Mudplugging (sort of) again! Cyclocross is back

SE champs at Cyclopark. Photo by Paul Willis

Just when I was wondering if I would ever ride cyclocross again, I managed to find the time to dig out my bike and restart doing some of the rough stuff.

There's not much to say about it except that I found it lots of fun, and it's been so long since I last raced that in the words of the cook on Poldark, "I've mislaid me skillage!"

But I survived, and I didn't come last. The sun even shone on both of the races I did. Anyway, just to prove that I'm not making it up, here are a couple of pics care of some very nice souls who thought it was worth a shot photographing me! I am lucky to have not gotten too muddy as conditions so far have been dry, which gives an opportunity to ease into the sport.

My first race was at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone - incredibly bumpy, quite challenging and with a hill that completely killed people's legs! There was also moat (also known as a swamp), that people ended up jumping into after clearing the low hurdles. As I had travelled to the venue by train and had no change of socks or shoes I preferred to go round and wade through the long grass! It added a bit of time to my ride, but at least my feet weren't sopping wet for the long journey home.

Slogging up the hill at Leeds Castle. Photo by Mike Last

The lady in the London Dynamo kit is Claire Richardson. She was actually walking up that hill at the same speed that I rode it! We then battled it out for the finish line and I managed to get ahead of her by some fluke!

My second race was the South East and Eastern Regional Championships held at the Cyclopark near Dartford, Kent. Just when I thought that races couldn't get harder than at Leeds the course builders came up with another leg-sapping course! Very technical with a number of dismounts - to get over steps, high hurdles, a horribly steep hill, a deep sandpit, and I had to get off for a few adverse cambers that I just couldn't negotiate.

Dropping down a technical descent. Photo by Paul Willis

The lady in the pink jersey is Liz Orr of Kent Velo Girls. She was very good technically and was ahead of me for most of the race, but all I can say is thank goodness for tarmac! I was able to put in a bit of power on the road up to the finish line, and that's the only reason I was able to get past her.

Next time we will be in an "old school" course nearer to home in the suburbs of Croydon, where there will be pure mud. So I am not sure I will be so lucky to stay ahead of Claire or Liz. But whatever happens, just doing cyclocross will brighten up my day and I will be appreciative of the folks who cheer (or even jeer) me on as I haul and slide my way around the course.

South East Women's Road Race Championships

The South East Road Race Championships is a key road race in the season for those of us who race in London and the South East. I remember the day when the standard in this race was such that a person of my modest calibre could show up and still be in with a chance of a top 5 place. In fact a few years ago I did it and finished 3rd. And no, I haven't slowed down since then !

The standard of racing witnessed in this race has increased significantly over the years, to the point that the main contenders are good national level riders, rather than Jill Soaps that are just out for a good old pootle with their local buddies.

So around 20 of us made the start line at Ellens Green in Surrey last Saturday afternoon. With the London Dynamo ladies out in force it looked like they could well be having things their way, and it was practically a foregone conclusion that recent Women's Team Series winner Charlotte Blackman would claim the top spot. The only other team that could have challenged the Londoners was the up-and-coming Agiskoviner set. For my part I was just going to hang on for as long as possible - hopefully to the end.....

Things were hot from the gun, thanks to the Dynamo trio of Charlie, Susannah Osborne and Rebecca Curley, plus Jo from VC Meudon who were motoring things along. There was attacking at every corner, every incline, and every descent. Hell, there was just attacking the whole time in those opening miles ! With the bunch having already shaken off half the field, including some of the said Agiskoviner girls it was apparent that the Dynamettes were out to kill !

I hung on quite firmly at first, but as the attacks came thicker and faster my grip began to steadily slip, as the cord was becoming more and more frayed. I clung onto the last few threads with my fingernails, really concentrating on not getting dropped. But was that really going to be enough to see me to the end? We were only on lap 3 of 7 ! Then half way through that lap, I lost my focus and the cord snapped. I was shot backwards as my Dulwich Paragon team-mate, Eryn surged forward to fill the gap I'd left. I waved goodbye to the depleted bunch and didn't see them until when we were back at the HQ for the prize-giving.

There then followed the difficult question of what to do once you are dropped on a road circuit that is 6 miles long - wait for the groups behind, or just time trial it on your own to the end. As the course was fairly flat I chose the latter. Wrong choice.

I ended up knackering myself out, and by the time Melissa from Agiskoviner caught me I was beginning to feel the effects of my earlier efforts. Although the work was evenly divided between us I was still flagging. We were then caught on the last lap by a gruppetto and we worked as a group of five. By this time I'd lost interest. I'd wanted to stay in the front group and I wasn't feeling too impressed that I hadn't stayed in very long.

I just sat in with this group and let their speed take me home. The sprint for the line and the points that were up for grabs didn't interest me either. So I rolled over the line in 13th spot - to match the race number I'd been allocated, and my fortune for the race !

Meanwhile, the front group had pressed on and continued to shed riders until they were down to just 7. Surprisingly, the victory was not taken by the in-form Charlie Blackman, but by the youngster and promising trackster (or even track star !) Emma Patterson (Agiskoviner). Charlie managed third, behind her London Dynamo team-mate Susannah Osborne. And as if to add more disappointment, she was brought down at the finish line by another rider. (And that was a bit controversial too !) Still, I think she got a very good result, especially given her dogged approach to digging and attacking.

Credit also goes to Michelle from Addiscombe CC (my second claim club) who managed to stay with the bunch and get 4th place in the event. She's a relative newbie to road racing and showed real strength at the event.

So the South East Champs have come a long way since those days when it was held just as an adjunct to the men's race on a grim Sunday morning in Goodwood. I may not ever come third in the South East Championships again, but I am happy in the knowledge that I will be a stronger rider after today's show.



Photos courtesy of Keith Lea and Surrey League

Cycling Club Culture

It's great to be in a cycling club - joining others with whom you can share your passion for all things two-wheeled. It's a chance to spend pleasant days in the saddle, talk about the latest bike innovation and gear - even if you have no idea! It can even be a way of just making new friends - forget Facebook!

In London and the South-east area there are loads of cycling clubs to choose from - about 120. And near where I live I am particularly spoilt - Dulwich Paragon, De Laune, Brixton Cycles, Velo Club de Londres, Norwood Paragon, Anerley Bicycle Club, Catford CC, Addiscombe CC, London Dynamo - and that's before counting the triathlon clubs that have cycling sections.

At a personal level I like the whole concept of being in a club, but sometimes I find that I come unstuck when it comes to deciding which club I'm in.

Clubs can be odd places to be - or at least some of the people who belong to them are. For me, a club is certainly a handy place for hooking up with new folks, as mentioned above. However, given that I know lots of local riders who belong to other clubs - some of whom I've gotten quite friendly with over the season - I don't tend to confine my riding and bike talk to one given group of people in one club. I have latched onto other clubs' weekend rides on the odd occasion.

So if I'm having good times with folks from various clubs, which club am I meant to join if everyone is generally pleasant and the rides tend to run through the same common axis through the Kent lanes and Surrey hills?

The answer is, nowadays I just go where there happens to be a racing scene for women. At Addiscombe CC, my first club, I got involved in women's team racing. When that dried up I rode for Pearson Cycles, but unfortunately their women's team did not materialise. I have now moved to Agisko Viner, where they have quite a happening scene. While I am a first claim member at this club, I am still a second claim member at Addiscombe CC, and I also have second claim membership with Dulwich Paragon, the bike club in my immediate locality.

Now, I don't have a problem with that, however among other members - especially those who belong to the older clubs - the idea of moving clubs can be quite frowned upon.

To them, leaving a club almost seems like a way of saying "I didn't like it there" - "I fell out", "Your club's not very good". Folks infer negative connotations, and some take offence. In extreme cases some ex-members are even sent to Coventry by certain club committee members, and become persona non grata - "How dare they leave and go race for the rival club ??"

Why there should be this type of reaction, I don't know. If different clubs have different emphases on what they want to achieve then what's wrong with joining a club that has the same cycling and racing aspirations as yours?

I have managed to keep good relations with people from my previous clubs, and still bump into them at races. I even do the occasional training ride with them. Who knows, I might return to one of these clubs in the future.

A few weeks ago, talking to Matt Seaton, respected local racer and journalist for The Guardian I felt I had met a kindred spirit when he described how uncomfortable he felt when he had to break the news to Velo Club de Londres that he was moving to another club, and how he tries to manage racing for different clubs. He has since come to an arrangement where he races for Mosquito Bikes during the cyclocross season, and Rapha when he does road racing. Good idea. Fortunately the majority of club riders are pretty reasonable.

Let's be honest though, we're just cycling club tarts! (But I don't mind.)