Matthew, Kev and I rode in Hit the North 4 yesterday – a BC supported mountain bike race in Philips Park, Whitefield. We had a lovely sunny day for it, and the route was fab – with some new stretches of manufactured trail, complete with berms, bumps and swoopy sections. The course also featured “The Field of No Hope” which was so claggy that even Nick Craig, MTB supremo and eventual winner, had to walk across it – well he sort of half-jogged, I know because he sort of half-jogged past me on the last lap (the second time he lapped me). It was hard – we were riding for over 2 hours, on a course which didn’t allow for much relaxation, and involved every one of my 27 gears – but we all had a good time. This is such a nice event, with a really friendly and inclusive atmosphere, with a bagpiper at the start line and a samba band at the top of one of the hills – and riders of all abilities from racing snakes to weekend warriors.
Kev did really well, coming 48th out of 240 finishers, as did Matthew who came 53rd. Kev had trailed Matthew all the way round until the last lap when he sneaked past him when Matt wasn’t looking. I came 168th which I was quite happy with, as there were still lots behind me!
Thanks to Blu Planet Photography for the photos, http://bluplanetphoto.co.uk/hitthenorth4_2013