Cycling report by Simon Foster - Andover Wheelers
Andover Wheelers' Phil Jacobs had a cracking start to his new season when he secured a superb 4th place at the Thetford Pines Endurance mountain bike race recently in Norfolk. Jacobs, who was riding in the Senior class, lined up with over 200 cyclists to tackle the fast and furious start.
With the first part of the course taking in 2 miles of fast fire tracks a good start was important. As the riders entered the first section of single track Jacobs found himself in the top 20 and 4th in his class.
The course was in a figure of 8 with a 9-mile loop bringing the riders back through the finish area to start another 6-mile loop to complete the lap.
As the field disintegrated Jacobs found himself working in small group of 3 riders as they completed the first 15-mile lap in just over 56 minutes. The muddy puddles and climbs took their toll on the field as riders dropped out one by one and the pace was starting to tell as the second lap took just over an hour to complete.
Despite the tough terrain Jacobs continued to work well and as he entered the last lap he was now in a group of 2 and still holding on to his 4th place in his class but having moved up to an excellent 7th overall.
As Jacobs entered the final 6-mile loop he looked around for assistance from his companion only to find he had left him behind on the previous climb! The Behind the Bikeshed employee then decided to put in one last effort over the closing miles to consolidate his position. Jacobs crossed the line in just over 3 hours for the 45-mile race, finishing 4th in the senior class and an impressive 7th overall.