Hello again.

I thought I'd make a comeback to blog writing this week because I haven't done one in ages. (And Josh's aren't good enough!!!)

I enjoyed training at Hetton on Saturday, so thanks to Andy C and Tony F for running the session. I found the part where we had to carry as much speed as we could into the hill up to the wheel very useful because that corner was being used in the race the next day. I thought it was quite challenging choosing the right lines and judging your entry speed - I think we should do it more in training because everyone will benefit from it.

After the session, I rode around with Andy to design the course for Sunday's race. We had lots of ideas and eventually settled on a fast but technical lap. Keith Murray then came along and changed it a little bit and that course is going to be used for the North of England Champs on 7th Dec.

On Sunday I arrived early to help mark out the course. There was quite a lot to do, so we all split up and did different bits. I worked on the off camber section with Dave and Tony at the bottom of the field. The grass had snow on it, which made the already difficult corners extremely tricky because they were about as slippery as they could get.

The under 12's race was the first to get underway and was won by Miles, followed by Thomas and Joe. Emma was first girl. After this race had finished, we realised there was still quite a bit left to do to change the course from the U12 to the main one. A few minutes of frantic marking later, it was sorted and just about on time.

The youth race was up next. It was taken with ease by Joe, followed by Adam, Josh and Ross. Well done to everyone who braved the conditions and tackled the tough course.

Next up was the senior race, which had about 30 riders this week. We started on the track and then went onto the grass past the building and onto the course. My plan was to start steady and then maintain the pace for the full hour. I started a little faster than I would have liked to, becaus I was a bit tired by the time we reached the steep hill a couple of hundred metres into the course. After that I settled into a rythm and was just following wheels. There was a log on the corner that we had been practising in training, and I could ride it when I was warming up. I over took Alan Nixon just before the corner to give me room to ride it and I got a small gap on him. It was pulled back quite quickly, though.

For the first few laps, I was gaining time on him through the technical sections, and he was pulling it back just after them. Eventually him and a coulpe of others got a gap on me and I couldn't pull it back. At that point, I thought I was going to rocket backwards through the field because I started to feel pretty empty, so I eased off a tiny bit for a lap or so. I think that must have done the trick, becuase I felt better after that. Chris Murley was the rider who was just behind me and I was just beginning to pull away from him when I crasehed on a sslippy corner. I panicked a bit because my foot was stuck int the pedal underneath the bike, but it came out fairly quickly. Luckily, he didn't catch me, and the gap stayed at about 15 seconds for the rest of the race.

I was pleased with my performance because I didn't expect to do as well. Hopefully I will be going well for the Northerns.

Next Sunday is the Killingworth round of the NECCL series. I will be doing that and I'm looking forward to it because it is one of my favourite courses.

Oh! I nearly forgot about the presentation night! Well done to everyone who took part in the roller racing - I thought it was great fun and I hope we can get a league up and running for next year. I was disappointed because I didn't win anything theis year. At the end of the presentation, Steve said "And here are 2 awards for 2 riders who have contributed a lot to the club this year" I was getting excited here because I thought I wouldn't go home empty handed after all - "the club captains Josh and Emma!" Whats that all about?! He's only been in the job for a couple of weeks! He is still learning the ropes!!

Apparently there is going to be a video of the presentation night at some point, but I am not sure when.

Time for me to go now becuase I am getting hungry and I am making the pasta tonight!! I think I will go on the rollers later on and do some sprinting.

See you on Saturday.
Joe.

P.S:
Just kidding Josh. Keep it up.