London Phoenix

The Skoda is a substitute VW (as has been debated this week)

(I am now slightly envious having seen a bit of the course)

Getting the pro experince Playing on ipad in chain hotel

Why were you not in the bar with me, Bruce & Steven?

Trip to the bar was a welcome diversion. Weather looked like it would be a nightmare but after an initially damp V Women's race it brightened and the the V50 men's started slippery it dried as wind and sun did it's job. Plenty of work for the pressure washers though. Results are in V50 Neil 38th, Bruce 39th & Pat 45th. V40 Damian 37th & Steven 62nd. Tough course with lots of off camber and steep ramps with dead turns. Lots of really deep mud too.

Great day out in Abergavenny , really lucky with weather as turned into a really nice day . Great venue and a tough course bit to twisty and turny to suit me but can really feel I have been in a race so must have been trying despite less than stellar result.

Star of day Isla Rowntree for comprehensive win in Vet Women's race on one of her own bikes.

Connie loved it that Helen Whyman was riding course when she was warming up and generally was a great day out

Big thank you to Chris C for pitting for me really appreciated . Made a huge difference getting a clean bike though not sure my lack of technical ability merits it.

I very nearly didn't go to Abergavenny. A creeping cold from wednesday onwards saw me lying low for the following few days. On friday morning I actually typed an email to the event organiser cancelling my place but then something made me hold on. I then watched the women's race at MK again, and decided against sending the email, before riding into work. Felt ok, body and lungs alright, though still a bit congested and bunged up. I'll go and if I feel worse in the morning, well it needn't be the end of the world. Buffetted by strong winds on the M4, drove into the same half way services as Matt W, in good spirits, then passed him again later (he lost use of his windscreen wipers in the gales!). Arrived, checked into a humble hostel and went for some ales. If I was riding I wouldn't be firing on all cylinders anyway! Dinner was a pizza from a take-away in which Matt made a reappearance once more (not for the food, he's a pro!). In the morning rose with a crokey voice and drove over to the course in the dark, met Matt, and did a reccie lap. A good course that we anticipated would only get worse throughout the day. I then returned to bed for an idle morning. After mid day returned to the course with my pit monkey Jason on my second bike. Very attentive he was, though in the end not needed for my race, luckily. Helpful in team Stven however! The weather was good! And the trails had dried out a bit. Gridded fifth row, then off we went. On the first lap I got to around twentieth, a fair start, albeit at full lung capacity. On a good day I like to think I'd have stayed there or more. I then settled near the limits of my strength as throughout the race ones or twos passed by dropping me down into thirty seventh ultimately (or nineteenth in my age group, which sounds a little better ). But I enjoyed it, so glad I went! A great course, with a fair few enjoyable corners that took some consideration in getting round efficiently. The back straight was worst with claggy mud taking us into a wind tunnel. Others grumbled about their average races, due to mishaps or handicaps, but on the whole we were lucky with the weather and such a fantastic course and atmosphere! A few more ales in the evening and a decent dinner in 'The Angel' before my throat once again strangled me. Watched the pros from mid day onwards - great! Before hitting the road for a return to dirty old London!

I did my best to keep Jason busy on your behalf Was set to assist if you'd come in, but you barely even looked at us - though you looked greyer each lap. Great result though at that level I thought.

Great weekend but ultimately a bit disappointing in terms of race and result.

The fun started on Friday night with a slog down the M4. Work got in the way in the afternoon which meant a later than planned start. By the time we got to Reading services, we were out of the London rush hour traffic but slowed by the increasing winds. Bruce and Cal appeared through the doors of the service station and we agreed a rendez-vous of Chippenham for dinner 90 mins later. Progress was then slowed again by the lights going out at the service station and our inability to fill up with diesel, so 20 mins later we again pulled off the road. Imagine my surprise to see Molly’s bike literally hanging off the roof of the car! Without the power cut and the additional stop, we’d have lost it and probably caused carnage on the motorway. Phew! A quick call to Bruce confirmed we could stick all the bikes in his big VW so we crawled to Chippenham with bikes flapping on the roof in the wind, relieved to have made it with cargo and personnel in one piece!

Race day! After a suitably greasy Premier Inn fry-up, we arrived in Abergavenny to see our friend Hilary take 2nd in her category in the Vet women race. And then it was time for some practice laps. The course was slippery with some tricky off camber turns, lots of dismounting and a couple of sections of deep mud that just seemed to get deeper as racing progressed. Neil, Pat and Bruce went off in the V50 race, then Molly did her bit in the U14s and then it was time to get straight for the V40s…

I was gridded on about the 6th row. I couldn’t see the front but did spot Damian a couple of rows ahead. Having crashed at the start of my last two races I was a bit nervous, especially as I found myself positioned against the curb on the road (National races start on tarmac). Off we went, flat out up the hill and fortunately without incident. Through the pits onto the bank at the top end of the course and my day started to unravel as I lost my balance when a rider stalled in front of me and it took a moment to get going. In the Eastern League I might have got away with it but at this level, a dozen riders shot past. Further round the first lap, I came off on a sticky off camber and lost another half dozen places. Not going well.

The race settled down a bit after that and I felt like I was making up a bit of ground. The wind had dried the course so it was slightly easier to ride than early on but still slippery on a couple of tight corners, plus the hurdles were now within an ankle deep mud section. I had a good battle with a Manchester Wheeler and a fella from Cotswold Veldrijden but then I crashed again and knocked the rear wheel out of line so it would hardly turn. I managed to limp to the pits to find Chris and a fresh bike but again lost all the gains I’d made in the previous couple of laps. At that stage, without the shouts of encouragement from the LP-ers and some of the Eastern League regulars at the side of the course I’d probably have climbed off and gone for a pint.

I crossed the line with exactly the same result as Derby last year, frustrated at the ride more than the placing. It just didn’t happen on the day but I’m sure plenty of others could say the same. A hard race with a really impressive standard of riding from most. The course was good, pretty technical and a wide range of skills needed. Perhaps not as gruelling as Derby last year but equally tough. I’ve said it about 15 times already but thanks to Chris for being the LP Pit Monkey; a great effort. Better riders than me had far less support than I got.

So a cool event and, as usual, a great experience. Fitness permitting, I’m keen to get to more Trophy races next year so there are more chances to do a decent National level ride rather than leaving it all to January.

For those that missed Sunday's fun here's the S4 link to catch up. I was told there'd be a highlights of Saturday's races too & as the Seniors isn't up yet there may still be a chance to see ourselves falling off on TV

http://www.s4c.co.uk/en/sport/clwb/

BruceMackie wrote:For those that missed Sunday's fun here's the S4 link to catch up. I was told there'd be a highlights of Saturday's races too & as the Seniors isn't up yet there may still be a chance to see ourselves falling off on TV

http://www.s4c.co.uk/en/sport/clwb/

I've stolen and wiped Saturday's tapes. That broadcast won't happen

Which is easier to understand - Welsh or Flemish?

When it comes to sports commentary they are surely as easy as one and another?

What's Welsh for 'kop van de wedstrijd'?

Pennaeth y ras of course.

But what does rownd derfynol mean??!