Notts and Derby CXL/Midlands CX Championships, 24 Nov 2024

Kimroy Photography

On the 24th November I headed over to Markeaton Park in Derby for the midlands cyclocross championships. It was a super wet and miserable day so I knew conditions would be a struggle and when I arrived I was met with a very muddy and slippy course. Having headed over on the train that morning, I didn’t have a pit bike or any washing equipment so I knew it would be a challenge and that my main goal would just be to get round the course on the one bike.

Soon after the start the bike started clogging up with mud and as I saw the majority of other riders swapping bikes within the first lap I knew it would be a bit of a challenge! I persevered and made it round all the laps (just about!), finishing by running over the line as my wheels had stopped turning completely and my chain had dropped and was not staying on. Overall, I didn’t finish too high up the main pack, but I was happy to finish the race and gain more experience on muddy courses, as this is not something that I have done too much of before.

Abby Miller