After the first world cup, Monday was clean-up day, and a short spin up the road from where we were staying at Stare Mitrovice, in an old water mill now refurbished into a modern Hotel, to Milhostice and beyond where a found an old creepy railway station. On the way back I cycled through a small village called Dvorce and past a pond was an old scare crow was fishing with some sheep all around him, very strange.
Back at the hotel Dad told me we were the only two people staying, the weekenders had gone, along with British National Champ cross riders Helen Wyman and Ian Field to a new location along with American Jonathan Page a former World Champ silver medallist. But what we didn't expect was to be in the Hotel all alone that night as all the staff went home after dinner too. Of course they did return in the morning to get our breakfast with a big bundle of my freshly laundered cycle kit. You could say I was lazy for not doing it myself but the whole lot got done for only £3. Dad was pleased too as the beer was only 35p and our rooms were only £16.50 a night! And this was a 4 star hotel.
Tuesday was a long ride and it was very misty so Dad drove Bertie my Citroen Berlingo behind as back up and safety in the fog. I rode down the road to Sedlec-Prcice and past a really nice looking big old house but with bars on the windows, we later found out it was an orphanage. The road just kept going up and soon I found myself passing a ski resort at Moninec. There was a downhill MTB course there where you took your bikes up on the chair lifts. Over 700m up I passed through a rundown village call Cunkov on my way to Chysky and beyond. On the way back Dad needed to refill the windscreen washer bottle so I used an old hand pump and an old bidon for the water.
There were hardly any cars about and the roads which were perfect smooth tarmac winding up and down the hills and through the forested areas with some cracking bends. With no hedges on the road side you could see the whole corners through the mist. I spotted another old orphanage on the way down too, this one was disused though. Then next couple of days I had to rest, somewhere I had picked up someone nasty cold.
Friday we changed hotels to be nearer the second round of the World Cup at Plzen. Then on the Saturday I rode a lap of the course. It was going to be very muddy and very hard with bike changes every half lap. There were lots of running sections where the course was too muddy to ride and a very big flight of steps .
Early Sunday morning I looked out of the 300 year old stone building that was our hotel to find the snow coming down fast. Once Dad had cleared my Berlingo of snow we were off to the second Czech Cyclocross World Cup at Doubravka. I lined up on the grid as the sole team GB rider, knowing I was going to be the first rider to finish. OK that should be retire, as I knew my cold had really got bad by then and a had to really try hard not to sneeze as the start was in the last 30 seconds and the lights could go out at any time. So I was wrapped up warm in my Team GB roubaix skin suit knowing that I had agreed to retire after the first lap even in the unlikely chance I should be leading.
So the red lights changed to green and the U23 race was on, then somehow I had a very good start, not the lead but easily inside the top twenty from over 50 starters. Then I just cruised round until I met Dad waiting at the second pit with my spare bike only that was it for me, game over.
So the next day it was back home, with a couple of days driving, a nights stop in Belgium, and after 850 miles I'm home. Not the best trip but at least I got a fair result at the first round. It could have been far worse like my friend Danish National Champ Kenneth Hansen who retired at the first round with a torn ankle, then had to drive himself home and miss the second round. And if you want to know why I had to take a ride in a Czech Police car ask my Dad!
This weekend I was selected to ride for Team GB again at the European Championships in Ipswich. Unfortunately I have had to pull out because of the illness. I had been looking forward to this ride for some years as its not often you get the chance to wear the GB kit in front of a home crowd. Anyway in a few days I should be over this and then I'll be back to Belgium for the next round of the Superprestige series.
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