FNSS

For a bit of a break from the usual diet of evening time trials and intervals on the turbotrainer, Rachel and I decided to head to the previous round of the friday night summer series. The race venue was based around the tracks in "Boyes Toyes" which had previously been used for round 1 of the midlands series, and made for a superb short track XC race. There were a few short climbs on the course but we seemed to make the most of the limited elevation, the course definitely seemed to go down more than up, and there were some superb sections with 180-turns and a choice of ruts to use to get around them. After a busy day at work, it was so nice to let of steam by going around the course as the sun got lower in the sky, and even better to see most of the Over the Hill guys at the race too.

I signed on, lined up a little too early with the other guys, and then ended up not making it onto the front row for my race, so had to make a few "unorthodox" overtaking manouevres to get forward in the group. My main aim in the race was to try to lap Rachel and to avoid getting caught by Jef who was starting 3mins behind me. As i edged forward through the over-excited crowds, i did come across a couple of people who were less than happy to let me pass - including one guy who made a huge effort to speed up when i tried to pass him before a narrow, nettle-lined section of the course. After a brief burn through the nettles, which stung a surprising amount, i made another effort to get past, which he couldn't answer, and by the time i got the tree-covered section of the course, he was way back and holding up a long line of other riders. I never understood the mentality of people who try to sandbag you regardless of obvious differences in pace, it seems so unnecessary and egregious - i don't think i even put the guys in my own category through that kind of a nuisance. But maybe i should....

Anyway, having survived the starting lap, i settled into a decent rhythm, pushing a lot harder than i usually do in an NPS (the FNSS are half the length) and really enjoying riding each section of the course as fast as i could. As i started the last lap, i saw a flash of red following me through the trees - Jef was closing in - we passed each other and gave shouts of encouragement, and i concentrated on trying not to get caught. and just made it to the line with a few seconds to spare (more i think because Jef wasn't trying very hard, rather than through any last lap heroics i had left in me), and Rachel was waiting there looking a bit pink from her efforts - not quite, but nearly!

We hung around in a field for a bit eating ginger and chocolate biscuits, watching the sun go down, and waiting for the prizes for Jef and Rach, and then pootled home for a nice dinner and a well-earned sleep, in my case to dream my way around the course one last time! I loved what was really my first grass-roots racing experience of the year, and i'll definitely be back for more later in the season.

The rest of the weekend passed in a blur of gardening and riding my MTB around cambridgeshire, punctuated by memories of a weird white, lumpy bridleway, apple pie with ice cream in Saffron Walden, and my first crop of raspberries from the canes in our garden. I do love summer time!