Championship races have always been my bogey races, I’ve never had a good one before. My best previously was 5th at the Welsh Cross champs last year but I crashed and should’ve finished 4th. When we arrived at the course, it was baking hot, and the course was exceptionally dry. Disaster struck on the warm-up lap, I crashed practising the rock garden and went over the handlebars. My parents were concerned that I had broken my shoulder, so I sat in the car and tried to recover. This meant that I lost all the remaining practise time and I didn’t ride any of the A-lines in the race.
I started well, and was in 3rd after the first lap. The rider in front had a problem, so I was now racing for 2nd with another rider. I was stronger on the climbs, but was losing time through the A-lines, which I didn’t ride because I hadn’t practised them. On the final lap I became dehydrated and slowed down, which was partly due to the dehydration and I think that I slowed down because I knew that I was going to finish on the podium. I finished 3rd, which, in reflection, should’ve been 2nd. I still try to find that first championship race which goes extremely well.