Newbury Road Club's Steve Miller rides round Mountain Bike Cross Country Challenge

Newbury Road Club Cyclist, Steve Miller took to the woods around Frimley Green in the Autumn Classic Mountain Bike Cross Country Challenge.

The Autumn Classic XC Race, first of a winter series organised by Gorrick, attracts riders from as far afield as East Anglia, the Midlands, West Country as well as from across the south of England.

Pitted against riders of all ages and genders, some professionally sponsored, Steve managed a respectable 14th in his category.

These are lap-based races, with each lap is usually around 20 mins long and race lengths varying from 1 to 5 laps - dependant on the category.

“I’ve been riding at Gorrick events in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey on and off since the early 90’s and you can always ensure that there is a friendly welcoming atmosphere and some challenging terrain to conquer,” said Steve, who has lots to practice on near his home in Lambourn.

“All are welcome to have a go and there are categories to suit all ages and abilities with the hillier sections removed for the younger children and fewer laps for those adults that just want to have a bit of fun. At the other end of the scale there are manufacturer supported and sponsored riders who do not hang around.”

When not MTB competing, Steve is to be found riding the lanes of Berkshire with Newbury Road Club. He enjoys both on- and off- road but encourages cyclists to try both.

“If you enjoy riding off road and fancy a challenge, then why not give a XC MTB race a go? As an adult you can simply enter the ‘fun’ category or if you’ve raced before ride within your age ranges.”

Details of future local events can be found at gorrick.com