MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
Gongratulations brother! That's something that is still on my list.Pleased to report that I got my first top 10 finish, with 9th (out of 13), which secured a joint 7th series placing (out of 42. That's 42 people who's entered at least 1 race. As the organiser says, you've got to be in it to win it). Before anyone thinks they're looking at a future Pidcock, my fellow 7th finisher only did 2 rounds and the overall winner had double my points!
That said I had 3 objectives when I decided to give this a shot:
1. Finish a competitive mountain bike race. Even the 2 Mayhems I did, I never actually finished the duration i.e., cross the finishing line at the end.
2. Get a top 10 placing in race and the overall series
3. Have fun
I'm stoked that I ticked them all
Sunday's final round started in humidity and sea mist, but at lap 2, finally disappeared and scorchio scenes appeared. it was proper roasty, so it became an exercise in preservation, especially when I saw 2 nasty crashes and a few folks completely who bonked due to lack of fluids before or during the race. The course had some interesting revisions to the last round with some questionable A lines. I'm sure they were fun to do, but they didn't look like there was much time to be gained compared with B. I even braved a B line instead of taking the C, thanks to a chap who gave me some much needed encouragement.
I think that's what's been the nicest surprise. The competition, whilst fierce and mega-quick, are welcoming and down to earth. I think it helps that I get out the way early when I'm passed, leaving lots of space, and offer encouragement on the odd occasion I do the same.
Biggest kudos goes to a chap who raced a 1995 Raleigh Dyna-tech, ti version, with Royce BB and Middleburn cranks. He came 7th in my category on the day, a good 10 minutes up the road. And with faulty forks with dodgy compression. In small world scenes, it turns out he's marshalling at the Malverns Classic in a few weeks time, so hopefully we'll catch up again.
Anyway, here's some sweaty action pics. Note the Canadian champs version of the 96/97 jersey. I was channelling my best Dave Weins impression
Pleased to report that I got my first top 10 finish, with 9th (out of 13), which secured a joint 7th series placing (out of 42. That's 42 people who's entered at least 1 race. As the organiser says, you've got to be in it to win it). Before anyone thinks they're looking at a future Pidcock, my fellow 7th finisher only did 2 rounds and the overall winner had double my points!
That said I had 3 objectives when I decided to give this a shot:
1. Finish a competitive mountain bike race. Even the 2 Mayhems I did, I never actually finished the duration i.e., cross the finishing line at the end.
2. Get a top 10 placing in race and the overall series
3. Have fun
I'm stoked that I ticked them all
Sunday's final round started in humidity and sea mist, but at lap 2, finally disappeared and scorchio scenes appeared. it was proper roasty, so it became an exercise in preservation, especially when I saw 2 nasty crashes and a few folks completely who bonked due to lack of fluids before or during the race. The course had some interesting revisions to the last round with some questionable A lines. I'm sure they were fun to do, but they didn't look like there was much time to be gained compared with B. I even braved a B line instead of taking the C, thanks to a chap who gave me some much needed encouragement.
I think that's what's been the nicest surprise. The competition, whilst fierce and mega-quick, are welcoming and down to earth. I think it helps that I get out the way early when I'm passed, leaving lots of space, and offer encouragement on the odd occasion I do the same.
Biggest kudos goes to a chap who raced a 1995 Raleigh Dyna-tech, ti version, with Royce BB and Middleburn cranks. He came 7th in my category on the day, a good 10 minutes up the road. And with faulty forks with dodgy compression. In small world scenes, it turns out he's marshalling at the Malverns Classic in a few weeks time, so hopefully we'll catch up again.
Anyway, here's some sweaty action pics. Note the Canadian champs version of the 96/97 jersey. I was channelling my best Dave Weins impression
Can you describe the typical courses in more detail, please. Basically; what obstacles are there and, i dunno, scale them from 1 to 10 with regards to severity. Not thinking of having a go myself. Just interested, that's all.
Congratulations!!, My last race was... some years ago... but following your exploits has got me thinking about doing another!Pleased to report that I got my first top 10 finish, with 9th (out of 13), which secured a joint 7th series placing (out of 42. That's 42 people who's entered at least 1 race. As the organiser says, you've got to be in it to win it). Before anyone thinks they're looking at a future Pidcock, my fellow 7th finisher only did 2 rounds and the overall winner had double my points!
That said I had 3 objectives when I decided to give this a shot:
1. Finish a competitive mountain bike race. Even the 2 Mayhems I did, I never actually finished the duration i.e., cross the finishing line at the end.
2. Get a top 10 placing in race and the overall series
3. Have fun
I'm stoked that I ticked them all
Sunday's final round started in humidity and sea mist, but at lap 2, finally disappeared and scorchio scenes appeared. it was proper roasty, so it became an exercise in preservation, especially when I saw 2 nasty crashes and a few folks completely who bonked due to lack of fluids before or during the race. The course had some interesting revisions to the last round with some questionable A lines. I'm sure they were fun to do, but they didn't look like there was much time to be gained compared with B. I even braved a B line instead of taking the C, thanks to a chap who gave me some much needed encouragement.
I think that's what's been the nicest surprise. The competition, whilst fierce and mega-quick, are welcoming and down to earth. I think it helps that I get out the way early when I'm passed, leaving lots of space, and offer encouragement on the odd occasion I do the same.
Biggest kudos goes to a chap who raced a 1995 Raleigh Dyna-tech, ti version, with Royce BB and Middleburn cranks. He came 7th in my category on the day, a good 10 minutes up the road. And with faulty forks with dodgy compression. In small world scenes, it turns out he's marshalling at the Malverns Classic in a few weeks time, so hopefully we'll catch up again.
Anyway, here's some sweaty action pics. Note the Canadian champs version of the 96/97 jersey. I was channelling my best Dave Weins impression