MTBO Camp Night race
It was a bit of a shock to the system after a mornings training and an afternoon sprint race to be donning smelly cycling kit to go out after our evening meal for the longest race of the day, a night middle distance race.
Even more of a shock was the provision of a colour photocopied 1:15 thou map not 1:10 as advertised on the start line which we all really struggled to read, particularly the brown roads which were invisible. Although there was practically no climb the stiff breeze and sandy conditions on many of the tracks made the going very hard at times.
I rode fairly cleanly, just stopping to much and just wobbled on a couple of controls, struggling to read the detail on the map but it was my legs that were the problem tonight. Not so much sore, but just very tired which made my navigation even more careful. I was really hungry all the way round, and my slow pace made it worse the longer I was out. I’m not sure if it is a hangover from being ill, or doing too much in the day as I certainly felt I had eaten enough.
The course snaked its way round the plantations of this army training area and included off track riding on some solid yellow areas and some intensive navigation in the dense forest blocks.
Turning for home after number 27 was a relief with the wind behind me for just a short while and I was glad to finish feeling completely drained. Rather than going to bed straight away, a few of us treated ourselves to post race analysis with a well deserved beer in the officers mess which went down very well.
MTBO Camp – Ultra Sprint
The venue for the ultrasprint was Krabbesholm, a forested slope in Skive itself. The 1:7500 map had a dense network of tracks and was ideal for a sprint.
Still feeling a little grim sorting the bike out, I perked up whilst warming up and started well up the first hill. I missed the first track junction and didn’t see the second under the red line so doubled back, losing 20 seconds or so, and I didn’t see the better route choice round to the north which would have given a faster in and out. I rode the middle part of the course well, but made a mistake at 9 going up an unmarked track that many took, losing about 45 seconds. I was a good boy and came back out to the road rather than cutting across (in Denmark you have to stick to the tracks), but I was still reprimanded by an irate W50 local. It seemed unfair when most people just cut across the forest to the control instead. I lost another 20 secondss on 10, too, taking the wrong track until I picked it up on the compass.
Other than overshooting another track junction, skidding past it on a descent, I rode the rest cleanly and razzed the finish, flying down the steps.
I really struggled on the hills generally, not feeling strong at all, my cold taking its toll and the splits show it.
The rest of the British Team struggled a little with mechanicals but Chris BB had a fantastic ride to take 22nd place. The winner Eric won by 1.30 an awesome performance.
Danish International MTBO Training camp – SKIVE
It was with trepidation that we queued for check in at the BA desk in Manchester as fellow team mate Chris BB was led away by two officials following a scan of his bike bag. In the end the rest of us checked in fine (although you never know what small print in the baggage allowances you may have missed for the bikes, which always brings worries of extra charges at the airport). We then decided that having a coffee was a better way to kill time, while waiting for him to have the rubber glove treatment, than worry about where he had been taken.
Thirty minutes later, a sheepish Chris returned with an official bit of paper saying his gas cartridges were actually OK and it was only his bike that had had an intimate examination!
Our plane today was dinky, a Dornia with only room for 30 passangers, my hand luggage only just fitting in the overhead lockers.
The GB team for this years training camp is much bigger, with lots of new faces all going out to gain valuable international experience in 4 days of intensive mountain bike orienteering.
Joining the already experienced Emily Benham and Chris Brand Barker are Dan Mathers, Mark Mc Phillips, Alan Hartley and Steph Fountain, oh, and me….
Staying in an Army barracks in Skive in Northern Denmark, we will be racing and training in the various MTBO distance formats, plus some special training exercises to concentrate the mind on various techniques. We even have a middle distance race at night which will be fun.
Snot !
I’ve had nearly 3 weeks off training. It started with a cold which then spread to my sinus’s. I’ve never had sinusitis before. It’s horrible, constant nagging headaches and toothache join the almost limitless flow of luminous yellow snot.
With the Denmark training camp looming, let alone the first world cup race in Hungary the following week, I was starting to get worried. A bit of Googling for treatment options has seen me with my head over a hot bowl of steamy Olbas oil and a search through Boots for a decongestant not on the UK anti-doping banned list. In the end I decided to try a do or die run on Tuesday night at club training on Cannock Chase. I was even late arriving there having had a puncture on the motorway (when it rains it pours it seems) so only had time to run a short course before it got dark.
Other than a slightly fuzzy balance feeling where the world seemed to wobble slightly I was fine, the snot clearing in the first few controls. I ran the whole 25 minute course perfectly at about 85% effort until the last control which I overshot, mis-sreading the map due to darkness falling and sweat in my eyes.
Top tip though for the time being: don’t overtake me on the right in a mass start in Hungary! I have a defense mechanism in place at present…..
British MTBO Champs 2011
I am organising the British Mountain Bike Orienteering Champs in the Sprint and Middle Distances this year.
Permissions again have been a headache but are now as confirmed as they will ever be so preliminary details and online entry are now out.
see http://www.walton-chasers.co.uk/?p=461 for more details……
Emily B, IOF Athlete of the Month !
http://orienteering.org/athlete-of-the-month/
Britain’s Emily Benham is featured as this months International Orienteering Federation Althlete of the Month !
Cycle Shack Visit
With the new season fast approaching, being tied up at work and sorting permissions for the British Champs I’m organising taking up far too much time, Cycle Shack kindly offered to sort out my race bike. They have finally managed to get the air out of my brakes that has been plaguing me for months and replaced a couple of wheel bearings. I took Holly down early on Saturday to pick it up and to scrounge a bike box to line my bike bag for the forth coming trips.
Holly now has her eyes on the Moda junior road racing bike (the Moda Minor which luckily it’s still to big for her but only just) and has asked Matt for a price on 2 x 20 inch blue tyres for her Isla bike.
Apparently the new team kit is now on order. The team now has support from juice lubes, so I now have some of their dry lube to try.