Rob's early season cross report

After a successful first road season, Rob McCarthy is now taking on his first cyclo-cross season. Here's Rob's report of how it's going:

26th September Wessex league Swindon (7th place)
A reasonable start to the season

Results
1st Jody Crawforth Hargroves Cycles
2nd Stuart Bowers Hargroves Cycles
3rd Crispin Doyle Swindon RC
4th Mike Cotty Cannondale
5th Andy Hargroves Hargroves Cycles
6th Scott Chalmers Dream CC
7th Robert McCarthy

3rd October Blenheim Cross (3rd place)
Blenheim was my first good result of the year, the course held up well despite the heavy rain, and only moderately muddy.
The course consisted of as many corners as the organisers could fit into two fields, the highlights of the course were two tight spirals that put everyone’s slow speed bike handling to the test, I had to work my way through field due to a poor gridding but I had to be reasonably pleased with 3rd place

1st Stuart Bowers Hargroves Cycles
2nd Crispin Doyle Swindon RC
3rd Robert McCarthy

10th October Wessex League Newbury Showground (3rd)
Newbury was a difficult race after cold conditions the week before, the course was baked with sunshine, I got a reasonable start, but my legs felt like I had overdone the training leading up to the race, With no real long drags or power sections it was never going to be my favorite course, I spent a lot of the race battling with Peter Kench for 2nd place but in the end he got away. I was not that satisfied with my performance knowing how well my training was going.

1st Matt Macdonald Hargroves Cycles
2nd Peter Kench GWR
3rd Robert McCarthy

24th October Wessex league Bill Higson Memorial Cross Prospect Park Reading (5th)
I have always liked racing at Prospect Park, ever since my cross-country running days. The course is a fairly technical, on the side of a hill covered in woodland with greasy muddy corners and lots of camber. I got a great start following Jamie Newell line through the first muddy hill, then pushed hard to the front of the field, after about 1.5KM a group of five formed with Jamie Newell leading up the steepest hill section, riders who were unable to ride the hill quickly fell back. l followed by Stuart Bowers, Crispin Doyle, Adrian Lansley, me, followed by Duncan Jamieson and Mike Cotty.
As the race went on gaps started to develop, I continued to ride as hard as could and finished a hard earn t 5th, I was happy with the way I rode, technically and with my fitness coming on.
1st Stuart Bowers Hargroves Cycles
2nd Jamie Newall Corley Cycles
3rd Adrian Lansley Pedal on
4th Crispin Doyle Swindon RC
5th Robert McCarthy
6th Duncan Jamieson Leisure Lakes
7th Mike Cotty Cannondale

31st October National Trophy Series Chantry Park, Ipswich (25th
I had no national ranking points so I had to start at the back end of the field. I got into the cleats straight way, sprinting into the first corner, trying to avoid any pile-ups.
The first lap was eyeballs out, trying to gain as many places as possible, as the race went on I settled into a good rhythm and kept making up places finishing 25th,
The pace was a lot faster than any regional races I had done, With 4 Belgian racers taking part, a top twenty in the National Championships is defiantly my aim.