Rapha Super Cross - Alexander Palace Sun 27th Oct 2013

I hadn’t even heard of cyclocross until five months ago and had only started riding a road bike in May this year, but thought I like the sound of it!  So in August I decided I would get a cyclocross bike and see what I was missing out on.   I had planned to enter races prior to the Rapha Super Cross, but with family commitments it had been difficult.  My cyclocross training had been limited but I was determined that I would still race the Rapha event.  On the morning of the race I was extremely nervous not knowing what to expect and my biggest fear was actually finding the courage to start.  On warming up around the tricky tough course I still wasn’t sure if I could do this especially with the gusty wind that day.  My main aim was to finish the course and gain as much experience as possible, but the competitive streak in me didn’t want to come last.

I started at the back which is pretty much where I stayed the whole time.  As the race started it wasn’t long before we were into the first decent, a tight corner, and heading towards the spiral of doom!  A battle with some girls had begun and I managed to overtake a couple in the spiral of doom, almost knocking a rider off.  Then the hurdles came, which I successfully dismounted and vaulted,  helping me to keep ahead of the girls I had just passed. 

 Then it was through the woods with no sign of my team mate Hannah Omersher who had completely disappeared out of sight.  I had managed to whizz down this section as it was fast and flat.  Once out of the woods it was up the first grass climb and I sat in behind a couple of girls where I tried to hold onto their wheel.  Then it was another climb through yet more woods, still keeping with the others girls before a further off-camber climb.  It then eventually turned downhill on to a very windy flattish part of the course, before another climb round a group of trees and a down hill off-camber section.  I was still managing to keep up with my small pack of girls, two in front and two behind.  Then it was the tricky section, downhill through the woods, managing to keep on the bike on the bumpy, muddy, slippery track and coming out to the start line.  I had made the first lap but was thinking when will the pain all end... 

The second lap came and went and I had lost the girls in front on the climbs but was now battling with the two girls that where behind me.  By the time I got to the hurdles on the third lap they seemed to have grown another foot taller -  or it was the simple fact I was so tired at this point to jump them?  By the time lap five came I was pretty much on my own going around the course, which had become very chopped up now.  The hills had almost beaten me and there was no time for recovery on the tricky descents.  The off-camber downhill section got me on my last lap and I came sliding off after taking the corner to tightly.  I jumped back on, the finish line was almost in sight, one last tricky decent through the woods and I was almost there.  I had done it and it felt great it was over.  I had great support by other riders lapping me, who told me to keep going, as I struggled on parts of the course.  Also, great support by friends who came to watch.   Will I race cyclocross again? Absolutely! I’ve already entered the central league race at Rangers next week.

By Louise Rodosthenous