Eastern CX League Regional Championships, 23 Nov 2025

Eastern CX League Regional Championships, Old Buckenham, Norfolk

Old Buckenham delivered classic cyclocross conditions for this year’s Eastern CX League Regional Champs: wet mud, sticky mud, slippery corners and rutty off camber. After the heavy rain earlier in the day, the entire circuit had transformed into a full-blown mud fest.

Going in, I’d set myself a personal goal. Last year I’d been forced to dismount on the short, steep banks because I didn’t yet have the skills or confidence to ride them. This time I wanted to at least try to stay on the bike for some of it. But the course had other ideas. The rain had turned those banks into frightening mud demons, and I simply didn’t have the answers for a lot of the technical features. There was a lot of walking, running, carrying… and, if I’m honest, dragging the bike through sections where “riding” just wasn’t happening.

However, it was fun. A lot of fun! There wasn’t a moment to worry about race position—my only job was to keep moving forward by whatever method worked.

One thing that made a world of difference: I had the honour of being loaned a pit bike by a very kind friend (as shown in the photo!). Not only did this make me feel like a full-blown professional (hehehe!), but it also meant I rolled out on a beautifully clean bike for each of the four laps.

Somehow, despite the chaos, I actually did pretty well—7th out of 21 riders across all the female 16+ categories and 1st in my age category. I’m putting that down to the bike changes and the fact that those cycling sessions with Tim must have translated into some sort of ‘off the bike’ form as well.

What a crazy, beautiful sport!

Julie Taplin