Harry and Jess had a relaxing weekend before their second British Cup race in Fort William this weekend. Jess raced mini downhill in the Forest of Dean and got 2nd behind 2010 World Champion Tracey Mosley and this is what Jess had to say:
"The race was so much fun. The Dean Trail Volunteers certainly put on a great event this weekend at the Forest of Dean! I couldn't quite believe how many people were spectating and just generally riding, that place is quite popular! It was going to be a tough race with Tracy Moseley also racing, but it was very chilled out and just, fun ! We had a few uplifts on the FlyUp Downhill and got in a few runs before racing. The weather was quite surprising, it was actually quite warm when the sun was out! I was expecting the tracks to be slippery, however it was very grippy and running fast.
My first race run was good, I felt like I was riding well and didn't make many mistakes however I could have carried my speed much better. I came down with a time of 1:18.5... 0.2seconds off Tracy with a time of 1:18.3 ! So it was very close racing. I knew I could go faster but I also knew that Tracy would now not want me to beat her and also go faster !! So I had to work hard.
The second run was very smooth, and I felt like I was riding with great control. I felt strong all the way down. I finished with a time of 1:17.1 however, Tracy pipped me by 1 second with a time of 1:16.1 !
Overall, I felt like I was riding well. The true test for me will be Fort William National this coming weekend which is considerably longer than Forest of Dean !! Hopefully I can hold on ! I'm so excited for it !"
Photo: Chris Ratford
