Beyond Black Park XC 10 – VFTPJames Poole
Along with most of the population of England, the weather has really got me down over the last couple of months. The turbo trainer, long my best friend over the winter months had become my shunned lover. The two hour rides that took two more hours to clean up had become my enemy. The taste of salt and diesel from miserably cold and wet road rides had become my nemesis. I was close to breaking point.
So it was with some excitement that I woke up last Sunday to blue skies and the thought of racing in the Singlespeed category at the Beyond Black Park race. Spring had sprung and with it had returned my enthusiasm for all things bike related. This is what I had been waiting for.
So it was with some excitement that I woke up last Sunday to blue skies and the thought of racing in the Singlespeed category at the Beyond Black Park race. Spring had sprung and with it had returned my enthusiasm for all things bike related. This is what I had been waiting for. The week running up to the event had been far from the text book taper period. I’d been at a conference in Edinburgh and my training had been a Molotov cocktail of late nights, early mornings and far (far) too much alcohol. I was not, you would say, in peak condition. I arrived early that morning feeling guilty that I had not helped with the previous day’s preparations. I was soon given duties but also managed to ride the course several times. It was typical Black Park. Twisty. Start. Stop. Start again. The faster you rode it the more technical it became. Awesome.
Before long it was time to line up with my fellow racers. I had some previous form from this race having finished third in 2009 so I made my way to the front. However, this was also my first race of the year and I was unsure how much top end I would have. Up at the pointy end, I lined up alongside Lee Gollop of Progression Fitness. I knew Lee was a capable rider having raced against him at the Southern Series. I also knew that on a good day a couple of people from WDMBC could give me a run for my money. I looked down at my new Garmin 500 and my heart rate showed 125 – and we hadn’t even started yet.
Before long it was time to line up with my fellow racers. I had some previous form from this race having finished third in 2009 so I made my way to the front. However, this was also my first race of the year and I was unsure how much top end I would have. Up at the pointy end, I lined up alongside Lee Gollop of Progression Fitness. I knew Lee was a capable rider having raced against him at the Southern Series. I also knew that on a good day a couple of people from WDMBC could give me a run for my money. I looked down at my new Garmin 500 and my heart rate showed 125 – and we hadn’t even started yet.
