Eastern League CX Round 8, Stow Scramble, 1 Dec 2024

The 8th round and Regional Championship of the Eastern League CX series took place in Suffolk last Sunday. For me, it marked my 5th CX race, and true to form, it was another unique experience with fresh challenges and constantly evolving conditions.

The course

As we lined up at the start, the whistle was barely blown before the heavens opened. Already wet and churned up from earlier races, the course became even more slippery and fun!

The first half of the course wound through dense woods. Narrow tracks with tight, twisting turns demanded technical skills I’m still working on. For me, this section was a mix of nerves and over-caution, as I focused on staying upright rather than pushing the pace. I found the woods intimidating and learned how much practice I still need to tackle technical sections like these with confidence.

A picture from a sunnier day

Emerging from the trees, the course opened out into sprawling fields, but the challenges kept coming. Hurdles and two steep, muddy banks required frequent dismounting and remounting, testing another technique that needs some fine tuning!. A tricky off-camber downhill section, a sandpit, and a climb where a lack of traction and lots of back wheel spinning added to the adventure.

Despite the tough conditions, I stayed upright throughout the race—a small victory in itself—and overcame obstacles that would have seemed insurmountable before starting training with Tim. I finished 17th out of 24, just 60 seconds behind a far more experienced fellow 50+ competitor and was really pleased.

A weekend off next week to recover before the penultimate race of the season on the 15th December.

Happy and safe riding, everyone!

Julie Taplin