Round 2 of the Yorkshire Cyclocross Series took place on a much more convivial weekend than round 1 – glorious sunshine, dry, naer a drop of mud to be seen on the course.

Also a much more twisty and technical route on grass in Hunsworth than the mixed surface of the Wyke track.

The incorporation of a ‘50’ into the course – in recognition of the 50th anniversary for hosts Seacroft Wheelers made for a really tight and twisty circuit.

A good warm up lap flew by, and after the seniors race it was time to line up. Somehow my seeding had gone up to 120, so a good couple of rows forwards this time.

Quite a tough start to the course, with an uphill section with low traction on the grass. Within half a lap I was blowing hard, a really tough course with pretty much full effort all the way.

A couple of unrideable sections for me – through both lack of bravery on the downhill ramps, or inability to get enough power and traction on ramps up.

A really enjoyable race. My objective on these is always to have a decent ride, with fun and support. As such, I stopped off to help one guy who crashed and bent his derailleur hanger. Spent a couple of minutes fixing that, but I think it’s better to go racing and make sure every one gets around rather than sacrificing community spirit for a few seconds.

77th overall for me (34th in age category) out of 82. Missed 76th by a couple of mins 😆

Ben