Lydiard Park, Swindon - 26th Sept.
I was horribly out of shape, but decided to give it a shot anyways. At worst it would be a really hard training ride, at best I'd feel some glory.
Within the first 100m it became painfully clear that it would be the former rather than the latter. In true cyclocross style, by lap two I was well into the red trying to think of excuses for giving up. Four laps in I started to wonder what the hell I was doing in Swindon on a cold and windy Sunday afternoon when I could otherwise have been in bed reading Arthur Miller's short stories.
Then the riders who had passed me earlier in the race (I started near the back of the pack, so by this stage was was just about last) started coming back. The bumpy stretch up the hill started feeling easier. The lines through the forest started feeling more natural and I found I was eating tens of metres into my opponents through the forest alone. I started getting into a good tuck into the wind, but keeping an easy spin, and so started picking off the riders ahead one at a time.
There were some moments to savour; passing a stubbornly fast dude through the forest, then power-sliding out of the only muddy corner (yes, on a bicycle), taking a dude through the running section over the gates and out sprinting a challenge at the finish line.
But then again, it was pretty dismal. 38th of 46 is pretty rubbish and I will certainly need to up my game dramatically. I don't enjoy being so far off the pace, let alone being lapped. Yep, some concerted training will be required.
Watch this space!
