ATTEEENTION!! for the South Downs Social Wessex League Cyclocross Round 8 at Dalton Barracks.

5 NFCC members were on parade and were blessed with ‘proper cross’ conditions being very cold and damp! As usual Matt Knight and Jay Tarrant took to the line first in the Vet 40’s category. Jay’s first row starting position was not made the most of due to not being able to clip in properly until the second corner, some 200 yards or so after the whistle blew! He then settled into the race only to have the rider he was following, fall in front of him which again slowed his momentum. Feeling the cold he had to visually check his rear brake lever hadn’t fallen off as he couldn’t feel it with his frozen fingers!! Anyway, several two wheel drifts later, one needing a huge bambi style leg tripod stabiliser to save, he was up to fourth position, then a last corner dive bomb followed by a short all out sprint got him across the line in 3rd. Despite the mud, Matt Knight felt strong and stayed upright resulting in his best race of the season, with a 46th place finish. 

The last of the men on course for NFCC was Joe Shepherd in the senior category – unfortunately mechanical issues lead to a DNF.

In the women’s races, Emma Shepherd had a bad start with a couple of falls requiring a trip to the pits for a “big strong bloke” (in Joe’s words) to help straighten her saddle. Catherine Pascoe battled through the tough conditions to take a well earned 2nd place in her category.