Dulwich Paragon held a cyclocross race around Herne Hill today, I'd thought I'd go to keep my hand in and get some good training for the remaining London League rounds.
Andy Waterman and Kevin Knoxx laid out a super ridable course round the track which got rather slippery in places, we rode the in reverse direction to the early season race so had a nice downhill ramp right next to the Herne Hill sign, you had to make the turn at the bottom or else you were straight into the brick wall
Good start and for the first couple of laps was swapping places with phil Cooper blue sky cycles, then he just seemed to pull ahead of me and I couldnt seem to get enough traction to keep with him.
Lapped Brian Taylor on the last lap, he said he was gonna get me back on the Tuesday Elmers end chain gang
There I was in second then Matt Seaton mosquito bikes had a spurt on mid race and caught me on the infield, he took me and got a small gap, I was pacing myself like in a time trial and before I knew it I had caught Matt up, I sat on his wheel till the bell then attacked, once I got the gap he didn't come back so I finished in runner up position.
During the race had great encouragement from all the female supporters especially Maria, I think I'm going to invest in some cross tubulars cos the winner was able to run his tubs at 20 psi compared to my 45 and gain a great traction advantage in the mud:o