Eastern CX Rd 11, 29 Jan 2023

This was my first race ever on a bike and I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve been riding offroad with Tim and our local group over the winter and we had done a few short sessions on CX skills. Even so, I felt I was not prepared and convinced myself that didn’t want to be the last one or to crash. I rode a bike that wasn’t even mine, as I had damaged mine on one of the rides. I had the opportunity to ride some parts of the course before the race. I was terrified! I don’t normally get scared but the mud, the hills, the descents and the little trails felt very daunting.

I started at the very back and had a slow start…most of the riders pushed hard and disappeared ahead of me. The course was tough but I persevered and carried on until the very end, completing 4 full laps! I felt that being chased by the same person until the finish line really helped me to keep going. There were parts of the course that were unrideable because I was scared of falling (which I managed to do on two occasions) but I ran and pushed my bike hoping not to be lapped too many times. The race was an amazing experience, my whole body hurt the next day as if I had been beaten up! Although, that made me want to train harder to improve all the skills I need. All the ladies in the race were kind and very supportive! I highly recommend having a play in the mud!

Thanks also to Tim who came along to support (and wash bikes) and to Katie who took the pictures (and lent her bike).

Alba Vidal