Rampage Series Round 1

First win of the season

Looking at the state of the Mountain Mayhem course this weekend I was very glad to have not offered my services to anyone. I did, however, book myself in for a far shorter session of mud surfing at the first round of the Rampage series based in Checkendon. The course is short at about 2km and when dry the racing should last about 1hour. Although it was definitely not dry, it was holding up pretty well for the most part. The first section of singletract after the start as very slippery and kept making me think I had punctures because I was finding it so hard to keep in a straight line! The final section was also pretty tough becasue it was the only part of the course that had got baddly cut up and was very claggy and slow progress. The rest of the track was still running firm and quick.



A muddy bike, just in case anyone's in any doubt what that looks like



 I felt shit on my practice lap, probably due in part to the body weight in scones and chocolate deserts I had eaten the day before at Emma's college garden party. Not exactly great race preparation! Off the start i actually felt pretty good. We wer started together with the Elites, Masters and Vets so it was important to get good track position early. I was about 5th into the first right-hander with Dave Wadsworth (Beeline Bikes) on my left. Unfortunately he is bigger than me and I found myself forced off the racing line and into a deep boggy strip. I avoided crashing but had to completely stop and wait for an opportunity to get back onto the track after just about everyone else had gone through. I had to wait until the course opened out again for the opportunity to pass a few riders but I soon caught Ryan Keynes (1st Gear) and Rich Johnson (loughborough Students) who I knew were my main competition. I rode with them for about half a lap before making a move in the boggy section at the end of the lap. I didn't want to tow them around so I kicked hard to get a gap and when i glanced back crossing the start finish I could see the  move had stuck. Over the next couple of laps I started catching sight of Trevor Allen (Ergon24) which acted as good motivation to continue pushing. I knew I was leading the Expert race so I rode hard but cautiously because I didn't want to make any silly mistakes that could lose me time.

After 1 hour 20 of racing I finished 1st in Expert which I was very happy with. It's my first podium this year and it's always nice to get a little trophy to add to the collection! Next up is the final round of the Southern XC series at Frith Hill near Deapcut while the final big races of the season, the conclusion of the National Series and the National Championships are starting to loom large.