Steve: 2014 Nat Champs...how it turned out

And so it came to pass….We arrived with a leisurely three hours to spare, signed on whilst the pit crew set up. What I’d anticipated was confirmed when Tommo (James Thompson) said “it’s a shitfest, you might get away with changing every lap….at a push”. We rode the course. Once. It was.

In such a situation, I’m not entirely sure that there’s anything to be gained by riding lap after lap in practice. If a four metre wide course is like a ploughed field (no exaggeration) from tape to tape over eighty percent of the lap, there’s not a lot to be had in terms of marginal gains. In fact, seeing the marshals pushing a half full water bowser to the pits after half of the first day, I had it pretty clear in my mind that having plenty of water would make more difference than anything.

Back at the van, we discussed a pit strategy. Which is a posh way of saying that the four of us discussed how two bikes could be washed in four minutes and 100litres of water could be made to last twice as long as it actually would. The cyclo-cross equivalent of ‘Feeding the Multitude’…..It was clear we were going to struggle. Being most likely to pit before Ted, if I took bikes every half lap, four things would clearly happen. Firstly the pit crew would struggle to service Ted, then they’d probably miss me coming through the second time… thirdly, we’d run out of water after about twenty minutes…..And then the whole job followed by my rear mech would fall apart. I thought it was better to change once a lap. That was the plan, stick to it and hope for the best.

Gridded up, about five rows back and away we went – a big field of 115. Hell for leather. Into the first right hander all hell broke loose on the flooded inside with bikes and bodies everywhere, before going into the technical stuff. Award of the day went to Brian Johnson who overtook me like a train and piled it right in front of me. Even more remarkably, he managed to remount and got back up with us in what seemed like about twenty seconds.

Now as is the way with my blog, I often talk about ‘settling in’. None of this today. The whole race was just pure attrition, ride, nearly fall off, ride some more, dismount at a near standstill, remount untidily. No rhythm, no consistent lines, horrible. Despite the pit crew doing a magnificent job, each lap my 16lb bike was weighing a good 30lbs as I shouldered it and did myself in attempting to run. Such was its weight, the top tube literally felt like being beaten with an iron bar. And goodness, there was a lot of running.

  

As we approached the bell, I had gapped a small group of four by mashing it through the 4”deep gloop by the pits when Nick Craig came literally flying past. The first time I’ve been lapped this year, and goodness he was impressive. Whilst no one likes to be lapped, this was perfect timing….I hung on for the last lap knowing that this, the most attritional of race of 2013/14 was virtually over.

As I crossed the line, I didn’t even stop. It was straight to the van, grab a rucksack and then straight to the pits to drop my bike before a bin bag job and cold shower. My 48^th was OK. Frankly I’d struggled with clumsy remounting and commitment. I’d be the first to admit that I ride cross very much on my aerobic capacity rather than technique. But I suppose to finish 48th in an event that had four hundred entrants wasn’t so bad.

Coming away from the event, I certainly felt that I’d had enough and it was very much a case of ‘job done’.

Steve: UK National Champs – Pre race thoughts…

All good things come to an end….thankfully.

 

So, here we are. My last cross race of the season. The British Championships at Moorlands, Derby. For some, this is the climax of their season, in all honesty, for me at two days to go, feeling like the lowest key race of the year. Why, for a variety of factors…..

 

Firstly, honestly, it’s a race where I’ll make up the numbers. In a race where the best of the best turn up, and riders are accepted…or not as the case may be, a mid field finish is a reasonable outcome, not a lot to get excited about, especially when I’m not at my best. Hopefully I’ll become locked in a race long battle with Jough to push me like last time I raced there. (Despite the fact he nuked me at the bell!)

 

Secondly, I’m wrecked. Not physically, but the relentless cycle of training-loadingthevan-drivethereat5am-practice-washbike-race-washthebikesagain-drivehomeat5pm-washbikesproperly-unloadthevan-laundry…..and repeat…. for five months without a break has taken it’s toll. I want to lay in bed on a Sunday morning until eight, get up, eat breakfast in the kitchen out of crockery, not Tupperware at 70MPH on the M42. I want to waft out on the bike, do some quality training and then do some quality soaking in a bath. 

 

Thirdly, I typically get the best results in the mud….but only up to a point, I’m a gangly clumsy and uncoordinated bag of bones. When it becomes a case of repeatedly transitioning from running to riding, I struggle. Much of the exhilaration of cross is leathering it on the fast bits, scaring myself to death and coping with the Belgian bowling green when it happens. Problem is, that the massively wet month we’ve just had has meant that the last few races have been very sloggy. My experience at Moorlands last time was good, but it’s going to be a real slog. It needs to hammer down all race to make it sloppy, and it isn’t going to.

 

Enough is enough for the time being. Let’s get it over with.

 

Ted heads to Derby for the National Cyclo-Cross Championships

National Championships, Derby, 2014

Ted Sarmiento heads to Derby for the National Cyclo-Cross Championships. It’s his biggest challenge of the season and his biggest goal too and, whilst he’s not looking for a win, there are plenty of firsts on his mind as he reflects on a busy few months.

....Well here we are, the finale of the UK 'cross season and somehow - I’m still not sure how - I'm on the start line for the Vet 40-49 race at the National Championships……pinches self to check I’m not dreaming.

But, before we come to all that championships stuff, a quick retrospective. What a season it's been! So many new experiences! On a purely personal level, new this season were a number of “firsts”, beginning with riding and helping run a dedicated cyclo-cross team (thanks to cxmagazine.com's Chief Cowbell Ringer Andrew Yee and Director Sportif Steve Smales). There was also a first full season of National Trophy racing, a first broken chain (and first DNF), a first season riding in a skin suit (scientifically wind tunnel tested at the outdoor South Shields Gypises Green facility) and a first season with two bikes, leading to.... first puncture mid-race and first bike swap.

And, taking in the wider perspective, there have been yet more firsts: starting coaching Leeds Uni and Met students; a first CX gold medal for team rider Sarah 'Muddy' Murray; a first Senior win for team rider Edwyn Oliver-Evans in his first season as an Under-23;  my first time helping organise a 'cross race with first class organising team (Ripley Castle CX); my first of many head-to-heads with self-appointed “arch-rival” Phil Ingham (Pedalsport, a story set to be continued); and the first of many, many, many mid-race bike changes! For the latter, I am totally indebted to PIT crews Heather, Callum, Scott, Sarah, Alison, Sally, Dave, Dylan (hope I haven't missed anyone there). Oh yeah, on that subject, a first time in the role of PIT-helper myself. So I now have a decent understanding of just how tricky it can be.

But today is not a first. This is my second time out at the National's and at this venue. I'd set myself a pre-season goal that was simple and for me highly motivating. Last time out I came 86th, so my season-long aspiration was simply to do better than that. I knew this would be tricky from the outset as, firstly, my chances of getting a place on the start line were not good as the number of entrants was to be restricted and, secondly, even if I could get a spot, the central Derby location was bound to attract more top riders that last year's more northerly Bradford venue. But, I did get a place and so……

Well, yes, back to the National Championships. I'm on the start line looking at a huge sea of riders…..from behind! Despite not quite being last to be called up, I am on the back row. This never bothers me: it's where I am and I've got a decent start in me.

 

But I’m not prepared for riders going sideways before we’ve even exited the tarmac! No worries, I nip through the melee to the top corner, aka 'the lake'. Some riders chose to run, but I go for the wide splash and do so every lap. Today's flavour of mud is officially 'clingy'. And it lives up to its billing! Frequent bike changes were planned and they are duly executed with precision. I’m so indebted to my PITs I can't even begin to say. My race result owes as much to their efforts as to anything I do.

Ploughing: cyclo-cross style

As with last year’s National Trophy at the same Derby venue there are plenty of decisions about running vs riding. One decision I do make, as much for my own amusement as anything, is to ride the sands. I'm trying to evoke visions of Koksidje here but, in reality, think about the sandpit you had in your primary school. More like that. Nonetheless I ride the sands and I don't think Niels Albert could have done it better. I then go even further in my Albert-like racing by checking the pedal position of my shouldered bike as I begin the bog run each lap. A bit silly maybe, but it all helps keep me concentrated on the task in hand.  And so, my race is run. I’m done. Finished!

I know, it's quicker to run. But as this is the National's a litte showboating can't hurt?

You know, the main thing that catches me by surprise on the day is the constant shouts from well-wishers trackside. Given the location, I am taken aback at the sheer number of people egging me on. I'm not sure who you all are as I daren’t look across, but you know it helps. The cyclo-cross community really do get behind their riders. “Heartwarming” is the word I used last time. I'll stick by that. See you all next season. Thank you.

Thanks also to our team supporters cxmagazine.com, Tidds and great to see such a show and shouts from Bioracer cycle clothing. Those jackets looked very warm guys! Face with stuck-out tongue and winking eye!

Race result 59 of 85 (cf season long goal: laugh/cry?)

The season is almost over now for most of us but never fear ‘cross fans: Get in touch with us as we have a special discount code offer for UK subscriptions to the print or digital version of Cyclocross Magazine, the only magazine desiccated to our sport. Drop us a message and we’ll send you the code.

Steve - 2014 Nat Trophy, Shrewsbury.

No Excuses.

Back in August when I was mulling over committing to a second full National Trophy, thing’s weren’t clear cut. In practice, no matter how carefully one pursues cyclocross, it’s costly in terms of time and cash. My 2012/13 season had been disproportionately intense and left me seeking a more sensible approach. So the prospect of riding the final round whilst suffering from the after effects of a heavy cold had me resigned to wrapping up,  and I’m about to say one of those things that underperformers say all the time….. ‘Just use it for training’.

Questionably, I thought to myself that perhaps riding would be worthwhile if nothing else to improve my experience and fly the www.cxmagazine.com flag.

So to avoid another whole weekend being consumed by a forty min race, it was a 5am start to travel to Shrewsbury. As we joined the A38, a major dual carriageway, the butterfly flapped its wings and the whole day started to be a case study in chaos theory.

As we glided along, silently, suddenly a rapidly unfolding situation became apparent. With cars and vans everywhere, right way up, upside down, it suddenly became apparent that we were doing seventy miles an hour on black ice. We were in the middle of an unfolding pile up. Not good. Perhaps, just perhaps cyclocross saved my life. Brake in straight line, don’t do anything sudden and come of the brakes and go round it…….. The next forty miles were done at a snails pace until we crossed out of Derbyshire and into the land of salted roads. We were running really late now. So late that we couldn’t stop for fuel, just hope for the best. Shit or Bust.

Shrewsbury wasn’t  a good course for me last year. There’s not a single thing wrong with it, It’s just very technical and it doesn’t suit me. There’s a few steeps that I struggle on and with barely time to do a single practice lap, I wasn’t really able to work out the lines or gain the confidence to hit the dodgy bits hard.

Wrapped up, gridded and bang. We were off. My start was OK, no better or worse than usual as we entered the one feature that somewhat sets Shrewsbury apart. A simple starting straight followed by a marginally ridable bank that never fails to cause complete chaos for a seventy strong field. Going into the bank I was forced to dismount and then hit heavily from behind by another rider. It’s funny the things that go through the mind, I can distinctly remember thinking ‘that feels like a Rhino’ as the following guys tread ran up my calf. I came out of the mêlée in roughly 35^th place before the white knuckle ride that is a race paced lap on a technical course I hadn’t properly reconnoitred.  

(Photo - Andy Whitehouse)

For all Shrewsbury challenges, it also rewards. Of all the Trophy courses this one has one of my favourite features. An ultra fast off camber bank section running off a wind assisted tarmac section. Try and ride it with anything less than one hundred percent commitment and it’s a big crash or untidy zero speed dismount. Hit it absolutely full on , accept that for two seconds you’ll be utterly out of control and it rewards with both wheels off the ground over the brow. Scares the living daylight out of me. Makes me grin like a Cheshire Cat…

This course is for some reason the epitome of my friend – Andrew Yee, editor of Cyclocross Magazine’s ethos…..”The best designed courses are ones where riders have to make decisions”. So many decisions to make on this course, which pit to change bikes at, to shoulder or to wheel, to run down the bank or not, to remount left or right, or high line or low line. Brilliant despite my constantly getting it wrong and a one hundred percent consistence of pants rides there.

As the race progressed, I managed to pick a few riders off and worked my way up to about twenty fifth position or so. With really muddy conditions, I had my girlfriend red lining in the pits with changes every lap and a half.

At the bell, I found myself exactly where I didn’t want to be – at the front of a group of four behind, I somehow found a strong last two minutes to drop them and come in 27^th place. Exactly the same position as in 2012…Given my stronger season this year, disappointing. Given my cold, OK.

So what did I gain from riding? Probably not a lot other than a handful of BC points, a bit more experience at a classic venue, another week of coughing and further confirmation that Shrewsbury is the most technical course of the series. But ultimately, slithering around a cross course is thoroughly good fun and as always, my cxmagazine.com team mates were thoroughly good company.

Once I’d suffered the indescribable shame of admitting to the AA man that my van had not only run out of fuel, but had done so whilst I was keeping warm in the car park pre race we were away for a McRecovery meal and less eventful drive home.

Ed's Ripley Castle CX and York CX report

New Year's day is the scene of celebration, drunken antics and people staying awake long into the morning of New Year's day. Normally, I wouldn't blink an eyelid and I'd be engulfed in this scene, with me probably ending up doing very little the following day. However, on New Year's day was the Ripley Castle Cyclocross race, a race that has been on my calendar for a long while. This gave me a dilemma: have a good race or have a good night.

Hmmmm… why not try have both? It was New year's after all…

So, after a reasonably fun night with all my mates, with 'some' alcohol being consumed, I got up on New Year's day as late as I possibly could. I'd ridden the course the previous day, so I had the gist of all the corners, straights and obstacles. All I needed to do was rock up, sign on and race. Simples! And, although I had for some reason I had woken up with a slight headache, I didn't feel too bad.

It was weird to see Ripley filled with hundreds of vans and bustling with familiar cycling figures. Normally a sleepy, tourist village only miles from my front door, it seemed the complete opposite scene to when I usually cycled through Ripley. One thing that was quite familiar was the rain, which poured down in bucket loads! I made my way over to signing on, pushing passed the many spectators and film crews (which was a different sight for cyclocross in the UK). But before I was able to sign on, I was collared into doing some filming for Look North, with a GoPro on my bike. I couldn't say no!

It was when I was riding parts of the course with the GoPro that I realised what the rain had done. What was lush green grass the previous day was now a quagmire, with almost every corner riding completely different to my recce the previous day. Thankfully, rain doesn't affect tarmac, cobbles and woodland so much, so those parts of the course weren't too different. In the race, they'd prove a welcome break to conditions similar to the Somme! But, to give you a quick insight into the course's features, here's a few words that sprung to mind: mud, steps, scaffold-bridge, cobbles, roots, disco-temple (oh yes!), adverse camber, hurdles, gravel, wood-chippings, oh, and some awesome local spectators!

The cobbles

So, onto the race. To start, I was gridded on the second row; I positioned myself behind Paul Oldham, knowing he'd set off well and would probably end up winning the race. So, as the gun went, and I broke my shivering stance on the start line, I put feet to the pedals and the red mist of racing came down. Within 100 meters, sleek, lycra clad cyclists, me included, had become mud men, with muddy water dripping from both bikes and bodies.

My start was good, and for quite a while I had contact with the lead group. But the pace of Oldham and Bibby on the front soon smashed the race to smithereens. After about a lap, the chaos settled down a tad and I found myself in a group with Chris Barnes and James Thompson.

The nature of the course didn't allow much 'working together', so it was more of a battle than gentlemanly affair. Eventually, Chris got away, but the elastic between me and James didn't break. James put in some big efforts on the straights, leaving me scrapping behind with my legs burning, but I too tried to get away, using my strength in running to get away on the off camber section alongside the ha-ha wall.

A couple of laps later, and I was starting to fatigue, and James eventually got a significant gap on me, which was helped by me being cocky and attempting to bunny hop the hurdles, which ended up with me on the ground. Nevertheless, I pushed on, hoping to catch any rider unfortunate enough to have a mechanical or crash. One such rider was Jake Poole, who I soon caught up and passed, but was obviously not 100%, most likely due to the horrendous weather.

The last few laps passed by, seeming no easier than the previous frantic laps playing cat and mouse with James. And so it was, the last lap; all I needed to do was keep up the tempo and roll home, but it wash't to be the case. Just after passing the pits for the last time, I rolled my rear tub on the hairpin bend. S***, I thought. But, straight away set off running, hoping no one would catch me before the line. I exchanged a glance with my dad in the pits, which I can only assume looked like a mixture between sadness and annoyance.

Unfortunately, I was caught by two riders before finally crossing the finish line, knackered, muddy and a bit peeved off.

After crossing the line

I finished the race in 15th position, which looking back wasn't too bad. But minus the rolled tub and the strange headache I woke up with, it would have been much closer to a top 10 placing. Back to the glueing board!

I also raced, last weekend, at York Sports Village, after deciding not to go down to Shropshire for the National Trophy. It was the third time I'd ridden the venue, with the course pretty similar to the night event I did there before just christmas. It wasn't a massive event, so I was hoping to come out with a podium position.

On the day, the course was greasy on top, with some very boggy sections before and after the finish line. Sadly, due to rolling my mud tubular at Ripley, I had to use a much less grippy tyre on the rear wheel, which made cornering very sketchy.

For the majority of the race I was playing catch the mouse. Tom Ramsey, Crosstrax, had set off like a bullet from a gun and had a 12 second gap after the first lap. This left me and Darren Binks suffering in his wake.

It wasn't until the penultimate lap that we caught Tom. I couldn't take the corners as fast as Darren and Tom, so this hampered my lap by lap gains and sometimes left me digging deep to latch back onto Darren's wheel. When the junction with Tom was made, the tempo slowed right down; it was obviously going to be a very tactical finish.

Just before receiving the bell for the last lap, I made a break for it on the tarmac section of the course. I managed to stretch out a 20 meter gap. But, turning back onto the mud I managed to overshoot, definitely carrying too much speed. Tom was back on my wheel, but I had managed to break Darren, who was still 20 meters behind us.

Tactically, I went into the sloppiest corners first, so that Tom couldn't gain any advantage with my lack of grip. This worked, and we stayed together until passing the pits for the final time. This was where I made another attack, it was all or nothing.

On the tarmac I managed to string out another gap, maybe 15 meters this time. I turned left, back onto the mud, but must have subconsciously taken it too cautiously as Tom had latched back onto my wheel. There was only 100 or so boggy meters to the line. Both me and Tom were aiming for the right hand line, which had seemed to be the fastest. Both of us converged onto the marginally drier line, but managed to collide. Tom went down, but I just about kept up and pushed on.

I crossed the line with my first ever Senior win! It was great to put my hands in the air and take the top step of the podium, especially with it being so close to the end of the season.

For both Ripley and York, I would like to thank my dad for pitting and cxmagazine.com for the kit and support. My final race of the cyclocross season will be the National Championships this weekend in Derby, then it'll be all eyes on the mountainbike!

Ed's Todmorden Race Report

Todmordennoun1 A town in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.2 A permanent mud bath, where crazy cyclo-crossers grind up cobbles, battle through mud and run up steps each year.

Every time I have raced at Todmorden, except once, there has been deep mud; thick, sticky mud that makes every inch of the course a leg busting slog. For that one exception, the course had frozen solid, which turned it into a skating rink, with some of the course removed for being too dangerous. I'm not sure there has ever been a race a Tod with dry, green grass, even for the summer series race it was a mud bath. For the final round of the Yorkshire Points Cyclocross series, it was no exception, with much of the course unridable or quicker to run, due to thick, deep mud.

After getting to the race early, I sat in the van and thought why the hell I was there. Outside, it was only just above freezing and I'd have to go and prance about in deep mud for an hour, whilst freezing my knackers off. I began to think what I could get from the race: the satisfaction of races, the ability to indulge in large quantities of food afterwards, complete my set of 7 races to count for the series, maybe get a great result… the list goes on. But, all I could think in my head was of the warmth of my bed, that I had dragged myself from to come to this muddy and cold park in the depth of the Pennines.

However, I soon realised I was being a complete wimp, pulled on my cycling gear and headed out to the course.

There weren't many changes to the course compared to previous years. The start loop took you around two waterlogged football pitches, as if to say "if you weren't cold on the start line, you sure will be now!", and then joined the proper course just after the finish line, the start of the upwards struggle. Although the first section was pretty flat, the deep mud made it feel like a 20% gradient, with it only marginally quicker to ride, over run. After a quick 'break' on the tarmac path, you hit a wall of sheer mud, deep enough to engulf your shoe and ankle, which took you higher up the valley side. Sadly, this resulted in your feet turning into two balls of mud, which made clipping in for the following stretch of path a nightmare. This path was the calm before the storm, or the hill before the mountain. After taking the sharp right hand bend at the end of the path, you are faced with "The Chimney", as it is called on Strava. A few hundred meter section of cobbles, with an average gradient of over 20%; not hard enough for you? Add in the fact that the cobbles are as slippery as ice, meaning standing up is not an option. Running is also not a good idea; there is very little room alongside the cobbles, and cycling shoes definitely won't grip them. When the suffering does end, and you reach the top of the cobbles, there is a slight relief that the course is pretty much downhill from there. The top section of the descent incorporates a tight chicane, and then small a set of steps, made possible by the course coming back in itself. From there to the pits, it was nearly all mud, which mostly was quicker to run, even with the downhill gradient. Then, after a definite bike change, you negotiated the small maze of slippery hairpins, before crossing the finish line.

Tough, but fun. Any thoughts of my nice warm bed had now long gone from my head. Time to race!

I sat on the start line cold, but focussed on a good start off the line, which is actually what I didn't get. I set off, but my legs seemed to have no go. I tried to power on, but people just kept coming past; this wasn't a good sign. I kept powering on and eventually I stopped slipping back places and actually made some advancement. I made up a few places on the boggy slog, and then nearly half a dozen on the 'wall of mud' run up. Finally I was finding some speed! After a little bit of a let up on the path, we hit the cobbles. I rode them nearly all the way to the top, but a rider in front had slipped, forcing us all the get off and run. Everyone decided to jump back on their bike pretty much straight away at the top, but I decided to run that little bit further. This gained me about another 3 places, and I was finally among my usual rivals.

The infamous cobbles

For the start of the next lap, I was alongside Ben Cooper, who I'd been very close to in previous races. On one of the running sections we joked "what a nice day for a run it was" (obviously not trying hard enough). I was with him until the cobbles, where I managed to dig deep, avoid slipping and ride all the way to the top of them. I'd managed to open a gap on Ben, and, so, set to work catching James Dalton.

I eventually caught James, and stayed with him for a few laps. Then, like I did with Ben, I managed to drop him on the cobbles. I was free to keep pushing on, with the next rider in my sights being Jon Hopkinson.

I measured my gains on Jon with the top section of the course, where it loops back on itself. I was hardly catching up with him though, and, behind, Ben Cooper was making his way back up to my wheel. I checked my watch- 45 minutes of racing gone. The bell can't be far away!

I really dug deep for the last two laps, and began to see I was starting to catch Jon. I powered up the cobbles for the penultimate time, and pushed on to the descent. That was where disaster struck; my tub rolled on the first corner of the chicane. I pulled it back on as quickly as possible, but by this time Ben had caught be up and powered on ahead. I was able to ride on my tub, but I had to take it carefully on all of the corners, which meant Ben's gap only increased.

I changed bikes in the pits, just before receiving the bell, for the last lap. Ben now had a large gap, and there was little chance of me catching him. Naturally, my pace eased slightly, and I carefully made my way around the last lap, trying not to make any last minute mistakes.

I crossed the line in 7th place overall, which was one of my best results of the season, and pretty commendable considering my start. But in my head all I could think of was the 6th place and potential 5th place I could have had, if it would have not been for my tub rolling with a lap and a half to go.

7th place though, I have to say, was still a pretty good placing, which was made even better when I found out that it had pushed me up to 5th overall in the Yorkshire Points series. 2 points ahead of Dave Morris, who I'd had many battles with though the series.

I'd like to thank my amazing pit crew, who had to work none stop for this race due to the mud. My next race is at Ripley Castle on New Year's Day; perfect for starting 2014 with.

Addicted to cross? Then check out www.cxmagazine.com for all the latest news, reviews and action from around the globe; and if you like what you see, why not subscribe and get 10% off by using our voucher code, which you can get by dropping me a message.

Ted @ National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Round 6: Shrewsbury

Ted Sarmiento reports from the final National Trophy Cyclo-Cross of the season, but whilst his body is heading to Shrewsbury, it appears his mind is back in Yorkshire. This has consequences, both bad and good!

National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Round 6: Shrewsbury Sports Village Sunday 5th January 2014

Well here we go. I’m on the road to Shrewsbury, the last event of the 2013-14 National Trophy series, along with my cxmagazine.com Racing Team DS Steve Smales, who is at the wheel, his other half Heather along with break-though star rider Sarah Murray. But I have to admit to being somewhat distracted. Not by the early-doors motorway run, you’ll understand. That's par for the course these days. No, the distraction is the result of the Ripley Castle Cyclo-Cross event, staged by my club, Harrogate Nova, just a few days ago. There’s simply so much to talk about. And then the inevitable – Whoops, that was our motorway exit! Now we’re running late and short on fuel. Not part of the plan!

We turn off on to the A38 and something's not right - blue flashing lights ahead - looks like an accident maybe? It is. One car’s perpendicular to the road. Strange? No, not really, we find we’re driving on sheet ice. The DS hits the brakes and we go into an ABS powered slide/stop. We're OK, but as we crawl on we see two more vehicles prostrate at the side of the road. That’s three separate accidents inside a mile and it dawns on us that our detour probably prevented us from being one of them. So today's blog is all about making the best of things, as we just can't control how some stuff pans out.

Finally, with barely enough fuel to park, we get to the race venue. Heather immediately sets to, hauling gear to the pits, while us mollycoddled riders set tyre pressures and change into many, many layers of racing gear. Just time for a half lap, but which half? I go for the woods section. Ooh this is fun, a trip through the woods over roots covered in sloppy slurry.

So onto the grid, and by sheer dogged determinedness I'm way off the back end. As Woody Allen once said: '80% of success is showing up'. But here's where I find my flaw: the woods are fun, but the other part of the circuit is anything but. 'Technical' I think is the fashionable term, but in reality it’s littered with unrideable off-cambers, slop (by the bucket-load) with some stairs thrown in somewhere.

All this comes as a bit of a surprise during the mass start. Then it’s the tarmac finish straight, back into the off-camber slop-fest, on to the pits and a hardpack path, then my favourite: the 'veld' section. Here I find the Sven line lap after lap by going wide and cutting diagonally across the track. I have no idea if it’s any faster like this, but it keeps me amused all race long.

Onto the penultimate lap and something very strange happens. It's not happened before at National Trophies, but today it does. I start overtaking a few riders. Not those with Pauwels’ chains or Nys’ punctures, but riders with working bikes and race numbers, and I’m not lapping them either. No, this is genuine, bona fide race passing. The leaders don’t even fluster me, much, in their futile attempts to lap me, despite Matt 'the voice' Payne egging them on to do so.

Photo by Andy Preston

So I get the bell and it's lastste, laatste ronde, at least in National Trophy terms, for this season. Off I go: just time to pick up a clean bike for the final trip to really nail the Sven line, through the woods, onto the silly off camber runs. I drag my once-again sorry-looking bike up the stairs a final time and I'm done! All six rounds of the National Trophy Cyclo-Cross series: nil points and one DNF (first ever) to show for it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/11783682915/in/photostream/

But this is a not always a sensible sport. There’s always plenty of opportunity for something to go wrong, but after the icy road incident, today we're just happy to just be here and be riding and making the best of it. We're even happier when we break out the home-made soup to accompany the hog roast burgers as we make a serious attempt at post-race recovery ahead of the National Championships, next weekend.

Thanks as ever go to pit crew Heather and Sarah, the race marshals and officials, and all those involved in putting on the National Trophy series this year. I've loved riding the series with cxmagazine.com Racing Team, and we've enjoyed further support from Tidds, Bioracer cycle clothing and those nice guys at Pedalsport and YCCA. Cyclo-Cross, perhaps more than other branches of the sport, relies on huge globs of unselfish support from so many people, it's very heart-warming.

Race result 37 of 44

For more cyclo-cross in your life please get in touch with us as we have a special discount code offer for UK subscriptions to the print or digital version Cyclocross Magazine. Drop us a message and we’ll send you the code.