I got my hands on my booty for coming 2nd in the Dark and White winter league last night.
A box full of Clif bars, a nice big book voucher and a bottle of skwirt lube. Thanks to everyone at Dark and White and their sponsors.
Emily Benham on the BBC !
Britains top women’s MTBO star Emily Benham has got on the Telly. A really good interview, footage and most importantly shows the sport well.
Starts at 18mins 20 secs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011f2j7/South_Today_24_05_2011/
Dark & White Summer #1 – Teggs Nose
Teggs Nose has fond memories for me. I did my first ever Mountain Bike Score event there in 2005 or 6 with a brand new bike where the brakes failed on a decent towards the end!
This year I was late arriving having had battles with horrendous traffic coming through Stockport, so was a little flustered starting at 6.45.Would it still be light enough at 8.45 ? I stuck a little flashing red led on my camel back just to be sure.
I know the area around Teggs Nose and Macclesfield Forest very well and to be honest once I’d sorted an order in which to collect the controls, it was just a case of eyeballs out riding and very little nav, bouncing around on far too hard tyres on some of the rocky descents.
I felt great of the hills and enjoyed the fantastic scenery in the fine weather. I’m pretty sure I could even see The Wrekin and Shropshire hills in the distance as I climbed up to the Cat and Fiddle.
I started to feel a little tired on the climb to number 2 but half way up the hill from 3 to the finish my legs finally gave in and it was all I could do to keep going, watching the seconds tick away. I seem to remember the same thing happened in 2006 but then I was a lard bucket and off and walking !
In the end I had to miss the final 5 pointer out and was still 4 mins late, putting me down in 5th place.
Results available at http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/results/2011SummerLeagueRound1overallplaces.html
Wiggle 6 Enduro 2011
Enduro events at Catton Park, organised by the same people as Mountain Mayhem are relaxed affairs and have a smaller maximum entry of approximately 450 riders. Just up the road from where I live, it was nice not to have too early a start on a race day, and, arriving on site, it was a case of just registering and sorting out.
The Wiggle 6 is a Parc Ferme event, meaning that each competitor or pair is given a pit in which to store their stash of food and spares, together with a nominated helper for the soloists if you have enough brownie points built up to get someone to sit in a folding chair for 6 hours…..
After some general chat and the obligatory Cycle Shack team photo we all lined up ready for the Le Mans style start, 800 metres of running to get into the pits to pick up bike and camel back.
I decided, being probably one of the stronger runners present, to go for it on the run and get a good position and avoid some of the potential single track traffic on the first lap.
Without over doing it I cruised into the pits in about 7th place but lost a fair few places in the transition as my “pit” was in the furthest corner.
Although I did not set an alarm on my HR monitor, I had decided to keep things under control by not letting it go over 170 on the first few laps, so as people flew past I kept it sensible. The tactic worked, though, as I hardly got held up at all on the first lap and it will be interesting to look at others split times when the results are available.
I carried 2 litres of ZipVit Sport on my back and a load of bars and stayed out for just over 3 hours before pitting for the first time. The course was mostly single track or hard packed grassy farm tracks with very little gravel road. The single tracks were tight, narrow and fun but some of the farm tracks were horrible, almost corrugated. One particular descent was awful, shaking the fillings out of your teeth, even on my last lap after thousands of wheel passes.
Cath and Holly appeared in time for my first pit, and together with my jam sandwiches made me feel quite chipper as I went back out, though soon I was suffering, particularly my bottom from the constant pounding of the hard rippled terrain. Two laps later I was in again for more food (creamed rice and pears this time) and a little stretch before going out for what I thought would be my final two laps. As 5 hours 30 ticked past and I thought I was out on my final lap I got a renewed lease of energy and my aching bones seemed not quite as bad. For the first time in many hours I felt like I was racing rather than suffering again and put the hammer down intending to finish a few minutes past the 6 hour hooter. Not keeping a careful enough eye on the clock and getting sucked along by a couple of riders trying for one more lap I stupidly crossed the finish line 9 seconds before the hooter went. Cursing I went out and struggled round another lap, but this time with no liquid left I slowly ran out of steam. The laps do tend to feel shorter towards the end of the race and my last lap was no exception. With the two climbs out of the way I was soon cascading down the final singletrack and on to the fast grass and in to the finish 6 hours 37 minutes after starting, and in 25th place (making one place on the last lap, so worth it after all!).
On the whole course I was punished on my race hard tail on the rippled hard mud tracks. My bum, back, feet, arms, everything just hurt, strangely my feet really hurting the most. Its the first time I have ever felt myself wanting for a full sus and 2.4 tyres.
Great event but perhaps I might give pairs a go next time
Wiggle 6 2011 results will be available on the Provelo website soon.
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…..
World Cup Hungary – Middle
After the success’s of the sprint I used the same warm up and relax routine before lining up to start on a podium. After getting the map we had a steep ramp down for a ride out to the map start some 150 metres away. I started steadily until I got my head into the map and then put it in big ring and gave it everything, taking the racing line through turns and soaking up the sometimes rutted tracks with my arms and knees.
As the course looped out and back, luckily when I met Alan (who started 40 mins before me) head to head on a narrow track we both thought continental and passed on the right, handlebars just inches apart, it could have been very messy !
After a road crossing I suddenly came across huge piles of rubbish and broken glass, an area of fly tipping we had been warned about but it was meant to be way off our route, and I had to get off and carry to avoid shredding my tyres. I was forced left but assumed I was on the wrong track and would have to go right to get back on to the right track for my attack point into the control.
I then spent the next minute riding along a deer track until I realised where I was and shouldered the bike for a quick climb up through the brambly forest to the open area where the control was located.
I took it easy on the next making sure I got it right before getting back on the gas for the rest of the course. Towards the end I got into a head to head with a Frenchman and and Italian, ducking and diving on different route choices. I unlocked my front suspension for the first time in the race for the flat out decent down a rocky track to the last control and then the slog out the bumpy finish field to the line.
I felt I had a good race and probably only lost 2-3 mins to my rubbish driven deer track adventure so was a little disappointed with 47th but looking at the results it would have only taken me to the mid 30s if I had rode that control cleanly.
So no World Cup points today (top 30) but another solid mid table result.
MTBO World Cup – Sprint – Tapolca
Waiting for the start of the World Cup sprint event in Tapolca in a disused army base I tried some recently learnt relaxation techniques chilling generally for about 20 mins and was in a good frame of mind rolling up to get my map with a minute to go.
The warm up area was a huge grass runway, but there was a stiff wind blowing across it which noticeably slowed you when heading into it.
I had decided to take it easy, the goal being a clean ride with no mistakes rather than blasting it around.
The event I planned on MOD Stafford last month, helped me a lot, it being very similar terrain, only derelict and overgrown. I rode really well and lost no time to nav at all but at times it was very scary riding through the grass and leaves which often hid ditches, concrete blocks and kerbs. At one point I just had to lift my front wheel high at the last second and just clatter the rear over a series of kerbs in the grass and hope for the best.
Just before the road crossing I nearly T boned another rider (I think it was Em Benham but she didn’t notice me) and I ended up in a ditch avoiding her. This threw my concentration slightly and from then on although I didn’t make any mistakes I felt a bit out of control and was navigating by the seat of my pants.
Punching the last control on yet another tank (there seems to be a military theme to MTBO this year) I gunned the circuit of the athletics track to the finish.
I went up on the leader board in 9th but had to then watch my position slowly slide until finally the red group (top 10 in the world rankings and last to start) came in dropping me to 26th just 2 mins 38 seconds down.
This equals my best ever international result but really it was better as there were 77 men’s elite riders today and has given me a great start to the 2011 season.
http://www.mtbo.hu/series.php/lists/indexCommon