The weather is anything but what you would expect for the discipline but cyclists in St Albans have already turned their attentions to their winter sport.
Cyclo-cross is normally associated with cowbells, Belgian beer, big bobble hats and mud, plenty of mud.
But there while the heat is making the last two on that list unlikely, the first round of the Central Cyclo-cross League will still kick-off at Milton Keynes Bowl on Sunday, September 17.
Verulam Reallymoving will be in attendance for the premier competition in the region.
They will have two new venues to visit, Blackpit Brewery in Towcester and Arncott MX track in Bicester, with their own round coming at Ashlyns School on December 3.
It’s at MK though where the St Albans-based squad have been showing good early-season form.
The Central League's Summer CX series saw large fields, with more than 100 riders competing in two races each evening.
VRM's Alan Gunner was in excellent form at the final round.
Having finished second in the National Cyclocross Marathon Championships in July, he took second overall in the wave two race at MK and third in wave one.
Verulam Reallymoving's youth contingent were also dominant, Samuel Stacey and Alarik Knox taking first and second in wave two youths and Emma Knox first U14 girl.
Paul Caton won both waves in the V60 group, and was first and fourth in the V50s, while Rachel Dunn was third woman in wave one & first V40.
They are still having success on the road too with an event at Bovingdon designed to reinvigorate women's racing - the Leigh Day Women's Grand Prix.
Dunn and Laura Hicks were in the top 10 of the category 3/4 race while in the supporting races there was a win for Mike Debney in the masters while new signing Cormac Bryce was fourth.
Off the bike the club have also announced that all four sponsors have already committed for the 2024 season, the race team's eighth.
Verulam Cycling Club, Reallymoving.com, Whitton Electrical and Spoke Cycles CC will back the squad, allowing their established riders to flourish and also provide the perfect platform for getting Hertfordshire’s new and upcoming talent into racing.
One of their big success stories so far has been 19-year-old Will Smith who rubbed shoulders with World Tour riders as he competed for Trinty Racing at the Arctic Race of Norway.
Another VRM alumni, Clay Davies, has just won the British Masters Road Race Championships in the 30-34 age group and currently leads the 2023 national male elite road and track rankings.
Verulam CC has also restarted its popular Saturday morning cyclo-cross coaching sessions at the Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre in St Albans.
Many of the racing team’s youth and junior riders have come from those training sessions; anyone wishing to get involved can contact Verulam at www.verulamcc.org.uk
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