Cross racing

Having spent yesterday coaching at a women's 'learn to ride' programme I was feeling really inspired about women and cycling. The group had gone from wobbling and falling off at corners to massive grins as they made it, not just round corners, but up steep hills and down scary leaf-covered descents.

I was equally inspired to see so many girls at todays cross race. I'd told my self I wasn't going to be allowed to play the 'endurance racer' card today. I was going fast from the gun and that was that. And I did! Despite the mud, I was loving the course and felt like I was properly racing, flying down the descents and over the hurdles and powering up the hills. As a mountain biker (albeit not a great one) the mud was in my favour. I heard a lot of people commenting on how technical the course was but it was great for me. A cross bike (or different tyres) would have been better as it was hard work cutting through the really deep stuff. But all in all, it was fine. Til a twig got caught in my disc brakes and chucked me over the bars. It took me a while to find and, when I did, involved me taking the wheel off to get it out. All valuable time lost in a short race.

Still, push on and get that time back...I'm still enjoying it....

Til my gears stop working.

Then I hear a very loud CRUNCH.

As I carried my bike back to the start line, the number of broken mechs was really quite staggering. Poor, poor bikes, this was one cruel course. I was ready to copy one of the kids from the under-10s race who had flung his bike down in disgust at how sticky it all was.


It took me over an hour to clean my bike and it's still looking pretty sorry for itself. Lets just hope I can get it all fixed in time for my flight to Spain on Tuesday. I'm so excited about dusty trails and sunshine, I'm really all a bit over this mud.

And when I come back... I've got a new biking 'friend' on its way. SO EXCITED!