A fantastic, dry and sunny morning greeted Slipstreamers upon arrival at Crowthorne Woods for the second and final race of the Gorrick Autumn Classic XC races. The club was represented in the Under 11 category (a mix of various younger age groups) by Lucy Allsop, and brothers George and Archie Fowkes; and in the older Juvenile boys category by Seth Kanaris. Gorrick courses tend to be quite challenging, both at a technical and fitness level, and our riders were certainly put to the test. Lucy, the only girl racing in the U11 group of 18, held her own to finish the course in exactly 39 minutes, placing her as 1st girl and 9th overall – a fantastic result considering Lucy is U8 and was racing against older riders! George completed his lap in 29:41 minutes taking second spot behind Ben Copolla, a fellow Slipstreamer, who came in 27 seconds ahead at 29:14. Archie came in 8th overall at 37:58, pushing hard and overcoming a technical issue. In the older Juvenile race, riders had to complete 2 laps of a longer more technical course, with Seth, pitted against riders from sister club Summit MTB, completing his race in 01:08 to take 6th spot overall.
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Enjoy the following fantastic report/s by brothers George and Archie Fowkes, who both raced in the U11 category:“Everything was silent suddenly. The horn went and everyone went off. I had a problem at the start because I was getting squashed, but I managed to get through and one by one I passed riders. The woods had loads of technical bits. I had a problem with my chain, but I quickly sorted it out and carried on with the race. I came 9th and I was really pleased I was in the top 10. WOW!”
By Archie Fowkes, Under 8
“I lined up for the start. “The race would start in the next 10 seconds!”. It felt like the world stood still. The horn went and we were off! One by one people fell off over the roots, and I finally got to second place. Every one was cheering. The course was technical and slippery and very muddy. I really enjoyed it.”
By George Fowkes, Under 10 |
It was fantastic to see a few more Slipstreamers at a mountain bike cross country race, and we look forward to next season and the Spring series where we hope to see many many more of you in yellow and orange!