on grass, path, road and gravel. It had off camber, steps and a couple of steep grassy banks, one just about rideable and one requiring cramp ons and rope. The early morning frost gave way to increasingly slippery conditions where front wheel grip was critical but rear wheel traction rarely was a problem, it’s just a shame I didn’t realise this before I let all the air out of my back tyre at the start......
Despite arriving two hours before, my faffing consumed time and really only left me time for one practice lap. In honesty I wasn’t too bothered as there wasn’t any part of the course that filled me with dread and staying warm was probably a better plan than getting damp with perspiration then cooling before the start.
Being a non regular rider in the league, I lined up at the back of the grid and thought to myself that I would use the race to practice pacing and technique. Try to ride the race without making a mistake. However, just before the start, the commissaire called my name out and told me that he “didn’t want me lurking back there” and instructed me to come to the front rank of the 80 strong grid. So in the space of about ten seconds, I’d gone from being chilled to being paralysed with nerves.
So off we went , and for a change, it didn’t go too badly. I even remembered to use the big chain ring and change up, and, I even remembered to use the little one when we slowed down. I haemorrhaged about half a dozen places in the first 400m before things settled down.
Now, yesterday was a bit of a revelation for me. I’ve ridden about seven cross seasons now but yesterday was the very first time, I’ve ever actually applied any form of thought to my racing whilst actually doing it......funny, especially because it’s the exact opposite to the way I ride time trials. There was a defining moment about a third of a lap in when I got onto the back of a group of about five riders. Normally, I’d have taken every opportunity to pass them one by one at the first opportunity. But this time I didn’t. I thought to myself.....you know what, I’ll just sit here for a lap, recover from the start, and learn the course and watch how this lot ride.
Into the third lap, the group was down to four, my three companions all being from MTSRacing. I realised I could hear the guy in front of me gasping for breath....constantly, so I knew he was on borrowed time. But then it dawned on me that these guys were undoubtedly going to work me over. So I sat, and I confess wheelsucked, for another half lap, whilst my brain figured out what to do.
With two laps to go I waited until the flat, fast part of the course and kicked.....well I I say kicked, sort of, you’d not notice, more just went into TT mode on the front. And it worked, KABOOM, the group exploded and I got away with just one of the MTS for company.
At the bell, and up the stairs, my companion made a momentary mistake and I had it, a small gap of about ten meters and it was now or never, a big effort and some on the ragged edge riding and I had about 75 yards. It was just a case of then managing the risk of falling against the MTS hounds of death for the remainder of the last lap before I crossed the line 6th.
1 James Edmonds (Ferryhill Wheelers) 39:20
2 James Anderson (Blackhawk Bikes) @3sec
3 Keith Ashbridge (VC Cumbria) @27sec
4 Luke Parkin (Hetton Hawks) @26sec
5 Stephen Lee (Derwentside CC) @38sec
6 Steve Smales (Boneshakers) @1:51
7 Stephen Brazier (MTS) @1:59
8 Barry Kipling (MTS) @2:07
9 Alan King (MTS) @2:12
10 Elliot Davidson (Hetton Hawks) @2:14
From looking at the results there was good, and bad for me. On the plus side I was really pleased with 6th from 67 riders. What was a shame was the time gap between me and 5th place. To get up there, I’d have needed to go around 10 secs a lap faster and I cannot blame starting at the back of the grid. But above all, I raced rather than survived and feel really pleased that for the first time ever, I raced cyclocross with my head rather than my heart.
Packed up and drove home euphoric (via McDonalds for a McRecovery Happy Meal), wondering how Ted & Neil got on after we’d chewed the course up nicely for them. Especially after giving them seriously dodgy advice about not braking on the descent!
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