Two weekends of XC

We've been back in the UK for nearly 3 weeks - the longest since November! We kind of expected to return to spring, but riding has been pretty cold and during the first week I turned out of the house wearing practically every item of cycling clothing I own! The cold and dry was actually quite nice, with the exception of face freeze and dribbling, but last week was cold and wet which was, well, pretty unpleasant. But I can't complain because I've been fortunate to miss most of the winter. And the weather forecast is predicting some balmy days towards the end of the week :)

Over the last 2 weekends I've been able to make the most of the local XC races: Gorrick XC and Southern XC. Both provided great opportunities for me to test out my new Canyon 29er on tight twisty single trails and muddy, rooty conditions. It took me a little while to get used to handling the big wheels through the tight trails, but now I find that I'm benefiting from the excellent grip in the corners, slippery climbs and off camber stuff.

Last weekend Gorrick hosted a great event on some really nice woodland single trails. Starting in the men's race meant that I could race the boys :) and do an extra lap - big thanks to the organisers for that! This weekend I raced in the ladies category at the first round of the Southern XC - and once again the organisers allowed me to do an extra lap at the end. Racing an extra lap is perfect training for my upcoming marathon races.

Thanks to Dave for providing team support!

Happy riding,
Sal :)

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