A disappointing season continues as I have had technical issues and made mistakes in all but one the races this month.
Starting in Cannock Chase for the fifth and final round of the British National XC Series. On the Saturday morning I competed in my 2nd ever Short Track. I had a decent start sitting in second on the flat and fast course. About halfway through disaster struck as I went down a wee bump my chain snapped and with no pits I DNF'ed.
On to the XC the next day, after an ok start I crashed in a racing incident after the second corner so was last into the single track with very little overtaking for a while. The course was decent with a few interesting A lines such as a rock garden and quite a lot of single track. After a race long battle moving my way through the field, I came 6th. As the last round of the British National Series, however after my crash and my turbulent season I only came 4th.
After a few weeks off racing we came to the British Championships at Tong, a venue that has always provided a great course. Starting with the Short Track on the Friday on a slightly muddy and fun course. I had a good start then sat in third for the majority of the race. Just after the start of the last lap there were some decisive moves which put me in 2nd. It was then all out for a lap where I held onto 2nd.
On Sunday was the XC on a fantastic wet and muddy course with some major A lines, such as a big rock drop onto a rock slab. The race started well moving into 1st with a small gap in the first half lap. However after a tactical error on my behalf I was caught by 2nd and 3rd. We sat as a group for a lap and a half before I made a small mistake and fell, getting my bike stuck and causing gear issues which plagued me for the rest of the race. Now in 3rd because of my crash I began chasing, gapping 4th I worked my way back into 2nd when the current 2nd placed rider punctured. In 2nd with a small gap to 3rd and 4th, I started the last half lap where disaster struck, and my rear wheel fell out completely causing me to fall back into 4th where I finished.
This month has been a disapointment after disappointment with the only highlight being a 2nd in the Short Track Champs. Although disappointments are hard to deal with the most important thing we can do is learn from it. Whether it be checking your bike properly, sticking to your tactics, or forgetting equipment. I know where I can improve so I can do better next time.
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