Bex Hewitson was guest reporter and chief cheerleader for our latest XC outing – here’s her eye witness account of last Sunday as she recovers from injury…

With the threat of torrential rain and gale force winds, the DVRC XC team made no secret of their hope for a cancellation. On the realisation that their prayers to the weather gods were going to go unanswered and that, actually nobody is forcing them to do this; the team made their way to the Lambton Estate for the third (actually second, after Druridge was cancelled last week) fixture of the season. I am told that the erection of the team tent was a sight to behold, however as the start times approached, the sun came out, the wind died down, and it turned out to be a stunning autumn Sunday afternoon!

The ladies team was represented by Lola Wright, Beth Heppell, Natasha Powell, Kirsty Robson, Eleanor Shotton, Caroline Smith, Melanie Armstrong and Karen Cutler. Debutant Lola put in a stunning performance on the course and brought the DVRC ladies home, closely followed by Natasha who had blitzed through from the medium pack. The other ladies all beat the demands of the course to finish muddy and furious at the hills, but after heart rates decreased and sanity returned, they were smiling and admitting they “quite enjoyed it, actually”. 

The men’s team represented by Chris Hewitson, Kieran Ridley and Mike Slawski set off in mild drizzle on a course that had seen hundreds chewing it up beforehand. Chris led the men home after 3 gruelling laps, his face and his road-running legs saying it all as he thundered down the finishing straight. I’m sure you’ve all seen the photo of Kieran caught “mid F-Bomb” as he shut down the overtaking attempts of the bloke behind him. Mike saw the whole team safely home, looking fresh as a (muddy) daisy!

Obviously the one thing on everyone’s minds while flogging themselves around the course for “fun”, was the after-run cake! Gorgeous goodies were provided and demolished by a well deserving team. 

It was strange to be a spectator, and FOMO set in on a few occasions, but it was great to be there to support my team and still be part of the “XC Craic”. If you are interested in getting involved (even if it is just for the cake and bantz), please drop Janis a message and come along to the next fixture on November 23rd. It would be great to be able to put a full men’s team out (6 guys required), and for more of you to sample the joys of this Type 2 Fun!