Team Focus MTB 2010/2011: Southern XC - Crow Hill

A flying trip to the UK, quite why, we don’t know! Adrian invited us over to round 3 of the Southern XC series in the new forest. Bob has raced there last year and promised a great course with great racing. Bob picked me up 30 mins late, on Saturday afternoon, let the stress begin. Loading Evan into the back was easy (30kg), and off we go to the airport.

Jez, getting to the UK is so easy now. We were off the plane and in the car so quick! A little scare on the way to the rent-a-car when Bob decided to take a short cut down a bank and ended up over the bars on an airport trolley, a worlds first surely! All carbon intact, we load the car and 1.5 hours in the Skoda and we checked into the ‘Swan Inn’ for good food, beer, and just in time to watch the Engerland goalie fumble the ball to end up 1:1 with the USA in the world cup….would they lose to the Irish tomorrow?

A fine breakfast and sunny weather and a short hop in the car we were at the race venue. Stunning countryside and uber dry trails awaited us. I really was a super casual day. Sign-on, unloaded and build the bikes, pre lap and relax in the sun. The course was great, a 20min loop on singletrack, kickers, corners, dip, yumps, lumps the lot.

Probably 600 riders in total, but less than 20 in the elite field meant not much traffic. At 2pm we line up, 2^nd row grid beside legend Nick Craig, gulp. Bang, off we go, into the SPuDs and I’m away, fast fast fast, up the first kick, a couple of elbows and I’m on Bobs wheel…..in the first ST and I’m 3^rd, deadly…..kicks and sprints ahoy and its real fast. After ¼ lap I decide its job done regarding the start and I settle in to the race….a couple of guys pass, Stu Bowers, Nick and Chris Minter, I stick with Chris and hope for the best….

4 laps pass and I am still with Chris, good racing. I dig a little more and I pull about 15 secs, but I am suffering, real hard! I hold it going into the last lap but ½ way around, Chris digs and passes me, I have no response, the back is gone, the legs are gone…..real hard. 7^th it was then, not too shabby at all. The icing on the cake, Robin makes it to losses in a row for England, taking 1^st place, an easy win for him on a course that has his name written all over it! Adrian 2^nd,good on ya. Evan came home in a fine 10^th, not too bad at all. Load the bikes, drive back to the airport, a couple of hours later I am in my bed, nice one!

Thanks to Adrian for the invite and Amber for doing the bottles, I hope to come back for more SXC races, great setup and atmosphere.

Good video of the race