Round 4 of the MSG Eastern region came from the Lee Valley Velopark in Stratford, London. There was a smaller turnout for this event compared to the others in the series due to it being an ‘extra’ event. The course itself was very technical compared to the others in the series, with several A and B lines.
I set off early for the practice lap, and made sure I was comfortable with all of the A lines as you could gain a significant amount of time by opting for these rather than the slower B lines. The track was very flat, with hardly any uphill sections, almost the opposite of Hadleigh Park. The surface was also very similar to Hadleigh Park, making the fast rolling Mitas Scylla the tyre of choice.
I was gridded on the front row along with Joe Champness for my race. I got a good start and managed to settle into a rhythm in around 10th place. Traffic was a big issue on this track with it being very narrow, and soon long trains were starting to form behind slower riders. I managed to stay out of trouble to finish 9th, with Joe Champness taking his best finish of the year with a superb 4th place. In the open female Jane Brockman took an excellent 6th place, and in the open male Paul Cavalla finished in a well deserved 3rd place, with Kevin Darragh and Matt Phillips finishing in 11th and 12th respectively.
In the under 12’s race Daniel Cavalla put in a great performance to get 12th position, his best yet.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable event thanks to the superb organising of the Mud Sweat and Gears team, also thank you to our excellent sponsors Mitas UK for the superb Scylla tyres and Hardnutz helmets for the well ventilated helmet on what was a hot day in London.
By Adam Cavalla; Hadleigh MTB Club Youth Race Team Member.
Photo Credit Basil Thornton