Thetford Winter Series Final round

Sunday saw the last round of the Winters series at May day meadow Thetford. With an amazing week of weather the weekend was hotting up to be more of a summer haze than the usual mud of ice fest.

I hadnt planned on riding the final round but given I had a 8th position overall and the missus had a days holiday I thought I had best dust off the disco slippers.

Plenty off training miles had been done as I was deep in my training plan for the 24hr solo champs so I should have had the legs.

Rolled up Sunday nice and earlier an got out for a lap of the quite short 6mile lap, but happily was much more technical than the last round taking in parts of the black route and the always entertaining double shocker (which had already caught one victim laying holding his head on the practice lap).

With sub 30 min laps is was looking like a 10 lap day. So headed off to the start and as gridded this was a causal affair. We were off a pretty fast xc pace averaging around 16/17 mph for the first few miles I backed off knowing that 14/15 was more my pace over 4/5hrs. Got Chatting to Mike @ HMF Fitness and we got a train going for a couple of laps but he dropped me when I stopped to collect another bottle.

My race was going well and it was the strongest I had felt of the whole series as I felt finally rested from the Strathpuffer. The at the start of lap 7 disaster struck my seat clamp gave a snapping noise and the nose of the saddle went skyward. I stopped got the multi tool out watched lots of places disappear past me! and had a play round with the double clamp and thought it was fixed but as soon as I sat on it back it went again. Deciding I couldn't lose any more time I round the remaining 5 miles or so on the pedals which was quite amusing as back markers were laughing that I was overtaking them without a seat.

Pulled into the pits and had a proper tinker and after dismantling the clamp got in back on and back out for another couple of laps. By the end of 9 I was still going strong and a few places ahead of me had been back in grasp. a uneventful sprint with 14th left me rolling in 15th. The little incident cost me about 10mins and possibly the chance of a 10th lap with would have given me the top ten I was after. Nether less the riding and company was fantastic and the weather was better than most of the summer events I had done last year. Long live the the Thetford winter series the best reason to get up early on Sunday morning ever invented