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Cyclo-Cross National Trophy Round 5 - Rider Interviews

Bradford | Sunday 13 December 2009
Report & Video: Phil Ingham | Photos & Interviews: Joolze Dymond
Report | Results

Jody Crawforth interviewed by Joolze Dymond

Paul Oldham interviewed by Joolze Dymond

Dan McLay - Junior Winner: I felt a bit bad yesterday and wasn't feeling too bright first thing this morning, but I guess I've been doing a heavy block of training for the road so I was pretty pleased to come away with the win today. Early on I thought I'd got the measure of Moses, although we're pretty evenly matched, he flies round the corners but today I felt pretty comfy on the corners and I was thinking maybe I've got this. Then he put in a bit of an attack and that put me on the back foot and I got a bit worried but I worked hard and got him back and in the end I felt pretty comfy I may have had a bit to spare, I may not have gone any quicker but I might have just had another lap in me.

The course was excellent very interesting, the way the corners were set out you usually were coming into a little climb, so you'd be thinking about hitting the climb rather than thinking about going round the corner quick, that might have been advantageous for me. If they'd been a bit quicker, into flatter sections then maybe Moses would have had the better of me. The plan now is to head to Belgium for a block of racing and hopefully build some form for the Nationals and as long as selection goes my way then I'm planning on a little peak for the Worlds.

Tom Moses - Junior Series Leader: It was a good battle out there today with Dan. I was trying to push too hard and just ended up getting tangled up with some posts. Then we were keeping the same distance and I was trying to corner too fast and lost it twice and yeah that's how it went. Dan was riding so strongly. Normally we are pretty evenly matched and today I was just trying to take advantage of the corners but I couldn't get anything and I was pushing too hard and making mistakes.

For the first lap I just sat on Dan's wheel and made sure he didn't get away, he looked to be suffering a bit so I thought I'd push on and gapped him a little bit but he got back to me. I sat on his wheel for the next few laps but then got tangled in some tape and came to a dead stop and Dan just took advantage of it. I kept on pushing on but over the last few laps I knew it wouldn't be doable, so I just tried to stay safe on the last few corners. The course was great, I really enjoyed it and fortunately I think I've done enough to win the series.

Sam Lowe - Youth Winner: Last weekend I got 4th in the regional champs and was very disappointed, coupled with a couple of weeks where training hasn't gone too well due to illness and resting from road and track, I thought I'd messed up the Trophy Series. But I had a good week's training and just flew today! Originally I thought I'd take it easy from the start and build up to the end. When I saw Dibben go I thought I'd go with him and see what happens from there. When I got a gap I thought I'd just keep the pressure up and held them off for the win. I was worried about Hugo as he's lying second in the series, he's just 2 points behind me, I thought all I need is a broken mech or something and it would all be over, so I was lucky to hold him off.

Lucy Garner - Youth women series leade: It was so tough out there today, it just got muddier and muddier, it was so hard climbing up that bank, I tried to run up it but I kept going backwards! It was a really good race!
I was really pleased with this race; I'm not really that good in the mud, so I was pleased with how I went today. I wasn't really that confident coming into this one, but I put my head down and got on with it.

Amy Roberts - Youth women's winner: That was my best race of the season so far, my first visit to the podium, so I'm really pleased. The lead was forever changing, gaps would open and close, I just held on and go the win in the end. Hopefully we'll see what happens now at the Nationals!

Annie Last - Women's winner: I loved the race today, Bradford is so much fun. I haven't done too much ‘cross this season as all my focus is on mountain biking but its good to get stuck in every so often and it works alongside my training and is a refreshing change. Everything is going well I really like what I'm doing at the moment. My first lap was spent just seeing how it would all unfold, bide my time sort of thing, but I soon found myself on the front and just went from there and didn't look back. Bradford is an excellent course, I really like it here, it was pretty slippery but just great fun. It's also great to see loads more women out on course, there are loads more than last year which is brilliant.

Hannah Barnes - Women's Series leader: It's been an interesting season for me so far and I never expected to be in the yellow jersey that's for sure. I think it's all down to the bike to be honest! It was a tough race out today with Annie Last out there in the mix; she and Lily are in a different league to the rest of us, well me anyway! I'm quite pleased to be having such a great outing in only my first year as a junior.

Chris Young - Vet Winner: That was a two horse race today and I was really worried about Darren as the last race he really gave me a kicking. I just stuck with him and kept and eye on him, he put a few digs in and hurt me a bit, luckily with a lap to go he changed bikes so I took advantage and thought this is it. I got a gap but he started to pull me back before the finish. I used my chance wisely and was seeing double at the end, I was giving it that much to keep him off. I just managed to hang on. Local race for me, so I needed to do well in front of a home crowd! It was a great course for everybody I think, it had the hills, plenty of technical stuff, a little bit of running, it seemed pretty good.

Darren Atkins - Vet runner up: My team mate Phil Roach set the pace at the start and technically he was the superior rider I think, I was slipping around on the tyres I had so I decided to change bikes, and lost a little gap not too much but it gave Chris a chance to get back, then when I decided to change to even grippier tyres with a lap or so to go, it was a real mistake, as you shouldn't give Chris Young and inch and I gave him about 30 yards! I certainly paid for that mistake! Chris had loads of local support and his adrenalin must have been pretty high, so I guess that pulled him through. I'd blown a bit trying to get back on terms with him on that last lap but I'd paced myself well enough to just about get there, but I had nothing left and when he went again on the finishing straight that was it. I think we were both 100% today, I've had a good run the last few weeks, hopefully get some rest and come back in a few weeks time and do even better.

Ian Wright - Grand Vet Winner: I have to thank my team really, all the training they've been helping me with it's been so beneficial and I need it with all these other good guys chasing me, like Martin and Roy it's proper hard core racing and this is a proper course. Twisty, slippery, it's proper cross. My race strategy was to go from hard from the gun, then a bout midway I looked back and saw martin coming back at me hard, I had to dig deep a couple of times to keep him away. He was on a charge and I was lucky to hold him off, I had to pull my finger out!
The Nationals is going to be really interesting now, it could be anyone's race, it's gonna go to the best man on the day but anything can happen in this game!

Martin Eadon - runner up Grand Vet: I had nothing to lose today, I needed some big points to catch Ian, but on the other hand there are bigger things at stake and you don't need points to win that jersey. Today I could see that everyone was a bit slow off the mark, so I put in one big dig, but with having no training for 6 to 7 weeks, my legs were turning to dust! But it was a great race and thoroughly enjoyable, I just kept running all the bits that everyone else tried riding and was pecking back seconds here and there. 7 weeks out doesn't do you any favours, it must be in the legs, a few more weeks of training and my focus is now shifted to the Nationals as it's the only one I can realistically take all being well.