3 RAF riders raced Round 2 of the Welsh XC series at Coed-Y-Brenin on Sun 3rd March, in a change from the mudfest of Margam Park the weather was cold but clear with sunshine! In her first race for a couple of years due to injury, Lou Robins was the first rider racing. A few pre-race teething problems with her bike were solved with a bit of assistance from Beics Brenin. With no time to practice what was a technical course Lou set out steadily in a field of 6 women starting together irrespective of category. Consistent laps saw her home in 4th place overall and 1st in Expert.
Dan Lewis and Martin Pearson then raced in Elite and Expert respectively, with stronger fields than at Margam Park both struggled a little for the top end required to get towards the front, but it is early in the year after all. Both taking 5th place in their respective categories Dan summed up the day with his finishing quote "I could have ridden round there at that pace all day, just no top end".
After the brief glimmer of sunshine at Coed-Y-Brenin 4 RAF riders tackled Rd 1 of the Altura Nutcracker XC Series at Dalby Forest. A challenging course comprised a single climb and descent with the climb accounting for about 2/3 of the lap. Conditions were cold with a very muddy top of the climb and first half of the descent necessitating pre-race tyre changing all round.
Russ Holman and Mitch Webster both had their debut races in the Sport Male category placing 18th and 34th respectively, the speed off the start line may have come as a bit of a surprise to Russ while Mitch learnt a few things about tyres and bike set up! Fie Innes tackled her season opening race and placed 3rd in Sport Female collecting a voucher from series sponsor Altura for her trouble. Martin Pearson meanwhile rode his 3rd race of the year and while still a bit tardy on the climbs was pleased to be able to hold Elite race winner Paul Oldhams wheel on the final descent while being lapped, 6th place in Expert means decent ranking points for the early season.
Results
Welsh XC Series Rd 1 - Margam Park - Feb 10th
Elite Male
1st Dan Lewis
Expert Male
3rd Martin Pearson
Welsh XC Series Rd 1- Coed-Y-Brenin - Mar 3rd
Elite Male
5th Dan Lewis
Expert Male
5th Martin Pearson
Expert Female
1st (4th Female) Lou Robins
Altura Nutcracker XC Rd 1 - Dalby Forest - Mar 10th
Expert Male
6th Martin Pearson
Sport Female
3rd Fie Innes
Sport Male
18th Russ Holman
34th Mitch Webster
