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Gorrick Race Spring
Series RD3 Race Report Race: Gorrick Spring Series RD3, Crowthorne Wood Position finished: 21st (Sport Cat) View from the pack: I decided to do this race last minute after finding out about it by a chance visit to xcracer.com, so race prep wasn't ideal following a heavy weeks training as I put in the final preparations for next weekends sponsored ride. However with a forecast for good weather and the Gorrick races holding a strong reputation for attracting competitive fields along with good courses I went along with the intention of testing my legs and gauging where I am at 6 weeks before the main seasons targets of the Midlands, Southern XC and National Mountain bike series begin. The course was relatively flat with only a couple of drags and short rises for hills. I always tend to suffer on these flatter loops and it is something I need to work on throughout the season. The lap comprised of a mixture of fire roads, tight twisty single track and in the middle of the lap tightly packed bomb holes to keep you on your toes. The most notable thing about the lap was that trail conditions were dry, not quite hard packed but still great conditions for racing in, especially after the mud fests that characterized last years early season races. Overall my performance in the race was a mix of disappointment and frustration - in terms of my endurance I felt strong and had this been a marathon I would have been more confident of a better result, however a testament to the focus on preparing for 150 mile ride I lack the speed and acceleration in my legs. A secondary factor in this was the lack of time spent off-road recently, again down to my focus lying elsewhere, I found the twisty technical track hard going and struggled to find any flow in the single track. This was frustrating as I felt that my legs were strong but I wasn't able to get the power down as I was riding technically poorly. Whilst I may be disappointed with the result it is better to have found out what I need to work on now, than find out in the main block of races for the season. Hopefully I will show the necessary progress over the next couple of early season races. Mark bucksmtb.co.uk Team XC Rider
Photos Courtesy of Joolze Dymond Photography - www.joolzedymond.com
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