South-West Rd 2 Newnham Park
Yesterday I raced round 2 of the South-West ‘Circus of Dirt’ series down in Newnham Park. Newnham Park was one of my favourite courses, although recent incarnations have shaken that somewhat. The course yesterday however was the cream of the Newnham crop. At 9km, the world was Jay and Maddie Horton’s oyster and they created a loop which went out the back of the grounds, exploring tracks I had never seen. Plenty of singletrack, techy climbs, fireroad climbs, river crossings, it had it all.
My start tactic come together perfectly. Starting down a fireroad into a headwind, I choose not to really sprint and let others lead it out. Coming to the first singletrack I could play a new card in my armoury, getting in first knowing I could ride it smoother and putting hurt into my rivals trying to hold my wheel. It worked perfectly and by the first climb I already had a gap and to my surprise, a considerable one at the first lap of 3mins over a 24min lap. The rest of the race went well, although relatively long, to finish around 2hr10 and 11mins on second place. After my win at the last round I am on for the series so hopefully the next two rounds can be as successful.
No comments:
Post a Comment