The Kinesis UK London and South East Cyclo Cross League held round five of the 2018/19 season at Herne Hill Velodrome, south London. Organised by Herne Hill Youth CC on October 7, 2018.
In the mid 1990’s we held the first cyclo cross race at the Herne Hill Velodrome and a handful of people took part. We had quite a laugh that day and never imagined that the discipline would become so popular.
The 1999/2000 season saw 14,864 total cyclo cross entries across the UK, in 2013/14 this figure had risen to 44,471 and in 2016/17 it stood at 66,094. That’s quite a growth! (National event figures not included/BC figs)
The biggest issue for cyclo cross today is having sufficient facilities such as car parking and toilets to cater for the numbers that now attend a race day including riders, friends and fans.
Herne Hill Velodrome is my ‘home’ course and it was opened in 1892 making it the third oldest working velodrome in the World. It also played host to the 1948 Olympics. Herne Hill became very important to the cyclo cross community when the Eastway Cycle Circuit closed to make way for the 2012 London Olympic site. Both London and Eastern cyclo cross regions had held a number of races at Eastway over many years.
This was my last London/South East cyclo cross race meeting after over 20 years of taking part and helping out in London and the South East. Although I do hope to be back for one or two in future seasons and I will miss the climb of ‘Big Bob’!
Huge thanks to Bill Wright, Herne Hill Youth CC, comm’s Chris and Phillip, the LCCA, Luke Anderson of BCSE and the results team who really do make it possible to make sense of it all.
Pictures and videos (see also below)
Senior Men Video:
V40+/Junior Men & V50 Men/Women Video
Pictures
London/SE CX League
Results and information at – http://www.londonxleague.co.uk/
Junior/Veteran Men 40+ and Women/Veteran Men 50+ Video
Senior Men Video
My pics of the day
No youth pictures or videos as I was on marshal duty and the pictures below are my pick from the day. (all here)
James Dear rides over the top of ‘Big Bob’
‘Big Bob’ is a very noisy place to be and for some running is a better option – I rode it once many years ago
Away from the velodrome centre is this amazing area of green, it is here where people would buy their tickets and wait in long lines for the Olympics in 1948 and other race events.
These steps were built in more recent times for cyclo cross
Caroline and Sophia lead the women across the track
Riding ‘Big Bob’
Bells and lots of heckling on ‘Big Bob’
Switching to a transponder timing system makes sense of the racing
Senior race leader James rides ‘Big Bob’ and looks back to see how Wilf is doing, well he is so close we can’t see him
An old toilet block from the 1948 Olympics
Velo Klubhaus 
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