1st Gear Cycles Rampage Round 3 - Checkendon (19.06.11)

This was a race that I had not planned on attending until about 9 o'clock the night before. This was because I had been at a British Cycling RSR / School Games Selection Day, the day before. I enjoyed the day very much and later learnt that I had been successful in my application to the UK School Games.


On arriving at the race, with not the "freshest" legs, having rode the whole day before. At the race, I knew Josh Parkin was going and this meant I would have to have a bloody good race to win!

Old photo, but same venue and series.

Once lined up on the start line, we waited for quite along time, and finally we were sent off. I had a good start and was on Josh's wheel for the first 1 and a half laps.

I wasn't really "dropped", but I made a decision to cut a corner and ride the inside of it (over some leaves), this may sound it, but it was not cheating as I was still within both sides of tape. Once part way over the leaves, my front wheel stopped dead on something, this was a tree stump, hidden under the leaves. This made me get thrown forward and smack my knee on the handlebars, before chucking me over the top of the bike and over the bars.

Despite my fall, I probably only lost about 10-15 seconds, however I couldn't catch Josh, and on the open sections of the course, I could still see him, but the gaps were getting bigger and bigger, and I started to feel yesterdays, day of riding in my legs. Even though Josh rode the day before as, well like me, I knew he is physically fitter than me, and this made him able to take the win with me in second.

Old photo, but same venue and series.

I finished 1minute 27seconds behind him in the end, I was abit un-happy with the big gap, but was still happy with 2nd.

I mentioned earlier in the post that I smacked by knee on the bars and this felt fine during the race and after, but now a couple of days has passed and it's starting to hurt, so after 3 days of pain, I went A & E, and it turns out I have damaged my Patella Tendon (below the knee cap) quite badly. I am writing this on the Thursday after the race and with my knee still hurting, I don't know whether the next National Round at Margham Park is still a reality. Anyway i am hoping it heals quickly.

Old photo, but same venue and series.

Again, like the last post, sorry for lack of race photos, but I couldn't find any collections.

Thanks-for-reading

Ciao