MTB Varsity Race, 19 Feb 2023

On Sunday it was the annual Oxford-Cambridge Varsity mountain biking competition. An irony, I know, considering that neither city is renowned for its elevation. Unsurprisingly therefore both teams travelled down to Frimley Green in Surrey to compete at the Gorrick XC Winter Series.

It was a beautiful day for the race, bright sunshine and very warm for February. I went into this race fairly nervous as I had only spent about two hours on my mountain bike over the last 6 or so months (and those two hours had been in the last week). Not only was I worried about my lack of technical ability compared to the year before when mountain biking had been my main focus, I was also concerned as last year I had won and was keen to repeat this victory.

After a fairly successful practice lap, I felt more confident going into the race. It’s a mass start on a very tight course so getting a strong position early in the race really matters. I went off quick (maybe too quick) and got near to the front of the pack. Though the varsity results are gender specific the race in itself is mixed which makes for an interesting dynamic as the men do four laps of the course whilst the women do three. After setting off fast I had hopes of holding my male team mate’s wheel. About half a lap in I realised this was a mistake and backed off as I reckoned blowing up in the first lap was not an advisable strategy. The course was quite technical with a lot of rooty climbs and tight twisty descents as well as a longer pedally section. Last year I had struggled a lot with the steep technical climbs but this year they appeared to be my forte which I was particularly pleased with. The downside however was the downhill sections where my lack of practice really became noticeable. Last year this had been one of my strengths whereas this year I lost a lot of speed round the corners which then had to be made up for. Despite feeling as though I was struggling a lot more in the second half I was surprised to see the consistency of my lap times which were all within a minute of each other.

Overall the race was tough physically and mentally so I was pleased to come away with a win again (even if it was a bit less convincing than the year before). It’s great to have the first of my season goals ticked off so early in the year!

Maddie Angwin