Paul Hopkins to repeat his National Titles

After a very successful season in 2010 where Paul won the National Points Series as well as the National Champion title things were looking promising for this year.

But it is always easier to aim for a title than to defend it – so Paul knew that he had his work cut out for 2011.

Last weekend saw the final round of the National Points Series at Newham Park in Plymouth and Paul was looking forward to finish the series on a high.

Here his report…

‘After enjoying good weather leading up to the race I was certain that apart from the river crossings it would be a dry course, but I was completely wrong. Most of the circuit was incredibly slimy and in some places quite a challenge. One technical section which had a series of very steep drops and slippy wet roots was packed with spectators cheering and made for a good atmosphere.

I decided to attack hard from the gun on this race to try and syc out my competitors. As the large field sprinted out of the arena I got into third spot before hitting the first single track climb. I managed to get past the two riders in front before a twisty single track section that snaked through the first wooded area. I pushed really hard to drop everyone as soon as possible and as we came out of the woods and hit the first very steep firetrack climb I had a lead of about 10 metres. My legs were burning when I reached the top and my lead had increased but Mark Chadborne didn’t want me to get away. Mark is renowned for his pure grit and determination, he has been National Champ numerous times and knows how to hurt. I respect him very much as he never gives up. He often can be seen foaming from his mouth, where he pushes himself to the limit. He is the complete package he can climb, descend and power the flats.

However, I was very determined to finish the season on a high so I continued to race my first lap like a one lap race. Climbing out of the arena for the second time I could see I had now gained about 30 seconds to Mark and a minute to third, it looked good ! The long climbs and tricky descents played to my favour as my lead increased. To my surprise when I came into the arena to start my fourth and final lap Mark was stood by the side of the track and had pulled out due to a puncture. He acknowledged I had a big lead, so the last lap was quite enjoyable knowing all I had to do was get home in one piece. I crossed the line to take the win by 2 minutes 15 seconds to finish a fantastic year.’

So Paul had once more the upper hand and managed to bring another fantastic result home.

But being a true rather he is not just going to stop and wait for the next season. Paul will be back in action this weekend at the Bristol Oktoberfest where he will either aim for the Team or Pairs title.

Big congratulations from everybody at Merida to Paul’s 2011 success and we are all looking forward to some more wins in the future.