Bigfoot MBC

Was totes amazeballs! Working on the principle of racing yourself fit…

How much easier cycling is without having to do any of that daft running business as well! You even get the chance to sit down, which at my age is very much welcome. Racing Veteran category (40-49 summers experienced) is much more civilised as all the old men don’t go so bloomin’ fast…

Schweet Schweet singletrack, nice day for it too

Cracking weather today with plenty of sun, complimented by the awesums course at Tunnel Hill. Think of all the best bits of Cranham and FOD singletrack, when they are riding at their best, and then string them together to make a race course It’s all sandy and dries out well giving some perfect woodland riding conditions.

Swapping my extra light inner tubes for some standard weight ones (an additional 130 grams overall!) I was rolling on Rocket Rons which were perfect for the conditions. I’m even getting used to the new fangled Clown bike too which can be still be hustled down the trail at a fair old pace should the need arise.

Kicking off at a very civilised time of 11:45 the Veteran class was the largest peleton of the day holding 71 finishers. Keeping out of trouble at the far left of the usual mass bundle at the start, I soon took my place in the large trains that formed to snake through the most excellent singletrack.

Wiggly-wiggly-round and round. Great course, and in great condition too!

Perhaps too much singletrack as passing became rather tricky in places, although fluffed gears and general riding like a jessy did let you pick up quite a few ‘free’ places. Much schooling in the art of how a Bigfooter rides schweet schweet singletrack was handed out, along with some demonstrations of how an old git wheezes uphill…

Probably my favourite part of the course was a snaking 6ft deep trench, about 200 yards long, that saw you pinballing from side to side using the walls as  huge berms to rocket down the trail.

“Did I mention…?” Yes I think I probably did…

Oh, and did I mention the cool singletrack?

I had the usual to and fro with people around me, some of whom I managed to leave behind, some of whom managed to get away from me. Altogether I managed spookily consistent laptimes (25:41, 25:34 and 25:39!) which is weird considering the inevitable traffic that you’ve got to work around on the first lap.

My heart rate trace, I think we’ll count that as a pretty full on race with no slacking being done

Final count of 16th overall out of 71 riders which I’m pretty pleased with, it might even by my highest ever finish in an XC race too

Roll on 3rd March for the Crowthorne Wood round which I’m hoping to do provided my legs haven’t fallen off from doing the Malta Half Marathon (don’t ask) in the mean time. Do let me know if you fancy giving it a go…