Soggy Bottom 2026 - Round 2

Three weeks ago we raced Soggy Bottom Round 1 and I wrote ‘A muddy, slippery slap in the face….’, I think I might have gone a bit early on that description. Even for the Soggy Bottom series this was a bit muddy but it didn’t stop the race having full entry list – mountain bikers love it. Some sections were just wet or muddy, but some sections were deep, soft topsoil on steep banks and we all just ploughed down it. Less skill, more luck, but fun if you like that sort of thing.

The organiser wanted to test some new A-lines for the upcoming round of the XC Nationals so there were some technical rock gardens into long off-camber traverses. These will be fine when the weather dries, but after three months of rain they were treacherous. A lot of riders took the B-line and as another shower came through mid-race, the A-line was closed for safety.

All the riders had been warned the course was wet and that we might want more rubber than usual. Lucy and Will switched out the usual Schwalbe Ron/Ralph combo and put on Wicked Wills. They have a similar central profile to the Rons but a much chunkier side knobs - fast when flat, grip when railed over. They certainly stood up to the challenge and gave extra grip where they could, but in some places not even monster truck tyres were going to help.

We had four riders on course for this one; regulars Lisa and Will, new team member Mark, and Lucy, not daunted by her first CX a few weeks ago decided this mud-fest was going to be her first XC race - what a way to start. Lisa took 2nd and Lucy won her Cat. Will had a strong first half of the race but then Hypothermia kicked in and he lost places, finishing 8th. Mark was plagued with chain issues, not surprising given the mud, and came in 13th. Round 3 is the 1st of March, let’s hope for dryer conditions.