Southern Round 2 - Crow Hill, Hampshire

A lot of people have a soft spot for Crow Hill and it is easy to see why. A well set up course with a great arena that the riders visit 3 or 4 times each lap adds to spectator interest, while the lack of any real hills for climbing or descending means full on, no respite effort for the full race.

A good draining course, even if the rain was torrential it wouldn't affect conditions at Crow......... and so as we drove through torrential rain that might have come straight from the film Bladerunner we hoped that the course really was as good draining as had been said. Nat and Ben were both looking forward to a race around last years National Champs course, and this year it was in reverse!

A practise lap soon dispelled any romantic thoughts, the tyres needed to be some, as yet, uninvented miracle compound that could stick to the slick ice-like surface of the wooden bridges and cut through the greasy top layer of dirt to the slippery roots below....... So Ben and Nat elected to run Schwalbe Nobby Nics front and rear as it looked like the weather may deteriorate further meaning ......gloop.

The race started badly, Ben missed his pedal and then rode for two laps like a Monkey (excuse the pun) hitting every tree and taking every wrong line, Nat fared no better and got into a battle royal with Max Filleul for 4th place. In the end the boys both felt they had raced badly but had come away with 3rd and 5th places. Like all good teams, making the most of a bad day at the office is what sets them aside from lesser riders. Next up is the big weekend at Margam Park and some eagerly awaited hills.