Eastern CX Rd 1, 26 Sep 2021

The first race of the season at Springfields in Chelmsford was really warm and dusty. There was a brief rain shower in practice but it quickly dried out again. The course was fast and dry with three sets of stairs and one set of hurdles per lap. Over the 10 lap race these proved challenging. The start straight was wide so allowed me to get up there early on, avoiding the inevitable crash. I rode at first lap pace for a while and then took it down to a pace I could sustain. At this pace I caught some riders which I'm pleased with. My back started hurting going up the stairs mid-race which wasn't great. Once I was back on the bike I could get the seconds back. I rode very consistently and maintained my place well. I got 12th in the end which as my first senior race I'm very pleased with. For next time I'll practice running as lack of run fitness definitely slows me down.

Ollie Maynard

Library photo: Sarah Kelman