Sunday brought yet another gorgeous spring morning. It was Midlands Mountain Bike Orienteering‘s turn to hold a national series event just down the road from me near Burton on Trent. I took advantage of the weather and took the Spitfire again which was lovely but I did end up greeting friends with very cold hands when I got there! The area was completely new to me, which was a nice challenge. It is a proper British rolling countryside of meadows, woodlands, pastures and little lanes with a couple of large old country estates and rape seed in full bloom dotting the landscape. I think with my #pichampion kit on with the floro highlights on I matched well with the terrain!
I started out fairy scrappily finding it difficult to pick a good order through the well-planned course and missed a control I really would have taken no extra time to get. There was a good mix of offroad trails and fine navigation needed on an accurate map.
Mid-course we had been given permission to ride the wrong way up a 5km or so long estate road. It was fairly busy with the public arriving to enjoy the estate but I managed to keep on the edge of the Tarmac just edging into the grass for big vehicles. I did, however, have to swerve onto the grass when an older gentleman in a 4×4 started shaking his fist as he came towards me gesticulating I was going the wrong way. He then deliberately drove at me forcing me off the road!!!!!
My legs were in bits towards the end and they were finished off by a recently ploughed field which had destroyed the bridleway. Off and running, dragging the bike – thank goodness it wasn’t raining or it would have been a quagmire!
I was pleased with the result – 6th behind some of the best in the UK, seems, at last, my endurance fitness is starting to return.
