Ben and Micheal ride the Wessex League Cross

New boys Michael Guilford and Ben Marx report back from the latest round of the Wessex League cross race:

Michael:
"Needless to say it was cold, and wet. Pedal On had done an excellent job of setting up the course, despite one person ending up in A & E...
A small field of 30 seniors turned up. The start was long and wide so the group quickly split up, Adrian Lansley leading straight away. I kept thrid position and in sight of adrian for ~2 laps, but the two leaders gradually stretched a big gap from the main field. It was down to a following group of about five of us, which i was leading on and off. A few slips lost me time, in particular the one slippery steep climb that was nearly impossible to run and three(!!) sets of hurdles (i didnt get unclipped in time). I eventually finished in 8th place, which was a bit dissapointing after a good start, but serves me right for thinking I could get away with only shorts, jersey and no specs. The onslought of moderate hypothermia, and the organisers nearly calling an ambulance rammed home some the need for race preperation!"

Ben:
"Had a good ride on Sunday with only a couple of spills and a bent front wheel courtesy of Hargroves ride. I dont know what happened to Michael after the race, he was wrapped in a blanket and was being taken to a hot shower. He rode well though and finished 8th.

My first foray into cross riding can only be described with one word, muddy. Following a very wet week the course that was laid out on Park land that was very greasy and proved to be very technical. From the start the pace was fast and two riders Adrian Lansley (Pedal On) and Duncan Jamieson (Leisure Lakes) got away after a couple of laps.

After a couple of laps of getting settled into a decent pace I found myself fighting it out for tenth place. With four laps done I decided to part-company with my bike a couple of times and slipped back though the field finishing 19th overall.

Things to remember for the next race:

Warm up. Don’t sit in car because its raining. A pressure washer ( I think I was the only one that went home with a muddy bike).
Don’t ride off camber corners at full speed and expect to be upright at the exit."