My first time at Thetford for a couple of and years and Jane's for 3 or 4.
There had been a bit of rain the day before and a shower or two before the start,so the course was a bit sticky for the first two or three laps. It was a fantastic course, classic Brandon side of Theford. Lots of swoopy twists and turns in the singletrack and still big enough for 500 competitors.
I'd decided to ride with Jane and use the four hours as a long non stop training ride. ie to ride steady hard for six laps rather than bonkers for three and grovel for four :) The ladies went off two minutes before the men and it still took me over a lap to catch Jane! I was a bit nervous on the first lap and I'd forgotten how to ride a hardtail on this terrain, the last three seasons had been on the fullsus'. Once I'd remembered 'big gear standing up' started to get a bit more confident. By the time I'd caught Jane I'd passed at least three women riders and as there were only about seven ladies in her category I guessed she was either third or fourth. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to pressure her and the intention was a steady ride. At lap four Jane popped and slowed a lot, but more importantly she'd lost her skills in the technical bits. We eased right back for that lap and she had a couple of gels, a bar or two and some shot blocks. One of the ladies passed us on this lap. On the penultimate lap Jane regained her skills and
'maintenance of headway' was resumed :) a great book.
She caught the girl who'd passed us and sat with her for the the whole lap. Not long after we came through for the last lap Jane attacked and I held on for the rest of the lap :) Jane took a unexpected second place.
At the end we met Alan Parkyson who'd been riding well but cramped and dropped out of the top three and finished 11th. Paul had a great race, starting almost from the back he pulled back from 21st to fifth.
