Race 3 of the Scottish Cyclocross Series took us to Irvine Beach, where conditions were far from ideal for biking – howling winds and some rain whipped through the dunes and when I arrived from the train I was half expecting it to be called off, but these CX boys and girls are made of stern stuff.
The courses used for the Scottish CX series tend to stay fairly constant and Irvine has been used many times before and it is interesting (being only my 3rd race) to see how much variation there is in terms of obstacles, length of lap, terrain and general conditions. Irvine has a fair bit of sand and this is quite a telling factor. I knew, being on a mountain bike, that the more sand the better, but in the end we were restricted to a single narrow strip that didn’t make a difference to anyone either way. What was telling though, were the two fairly long straight sections into the strong headwind where I lost places on every lap, thereafter making them up again on the tighter, more technical sections. I also had a howler of a start, being overtaken by almost the whole field after my chain came off. The race was won by Keith Ashbridge of VC Cumbria/Lakeland Sprinters. I was 72nd.
For those who finish 20th or better, points are on offer, and best 5 count out of 6 races in the series. The next race is this Sunday at Auchentoshan Distillery.
Photo courtesy of The Press Room.
Results here: http://www.mylaps.com/en/classification/3324878
A short video of the race here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZW-0iVWSXg&feature=share
Mike Lynch