First blood

First cyclocross race of the season for me on Saturday. The interesting site of Blists Hill Victorian Village up in Ironbridge. Organised by Nick Jeggo of Newport CC it was a cracking course with a mix of everything and some bloody horrid steps.
Earlier in the day I had competed in and won the club hillclimb, so perhaps a 'cross race wasn't the best evening pasttime. Still I couldn't turn up a chance to ride somewhere like that. A reasonable start and the 3 or 4 laps in the days earlier efforts began to show with a nagging groin cramp that bit into my lower back. I had to pull in and stretch for a minute or two and lost a good few places. Not that I was ever in the running to take a victory, but I wasn't going badly!
After the pain had eased and I could bend my leg again I was off and really enjoyed the different aspects of the course.

Oh and the first blood bit? Well on an overtake on two riders down some steps going through an alley, the middle rider I was passing moved over into me and I got squished into either a Victorian bakery or a candlestick makers! Cue a rather battered pair of knuckles and little finger! Massive thanks to my friends Alex and Claire who came along to watch, cheer and then let us sleep on their floor, and to Michelle for being a great pit crew with my spare wheels and drink. Thankfully I didn't need my spares although a lot of people did puncture.
Good times for the first race.