Sunday 6 November 2011

Field Day at Eston









It’s said in Eston that in the 1930’s you could hang your washing out in the morning and, by lunchtime, it could be covered in soot, so was the heavy industry around the Teesside Estuary. Today there was very little wind blowing in off the coast but plenty of heavy industry in the fields and woodland in the Eston foothills.

It was another instalment of the North East Cyclo Cross League. My road mileage has taken a bit of a hit of late. I fancied the Templetown 10 but the cost of diesel has stifled my wanderlust and, instead, it was something abit closer to home (-still, I shoe-horned in a sub 18 minute Parkrun yesterday so all' not lost.

Today’s course was a challenging mix of grass, track and woodland at the Flatts Lane Centre. Thankfully it didn’t have the impossible cambers of last weeks course. Armed with a new yellow Gore top (£10 from Steel's sale yesterday – thank you; kerching!) I was all fired up and belted out 51 minutes of hard cardiac effort in the slippy but mostly grassy conditions. It took a good 22 minutes before I was lapped and I only crashed once, so that’s progress. As I tired towards the end some of the steering became abit 'iffy' and I nearly impaled myself on one of the plastic pegs that holds the route tape, but with a quick adjustment I rode straight through it showing it no mercy. There are no extra points for this anyway.


I may have to join or start a club before long. Getting home with a bootful of muddy wheeels, tyres and bikeI had thought ahead and borrowed a pressure washer. The bike was clean and ready for more before I could say ‘Where’s the cowbell...?’ (thanks to the team photographer for these images)




No comments: