West Suffolk Wheelers & Triathlon Club member Darren Baker made the long trek to Duncton in West Sussex on Sunday to take part in the second Duncton cyclo cross sportive. Held around and over the South Downs, the event is aimed at mountain bikes or cyclo cross bikes with the latter being Baker’s choice.

The extremely challenging 77km course (extended by 1.5 km from 2013) was made more difficult by the unseasonably hot weather, particularly on the seemingly relentless series of off road hill climb over the Downs, some of which gradients topped out at 14%.

The majority of the course consisted of off and back road tracks though farms, across fields and along single track forest trails.

The few sections of true tarmac provided a little welcome respite from the frequent brutal, steep and bone shuddering descents over rock and root strewn tracks which invariably bottomed out into deeply rutted and pot holed mud or, in one case, through cow slurry.

The event probably suited Baker’s preferred riding style, however, with the emphasis on power and endurance as opposed to preferred qualities of power and speed of the Eastern Cyclo Cross League races. Baker’s chip time of 4 hours 41mins was rewarded with 5th (out of 14) in his age category of M50+ and 22/51 overall in all age groups. This was quick enought for an age category bronze standard (Male 50+) and was 6 minutes quicker than the previous year’s effort over a shorter course, even so he was disappointed to miss out on silver by less than 10 minutes.