London Cross League - Waltham Abbey Sunday 25th November 2012

The most local of cross races bought out what is possibly a record attendance of North Roaders for a cross race in the history of the club(?)  A torrential week long spell of rain had made conditions very, very, very wet.  Think wetsuit instead of skinsuit, pedalo instead of cross bike, Waterworld instead of High Plains Drifter, Moby Dick instead of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, planting rice rather than maize, aquatic mammal rather than land going herbivore.    You get the picture, it was REALLY wet.

Inevitable in such conditions there where casualties.  John McDowall sheared a rear mech on lap one-and-a-half and was joined a little later by Michael Atkinson when his gears just saw sense and gave up.

First home, racing under Shorter Rochford colours, was David Vaughan in 58th place.  Bryan Holland, no stranger to the hour long cross race, also impressed in 71st.  Dave Kiely, in his second cross race of the weekend,  was next home in 74th. 

 Matt Harris continues his steady cross improvement in achieving a very respectable 92nd position.  Eric Pailet, on an ‘old skool’ style MTB, came in 101st.  Hannah Ormesher on non-mud tyres managed a slip-slidy 107th.  

Sometimes just finishing is a platitude handed out rather too easily,  but here just finishing  in such conditions was really achievement enough.  There where 131 riders bonkers enough to start, with 13 DNFs.

Again a quick mention for Joe Kiely who came home in second place in the Under 10s category and shows all the signs of getting that elusive first win under his belt sometime soon.