Eastern CX League Round 9, 14 Dec 2025

I was looking forward to riding at West Stow after having some practice sessions in the Autumn. As I rode the course in practice, I was aware of a couple of areas where riders were having difficulty. I felt confident in myself as long as I wasn't held up by other riders. I knew the course would favour cyclocross bikes and had to use my skill on the bends where I could gain time.

I was gridded 3rd row feeling tight with my MTB. The whistle blew and I had an absolutely awful start, ending up in last place.

I had to fight with everything I had to gain position. Riders were falling off in front of me on the bends, the sand pit and technical areas. The course had lots going on and the MTB was at a disadvantage on the fast sections. I stayed with a small group of ladies but there was one rider that I was having paticularly hard time getting past due to continuously putting a leg out on every bend. I saw an opportunity coming up and knew I had to take it to get past her just before the finish. I gave everything to make sure I got over the line in front of the group.

🥉3rd/9 Masters 40-49yrs, 9th/23 overall Ladies. I'm so pleased with my results.

Thanks Tim!

Sophie Lee

Tim Phillips18 December 2025Cyclocross, Cx