Welcome to the forum

Essex Roads Cross Race

edited September 2012 in Road Racing
Starting off in the morning it was a blistering 24 degrees then in the afternoon it was a scorching 30 degrees. With cyclocross its normal to have no bottles on the bike, you are able to have bottles handed up and have a bottle on your bike if its hotter than 18 degree's, and today was defiantly hotter than that!

Starting off with the U12 ( I wasn't at the course at the time so I wasn't able to see and cheer on CC Ashwell)

James Fraser finished 6th in the u12 race with only one other u10 finishing in front of him-Ben Tullet (his brother is a national champ in cyclocross and road!)
Helena Dyce finished 14th
felix field finished 24th in the u12 race, and 9th in the u10s

In the u14s
daniel maynard finished 3rd, (welwyn wheelers)
noah field finished 17th

in the vets and woman race
Mark wyer finished 21st,
stuart filed finished 28th
phill keen finished 32nd
jackie filed finished 34th (4th woman)
Anna Fraser finished 50th (9th woman)

senior/junior/elite vets
I can comment on this race as I raced in it, I drank almost 2 bottles before we had almost started. I was cycling to the start line so I went to through my bottle at my mum but missed terribly, throwing it with my left hand, whilst moving (I didn't judged the speed which I was going at) well anyway the bottle went flying and crack someone square on the head-luckily he was wearing a helmet.

so we started the race, us first year juniors were gridded at the back of the field(78 people on the start line). I started, getting through every little hole which I saw to move up the filed. The first lap was quick just like the youth races which are only 30mins but this was an hour, wondering how I could keep this speed up, I over took a load of people, for me the massive hills were my strong point, this was my advantage of having a triple at this course, I as you do I put it in the granny gear and I flew passed people. for the first 3 laps I wasn't able to have a drink as I dropping the bottle which was being held up. After half way I noticed people were beginning to fade a bit, so I was able to continue to move up the field. with 4 laps to go I felt pain in my back and my core but I was able to concentrate on the race and put the pain aside. with 3 laps to go more people had slowed up, so seeing a load of people in front of me just encouraged me to go faster to over take more people, on the 3rd lap I was lapped by the leader, so the next lap was the last, I dug in the hardest I've ever dug and over took 5-10 people, and the finish was a sprint finish with this senior which he sat on my wheel for a whole lap! i just pipped him looking at the results.

josh marnard (welwyn wheerlers) finished 12th
I finished 24th-3rd junior
theo finished 26th 4th junior
bryn finished 55th 7th junior but he had several mechanicals as his chain kept on falling off as he was going up those massive hills

a Massive Thanks to the support out there today. and a Well Done to every one who competed!

Comments

  • edited September 2012
    Ben Tullett is 12 yrs old in fact, so James was the U10 winner today and Felix moves up to 8th placed U10.

    Jon is certainly not exagerrating the steepness of the Basildon hills - you actually need full climbing gear to get up them...

    image

    Mark F
  • Good report Jon. Well done on the result - sounds like you had a good race. Maybe Mark should include bottle throwing practise at the next X training session :-)

    I think its a shame for the ladies racing because the results are always slightly skewed but not in their favour. They start 2 minutes behind the men but this is not shown in the results. They are also stopped with the men if thay have been lapped without taking the 2 minutes into consideration.
    So for jackie today (who was just lapped before the end) it meant she did a lap less. Cosequently there are some men - probabaly me included who she would of beaten - but this does not show on the results.

    She is pleased though as she was 1st Vet women and walked away with some prize money.

    This was also Noah's first time racing as U14 on the adult course which was a big step for him.

    Stuart
  • Great reporting guys, the hills were as bad as described only steeper. Jon missed mentioning the main CCA result of the scorching racing. This was that I came 57th in the same race as the juniors! That’s only 2 places behind Bryn (let’s not dwell on the 3 minutes that also separated us). As an Elderly Vet, or E/VET 45+, I got the pleasure of racing for a whole hour. Furthermore I wasn’t last and even lapped 2 people. Without being too harsh on myself it is fair to say there is some room for improvement!

    I love cyclocross races and especially liked the start of this one (the first of the season) as I got gridded ahead of Theo. How I laughed. It won’t happen again of course.

    Thanks to our fantastic CCA team; supporters and riders. It is just brilliant being part of a club racing right through the categories.

    Daniel
  • Hi All,

    Yes, a great day out and a very good report from Jon. Despite my first claim to WW, we (the whole family) are all still fully paid up members of CCA and it was great to see everyone out in the different races. CCA are definatly a club that is being recognised both in CX and other formats.

    I apologise if I was a little stressed yesterday. having gone through five tubes without finding any reason i was somewhat dehydrated and finger sore! Daniel I still owe you for a tube, thanks for bailing us out.

    Richard
  • edited September 2012
    No problem Richard, a pleasure to help. I paid £2.68 for that tube, but to be honest I'd prefer an equivalent tube than money. How is Michael Parry? (He fell and needed medical assistance).

    Daniel
  • This what we like to see; go MARK!
    Mark Wyer
Sign In or Register to comment.