Race Report by Claire Newman
Cabbage Patch 10 – Twickenham
The last race before Dublin – PB!!!! 📣
A group Massey ladies set off at 7am in heavy rain for a car trip of witty banter, poo talk, and calling other drivers dick heads.
We arrived about 30 mins before the start and parked really easily just opposite The Cabbage Patch pub which is home to the race. After a quick loo stop we were good to go. The weather had promised heavy rain for the duration of the event but thankfully it had cleared and we had a dry start.
I had no idea what to expect from this race, I know the gang who came last year loved it, but some people probably love Blenheim so I wasn’t putting much faith in that. Turns out they were right.
The course is flat yet varied so you don’t get bored or feel you are doing one bit for too long. I particularly loved the last 3-4 miles along the water. It had a really casual yet well organised vibe which just made for a brilliant race atmosphere.
The race is fantastically well marshalled, everyone was so chatty and friendly. The locals were surprising accepting of a bunch of hi-viz idiots running around the roads whilst they were trying to get to Waitrose.
I even loved the last mile when the promised rain came in epic style. We are talking proper hurts your skin, instantly soaks you rain. It was fun and a splashy ending to a great race. It would have been a different story if it had been at the start!
Due to the course being so favourable I got another PB! 📣📣📣 My Garmin made it a 5 min PB, the race itself is gun to chip (the only downside to the race), so my official time was not as good, but still a PB by 4 mins.
Goody bag was banana, cereal bar, cabbage seeds, can of beer, water, long sleeve technical tee and a medal. A pretty good haul.
Post race we all got naked, or close to it, in the multi-storey car park to change out of our soaked stuff and then headed back to the pub for cheesy chips (epic) and the prize giving.
Last year Lisa won the bike that is given away each year, and we had joked about how we should bring a bike rack with us to get this years bike back to Coventry. Turns out we should have…Lou won the bike! Pretty sure they might ban Massey people from entering next year 🤣
The car trip home involved lots more banter and we all fell in love with Lisa’s heated seats.
I loved the whole day. I really needed a day out like that, I also loved that it wasn’t just a race. I really liked getting to spend time with some lovely ladies just having some fun. It was much needed after a tough couple of weeks.
The next medal I get will be at Dublin 😱