National CX League - Trinity Park Ipswich
Sun 27 Nov 2016
Bryan Holland stepped up a level to compete in the National Series CX event in the Vets 40-49 category. After being randomly stopped near the pits in warm up and having his bike ipad checked for hidden motors (he has been going rather well recently...just saying) our man was gridded 47th.
A good shoe to pedal engagement ensured some early place grabbing along with a choice to run an early series of bends with a barrier section. However, from then on Bryan found it difficult to hold wheels and started to slip back through the field. An injury in training the previous week meant that he was struggling for out-and-out power on the straights but was able to hold his own in the more technical sections. A good battle with a rider from the Bournemouth CC ebbed-and-flowed with time lost on the straights but gained in the corners until a small error from Bryan’s opponent in a sand section meant a small and defensible gap for one of those sweet mini CX race-within-a-race victories that is so much of cross.
A solid performance from Bryan, nursing a niggling injury, finishing in 49th place completing seven laps in 47.14. The event was won by Nicholas Craig of Scott Racing who won with seven laps in 39.33.