Cross

Last week was a real mix of fortunes in my world of cyclocross riding. A visit from my cousin Alan from California was a great excuse to go and explore Ashton Court and Leigh Woods in Bristol.

Born in the UK and moving to Santa Cruz just south of San Francisco age 5, he experienced the birth of mountain biking on his doorstep. Has a heavenly surf scene on the pacific coast and grew up witnessing the explosion of the modern computing age in Silicon Valley to the north. He now works for Google. The American Dream.

So a windy and rare dry October weekday I would unleash Bristols' best trails. Not quite Marin County, but it would have to do. It would be better than tackling the Mendips, as we did last time he visited a few years back. That was a day in a real muddy hell.

I was very impressed with the state of the trails at Ashton Court considering the wet weather recently. A few small puddles was about all. This was not dry in California terms, where if a few splots of mud on the rear of your jersey would be the worst it could get. I must go there soon.

Ashton Court, and especially Leigh Woods, is not a particular technical trail. A treat for nailing it around on a cross bike. The winters training might be based around visiting on a frequent basis. Smiling faces all around whilst eating sausage sandwiches in the cafe after an hours blast. Take that Califormia, you may have a lot of things but you don't do Sausages like we do!

Over the weekend a lonely misty Saturday ride along the Canal Path between Bath and Bradford-On-Avon was verging on the magical. Deers, Herrons, rabbits. I think the Autimn is my favourite season to cycle in.

My cross race on Sunday in Stroud was not to so favourable. Highly technical sections, water logged sections, fast descents and steady road climb was going to be an exciting race. I crashed twice in my warm up laps which knocked my confidence some what. I panicked and lowered my front tyre pressure a bit low as a desperate move to find more traction, error. On the first lap I had major issues. On the descent I somehow managed to pull the rear brake cable out of the brakes. Unable to stop going into the woods I hit a stump and punctured. TKO.

I stayed to watch the rest of race and witnessed how to and how not to tackle certain elements of the course. I have a lot to learn. A week off from work ripping up the Shropshire Hills can only improve things. Shame I'm not spending the week in California.