its all about stodge, bikes, MTBO and the outdoors
Its just two weeks until the British Sprint Champs, this year to be held at the infamous Lee Quarries, north of Manchester.
Lee & Cragg Quarries promises fast, exciting racing in very technical terrain (both physically and navigationally) and I am gutted I wont be able to ride probably the best UK MTBO of 2012.
More details and online entry at http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=308
We have an aversion to Scottish JKs (big UK Easter Orienteering Festival), when I lived down south it was too far, the weather is often iffy at Easter and there always seems to be a nice alternative somewhere warmer. This year we were trying to go to Spain, but could just not get any info on the event. In the end Cath discovered a French ‘3 Jours de Paques’, just north of Bordeaux on the l’île d’Oléron.. Sand dune forests, French food, what more could we ask.
http://3jours2012.club-co17.com/index.html
Im not sure it was a great decision to go for just the weekend and drive! meaning it turned into a bit of a major road trip (1600 mile weekend) but overall we had a great time and I believe the orienteering was OK too (cath’s map shown) The area was actually quite runnable and not as green as the map suggests.
The club took 3 cars out and stayed in a posh resort caravan park with a fantastic spa pool we all lazed in when not visiting light houses, orienteering or eat ice creams and crepes. The 3 juniors who came out did us proud and it was a struggle to get the 8 trophy’s into the car for the return journey.
I had a word with my physio before I went (he was really not happy about the drive) and said that I could take a bike a go for a few poodles for my mental health rather than just sitting there moaning. In the end I had 3, 45 minute, lane and forest road rides on the Whyte E5 and I am starting to like it. I still wonder whether it is slightly too big for me and that I might need a small but overall its good, particularly pedalling over the bumpy stuff. The rest of the time I took photos and enjoyed the slightly windy sunshine thinking of friends getting cold and wet in Scotland!
Well done to Erik and his partner Thomas from racing 29ners for coming 15th in the Cape Epic Race. Amazing performance. Full results available here http://www.cape-epic.com/live/results2012.php
Lots of photos and videos too.
MTBO superstar Erik Skovgaard Knudsen is currently down in South Africa competing for http://www.racing29ers.com/ and doing well against some awesome competition including the God of mountain bike racing CHRISTOPH SAUSER. It would be amazing just to be in the same race as the flying Swiss but Erik and his partner Thomas Bundgaard are keeping up and are currently lying in 9th place after the first day proper.
The 8 day 800 kilometre race with over 14,000 metres of climb winds its way around some fantastic scenery around the Cape.
You can follow Erik’s progress (in Danish so go for Google translate) at the racing 29s website or on facebook here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Racing29ers/218610998214939
Full Cape Epic details and daily results are here http://www.cape-epic.com/live/
I wonder if the winter beard has come off in the heat!
Holly has successfully completed her fundraising challenge.
She started with a a 30 min mountain bike ride up hill to Chase Road Corner from our house. Then she Orienteered an orange standard course back through Oldacre to Chase Vista car park. From there she trail ran through Brocton Coppice back to our house.
It was then into Wolverhampton to Wolf Mountain where she climbed 6 routes on the indoor climbing wall. Another car journey took her to Tamworth snowdome where ahe firstly skied before 30 mins skating and another 30 mins swimming.
Finally it was back home for the last 30 mins of ‘just dance’ as the sun set over Cannock Chase.
A very tired Holly then tucked into a curry before bed !
So far she has raised over £350.00 if you would like to contribute please go to https://www.justgiving.com/holsers
Thanks
Well, as I am crocked, Holly is doing the exercise and I am supporting. Please help to raise lots of money for Sport Relief by sponsoring my daughter, Holly, on her Challenge.
“My name is Holly, and I will be 9 in March, 2012. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I was inspired by Helen Skelton from Blue Peter crossing Antarctica to the South Pole for Sport Relief. I watched a programme about her getting ready for her trip (getting fitter and more confident) and she went to Sierra Leone and met Issa. Issa is a boy who’s Mum and some of his brothers and sisters died from drinking dirty water. His safest well is an hours walk away. He goes there every day before school.
After I watched the programme I wanted to do something to help, too.
My challenge is to do as many individual sports for half an hour each in one day – so far I am planning on ice skating, skiing, swimming, dancing, orienteering, running, mountain biking and climbing. I will be digging deep and working hard to do this, so I want you to dig deep into your pocket and donate now.
Thank you.”
Details and online entry now available for Rawnsley MTBO.
http://www.walton-chasers.co.uk/wchevents/rawnsley-mtbo/
If you feel Mad there is also an XC race next door starting at 2pm
http://gorunandride.co.uk/cannock-chase-classic/ or http://midlandsxc.wordpress.com/
The first round of the UKs national MTBO league kicks off in two weeks time at Gilling woods in North Yorkshire on 19th Feb
http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=291
Last time we all gathered at Gilling it was somewhat ….. overplanned
see my report here from 2009, including the maps – http://www.stodgell.co.uk/?p=566 but it is an excellent area with steep long climbs to punish those who get the route choices wrong.
The league is somewhat down on events this year for various reasons so please support the events that are on.