A Field in Feltham: Bedfont Lakes comes to London CX League
After a fallow year in 2025, we were pleased to make a huge cyclocross comeback this year, lining up in the London & Southeast Cyclocross League for the very first time. It is a huge club event, which sees hundreds of racers take part across the whole day, which requires a full club effort of marshals and volunteers to keep it all running smoothly.
We had a great turnout of racers with nine Wheelers racing across the V40, V50 and U23 categories. It was also a great showing for Kingston Juniors, who made the most of the home race and had over 15 youth riders taking part, claiming five podium places including two wins.
In this report we hear how the day unfolded from organiser Chris, and what it’s like taking on your first CX race at the tender age of 50 from George and Chris (spoiler: it’s lots of fun!)
Chris Montagu (co-organiser)
When Matt and I surveyed Bedfont Lakes in early September, we were a little concerned about whether we would be able to hold our annual CX event. After a long, dry summer, the park was not looking its best. Much of the open park was overgrown with long grass and weeds, but fortunately park management had maintained a number of dog-walking paths, which gave us something to work with. So, with a bit of hope that it would rain before October 11 and with fantastic support from Hounslow Council and park management, we were able to create enough usable space to hold our first event as part of the London Cyclo-Cross League.
As organisers, the weather always weighs heavily on our minds. While rain can provide more classic CX racing conditions, it can also make things a little unpleasant for spectators or riders trying cyclo-cross for the first time. We need not have worried. While conditions were dry, we had almost perfect weather: sunny but cool, with barely any breeze.
With the weather on our side, the atmosphere in the race village was excellent. Riders were able to warm up on rollers right next to the course, spectators could get up close to the racing, and there was plenty of food and coffee available from the catering vans.
For the riders, the challenge was a 2.5km course that could best be described as fast and flowing. However, there were enough technical features to keep everyone on their toes, including a couple of sharp inclines and the gravel steps. Given the dry conditions, lap times were quick. The fastest lap of the day was set by a rider in the Open Seniors category, aged 21 to 40, at 4:05mins. The fastest lap in the Open V70 category was 6:23mins, while the quickest female lap was 5:32mins in the U23 category. As a reminder for those less familiar with CX racing, riders aim to complete as many laps as possible within a set time period. The Open Seniors race for 60 minutes, while all other adult categories race for 40 minutes.
Across the day there were seven races covering 19 categories. The kids got proceedings underway with the U8/U10 race at 9:20am, while the Open Seniors brought the day to a close with their race at 2:50pm. Overall, we had around 300 participants, with strong representation across all races. It was also great to see so much family participation, with quite a few father-and-son, father-and-daughter and husband-and-wife combinations taking part.
As for Wheelers racing, it was great to see a solid contingent in the Open 40/50s, as well as young Marcus Jones in the U23s. It was also good to welcome some new faces from our gravel contingent, including George Laguillo and Richard Turner. What we would have liked to see, though, was a few more of our female Wheelers — we know some of you own gravel bikes!
Lastly, the event couldn’t have happened without help from the club. Thank you to the committee for their continued support on holding this event. A big thank you to those that came down on Saturday for the course set-up or marshalled on the Sunday. It’s appreciated that you took time out of your weekend to support this important club event.
George Laguillo (V50 first-time racer)
Last month I raced my first cyclocross event at Bedfont Lakes hosted by Kingston Wheelers alongside clubmates Richard Turner and Chris Jenkins in the Open +50 class.
Following a couple of sighting laps, we joined around 80 other riders (+50, +60, +70!) on the start line, near the back of the grid.
At the start gun I was able to carve my way through the chaos and make up some places before settling into a rhythm, which was interrupted when Chris passed me, sparking a cat-and-mouse chase to the finish line. Close but no cigar. Richard turned up on a mountain bike and left with a shopping list for the next race.
Loved every aspect of CX and know it will make me a better rider overall. Just need to work on fitness, cornering and mounting/dismounting at speed…
The home crowd was brilliant and the organisation first class, so thank you to everyone involved.
Richard Turner (V50 first-time racer)
A home race felt more accessible and, encouraged by the forum and the inevitable FOMO that comes from seeing regular riding mates signing up, I somehow found myself entering my first cyclocross race. I had every excuse under the sun ready: I was riding a mountain bike, I was on the wrong tyres, I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I was an inexperienced racer. Yet here I was.
The pre-race nerves were very real. After a little time to settle in, I rode a sighting lap of the course. Returning to the pits, I was politely informed by Will that I was in the wrong place and that the race started in less than five minutes. The nerves instantly disappeared as I hurried to the start and took my place at the back of the grid.
There was plenty of pre-race banter and then, in an instant, we were off.
The next 20 minutes were a blur. A whirlwind of twists and turns, dust and bumps, dismounts and run-ups, remounts and descents, as the field spread out over the opening laps. After a quick drink, I found a bit of momentum and started to understand who I was racing, where I had an advantage, and where I didn’t.
Carrying a mountain bike up steps is hard work. Finding a rideable line around the side was sometimes possible, helped by shouted encouragement from Tim, who cheered when I made it and delivered a friendly boo when I didn’t. Simon and Harry were there on every lap too, offering encouragement each time we passed.
I was conscious about getting out of the way when the race leader came through. I certainly didn’t want to compromise anyone else’s race. In reality, though, it was straightforward. The front-runners were incredibly skilled at finding the right place and moment to come past, and there was always plenty of space.
Over the final two laps, the battle for 44th place in the 50+ category suddenly became very real. An Islington rider was steadily reeling me in from behind. With half a lap remaining, he finally came past. Then, with one final push and some encouragement from Matt over the last mound, I realised I could carry more speed through the bumpy section and final corner before the finish line.
We were credited with the same time, but the position went to me. I’ll take that every day of the week.
At the finish, the collective buzz of endorphins created a fantastic atmosphere. Genuinely, I had no idea a field in Feltham could be so much fun. For me, it was a brilliant introduction to cyclocross, and hopefully I’ll become a little more competitive over time as I learn the ropes.
Literally: grassroots racing.
