Round 7 of the London Cyclocross League took place at Happy Valley near Falmer hosted by Preston Park Youth CC. It's based in a country park, so the grass is fairly forgiving (more playing field than farmer's field) so it's ideal for novice riders, but also good for those with some experience under their belts as it means the course can run fast for those with enough skill to do so.
It was a sunny day and we had a good turnout from the KVK: Albert, Hope, Ellen & Polly, plus Gareth and myself. The KVG were out in force too with Lisa and Cathy joining Liz for a first and second race respectively. As an added bonus, Toni turned up with a gang of young riders from various clubs, they'd ridden down from Hildenborough and beyond and spent some time spectating and catching up with friends before heading back.
Albert was first up and despite being gridded was disappointed with his result of 5th place, he was of course aiming for 1st ;-) (I don't seem to have any photos of his race I'm afraid). He concluded that he does better when he's not gridded.............
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| Early on, Hope chasing Ellen |
The Youth A/B race saw Hope, Ellen and Polly all racing together. Ellen and Polly had both recently returned from Iceland so were understandably feeling jaded, but Hope was on fine form as she demonstrated by beating them both! Ellen put up a fight, but Polly resigned herself to defeat early on in the race. Hope took 3rd in the Youth B Girls, and Ellen and Polly were placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Youth A Girls.
Next up was Gareth, riding Trixie (her second race of the day), he got a cracking start and held his position well in the field while Albert and I ran from point to point, counting riders and shouting encouragement. It's one of the best thing about cross, grown men and women being cheered on by their kids. Gareth finished a respectable 25th (?) in a strong field of 69 riders.
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| Lap 1? Polly still ahead of Ellen |
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| 3rd Youth B Girl for Hope |
The final race of the day was the V50M plus all the adult female categories, this includes me! I started at the back but worked hard in the first lap to pass a few riders before we got to the trickier sections. It worked which meant I didn't get help up in the wooded section or through the first few downhill bends and ascents. I caught up with Liz and managed to pass her, only to be overtaken by her later in the race. I managed to regain my position and finished about 12th Woman.
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| Ellen 2nd, Polly 3rd Youth A Girls |
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| Me, demonstrating the zimmer frame push |
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| Great turnout from the KVG |
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