The first race of the X-Fusion NSWMTB Cross Country Series was held on a fun new course at Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands and saw a much larger turn out than this time last year – very cool!
I was given the series leader plate after winning the series last year, which was a new experience and one I hoped wouldn’t jinx me into a big ego or broken derailleur.
The elite women’s field was small, but was made up of riders with varying strengths and similar race speeds, meaning the win could be anyone’s and that the racing would be close and exciting. Each lap featured tight, windy, leaf littered singletrack, 100 metres of climbing and a really fun, well built tech section right near the end. This last part was my favourite in the fun stakes, and also helped me to build a 20-ish second gap on the other women each lap, which made the difference between third place and the win. I was pretty excited, but will have to put in some serious training if I want to hold on to the leader plate for much longer! The next race is at Ourimbah in a month. Details can be found on the NSWMTB site, or on the (series sponsor) DIY MTB site.
Trying to “Miss America” the podium. (L – R) Meaghan Binder, Jenny Fay, Kath Bicknell. Photos: Gaye Camm.
Kath Bicknell 