The 3rd Round of the NPS (this time in the sunshine) headed to Margam Park, South Wales .

In what is considered by many to be one of the best racing venues in the series, Margam Park saw a change in the nature of the course from the 1st 2 rounds. Gone was the fast but flat course, instead we had a 5.1 mile loop with 330m of climbing per loop. In my opinion, a true XC race loop, and one which I very much looked forward to racing on as I knew it should suit my climbing abilities.

This was my first race at this level so I had opted to ride in the open category so that I could use it a stepping stone to the sport cat next year and gain the most experience possible from the event. This gave me a chance to watch the first 2 races (the Youth races, and Elite/Expert/Sport races).

Racing was as ever highly competitive, but the hills led to a different set of tactics as riders tried to put breaks in on the climbs and drop their fellow competitors.  Results can be found on www.britishcycling.com  

Finally 3pm came around and it was my turn to take to the hills, by now I was a little nervous as to how I would perform after seeing even the elite riders grimace their way slowly up the steep climbs. My fears were soon put to rest as after a conservative start  I passed several riders on the first of the tough climbs. From this point I kept pushing on and kept trying to put time into nearby riders on the climbs as I knew this was were I could make up time, by the time I was half way around my 3rd and last lap I had comfortably established myself in 4th Position. I maintained this place through to the finish. Overall I was very happy with the result as my lap times would have put me 35th in the Sport category.

I am now looking forward to putting in some serious training in time for upcoming races.

Mark
Bucksmtb.co.uk
 

>>> View photos of the event here