When planning my race calendar at the beginning of the year,
I had to look twice at where Round 2 was going to be held. Another great course
right on my doorstep….bonus!
With the first round of the South West series in Wheal Maid,
it was a great opportunity to get a feel for the course before the national took
place. The Hortons’ certainly know what riders want and that’s what you get!
Saturdays’ pre ride went well; sun was out, the course was
dry and there was a really nice chilled out atmosphere about the place. Living
only an hour and a half away we still brought the caravan with us! It’s always
nice being on site and close by, especially when the weather is dry and the evenings
are clear.
Every race morning is like preparing for battle; breakfast
for fuel, kitting out your armour, heart racing in your chest, the adrenaline
flushing around the body and taking deep breathes before being released. The
pain, the sweat and the emotional rollercoaster lasting only 90mins yet feels
like hours….but it’s all for something we love doing and gives us more than
satisfaction when crossing the finish line.
5 Laps of sweeping single track, steep descents and rocky
lose climbs for the Elite Women. Once the pistol was fired that was it, we were
off, like bulls being let out of their pens and raging across the land. With a
loop in the arena before hitting the single track, it was a good idea to get in
a top position. My start was ok; could have been better but could have been
worse. I needed a bit more aggression and to fight my way through a bit, so
that’s one thing I need to improve on.
The first 3 laps I was riding with a group of 3 other riders:
Joanne Clay (Torq Performance), Genevieve Whitson (Torq Performance) and a
Spanish rider, Mercedes Pacios Pujado (Blue Motors). It was interesting riding with them, finding
out their strengths and weaknesses on certain parts of the course and using
them to my advantage. I gained on some of the descents but they gained on the
climbs so it was a bit like cat and mouse, but good experience. Most races I
have been out by myself so it was nice to be able to push as hard as I could to
stay with them.
By lap 4 it was just myself and Genevieve together; Joanne and Mercedes managed to get away. Genevieve was pulling away slowly but I managed to real her back in again; by lap 5 I was pretty exhausted and unfortunately managed to let her go so I was by myself. It was the hardest lap but I knew it was my last so did the best I could to get to the finish quickly. My final position was 13th, just outside the top 10 which is what I was hoping for but it’s not the end of the world.
A tough race but I learnt a lot about myself and what I need
to work on for the future.
Thank you to everyone who supports and supported me in the
race. Next race is the 2nd Round of the South West Series at Newnham
Park, Plymouth.
Carla Haines
U23 Elite Female