“Sunday 21st of October was the first round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Tabor in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. I was the sole team GB rider wearing team GB kit as it is a requirement for Under 23 riders. There was though one elite man Ian Field and three elite woman GB riders, Helen Wyman, Gabby Day and Nikki Harris.
The last time I rode here was the World Champs in 2010, then it was very icy and snowy, today it was very damp and foggy with heavy dew making the conditions very slippery on this tough hilly course made up of primarily grass. Also on the course there were a couple on hurdles and a flight of steps to run up. My favourite parts of the course were the banks and turns on the lower section of the course and the downhill stretches on the top of the course which lead into slippery corners.
I was ranked on the 4th row and made a good start, but despite an early practise lap found the course too slippery and came into change bike with a different set of tyres. Luckily dad was in the pits and managed to swap the wheels around in time for me. After two days of travelling to get to Tabor I found my body a little rusty and didn't fare so well in the first half of the race. In the second half my legs picked up and went a lot better. I was aiming for a top 30 position but finished 35th, which equalled my best position at a World Cup last year.
I met my team mate Katie Compton for the first time on Sunday and we talked a lot about Trek bikes and how good they are. I also picked up a few tips and inside gossip. Katie came 2nd in a sprint finish for the elite woman.
At the moment I am staying in the Czech Republic until next weekend for the second round of the World Cup which will be held at Plzen. In the meantime I am enjoying staying in a very hilly region with some beautiful countryside where all the trees are turning to golden yellow so training will be quite enjoyable in this very rural location. Whilst training I've encountered, unmanned railway crossings without barriers, stray dogs, many run down crumbling buildings and loads old rusty old Skodas. At the moment there is lots of fog about so all you can see is the road in front with no surroundings. When travelling around through the villages it's like going back in time, the fuel stations are still selling 4star!”
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