Eastern Cyclo Cross league - Springfield Sun Sept 16th 2012

A full compliment of the North Road cyclocross gang turned out for the second round of the Eastern Cyclo Cross League held at Springfield, Chelmsford.  Whilst last week’s race was held on a course that put the S into slog; this week’s was designed to put the F back into fun.  A double playing field layout that managed to pack in a plethora of twists and turn, four lots of stairs to run up, some tricky off camber work, and a small undulating hillock that was traversed at multiple angles to add to the giddying amount of steering input demanded during the race. 

The vets +45 race, held over forty minutes, contained the Old Guard of Tim Brown, John McDowall, Steve James and Dave Kiely.  After getting over the shock of being asked by the pits commissaire if they had any ‘attendants’ to assist in the pits, the guys lined up  and where all gridded in the first three ranks.   

 Tim didn’t get one of his usual rocket man starts, slightly stalling in the start area, before igniting the afterburners so that at the end of an extra long first straight he was fourth into the first bend.    The other guys held position well and the long wearing down process began as every slight mistake, on an interesting circuit, cost time and places.   

John and Steve forged ahead of Dave, and both just managed to keep the rampaging Tim in sight.  With Tim ahead battling with the leaders, and Dave holding station behind John and Steve for two laps before fading towards the back end of the race, the main focus (at least of this report)  became a truly epic battle between John and Steve.    Like two prehistoric mastodon battling for a mate, it was no quarter asked serious stuff.  Steve was cornering like a demon, and John was going well into his ‘vomit zone’ to try and hold off, and then hold on to his team mate as he nipped past and built a slight lead.   But the gap slowly closed, and with a third of a lap to go a slightly laboured climb of some steps by Steve allowed John the crucial moment to get by and build the slenderest of leads over his teammate.   The battle, sure to be re-told for eons to come,  went right to the line as a hard charging Steve just failed to pass  a wilting John by half a wheel.

Good results all round for the North Road boys then.  An impressive second place for Tim ten seconds  behind the winner Dave McMullen, who completed five laps in 32.20.  John was 13th at +2.25, with Steve 14th at +2.27, both achieving their best placings in a cross race.  Dave was 23rd at +3.13.   In the vets +45 Tim was first home, John sixth, and Dave  tenth.  Steve as a +50 vet came seventh in that category.  There where 61 starters, with two DNFs.

Hannah Omesher was our sole entrant to the women’s race that started a minute behind the male vets race.  With eighteen riders racing it was a much larger field than Hannah faced in her first ever cross race last week.  The more race friendly climatic conditions and with some lessons learned form last week, Hannah managed to pass some of the riders that had bested her last week.  Eventually achieving a very commendable tenth place, a lap and 0.53 down on the winner; Anna Buick of the University of Manchester who completed five laps in 34.33.

Bryan Holland and Matt Harris, in his inaugural cross outing, where the North Road entries in the elite vets category that races for an hour mixed in with the young bucks.   Bryan managed a reasonable start off the third row of the grid that helped him avoid the inevitable delay for the back of the field from a crash which happened on the first lap coming round one of the technical turns on the far field.   Bryan, further up the field than Matt, was engaged in a multi-lap tussle with two other competitors.  However,  a few technical errors such as correct gear selection for obstacles, and a lack of practice of the   ‘get off – lift – carry – place down – get on – ride’ procedure,  cost him placings and he eventually lost touch late in the race with the riders he was battling.

 

Matt was ‘enjoying’ his first cross outing, and seemed to be pulling all the requisite faces.  A mechanical issue with his saddle cost him a lot of time on lap four, but he battled on manfully to finish his face race outing.

Bryan came 41st (+1 lap and 1.05) , Matt 73rd (+3 laps 2.52) down on the winners Hayden Wood who raced nine laps in 55.14. There where 83 starters across three categories of riders.  Bryan was 17th in the elite vet category.

A final mention for young Joe Kiely who competing in the under 12 category achieved 13th place out of 46 riders, and was fourth in the under 10’s.  Particularly impressive was some highly skilled bike re-mounting that more than showed up the efforts of the watching North Roaders.  One to watch for the future...