Eastern Cyclocross League 6 - Hillyfields Sun 13th Oct 2013

I was the sole North Road representative in the Eastern Cyclo-Cross League this week (with the others opting for the Central League action).  Hillyfields is a good course with a mix of fields, tough short sharp hills, wooded single track and wooded descents and ascents. It does however have a tendency to get muddy and with the rain falling for a couple of days and the vets using the course in the morning,  the mud was very much to the fore. 

 Lap one saw the usual furious pace to get a good place into the first hill and through the mud track around the first section of  woods. Riders knew that areas would be un-rideable further back as the bottlenecks would slow them down too much to make it through, a determined decision to run early and long seemed to work and saw a number of places gained.  The race settled down on lap two and although there was a lot of sliding happening and lots of falls seen all seemed to be going okay.  Then about half way mark cornering on a down-hill muddy single track to see the rider in front lain across the track, cyclo-cross brakes being what they are (i.e. non-existent), I was left with two choices -  thorn bush or riding in to strewn rider and bike.  So thorn bush it was then!  After a brief battle to extract myself from the bush and then extract the bush from front wheel I was off again but with more running in the mud now required given the loss of momentum. The delay meant I was dropped off the group I had been in and was left to battle the mud in isolation to the end of the race, finishing 39^th of 65 starters.