This weekend was the third round of the XC NPS series. After wining the previous two rounds I was heading into this hoping for another victory. Last year I hated this course, flat, grass, and dry. It was in my mind a cyclocross course on mountain bikes. Nonetheless I was still looking forward to some racing before my exams start.
Boy did I get a shock on Sunday when I arrived and rode a practice lap. It was far from the flat, easy and fast paced race it was last year. Instead it was shlompy, with less grass and lots of short punchy kickers and off-camber turns.
Our race started at twelve and I got a great start leading the pack from the off. My closest rival, Cameron was also a man on a mission as he was right on my wheel from the first woodland section. I tried a couple of times to pull away, but he stuck on me like glue even passing me going up one of the kickers where I tried to pedal as he ran past. I stuck on his wheel, then watching to see if I could pass him back anywhere, going up another one of the kickers I attacked and led back around to the start.
Going into our final lap I knew I would need to break from Cameron. I put everything into one last attack half way through the second lap and pulled 20 seconds by riding the technical off-camber section, then also riding up one of the steep kicker that was taken out of the later S1/S2/S3 race. I gave it everything and finished with 35 seconds to spare.
Loved the course, big improvement on last year. Loved the shlomp and loved the race. Close competition and can't wait for my next race. Results here
Big thanks to XMTB for all the work that went into the race, thanks to DLCo and Scott for their continuing support and thanks to Gareth Gibbons for the photos.
Our race started at twelve and I got a great start leading the pack from the off. My closest rival, Cameron was also a man on a mission as he was right on my wheel from the first woodland section. I tried a couple of times to pull away, but he stuck on me like glue even passing me going up one of the kickers where I tried to pedal as he ran past. I stuck on his wheel, then watching to see if I could pass him back anywhere, going up another one of the kickers I attacked and led back around to the start.
Going into our final lap I knew I would need to break from Cameron. I put everything into one last attack half way through the second lap and pulled 20 seconds by riding the technical off-camber section, then also riding up one of the steep kicker that was taken out of the later S1/S2/S3 race. I gave it everything and finished with 35 seconds to spare.
Loved the course, big improvement on last year. Loved the shlomp and loved the race. Close competition and can't wait for my next race. Results here
Big thanks to XMTB for all the work that went into the race, thanks to DLCo and Scott for their continuing support and thanks to Gareth Gibbons for the photos.
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