Eastern CX League Round 3 - Hog Hill

A truly chameleon course always awaits at Romford, with very different layouts every year.  A tough race is always guaranteed due to the demanding terrain.

Steve ‘Stjin; James was our only rider in the Vets +50 race.  Steve reports that “on the warm up I decided this would be a difficult course for me with all that technique required (off camber descending/slow speed cornering/‘kin steep hills). I started on the second row, got a reasonable start, but lost some places on the drag up to the turn into the course. Settled into 20th place at end of first lap. Riding the course got better as I got used to it and made my way up to 17th by penultimate lap but a sudden ill-timed return of knee pain meant I could barely turn a pedal in anger and was on the point of packing. However, the winner went past me just before the finishing line meaning I could crawl over for an eventual 18th place”

In the Vets 40-49 race regular CX’ers John McDowall and Bryan Holland lined up.  A massed gathering for a chat and some flower pressing at a muddy choke point early in the piece split the field comprehensively.   Both rode a testing, technical, climbing course -perhaps not best suited to their strengths - well with only some minor blemishes for solid results.

Three riders in the seniors.  Jobe Usher, Matt ‘Van Der’ Crees and first timer Mike Heponstall.  Sadly, Mike missed the call up for the start but was allowed to join the race although he punctured and ended a difficult first introduction to CX.   Jobe suffered a fall but stuck to the task in hand Matt continued to show his stella improvement of the last few seasons.

Steve James was 18th in the Vets+50 (47 starters)  Bryan and John in the Vets 40-49 where 18 and 25th (56 starters)  In the hour long Seniors race Jobe and Matt achieved 14 and 16th out of 28 starters.