3-hour Cross Country Mountain Bike Race
Newnham Park, Plympton, UK
Sunday 18th February
"Three laps in, I was closing on the lead, then, disaster struck.
My gears stopped working, saddle rattled loose, back screaming, legs crying, I grinded the pedals to just keep moving."
Newnham Park, based in the South West of England, is an iconic venue for British mountain biking. Hosting World Cup races in the 1990's and 2000's, national series races and national championships. Just mention Newnham to racing regulars and their faces will light up as they share tales of the famous features - "bomb holes, "cliff climb", "pipeline" and "cottage return" to name but a few!
The "Newnham Winter Wake-Up" is a 3-hour cross country mountain bike organised by Steve Hodgson from the South West Mountain Bike Series. For me this event is a great opportunity to bank a hard training session and develop skills under race conditions.
Rolling into the bleak racing arena on a dull, and damp February morning I knew we were in for a long day of racing in the mud. Rob accompanied me on a practice lap, taking it really steady, studying line choices, and noting sections to take on-board nutrition.
Kit change, bike wash, nutrition prep, there was no time to get nervous, before I knew it I was sitting on the start line ready to go. The format is simple, start gun fired, clock set, keep racing until you hit 3-hours. Each lap 4.5 miles and I was expecting to complete at least 5 of them.
After the madness of the sprint start we hit the first climb, a steep tarmac ascent followed by a long drag through a soggy, boggy field, pedal churning, struggling for traction, progress is slow, but it gives an opportunity for the race to spread out before we hit the narrow sections of singletrack.
The course delivered a little bit of everything. Flowy singletracks, steep, vertical climbs, technical descents and fast open sections to make your move or quickly cram down some nutrition.
The main feature of this race was the mud. Flat sections became power slogs, steep ascents became un-rideable and the descents were a slip and slide with mud covered tyres struggling to claw onto any grip.
After the first lap I was sitting in third place, the legs were feeling good but it was going to be a long day so pacing and nutrition would be critical. Halfway through the second lap I progressed into 2nd place as the leading girl had crashed and had to abandon - a stark reminder that this was about the long game and anything could happen.
The toughest part of the course was by far the slippery off-camber section which became impossible to ride, cutting my losses, I opted to run. Quickly, the mud accumulated all over my bike, the wheels stopped going round and it became a dead weight, using all my strength to push forwards. I thought I would never get out of this section, but these are the moments where you have to remember that the conditions are the same for everyone, the most important thing is to stay calm and keep going.
Three laps in and I was closing in on the lead, but disaster set in. My gears stopped working, my saddle rattled loose. Stuck in a hard gear with a wobbly saddle, my back was screaming, legs were crying, and I was grinding the pedals just to keep moving forwards.
Approaching the 3-hour mark the lead rider was slipping away from me and with my bike in the condition it was in, chasing her down was now out of the question, it was a case of damage limitation and making it to the end. As I entered the finish arena after my 5th lap I looked down at my Garmin to see 2hrs 57mins, this must be it now, finally I can finish and get off this bike.
"2nd place - last lap"
You cannot be serious? Another lap?
I screamed at Rob
"My gears aren't working. I can't get out of this big gear"
I kept moving forwards. By now my bike had just one gear. I had to walk the hills and was spinning out on the flats. It was a long 35 minutes but I made it to the finish line, exhausted, frustrated and mentally drained.
Today was one of those days where you just had to keep going, try and make as few mistakes as possible and grit it out. Many competitors didn't even complete the course so I was really pleased to take 2nd in the elite category just 2 minutes behind XC mountain bike racer Davina Mclelland.
A tough race, but on reflection, Newnham delivered everything I wanted. An opportunity to practice racing in muddy conditions, test nutrition, build mental resilience and dial in the equipment.
Racing was fun but now it's time to get back to work and start preparing for the XTERRA season!
The photos for this post are provided by:
F Stop Media
More information on mountain bike racing in the South West can be found here:
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