Round 2 of the Gorrick Spring Series was at the original Gorrick track of Crowthorne. The journey up was cold, but at least the sun was shining and no forecast of snow like round 1. At this point everyone seems to be getting used to racing again, and there is a mixture of testing the heart rate and keeping an eye on competitiors. Basically still trying to get the racing legs back.
UK Biking had a good turn out today, with riders in the Vets, Super Vets, Masters and Super Masters. By the way, the only thing ’super’ about the super events was the fact that it involves an extra lap! Not so ’super’ some would say…
Once again the turnout on the day was good at 600 plus overall. The weather, although a bit on the fresh side for those in the feed zone (thanks Claire!) was bright and sunny. The course conditions were icy, but dry and very fast all the way round. This was definitely reflected in the lap times.
The fast uphill start at Crowthorne is always a bit of a shock, followed by the downhill fireroad section to really get the speed up and separate some riders. The course overall is always great to ride, dipping in and out of tidy singletrack sections as well as the infamous Quarry and Corkscrew. Definitely one of those courses where you have to keep an eye on your lines.
The fun of Gorrick on this day was the staggered start Super Masters, Super Vets, Masters and Vets all at intervals, the first three, 1 minute apart. On this day Shep managed to get the better of me catching up on the second lap. Both Shep and Rich (as many others) even managed to go off piste for some of the first lap. Probably locals trying to mess things up again! Luckily with laps published on timelaps, it’s easy to see what the times may have been.
Shep overall seemed to have a good first race of the season, not far off the front and finishing in 2nd place by the end.
Rich put in consistent laps for a solid performance landing high up the field, especially if we consider some adjusted lap times. On this particular day his little brother didn’t attend, but I’m sure he would have put in even quicker lap times.
In the Vets Mike Radders had one hell of a day, and even with some light mechanical problems managed to get a top 10 finish in very respectable times. Mark Fry wasn’t actually that far behind in the Vets race.
Overall some solid performances, with still more to come, You can’t help finishing these races thinking you need another 30 seconds per lap!! On to the nationals or round 3 for the next step into another season.
Results on the day were:
Darren Shepherd - 2nd Super Vets
Rich Lang - 15th Masters
Simon Lesser - 13th Super Masters (closing Shep?..)
Mike Radburn - 9th Veterans
Mark Fry 32nd - Veterans
Pics to follow..
