Eastern League CX Rd 9, 19 Dec 2021

After coming back from Uni I entered a cross race purely because the course looked fun. The latest round of the Eastern Series was a very windy wooded course, with a few straight sections on the grass that were relatively slick. Having been ill and stressed I set no expectations on myself. Being gridded 2nd row was nice and I had a solid start, getting up into the top 10 quickly. What then followed was an amazing case of no legs for the next hour. The course being so technical was to my benefit as riding it cleanly closed gaps in front of me that had opened on the straights. I can thank lots of Peak District mountain biking for the improved technical skills. Miraculously I clung onto 14th place. For next time I’’m going to try to be well rested so I can give the appropriate beans required for CX.

Ollie Maynard