South Reading M.C.C. Chairmans Chase Enduro

Venue : Ashdown Farm, Blewbury, OXON. Signposted from the A417 between Streatly and Blewbury

	Image from Jeff Evans	Image from Jeff Evans	Image from dirtybits.com
Image from dirtybits.com	Image from dirtybits.com

Entering as a Clubman for the first time so I can do the Enduro rather than the Hare and Hounds, should be 'interesting'.

Interesting it was, I'm not yet ready for clubman :o(
I had difficulty getting into this event. The track was hard and VERY lumpy with loads of 'whoops' (bumps that try to throw you off unless you get the speed just right) Very steep downhill sections and tight wooded sections.
The running of both Enduro rules and Hare and hound seemed to me to be a mistake on this track. Whilst I was trying to pace myself I'd often have a H&H'er racing up behind me so I'd either have to speed up or pull off the track neither of which I was keen to do (although I did in order to be sporting). My nominal lap time was 17 minutes which was fine for most of the meeting but a long way out in one round where we had to average 12 minutes per lap.
On this fast round I fell once rather hard and was feeling the strain of not having ridden for a month or so. Given that I have meetings for the next two weekends in a row I decided that it wasn't worth killing myself on this one and gave up.
I'd bashed my shoulder, lost the side stand spring and worn out the chain and been scared silly, enough was enough.
Interestingly, before and after the event, other riders commented on my ultra thin, ultra light weight and invisible body armour. Given the way my shoulder hurts tonight and how scary the track was I think I'll upgrade my armour from 'skin' to something a little more resilient.