They were queuing outside the school gate when I got to Furzefield on Sunday, baying to be let in, the problem being that I was the only one with a key..... unfortunately I'd got carried away back at home trying to identify (without success) a wild flower that I had spotted the previous day
We had a new rider Janith Gabriensen aged nine. Welcome to Raiders.
We prepared for a slow-fast race by first of all having the slow part only.
So riders had to take 40 seconds (or more) to move from A (the 'false' start line) to B (the 'real' start line).... I was counting the numbers so everyone knew the score.
Anyone who reached/hit the B line too soon was eliminated, so suddenly at around 35 seconds quite a few individuals suddenly got quite good at almost coming to a halt, at almost doing a track stand as it is called. Well done.
After three practice runs, we did the real thing, the slow-fast option...... so a big gear change was needed when the whistle went to announce that the 40 seconds was up.
Riders were in pairs for the next exercise, setting off in different directions just like a sheepdog trial, then coming together at the far end and returning down a narrow alley of cones riding side by side.... and if they had the confidence riding with a hand on the next rider's shoulder.
As riders got better, we widened the alley a tad and that allowed for riders to return in lines of three. Good stuff.
Final race - younger riders, 5 laps handicap
1 Lukas Lamberth
2 Ellen McLeod
3 Justin Collins
Final race - older riders, 8 laps handicap
1 Daniel Warhurst
2 Matthew Burnham
3 Joseph Armstrong
That flower, should you be interested, turns out to be yellow pimpernel.... which I'd never even heard of.