Packing the car for the weekend was tricky, I needed my cross bike, skinsuit, different pedals, my Mums shoes, my boyfriends wheels, warm clothes, MTB shoes, SPD pedals, full face, body armour, goggles, make-up, baggy DH kit, track pump, pedal spanner, wallet, car key, sat nav, phone, 3 postcodes....I see now it'd have been a lot easier if i wrote this list BEFORE I left. I picked up the wheels from Ed's, which he horribly hadn't told me were punctured. But I gave myself 3 1/2 hours to do a 2 hour journey to the Hill Chasers in Bristol. It wasn't enough.
Sat Nav nearly blew a fit in the tight town centre, my sponsor Jimmy was on loudspeaker on my phone trying to give directions from Salisbury.I eventually parked up, abandoned ship and ran to registration with 10 minutes to spare until the riders briefing. I was panicing as my bike wasn't ready and I had no time, so Red Bull very kindly gave me 2 hot guys to serve me!! Once I stopped staring at them I gave them their instructions
"here's my car key, my car is grey and parked up the hill on a road called Elm...something, which is off another road off the one way system. Open the car get the bike, the spare wheels, helmet, shoes, the big bag of stuff that are in the boot and the pedals, inner tube and spanner that are in the drivers door pocket."
Nearly 45 minutes later they returned, sweating heavily (mmm) dumping my stuff and swearing that they would no way help me bring it back up!
I missed practice run.
I changed the pedals and pumped up the tyres, but had no time to put on the road wheels as I meant mending a puncture. Knobblies it was. Fuck it, I was racing Danny Mackaskill on his trials bike!
We were the last to race, Danny trashed me, with two nuts pedals turns from the start and holding the same distance all the way up. Once at the top of the hill, and I was knocked out of the race he said "I hate competitions, I don't enjoy this at all" "thanks" I said "I love competitions, I'd have loved to go through and carry on racing, so really, you should have let me win and then we'd both be happy."
It was very exciting though, because my two very cool freinds from London, Ben and Claire, were there. Ben the Superior (the lesser known son of Adam as appointed by Aslan) knocked out the urban hill climb champion and made it through to 3rd place!
Red Bull put on a lovely spread, fruit salad and free drinks for the riders. No drinking for me though, I had to get to Triscombe. But I'd forgotten to take downt the address that was in a faecbook message. A helpful stranger let me use his internet phone to access it, but it wouldn't let me login from a strange location. My parents were out, so I couldn't call them. Some lateral thinking was needed. Suddenly I spotted Helpful Jamie, a boy I met on a surf trip. "Call my brother" he said "he's in the hotel room on a laptop" "Hi Ben, I'm Anna, Helpful Jamies friend, can you help me please" we painstakingly talked trhough all the security questions and I ended up with the address. They really are a helpful family.
but the drama wasn't over yet. As I sat in traffic, typing the address into Sat Nav, not paying attention to the crawling cars around me, BANG, I slammed into the car in front. We jumped out "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" "what are you doing!??! Did you fall asleep??" No damage done. Thank god.
Idrove for about an hour and a half, it was nearly midnight, I was 15 minutes away, then sat nav went mad again. It can't cope with cities, or quiet roads. I drove down some pitch black lanes, no sat nav and no phone signal and a newly acquired fear of grizzly bears. My car also ahs a habit of breaking down. I was getting quite frightened. I knocked at a small house that still had it's lights on, a young couple came out and gave me directions as best they could. I ended up in a village, where i suddenly had some signal, I made a quick phone call to John, got directions and my phone died. If i didn't make it now, I never would.
At nearly one am I arrived at my sleeping place. Everything is always ok, I have learnt this to be true, so I really should stop getting into such a flap when things go wrong.
Day 2. The descent.
I got lent a downhill bike. A vary good Intense 951. I no bike genius, but I do know that when a bike is set up for a 6ft, 14stone man, and the suspension and saddle hiehgt can't be adjusted, that I'm in trouble. I've never ridden a DH bike before, so I was feeling rather unsteady. Out of curiosity I sat on the handle bars, the shock moved down by about an inch.
However, I had a bike I had an entry, I was happy with that. I did 5 practice runs, and that really helped. I'd prefer to get to a DH race and practice the day before in future though. I felt slow and coulnd't get the flow going, a French racer (placed 12th in French rankings I have since found out) was my only competition. Some other girls who had signed on, and even turned up, didn;t race, which I thought was a big shame when the women's scene needs so much support. Ah well, at least I'd podium!
In fact, I won, beating marjorie by 3 seconds. I was really pleased, I also beat about 20 men. But I wasn't satisfied, I want a bike that fits and is adjusted to me, and I want to get midfield in the men at a local race. I want to know how good I can be, and without the right equipment I'll never know.
