Well done the 300kers, I did it a few years ago and it's a good day out. I bet it was tough in that wind though. Someone managed to get some film of what caused that deer incident....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU
Yes I know you've seen it before but I couldn't resist it.
The roadie on an MTB adventure continued this week with round two of the Nutcracker cross country series at Aske near Richmond – 4 laps of the circuit. It is an established tradition with me that whenever I do a cycling event I always forget something of importance: shoes for example or erm...front wheel. Shorts check, longs check, jersey check, shoes check, helmet check, gloves check, glasses check, track pump check, bottles check, racing licence check, bike check, front wheel……where's the effing front wheel? In my garage at home!
And so it was at the Nutcracker, this time it was my water bottles. Facing possibly two and a half hours of racing with no liquids I wasn’t happy. Still at least I’d arrived in plenty of time so I set off to recce the course, but then proceeded to do my usual job of persuading myself what a stupid idea it was to have entered: the technical & steep descent section, the sections of deep mud (and I mean deep, mid shin), the two foot wall drop off, the steep descents in the woods section - they were nothing special but at the bottom of the descents was deep mud (someone sad it was a soft landing at least). I was considering packing up and going home. It was time to give myself a talking to. If went home, I’d be mardi all week - waste of a 120 mile journey and entry fee and besides even if I only did a lap it would be useful training and that was the main reason why I was here. There were bits I couldn’t ride but so what, I could run them and most of the circuit I could ride so just get on and do it.
And we were off. From the start it was across a field, a gradual uphill into a very strong wind. I tucked nicely into the bunch out of the wind. Then it was up a steep climb whereupon reaching the summit there were plenty ahead of me, but a quick look over my shoulder and there seemed to be about the same behind (which was nice). On the road I consider myself less than average on the climbs, indeed when I’ve raced, a bit of an upward drag and that’s where I’ll be out the back. In MTBing, however, I seem a bit more average on the upward bits. But, a bit average on the climbs and utter pants on the technical stuff does not make a good MTB racer.
Having reached the summit mid field there was what I’d call a technical descent to come, though I’m sure for some on this forum it wouldn’t turn a hair. But this is where I expected the riders behind me to queue up as I gingerly slipped and slid down it, but what a surprise, in the end I was held up by the riders in front. What a difference a year makes, I can easily ride what a year ago, I’d have called the organisers everything under the sun for expecting people to ride such ridiculous and dangerous things. It was nice to pretend to myself that to the spectators I must have looked like I knew what I was doing. Still I may be a heck of a lot better than I was last year, but I’m still no demon MTBer and as I rode the course I didn’t even attempt the wall (I got off my bike and jumped down it), I saw one chap do a forward somersault (I’d have done that) though plenty of others had no bother with it. I didn’t attempt to ride the really deep sections of mud (had a shoe sucked off though ), but I didn’t see anyone else ride them either even when I was lapped by the leaders though I think they probably ran because it was quicker than riding.
By lap two my head was spinning owing to dehydration, I was going to have to pack, shame really because I was in the race. I got to the finish and told the organiser I was packing, back to my car to get some money and then to the burger van for a bottle of water which I gulped down. I felt better and disappointedly headed back to the start line to watch. Just as I got there the last man was passing. I asked the organiser if I could jump back in the race and I was off again for another lap and during it managed to overtake three riders so at least I wasn’t last and got some useful training out of the day.
Who knows I’ve round one of the Brownbacks series in a fortnight so I might manage to finish with a few more riders behind me – that is if I don’t forget my water bottles, or my shoes or my front wheel (or my bike for that matter).
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I could afford to sit back in the granny gears on Clay Bank, Newgate Bank, the drag out of Helmsley and the climb from East Gilling to the top of Brandsby. (Seriously guys, thanks for slowing up for me on those climbs).
The thought did cross my mind that they'd all chosen to do the 300, surely not. Apart from Dave I'Anson, Dawn , Steve and Bernard I think there was only Dan C and myself from the regular Clifton riders. Ended up riding round with various groups of riders with Dan in a group just in front. It is a nice route especially around the bits through Brimham rocks. Got back to Wiggington just after the allowed time for audax average speeds though 