Eastern League CX Round 10, 25 Jan 2026

Judith Parry

Milton Country Park. This weekend marked my last CX race of the season, as I can’t make the final round next week.

The course was properly technical, with lots of short, sharp climbs. Some I could just about grind out on the bike, but a few defeated me and turned into running sections. Typically, the ups were quickly followed by steep downs, which meant I often didn’t have time to clip back in. I spent a fair bit of the race navigating descents unclipped — which definitely added an extra layer of excitement, especially when there was a tight turn or some slippery mud waiting at the bottom.

I remembered the off-camber sections from last year, and although I can’t claim I rode them any better this time, I did at least approach them with significantly less fear — progress of sorts!

I’ve been working on getting out of corners faster, so this course gave me plenty of opportunities to put that into practice. It’s nice when training actually shows up in a race, even if only in small ways.

The support around the course was wonderful. Quite often I could hear people shouting for the ladies just behind me, and it was a great feeling when those shouts gradually became more distant. Best of all, I managed to catch the rider in front on the final lap, which always feels like a little victory in itself.

I was lapped by the lead rider on the penultimate lap. It was a short course and, with my less-than-ideal technical skills, I knew it was likely — but I was still a bit disappointed when it happened.

In the end, I finished 8th out of 17 riders overall, and first female in the 50–59 category. That also means I take the prize for the whole league… although it’s worth noting that I was often the only rider in my age category! Overall, it’s been a great season. I’ve definitely improved in fitness thanks to Tim, and in confidence thanks to lots of extra practice with some good friends. Just the fun relays to go on the 8th of February, and then the CX tyres will be put away for another year. It’s been a blast. 🚴‍♀️💥

Julie Taplin