Shoeless in the Saddle (or CXy rider)

Cracking day in the cold and mud. Set off to get to Waverley for 9 to meet my mate Andy to train it to Glasgow, then ride up to Auchentoshan for the Scottish Cyclocross Championships. En route we tried out Bankie's Big Bike, but we were there for the racing, so pushed on along Route 7 (coming back to the station on Route 754).

There a set with 120 images here, and most of them I could have chosen to blip. But, y'know, in the midst of the mud and the pain and the speed and the falls and the mud (did I mention that already) I loved this image of a rider in one of the support races, having lost her shoe on the last lap, rather than sticking it back on just deciding to carry it in the most... er... sensible way possible, pushing on with a be-socked left foot. That is the kind of thing you don't see at every CX meet. There's a simple phrase around CX which is 'Dig In'. This is digging in par excellence.

I still hanker after trying this. Probably next season given this is the season coming to a close. I've got the CX bike. I've got the MTB-ish background. I've got the road commuting fitness. I might not come last. Anyway, today was about trying to get as many photos as possible to hopefully pitch to be the season's official photographer next year. We'll see. This year the photos have been offered for nowt to any competitor who finds themselves.

And did I mention how muddy it was? The images all have a wee bit of post-processing. I wasn't looking at just recording the day, but giving it a 'feel' for just how hard this is, how difficult the conditions are, how impressive these riders are, plus a little retro 'Euro' - this sport is MASSIVE in the likes of Belgium).

Uphill
Ragged Edge
Drip
Bunny Hop
Slopestyle
Up up up! (one of the main blip contenders)
Wide-Eyed
Pained

Ah. Pity there's work to go to tomorrow...