Race 20 MKCA MK Bowl

Racing on a Thursday this time to get a race in before my holiday. This is the same circuit as the one I race on as a youth, just the inner route of the bowl, no corners just up and down the hill.

20 to 30 riders lined up for the start, I noticed 2 others who might have been juniors as well. We set off for a 45 minute race + 5 laps. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th cat women started a minute later and after a few laps 2 women caught up to us and started shouting for us to move to the outside, this was pretty much a constant for the race unless our group sped up.

I positioned myself fairly well until throughout the race, I closed a few gaps when some people let the wheel go.

Because of the confusion with the womens race, someone rang the bell for some women just up ahead of us on what turned out to be 8 laps to go and some of our riders thought it was for us, inevitably they sprinted and were less than dissatisfied with this, they sprinted again the next lap and as they crossed the line triumphantly for the second time one of the organisers held up the 5 laps to go board, more swearing and unsurprisingly they did not contest the actual sprint. The women's race had finished.

I was positioned averagely for the sprint finish, but coming onto the hill, I climbed up the outside of the group and began my sprint long, I was second and desperately trying to pass the rider in first, suddenly a huge explosion of lactic acid occured in my legs, I sat back down in the saddle trying to squeeze as much speed as possible out of my dying legs, I looked back and saw a corley's rider kick past me on the line.

3rd place, my first podium, ever, in any race I've entered.

Definitely will do these races again!