Hempton CX

dhadsley

Thought I'd write the report this week as I doubt any of the Vet 50s hands have thawed out enough yet to be able to operate a keyboard.

Round 9 took us far north to Hempton, or Glorious Hempton as Daniel would say. A very strong biting northernly blowing in off the North Sea meant that racing was going to be tough today. Some great results in the U10s and U12s with a win and a 3rd for Louis and Ethan respectively. The youth didn't let the side down with a win for Harley and a season's best finish for Sam.

After watching the youth I retreated to the car to warm up and the heavens opened, just as the grown ups were about to start. Full on horizontal rain and even sleet at one point. I didn't get to see any of the race but Top Ten Tim was obviously going well and what looked like some good battles between the other CCA riders. Well done to you all, that looked brutal (from my car!)

Hempton is a gem of a course and is hard to improve upon, but heavy rain and the promise of mud manages it quite well. A quick change of tyre strategy and I took the line for the Vet 40s. Iain and Dan were absent today but I'd managed to persuade my friend James from Hemel that a 2 hour plus drive to the Norfolk coast was worth it. He agreed. We had a great race with him just pipping me. Great racing in muddy conditions on a great course.

Senecio [Daniel D]

One of the many delights of cyclocross is the great variation in courses. Inevitably this means people end up having favourites - mine is Hempton.

I arrived today to be greeted by a worried looking Hadsley “There’s no run up, they’ve had to cut it”. I was gutted. Whilst it was cold with a biting wind the rain was on holiday. On the sighting lap the infamous run up was indeed absent, but of more concern was the absence of moisture in the ground - not mud but loose earth. This was looking worryingly not like Hempton.

However as the tension grew for the gridding of my race the sky turned ominously dark and by the time we’d taken our jackets off the rain had decided to join the first row and was throwing biting rain and then hail at us. Now this was more like it!

The course responded in the way dry earth does to deliver us first rate mud and consequently exquisite racing. The loss of the epic run up proved not to be a major drawback.

Chapeau to Tim - a top ride indeed.

After cleaning the bikes and getting changed I was indeed cold to the core. I had to stop at the cafe in Swaffham Waitrose and get Mark to pour a gallon of delicious warm coffee into me. That did the trick.

I regret to say I have no idea of what happened in other races, but the results look good.

So in summary, glorious, Hempton delivered.

tduckett

Ooof, that was indeed a cold one! My hands and feet were suffering at the end. Sorry not to watch any of the v40 race and cheer on Davey Crocket but had to take shelter in the village hall with a chilli dog.
Top fun though and interesting to see the course change dramatically in 40 minutes. Pleased with my 10th despite ending up at the bottom of the ditch before the road on the last lap.
Also good to see we won the day again thanks to Harley, Jackie, Louis and Ethan.

tduckett

Even Hector rode the mighty Hempton!

Stuart F

I think we enjoyed this. Quickly becoming known as hypothermic hempton in this house. Always cold here. Rode the new course well on intermediate tyres but by the time the rain had done its thing muds were the order of the day. Too late for me to change though. Great fun but freezing. Spent the next hour and a half in the car warming back up whist waiting for Noah's race. Totally missed the v40 but Looks like it went on a bit meaning the seniors started late.

dhadsley

Great pic of Tim

tduckett

That makes it look even worse than i remember it!