Abergavenny wasn't a bad race for me. It wasn't a good one either. But that event didn't want me to just forget about it just yet. I knew immediately following the race I'd hurt myself properly in my crash as the small head movement just to check my rear view mirror hurt driving home. I didn't say anything openly about it at the time, simply because Heather's presently wrestling with the 'I want to ride cross - but the bike's a lot of money' debate. I want her to ride desperately because I know she'll enjoy it immensely, but I also know that getting her head round crashing or falling off (there's a difference) will be crucial to her. Bumps and scrapes are best played down...
I've had literally hundreds of 'offs' over my nine seasons cx. I've only hurt myself twice. Last Sunday was one of those times. It's pretty obvious that I have whiplash. My 15"circumference neck wasn't designed to stop my big, fat, 62cm head flopping about in big sliding crashes.
I'm fine, it'll settle down.
So it was very much with an open mind that I arrived at the Skipton Rapha Supercross. After a week of good training, but being unable to look behind me and wincing over every bump I didn't have a clue how I'd cope. I might not even be able to warm up? Due to logistics difficulties around parking, we concluded that given the muddy conditions having a full pit set up for our cxmagazine.com team was more important than pre riding the course. A terrible choice to have to make but unavoidable given the closely stacked race program.
A second row of the grid start for me was a pleasant surprise on a predominantly grass/tarmac course. Away we went. My first 5 seconds weren't great but I'm slowly beginning to get dialed in to how to get the most out of what I have again. When I used to get regularly coached on the road, I knew the test I feared the most was the the one that I was best at. From a dead start, sit a twice my aerobic power, hold it there and hang on as long as I could. I hated the test, but I could hold it together longer than his other clients. So start as best I can but don't panic at loosing a few places and then really drive hard after a minute when most are starting to feel it.
It worked. Established nicely in 11th just off the front of the lead group after regaining about ten places on the first lap. Darren, a friend, for company and a gap behind, not that I could look behind. I'd got my tyre pressures absolutely nailed, not bad that I'd had to make a best guess. The bike was on rails. I knew that having Alan Dorrington from Planet X behind me was a good sign as he's a really committed rider and technically good. On about the fourth lap of seven, I had a dream lap. one were every decision I made was good, every line I chose worked and managed to work my way up into 9th, distancing my company by about one hundred meters.
Running into the last two laps, a combination of fatigue and pain from my neck seemed to slow me...perhaps it was the lack of pressure from being in company. I found myself back with Darren and third guy from Here Come The Belgians who he'd most inconsiderately dragged back up to me. A group of three. Damn.
For whatever reason, the third guy rode through us with frightening ease, I simply couldn't go with him. At the bell, it was me and Darren through the lower gloopy section of Belgian Bowling Green on the course my power clearly gave me the edge. Through the technical upper course, he clearly had the edge. With half a lap to go, that was it, the decisive moment. He rode both steeps, I rode one and had failed the other. He had a gap.
And it stayed that way. Despite taking every risk, and some 'shit or bust' moments, I couldn't get him back and with a minute of racing left, I knew he deserved to get the better of me. A careful check behind and I just cruised in.
After Abergavenny, I drove home irritated that I hadn't got all my energy out on the course. There was none of that here. After congratulating Darren, I found myself encapsulated in a huddle of friends from my local cycling club and other cxmazine.com rider Ted. I'd tried so hard I felt genuinely unwell and was unsure if I'd end up on the floor or if I would vomit. The pain from my neck was incredible and I had to get away.
After riding back to the van and getting a drink and changed, I began to feel human. An hour later all four bikes were washed, lubed and packed. The rest of the day was spent watching the other races, networking about the Ripley Castle race that I'm organiser for and chatting to people about our team sponsors.
As I write this, I should be M62 Westbound. I'm not. The van's packed, the bikes are ready to go, but common sense tells me that I should go for an easy road ride rather than push my luck with an injury. I got away with racing yesterday and had a great result. I turned myself inside out physically so riding will have built top end form.
Steve
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