Sloppy Herne Hill

On my first (recce) lap of the circuit I realised that the 'cross races so far were just a taster of the real thing.

I was a little nervous this morning; it has been a long time since I'd raced; I'd been kept off the bike first by a bruised hand from a fall on icy, moss-covered paving in early-Jan and then from a battle with a nasty cold that ended up taking out pretty much most of the family that was staying over. The good news is that I didn't get the customary chest infection, so my asthma meds are doing the trick!

Back to today - it was very cold (around 2°C), but sunny. Rain and snow from previous days had made the ground well soaked and bit of the course I could see looked pretty squishy indeed. There had also been a New Years Day madison event on two days before, so the circuit was quite cut up. I'd arrived with good time, so I was able to sign on and get my kit sorted without a rush before heading out for an easy recce; this is very important for me.

The mud was very slippery indeed, and some off camber sections needed good line picking, but also solid pedaling to get through. Some of the faster corners were a little daunting, but later proved a treat (provided the bike was set-up nicely into the corner). A bit of ice, and frozen, furrowed mud was quite scary and, after very nearly stacking it on the recce, I decided it was best avoided. What struck me most about the course was the crazy climbs and near drop-offs and the number of obstacles that demanded a dismount. The bits through the trees also offered up many technical challenges that initially made me feel completely inept.

So I felt pretty daunted as I took up my place on the start line. Soon enough the whistle went and it was the usual charge to the first corner. I wasn't feeling that strong, so I didn't go all out, but I found myself around some familiar faces to I guess it must have been a reasonable start. The first foray into the tricky wooded section was crazy; I found myself getting into all sorts of trouble by making the same mistake that I had previously made in the cockpit of my Class C Fiat - following the guy in front, and in so doing effectively having him ride my bike. I forced myself to focus on the trail, looking past the rider ahead and picking my own line.

Into the second lap it was feeling a lot easier and into the third riding in the mud felt like second nature. I found that, in the group I was in (roughly 6-7 riders), I was being held up quite a bit through the technical wooded section, but onto the flatter open stadium section I was losing ground - my lack of fitness from the time off the bike telling. But the problem was, sitting at the back of the group I was being held up where I had the advantage, then burning up through the infield to stay in touch. Time to make a move then. With a few bold moves, including an outbrake into a steep downhill, I got ahead. I had to work hard though, so into the infield I felt like puking and was repassed.

Next lap our group was split by a fall and I attacked to try to get a bigger advantage. It almost worked, and I left the infield section only having conceded a place or two to the group. On the next lap, I made my move. I charged hard up the the steep climb, with the bike on my shoulder I sprinted as hard as I could up the muddy slope and did my best impression of a running remount (which, I must admit, needs a lot of work). Apart from a few metres gap, crucially I'd got "track position" on the group with a fair proportion of the twisty wooded section to go. I rode it as hard as I could, even came off once (but managed to save it with a quick remount). Then, into the infield I tucked down and rode as hard as I could. It paid off. Coming out of the stadium exit corner, I saw the group still a distance from the corner. Spot on.

The rest of the race was a fight against fatigue and the lack of a rear brake. Not sure what happened (my guess at the moment is a cable that I hadn't tightened properly), but my rear brake stopped working in the second lap which left me with only the front - quite a liability, especially with all the sharp corners at the bottom of descents. As I became more tired, mistakes crept in and I would lose my advantage through the woods.

So the 2 laps go couldn't come soon enough. The pace started to escalate, and I knew the riders behind would be chasing. Summoning up all the energy I could, I tried to ride as neatly as I could, only to tumble over the bars on a descent. I needed to stay calm and keep it smooth, but it was difficult. I was also starting to encounter a few back-markers which made things even trickier. I couldn't afford to lose time through the twisty sections but this was exactly where passing was difficult. Fortunately the etiquette of most riders was exemplary and it was generally easy to find a way through as long as you weren't too impatient.

Heading through the stadium section for the last time I took a peek back and saw mostly empty track. One of the riders from the pack, a Mosquito rider, had caught and repassed me on the last lap but I'd managed to hold off the remainder. Still, no time for taking it easy. Big ring all the way to the finish (well, almost).

Not sure where I finished, but I had an absolute ball. The bike was caked in mud and felt a good 2kg heavier after the race, crazy.

So, I think now I get 'cross. Fact: It is the most fun you can have on a bike.