Eastern League CX Rd 1-4, Sep 2025

It’s been a busy September for the Eastern CX League, with a race every weekend and weather as changeable as the courses themselves!

Round 1 kicked off at Springfield in Chelmsford — a fast, flat course featuring a few steps and short, sharp climbs to keep things lively.

Round 2, hosted by Hackney at Lambourne End, entailed some bumpy ups and downs across one sprawling field, balanced by a fun, twisty section weaving through the woods.

Round 3 was special as it was hosted by my own club, Colchester Rovers and marked my one year anniversary at CX racing. They did a brilliant job transforming a flat field into a technical challenge, with plenty of twists, turns, banking, and hurdles — proving that creativity goes a long way in course design!

Finally, Round 4 at Welwyn Wheelers brought the rain — and with it, our first real taste of mud this season! The long uphill drags and off-camber corners became more entertaining (and slippery!) as conditions worsened.

Across all four rounds, I found myself starting slowly but gaining confidence and positions as each race unfolded. I’ve consistently finished just over halfway down the field — a result I’m proud of, especially as one of the oldest women on the start line. With more confidence and practice, I’m aiming for that top 50%!

Now, with a short break while the National Trophy takes centre stage, I’ll be focusing on endurance and skills ahead of a gravel race at the end of October. Huge thanks to Tim, as always, for the brilliant training programmes that keep me believing I belong on that start line!

Julie Taplin