Race Report by Ruth Mordaunt
Leading up to the 2nd round of the British NPS at Drumlanrig, Scotland, I was nursing a hip flexor injury. I was quietly panicking as I could not put the usual power through my left leg without it screaming with pain, and this was not an option at the tough course in Scotland.
James drove the distance whilst I was icing, resting and gently stretching at each service station stop, and on our epic journey from Brighton, there were a few. Thankfully this helped and within a couple of days both legs felt strong and ready for racing.
The 7.5km course was around the stunning grounds of Drumlanrig Castle with lots of rooty and rocky singletrack action. After a couple of practice laps on Friday I was riding smooth over the tricky rooty sections, choosing the best lines to try and ride lightly and conserve energy for the power climbs.
Race day was sunny and warm, and the trails were drier than the previous day. Waiting on the startline there was a healthy turnout of women in the Master category, ready for the off. The start was a strength-sapping climb and my aim, like many of my competitors, was to get up and over this climb first and hit the singletrack sections with a clear line. From the gun, I led up the first climb setting a strong pace. I knew that Michelle Bergstrand was on my wheel, but not too sure on the rest of the pack. When we had reached the top of the climb we were side by side, then Michelle moved in front going through the feed zone. 
Michelle and I battled it out for the first section of singletrack and she nipped in front. I focused on choosing the best lines through the technical sections, rather than fighting the terrain and panicking. Michelle and I popped out on to the first fire road and, feeling strong, I went to the front to keep the race pace high as it had just dropped a little. I was expecting Michelle to attack but there was no sight of her and at this point I decided to concentrate on keeping my riding smooth and pushing on strong to create a gap.
As I powered up the start climb for lap 2 I saw Nina Davies, Theresa Jackson and Emma Bradley entering into the arena. This meant I had only a 20 second or so gap, and I still was not too sure where Michelle was. Out alone, I focused on keeping the race pace high during lap 2 and 3, pushing hard through the technical sections. This was one of my strengths especially on my new Endorfin VP-4 Lady, which was gliding over the roots. This is one seriously fast bike.
Taking my first win at a XC British NPS was joyous, and was delighted that I had a sufficient lead over second and third placed riders Nina Davies and Emma Bradley respectively. Unfortunately for Michelle she punctured during lap 1, but continued and finished the race. Many thanks to team coach Andy Patterson whose training and guidance is allowing me to go from strength to strength. Also, a big thank you to the owners of Rik’s Bike Shed at Drumlanrig Castle, Rik and Ginny Allsop for all the support they provided during the weekend. Although I think I will stick with my Endorfin bike for the next rounds!
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