XCO Race Report: British XC National Round 2 Margam Park
Double wins for Elite riders Thomas Mein (Hope) and Grace Inglis in the hot race conditions at Margam Park for round two of the National XC series. The sun came out, and stayed out for the weekend, with the northern lights, almost as rare as a South Walian dry weekend, also putting in an appearance. The racing was also hot and spectacular.
Round 2 of the National XC Series took place this weekend at Margam Park, Wales on an unusually sunny weekend
The Margam track played havoc with several riders' weekends called to an early end due to mechanicals
Paul Oldham had a fantastic start to his race, putting a good distance between himself and the other riders. However a mechanical on the far side of the course called an abrupt end to Paul's XCO race
It was Adrian Lansley who swooped in to take the victory in the Men's Vet race
Grant Johnson stormed to victory in the Super Vets race
Time to fuel up. Torq was on hand this weekend to keep all the riders topped up with their much-required gels
It was a close battle in the Grand Vets race between Nick Craig and Marc Chamberlain, with Marc leading the race for the first 3 laps.
But it was ultimately Nick Craig who took the top podium
The perfect hand-off. Friends and family were on hand this weekend to ensure their riders kept well hydrated
A cool box is always a luxury
Glasses were a must-have this weekend
A cheeky foot dab around the berms
With the unexpected heat this weekend, the fire-road climbs were challenging for the riders
A solid top-10 for Richard Freshwater this weekend in the Men's Vets
Port Talbot provided the perfect backdrop to the XC race
The sight every rider wanted to see, you'd finally reached the top - it's downhill from here!
The single track really let the riders gather some speed
Luca Hill put the power down and got fifth place this weekend in the Men's Youth race
There was a great turnout for the Youth and Juvenile race
The grassy descent allowed riders to really pick up speed but caught several out. Thankfully not for Zachary Hutchinson who went on to take the top podium in the Juvenile race
After last round's close race, Arthur Limb showed his strength taking the win in the Men's Youth by over a minute
The British Cycling Commissaires were on hand to make sure racing was fair and safe
Celebrations all round
Riders desperately tried to warm up in any amount of shade available
The calm before the storm
Perfect seats for viewing the racing action
Smiles on the starting line
And they're off!
Holly MacMahon gave it her all this weekend to take second place in the Women's Elite
The last corner into the finishing straight had the ability to catch several riders out
Hope's Ruby James powered hard to round off the elite podium in fifth
A top 5 for Faye Williams in the Female Junior race
Despite suffering a hand injury Alderney Baker took the win in the female expert class
Supporters lined the finishing straight to cheer on their riders
A tremendous win for Tulsi Bakrania in the female junior race
Even despite a missing chain in the final few corners
Grace Inglis took a double-header this weekend with a win in the XC Short Track and a resounding win in the Female Elite a full 2 minutes ahead of second place
The flat forestry climb gave the riders a brief breather before the technical climbs began
It's great to see teams celebrating together
Hugs all round on the finishing line
There's always time for a last-minute warm-up
Riders took the road straight as time to refuel and hydrate
Smiles even despite the harsh conditions
Dec Oldham had an incredible weekend, taking the win in the Men's Junior race
A strong start to the season for Magspeed's Dan Clark taking 6th in the Expert men's field
Riders put the power down in the steep rocky climbs, trying to claw back space between their competitors
Speed tucks gained those valuable seconds
Jason Bouttell took an early lead putting distance between himself and the rest of the elite field
But Thomas Mein was not far behind, chasing down first place
Thomas Mein made the most of the climbs in the final lap to take the win in the Men's Elite, a double victory this weekend taking the win in both the XCC and the XCO
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