Well, last weekend took me all the way south to Thetford forest for the NPS series opener. I won on this course in 2002, but I must admit it is not one of my favourites! However, I was looking forward to the opportunity of getting stuck in with the rest of the best UK women.

I had the signs that something was amiss in the week leading up to the race, but ever the optimist I was hopeful of a decent result after some good training in Spain the week after Easter.

My race started well, getting into 2nd position behind eventual winner Jenny Copnall. She managed to get a gap in the trees. This left me leading out a chasing group of 4 riders, who jumped me & got a gap of 1-200 metres. I chased for 2 laps, dangling just out of reach! Mid race I started to feel a bit rough & this progressed into a full blown bonk! I had nothing left & could not understand why, as up to now I have been going very strongly. I somehow managed to haul my body around the rest of the race, feeling I owed it to my team, sponsors & all who have helped me. I am not one to give in but there are times when you should sometimes call it a day :-) However on reflection I am glad I managed to finish & believe it will help me in the future.

At the finish I was feeling rather below par. On the way home this rapidly developed into a chill & sore throat. Now I realise why I felt so rough in the race! I think I just about had enough in the tank to complete half the race before my body decided to go into shutdown mode.

Hindsight they say is a good thing... Those heavy legs all week, shivers & general feelings of lethargy were all the warning signs I decided to blindly cast to one side. On a positive note, it was good to be back on the scene after 2 years away, meet up with friends I have not seen in some time & enjoy the whole crack. Next NPS is Drumlanrig in 1 month. I'll be back, watch this space :-)

Keep riding & smiling, Sue Clarke.