Well what a fantastic day's racing, I really thrived on every second of this race. All night it had been chucking it doen and driving down to the event there was standing water all over the road, so we knew this was gonna be a wet one.
At the start missed the grip placing as I turned up a bit late so managed to sneek my way up to the second row of the grid.
At the whistle is a mad sprit along a sloppy wet field straight in to the woods, muddy water was being sprayed everywhere and I couldn't see a thing so just kept peddaling. Bunny hopped across the small ditch and honket it up the side of the next field and splash straight through the deepest puddle of the course, a few riders scirted this so I managed to nip past them.
Sharp right turn into the woods and there was carnage on the really steep cross camber decent, I managed to ride through this around the bodies and upside down bike strewn across the muddy ground and out to the next open section.
I could see now that I was up to 4th position and then before I knew it I was up to 3rd. Through the woody sections it was super slick and slippery and people where having all sorts of problems with traction, my bike was sliding sideways lengthways well all over the shop but I managed to keep the wheels turning and propelling me in the right direction.
There was just one section of the course where I had to dismount as I found this much faster than actually trying to turn the cranks round up the steep double bank.
The fast open sections where very slippery and I was continually changing lines to get the best grip, spray from the front wheel got worse with speed so in the end I was just squinting my eyes to keep the mud out along the fast bits.
On the third lap the second place man had his tub roll off so now I was up to 2nd position. Spotted Mike Anton with his camera snapping away at me with my tounge hanging out, I was really loving the conditions, they seemed to really suit me, it was bringing back memories of my motorcycle enduro riding days where I always liked it wet and snotty in the forests.
There were loads of spectators cheering us on and especially when they saw I made an extra effort to get up the banks without dismounting. I just fell off the onece on that really technical off camber decent, I think a rider had fallen infront of me and I just clipped their wheel so I slid down the bank on my arse, which was very funny and not really painful at all because of the soft mud on landing.
Passed Mark L and Aoden who almost de lapped himself on one of the climb, I can honestly say Aoden was the hardest rider to overtake.
Last lap and I just prayed that I didn't have a mechanical, so there I was at the finish with a second place.
I was so chuffed and glowing from the race, but mega filthy, so to clean off I just jumped in the large pond right by the finish and cleaned off in there, I seemed to be the only rider doing that though.
Sylv was so dirty after the race and couldn't see a thing, it was so funny he stepped backwards and almost fell over his bike.
The new bike did me proud today and didn't miss a beat although was making some strange noises from the rear cassette/ freehub area, but I think everyones bikes where doing the same thing.
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