Finally things started to come together in a National Trophy race for me this year.  Whilst 27th probably doesn’t sound altogether impressive, it signalled that I’ve started to shake off the demons that have delivered me to three dreadful rides in the premier UK cyclocross series.

It was a superb course - the hardest I think I’ve ridden for a few years - with slippy corners leading into rutted muddy bogs and some classic off-camber twists and turns made nigh on impossible by the thick mud.   I was just in a much better frame of mind than i have been for most of this season’s races and i didn’t panic when I fell three times on the first chaotic lap, fighting for places in a packed, panicking string of riders.
What capped it was that Rob Jebb, my Wheelbase team mate, won ‘our’ first ever National Trophy race, on a course that was suited to the stronger riders.

Race report and photos here.

I only rode my first North of England champs last year but really enjoyed it. It’s a good atmosphere and it’s a mid way between the lower key regional races and the just-too-hard National Trophy races.
This year’s race was held near Beverley in the East Riding, at Bishop Burton Agricultural college. It was a good venue and the opinions were mixed about the course. From my point of view, I thought it was a cracker, because it was the first muddy, leafy race that I’ve done this year (despite the wet autumn). The field sections were heavy going and the course only had a couple of bits of relief in it, but I was ready for a slog like that.

By the time the forty of us lined up, I was ready to race and well prepared, and even had a very good start (4th into the first corner), but it all went bang - literally, when my rear tyre punctured on a large pothole about a minute into the race. By the time I’d carried my bike and ridden some sections on the flat tyre to the pits area, I was in last place and suddenly was faced by a new game plan!

I’d worked out before the race that, given my form and the other riders competing, I was not going to repeat last year’s 7th place, but hoped for a top ten. Now, in last place some five minutes into the 60 minute race, I really had my work cut out, big time.

Thanks to some great pits support (thank you, Billy, Jack and Mick), I got my spare bike and then changed (mud clogged) bikes each lap in order to make up as much time as I could. It was good for morale passing so many riders so quickly, but the momentum gradually levelled off and I couldn’t close down on the two riders stopping me from my top ten place. 12th on the day was more than satisfying, but it was annoying being lapped.

Wheelbase won the team prize for the third year running, this time without my help!

My brother Phil rode his first ‘proper’ cyclocross of the season at the weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. His Three Peaks race was the last race he had done, and he rode at the South West race in Escot Park without any preparation other than enthusiasm. Muddy conditions looked fun. Well done, Phil.

Well I wouldn’t say that it was a waste of time, but it was approaching it. Two and a half hours of travelling each way for a course that was just abysmal and form that just didn’t materialise on the day. I finished 35th out of a field of 49 starters, and after a pretty good first lap, i soon succumbed to just not being able to keep myself rolling smoothly and went into the red somehow, not seeming to recover.

Again, I couldn’t close down small gaps on the riders in front after ten minutes of racing and again a cycling god from the low countries came and made the UK cyclocross scene look so amateurish. This time is was David Willemsens, Belgian Amateur champion who rode round the (exceedingly dull) Leicestershire course with ease, lapping most of the field.
After a win in the North West league last year, and wins in two of the four NW races I’ve ridden so far this year, the natural thing to do seems to progress to the top level of competition in the country (and it’s the right thing to do, given the generous sponsorship we’ve had from Wheelbase, SIS and Gore bike wear), but this step is so big, and it’s frustrating that there’s nothing in between!

It was a good chance to catch up with my team mate (and lift share) Lewis, who, conversely, seems to be really getting it together this season in the national trophies. Good on him.

I had the psychological uplift of another cyclocross win on Saturday at the Liverpool Century ‘cross Otterspool Park.

Adding to the euphoria was riding my new frames, Columbus X-Wings, (click on image, right) which felt very nice indeed (though, of course, it’s not about the bike).

As if that wasn’t enough, a total cycling hero Ben Greenwood was riding cyclocross for the first time and finished in third spot. Now I’m not deluding myself about being better than him, no way sir, but I was in this discipline on the day. What an amazing feeling!

As with my previous wins, you sometimes feel like it’s more about who didn’t turn up to race than who I beat, but you can only beat who’s there.