by Nuno Luz
For the past 3 years this had been my local go-to XC racing series, when I lived in Kent.
The BFCC has been putting on an ever growing and well organised race series aimed at grassroots, which also features a very competitive open race that goes all the way to Masters.
The race itself happens in what the organisation calls a “fun sub 4Km XCC course through the woodland, based mainly on non-technical single-track and ‘natural’ trails, with shorter loops for the U8, U10 and U12 races”.
Any off road bikes are welcome, from MTB, gravel bikes, to cyclocross, with the only exception being e-bikes.
The race entry prices were very reasonable, with U8, 10 & 12s having a great time for just £2, and for the adults £20 per race.
The U8s, U10s & U12s races would happen from 11 onwards and my race (Senior & Masters) starting at 11:50h.
This gives everyone plenty of time to get to the venue, park up, register and do a recce lap.
This year I only got to do the last 2 races of the series, but as usual it was quite fun and I did see an improvement in my overall fitness from one race to the other, which I’m quite happy about.
The first race (actually Round 3) happened in July, with a “mild” 24 celsius in a slightly different section of the course, since there was work being done by Forestry England on parts of the old course.
This made way to a very long fire road descent, where you could get some very good speed, leading to a really nice single track course that had a punchy climb and right at the end some very tight and twisty turns, with loads of bumps that gave me some bad “arm pump” for the first race.
There was also some dust involved if you were behind other riders, but with time and with riders breaking down into smaller groups it settled a bit. When waiting at the start line waiting for the marshal to blow the start whistle, one of the things I’ve noticed from previous years was less people using trail bikes or baggy clothes. I got used to seeing after Covid new riders to the sport participating, and then realising how tough XC racing is 🙂
The winner was ticking around 8m on average per lap, whilst my best lap was 9:57m and around 10:20m on average per lap. So a lot of work had to be done to improve. But I still had loads of fun and enjoyed this very fast track.
For the second race (Round 4), I had prepared a bit better and can say I felt stronger. Numbers were also stronger and we had a total of 33 riders showing up to join in the fun.
Usually I would’ve expected to have done the same circuit, but in reverse, as this is their usual MO, but this time they left the course very similar and running in the same direction. So it was easy to understand what to expect and how to manage my energy. If anything, the course was a bit longer.
The day was milder with only 22 degrees, so all in all conditions were perfect for a great racing morning.
A very busy and competitive start meant I pushed back on the start, since I know I’m not a front or even mid of the pack rider. It was good as my first lap was well managed and then I started to attack on the following laps.
This time around I am happy to report that I was able to get 26th, out of the 32 riders that finished, and I’m also happy with the stronger end to the season.
Also great to see Will Mathews there, racing with Army colours and finishing in a strong 10th position!
Also very positive was the presence of two photographers and videographers on site to take some great snaps of the riders, and there’s even two great videos for each round to watch:
Round 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHH9_NjfoL0
Round 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hHk8P4nOc
The Club will announce the new season calendar in December, so if you’re interested in racing this series, which I totally recommend, keep an eye out on their FB page or their official website: https://www.boarsonbikes.co.uk/
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