Sunday’s race was at the iconic Redbridge Cycling Centre (formerly Eastway). Although I’ve ridden a road bike for many years, CX is very new to me (this was my 3rd race) and I’m still getting used to the quirks of handling a bike on slippery slopes, mud, and grass and believing that the bike can stay upright even over the mixed terrain!

We arrived around 11:15, giving me plenty of time to sign in, watch my husband’s race, and take a couple of sighting laps before my own 1:45 start.

On the whistle, 23 women from all age categories set off for the immediate uphill start. Sprinting isn’t my strong point so I was probably around 16th when we turned left onto the first grassy section. I could see Alex, a fellow Colchester Rovers rider with much more experience, just ahead of me and aimed to keep her in sight to pace myself through the first lap.

The course was demanding, with short, sharp climbs that required quick bursts of power, a long descent that offered a brief chance to recover and three sections of adverse camber to challenge your balance and nerves. Even though I’ve only been training with Tim for 2.5 weeks I could feel the benefits of the sessions paying off—I knew I could hit those efforts, recover quickly, and keep going rather than backing off too early thinking I couldn’t hang on.

I managed to overtake a couple of ladies on the 4th and 5th lap which made me work and crossed the line as the first rider in the 50+ category (out of 3 women 50+) and 13th out of 22 finishers overall. Redbridge was an incredible course to test my skills, push my limits, and feel that rewarding thrill of overcoming each new technical challenge.

Here’s to the next event on the 24th!

Julie Taplin

Eastern CX League Round 6, 9 Nov 2024

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