XCC Race Report: British XC National Series Round 4 Woody’s Bike Park

Woody’s Bike Park in Cornwall hosted Round 4 of the XC National Series Short Track races this Saturday on a gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend. Riders were treated to fast-paced, wheel-to-wheel racing, with a technical course providing plenty of challenges for riders during the intense 20-minute short track race, filled with tight berms, technical climbs and table top features.

The Juvenile/Youth category started the day, with a close-fought battle with the lead rider changing after every lap. In the end, it was Leon Atkins who took his third win of the short track season, ahead of Innes McDonald in second and Max Standen in third. Tulsi Bakrania took a strong win in the female youth category, followed by Lara Dix in second and Grace Ward in third.

Then came the Veteran’s race. The riders were quick off the mark, but it was Paul Oldham who showed his Short Track dominance taking his fourth win of the series by over one minute, followed by Hunt’s Richard Freshwater in second and Paul Hopkins in third. In the Women’s Veteran’s Karen Heppenstall and Rowena Duffield battled it out, but it was ultimately Karen who took the win.

To round off the Short Track races for the day, the Senior race took place. The riders took off from the start with incredible speed, that was maintained for the entirety of the race. A tight pack lead the way, with the rider remaining undecided until the final lap. With the race called unexpectedly short due to an injury on track, the riders put the power down on the finishing straight, with Rory McGuire taking the win by just 0.2 seconds ahead of Max Greensill in second and Cameron Mason in third. In the Women’s senior race, Anna McGorum took the win ahead of Ruby James in second, with Bethany-Ann Jackson rounding off the podium in third.

The excitement continues on Sunday with the XCO Round 4 races taking place.

Woody’s Bike Park played host to Round 4 of the British Cycling Cross Country Short Track series, with a weekend of stunning weather forecast the tracks were running prime

The XCC course was packed full of fast-flowing descents, table tops, tight berms and technical climbs

It was close wheel-to-wheel racing in the Youth and Juvenile field, with the leader taking several laps to be decided

The Woody’s Bike Park trails made the perfect track for both the Short Track and XCO taking place on Sunday

Leon Atkins took his third win in the Short Track series in the Youth/Juvenile field

Family and friends made sure to catch the rider’s key moments

Competitors on the course, friends off the course

WXC’s Tulsi Bakrania took her first short-track win of the series on Saturday by just under 30 seconds

And they’re off!

The tough climbs were made harder during this short, powerful race, but Hunt’s Richard Freshwater made light work of it on his way to 2nd place in the Men’s Veteran race

The views over Cornwall made the perfect backdrop to the XC race

Friends and families gathered to cheer on their riders

It was a close-fought battle in the Female Veteran’s race with Karen Heppenstall taking the win by just 3 seconds

It was all smiles on the start line, as riders were keen to get the weekend’s racing under way

Focus on the start line as the commissaire calls for 30 seconds

With the dry conditions it was not just the heat that riders had to contend with but the dust

Ruby James gave it her all in the heat, taking second place in the Women’s Senior race, pipping Bethany-Ann Jackson to second place by 1 second

Bethany-Ann Jackson looked strong on her way to third place in the Women’s Senior race

There’s always time to send it for the cameras

As if one intense, fast-paced short track wasn’t enough, William Lezard then went on to race the 20+km XCO Sport Race that afternoon

Don’t forget to check over your shoulder to see where your competitors are!

Rory McGuire battled hard, and after the race being called unexpectedly short, Rory timed his attack perfectly to take the win in the Men’s Elite field

Max Greensill narrowly missed out on a win overall in the Men’s senior race with a sprint finish with just 0.2 seconds separating first and second but took home the win in the Men’s Junior field

Anna McGorum had a fantastic race taking the win in the female elite

There was no time to enjoy the flats with this compact race format riders were hot on each other’s tails

As well as the Short Track, the Crank It Cycling’s U12 Skills session took place – this is available at every XC round so be sure to sign up!

Paul Oldham continued his winning streak taking the win in the Men’s Veteran field for the 4th time so far this series!

It’s great to see so many young riders get involved with Short Track, with the juveniles who took on the challenging course in the mixed juvenile and youth field celebrated here with their own podium

A big thank you to Bluetti for agreeing to support Man Down Media this year with our British national series coverage for 2024