Southern XC RD 1 - MTB XC Race Day

Southern XC RD 1 saw us head to Winchester at Matterley Basin, to tackle an extremely challenging course with a lot of climbing and mud to make for tough conditions. This was my first race of the season where British Cycling points were up for grabs, to try and earn enough for an upgrade into the 'Expert' category next year.
Having not raced mtb xc for a few years I was gridded 50th and had some serious work to do to move through the field.
I hope you enjoyed the video and please do Like & Subscribe to follow my mtb xc journey through 2023.
Photo credit: www.pitchsidep...

[@matt.rus1]

New season George - "I'm dialling in my nutrition this season. This video George - "Ive got healthy ice cream cos I'm an athelete" 😂

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Baby steps 😬😂 this is a big step for me… however I now just eat the tub in one sitting 😂

[@swissride4k]

What an exciting video! As a Cyclist from Switzerland, I would love to ride in this type of amazing weather and I can't go without saying that This video is a great way to experience the thrill of mountain biking and the excitement of a competitive race day. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience with us!

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

However when summer comes we will all be very jealous of the mountains you get to ride up 🙌 thanks it’s great fun filming the race day antics 👌

[@adammasters8229]

James was a national champ on the road in time trials also national du athlete back in the day. Super strong

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

That explains why he pulled away from me so easily on the long drags 😂

[@mettler54]

Seems like you could lock the sus out at least half for almost the whole course. You’re a cx rider, you shouldn’t be wasting so much power compressing the sus. Just a thought - maybe you’ve got the suspension set up stiff enough - you never mention your race secrets? Great fun vid as always! Cheers in a great result!

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

You probably could lock it out but I’m not going to lie I’m enjoying the extra comfort 😂 also can’t let all my secrets out, don’t want the competition knowing everything 😜

[@leeemead]

well done G

[@EDCCrossFit]

Great video keep up the training and the racing. It’s coming 🥇

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Thanks mate, it will come and hopefully trusting the plan will get me fast when it matters 🤞

[@robertmcallister3838]

Great film, really enjoying the channel, I raced Vets, legs still hurt today, it was spicy course!

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Thanks and I feel your pain… it was the dreaded grass drag every lap that took a piece of my soul and emptied my legs 😂

[@suzannewise7456]

That was a brutal course!! I had no legs for this race and had a DNF 😢

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

It was super tough, it felt like I was constantly cycling uphill 😂 hopefully round 2 isn’t as hard 🤞

[@salishseacycling]

“Almost 25 years ago, Victoria Medvec, Scott Madey, and Tom Gilovich made a surprising discovery about the pain of coming in second and the joy of coming in third. In major athletic competitions - such as the Olympic Games - competitors seem to be happier when they finish third rather than finish second. If this sounds a little crazy, welcome to a phenomenon known as counterfactual thinking - thinking about “what might have been.” “

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

What I’m taking from this is next time wait to be overtaken and come home 3rd and I will be happy 😂 or alternatively just try and win 🤔 but second does seem to suck a little bit more that’s for sure!

[@fisharefriends598]

When the beanie is on…. She’s ready for action… especially the Bingo

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

😂 she certainly is 👌

[@XcTommy]

Well played mate! Good job! Trust the proces! It's round 1, we got plenty more to come!

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

100% trusting the process and hopefully it all comes together for the goal race later in the season 🤞

[@julie-wheelersatlarge]

You were so disappointed not to get the win! 😉Great result though from a 50th starting place! 👍👍👍 🥈 Some of those experts were so fast! Thanks for sharing, 👌🚴🏿‍♂️

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

It hurts when you come so close but definitely need to take the positives from it 😃 The experts are so fast… maybe one day I will be there 😅

[@jb211]

Great vid guys 👍👍👍 can’t believe how flat it all looks on camera them hills is tough 😅😅, hats off or beanies off to the rocket she covered some ground getting that footage 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️👍👍

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

The GoPro makes everything look flat but my legs felt every incline on that course 😅 she was all over the place… she’s never done so many steps 😂

[@brennanmartinpeyton]

Top work - saves me walking round the course !

[@PierreAlainMaire]

Great video, well done Rocket ! Strong boy from start to end, despite the hours spent riding the days before. Quite challenging course for XC !

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

I can safely say high volume and racing don’t mix 😬😂 definitely a challenging course, it was the uphills I found hard 😅😂

[@stoggs85]

Well done, top result from so far back at the start 👏

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Thanks mate 🙌

[@keithnewton1966]

Would have loved to ride along to watch you pass so many👍

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

I can’t lie most of the overtaking was in the first 60 seconds when I killed myself to get to the front 😂

[@almathol]

Great video, and nice to meet you both on Sunday. Excellent result second. Hopefully see you at round 2

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Nice to meet you too and will see you at round 2 👌 I have never raced it but have heard good things 😃

[@almathol]

Very long uphill grassy start I seem to remember..... absolutely killed me🥴

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

@@almathol that sounds horrible 😂

[@A_AAA232]

great video guys, well done on carving through the field and the finish race position, pin it from the start! - the legs didn't do too bad after all the volume training you've been putting in - course looked good, nice work Rocket on the footage - chips made up for no cake it seems :)

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Thanks mate… I certainly pinned it at the start but I paid for it big time 😂 one more week of hard training and then I can focus on not being tired all the time 😅 The chip’s definitely made up for it, they hit the spot 👌

[@stephencolton299]

Excellent job George 👏

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

🙌

[@patrickmaher6420]

Giorgio have you tried starting 10-20% easier? Building into it as you go? How many of these guys do you think you’d pass a little later? I just raced on Sat may11. Started hot and paid dearly later in the race.

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

I haven’t… I like being in the mix and just going for it but maybe it’s worth a try, I just struggle holding back at the start

[@georgeturner9300]

That was me infront of you on the practice lap😂 I ended up 5th in the race. You were pushing a fast pace up front, I couldn’t go with it. Good videos mate keep it up. You racing anywhere this weekend?

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

You were pushing the pace on the practice lap, I had the GoPro in my mouth and all you could hear was my heavy breathing 😂 Top result 👌 not racing this weekend trying to get a big week of training in, then back racing next weekend 👌

[@georgeturner9300]

@@GiorgioCoppolaCycling cheers! I’m at twisted oaks this weekend for r2 of the crank it series. Where are you racing next week? I want to get as much racing in as I can this year.

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

@@georgeturner9300 ahh cool I had a look at that one but I’m going to race the national series the week after, it’s a bit of a mission up near Leeds but it’s supposed to be a really good course 👌

[@MichaelBoogerd]

"it's bingo innit" :D :D :D

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

😂😂

[@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255]

Great footage! Saw myself at 12.30 ahead of Nuttall!😆

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Thanks and doing well to be ahead of Nuttall he was flying 💪

[@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255]

@Giorgio Coppola Cycling Well I was until I crashed on the 5th lap! Well done on your 2nd, time to move up to Expert?

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

@@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255 ahh nightnare! Unfortunately I can’t move up to expert, as I have to race my bc licence category in all British cycling races… but hopefully with enough points I can move up next season 🤞

[@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255]

Oh yes of course!

[@mandygoswell1099]

Love the video , well done , shame sarah does not know what 180 is xx

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Going to have to get the old 180 boards out we used to have with Nan Maisie 😂

[@missilemick]

Good ride pal , you'd win sport races if you were well rested. Maybe try a few days off or some zone 1 rides leading up to the race. Rocket looks better in the hat lol , good video keep up the good work 👍

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

In all honesty I probably shouldn’t be racing at the moment with the training I’m doing but can’t help myself 😅 only 1 more week of big training and then hopefully start feeling a bit fresher before races 🤞

[@fisharefriends598]

Moving up so many places is awesome. Even if you started 1st, you may not have won. Lay the ground work for the next races Taking a nature break in front of juniors 😂.. that’s not the kind of exposure you want

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

Very true! Super happy to move up and know that next race I will get a good gridding 👌 Yeah not my best move… I didn’t realise they were coming 😂

[@gravelgranny8616]

I have better footage of your bad hair day in Belgium… I think your subscribers need to see it!! 🤣

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

We did look for that picture but couldn’t find it… we assumed all evidence had been deleted 😂