The lads have done it, two down just a little canoe to finish. Well done, what it must feel like still to have 24+ hours of canoeing ahead of you having already done a bob Graham and the length of the UK on a bike……
JK 2011 Sprint
The JK sprint was held in the campus of Stranmillis University in central Belfast, a mix of parkland, buildings and even some small sections of woodland. There was a great atmosphere in the event arena, spectators congregating on a grassy bank overlooking the finish and spectator controls, reminiscent of Henman Hill at Wimbledon. The sun shone for most of the afternoon but unfortunately a shower late on dampened things slightly.
To allow for those travelling from all over the UK and Europe the starts were spread over a four hour period but the Elites and Junior Elite courses were seeded into smaller start windows to bring some added excitement to the event. The Women’s elite course did not disappoint with a tie for first place between Sarah Rollins and Pippa Archer. The men’s elite title was taken by Matthew Crane.
My M35 course started with a cheeky short leg before it wound its way around some accommodation blocks in the north part of the map. There were many different levels on the map generally which called for huge levels of concentration. After nailing number 4 in a particularly complex area I then fluffed number 5, losing nearly 40 seconds until I realised I was looking on the wrong building. Struggling to put such a big mistake ( in sprint terms) behind me I got back into the map and, although potentially losing time to route choice on number 8, ran strongly up the hill to the spectator control at 14. From here the course and area changed character requiring faster running and more traditional orienteering techniques. After coming out of number 23 I then completely missed 24, running straight towards the final control. Luckily I spotted it quickly and ran back but it was a heart stopping moment. I gunned the finish run in from the last, having had a very enjoyable run on a great sprint area, the 25 controls taking just 16 minutes in a slightly disappointing 8th position.
It was a quick change and into the commentary van to take over ready for the junior elite competition. This was the first sprint event I had ever commentated on and learnt a lot, and was probably as mentally exhausted after the speakers job as I was after actually running the sprint !
The JK moves to the sand dunes tomorrow, with classic distance races for everyone except the elites who get a middle distance race.
Riders who like it light – brains and speed !
Ant of Mount Zoom has just put together a list of riders with blogs he supports.
http://mtzoom.com/good-stuff/good-stuff-cat-1 – brains and speed….. nice
JK 2011 – Northern Ireland
The JK (Jan Kjellström Festival ) this year is in Northern Ireland. This 4 day event held every year over the Easter Holidays is Britain’s largest Orienteering event,2000+ runners, being a family friendly festival it normally attracts more than the British Championships. It is also a World Ranking Event this year so will attract quite a few foreign runners coming over both for the event and to enjoy the fantastic landscapes Northern Ireland has to offer.
This year will also be special for the Stodgell household as we will be running as a family relay team for the first time in the ad hoc category now Holly is 8.
I am running M35L and with sprints and sand dunes being my forte I am hoping for a good result, though my legs are still sore from last weekend’s efforts in Hungary.
I have also been asked to help with the commentary, so watch out MC Stodge will be on the microphone from time to time, including the prize giving it seems ! Please feel free to fall over on the run in or do something else to give me something to talk about.
Apres MTBO Hungary
Lots of photos, GPS tracking logs, Routegadget, maps and more on http://www.mtbo.hu/series.php/apres
EPIC Tri – 1 down 2 to go
You may remember this post http://www.stodgell.co.uk/?p=2267 about Bruce Duncan and Ant Emmet’s fund raising bonkers Epic Triathlon for Cancer Research.
Well they have done their Bob Graham Round and have moved on to their John O Groats to Lands end not stop tandem ride.
They complete the Tri with a Canoe race this weekend.
Keep going lads !
don’t forget to sponsor them see their website http://theepictri.com/
Hungarian MTBO
This years first World Cup rounds were centred on the little town of Tapolca near Lake Balaton in Hungary. Our accommodation was a pretty little hotel in an old mill next to the side of the mill pond, very tranquil (except for the clock tower bongs at 6am). The food both at the events, in the event centre and the local restaurants was excellent and I enjoyed sampling the local specialities, though I do like paprika !
Hungary’s IOF advisor, Sandor, and his team, as always, provided excellent organisation, from the event office to the races themselves. MTBO in this region is characterised by open grasslands rising up to scrubland and forest on the slopes above, criss crossed by various vehicle and animal tracks, some large and very fast some tiny and technically challenging. In Hungary you are generally also allowed to cycle anywhere so options to cut across bring a new route choice challenge, particularly to those riders from countries where this is normally prohibited.
The addition of the derelict Army base for the sprint this year was brilliant and all riders I think would like more of this sort of exciting terrain.
These World Cup races were the 3rd year in a 4 year plan where the culmination is the hosting of the World Championships (Elite, Junior and Masters) 2012. As well as live results published to the internet, live GPS tracking was trialled which I believe was a success and it is the intention to use it next year together with live commentary to bring the exciting racing to virtual spectators all around the world.
With the 2012 Champs looking like the best yet, its a ‘no brainer’ to want to go to next years races, its more of an issue for me deciding what I would like to ride – Elite or Masters as next year I will be eligible for both !
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World Cup – Hungary, Mass start long distance
The mass start long distance race is Hungary’s signature event, ideally suited to the fast open grassland, with upland forests above. As usual a light aircraft circled overhead filming the action as 80 elite men lined up, bikes 50 metres to the front for the Le Mans style start.
The courses are ‘gaffled’ using a series of loops with some common and some split legs meaning that you might racing with someone who then splits on to a different part of the course before rejoining for another few common legs later on. All the riders eventually complete all the legs, so everything ends up fair.
On “Go” I hung back a bit, reading the map and folding it on the way to the bike rather than sprinting towards it and riding away map in hand like some, however I still got a good start and ended up in one of the lead packs, fighting my breathing to keep things under control, but loving every minute of it.
The first loop took about 15 minutes before we had a spectator control and a compulsory route back past the start. Although the commentator said I was in the second chasing group I was surprised to be then be caught by MTBO superstar Denmark’s Erik Skovgaard Knudsen, who I promptly tucked in behind as he seemed to be going my way. As we cruised along a narrow track I kept with him comfortably and it entered my mind that maybe he isn’t really a superstar and I could perhaps stay with him. I then realised he was sorting his map out and regaining some composure (he later told me he had had a crash a few minutes before) before he suddenly exploded out of the saddle and simply disappeared putting at least 150 metres into me by the end of that fairly flat leg, awesome riding…..
We came around to the spectator control again after another 15 minutes and then it was out onto the course proper and the hills. I was riding strongly and keeping pace quite well, but on the stiff climbs I was being dropped by successive groups. However, I soon found I was catching them on the navigational legs and descents, so not losing too many places. The course then went down into an area of vineyards, rural farmsteads, tracks and roads. We looped around there for a while before a final map exchange to keep thing clear.
I had a heart stopping moment riding cross country when I rolled straight over a broken bottle. The next 5 seconds went very slowly until I realised I had got away with it, the front tyre staying up, it would have been a very long walk home from there if the tyre had shredded!
Due to some late restrictions by the Hungarian nature authorities we then had some long legs out via a small town and some country lanes round a huge area of out of bounds before another big climb back over to the last few controls.
I made a small error at a control near a church in the town finding myself at the entrance door with a congregation singing away inside. I made a hasty retreat down the hill to punch the control but felt a little guilty, I’m sure I would have been silhouetted nicely in the door way as I relocated, but it wasn’t marked out of bounds.
I played cat and mouse with some faster riders though the last few controls and punishing final climb, using my navigation skills and control flow to keep pulling then in. After a fantastic piece of fast single track descent it was just me and a Frenchman, having dropped the two other riders. I kept ahead through the complex track junctions and quarry but made a little error losing a few seconds on the penultimate control which enabled him to get back in the lead.
I absolutely nailed the last descent trying to catch him but realised I was going far to fast towards bottom as the track steepened. The rear wheel skidded this way and that in huge tank slappers on the loose gravel and grass as I tried to scrub off the speed, which I’m sure looked fairly spectacular from the finish arena. More or less in control but still going fast I felt I could come off the front brake and skid round the rear wheel to take the bank down to the control and catch him but managed to high side it instead and went over the handlebars doing a proper superman impression. I landed square on the temple of the helmet, bike and me tumbling down the hill!
Very shaken but not beat I gave it everything to try and re-catch the Frenchman but it was too late he was already in.
On the line I was very wobbly and the marshal wanted to get me to the ambulance, having seen the crash, but I fended him off and went off to see the riders who I had been tussling with for the last 45 minutes or so.
After a drink and some food I thought I had better get my knee cleaned up before the long journey home so queued in line at the ambulance, however seeing Alan Hartley being patched up by the medics after a really nasty fall early on (fair play, he finished even though looking like he had been in a bar brawl), with all sorts of painful looking chemicals and sprays, even a syringe was produced at one point, I took myself off to the showers instead. Hot showers surrounded by tarpaulins in the middle of a field, result!
I ended up 48th which I was really happy with, finishing the weekend with a set of results that firmly now put me in the World’s top 50, the winters strength training paying off, I just now need to do some more…..