Eastern League CX Round 5, 11 Oct 2026

Round 5 of the VC Revolution Cross Eastern Cyclocross League was a blast!

Snagged 1st 🥇 in Masters and landed 5th out of 17 overall in the Ladies' category.

Rolling into Sudbury, I was immediately struck by how gorgeous it was, even with all its ups and downs.

After my sighting lap, I felt pretty good, like there weren't any major surprises waiting for me.

The whistle blew, and I started near the front, the course was pretty bumpy! As soon as I hit the first steep downhill, my chain popped off. All seventeen riders zoomed past me, and I just wanted to throw in the towel. But then I remembered last week, when the same thing happened, and I still managed to secure a place.

So, I started picking off riders one by one. I was pushing super hard but felt really strong. On the last lap, I finally caught up to the leader in my age group. I felt amazing and tried to pass her, but she just sped up. So, I stuck to my plan and just stayed on her wheel, knowing I just needed to chill and wait for my moment. I figured I'd get her on the next climb, which was in the last quarter of the race. I was so stoked and felt strong, I still can't believe I went from last out of seventeen riders to finishing 5th overall and 1st among the Masters ladies!

Sophie Lee