Sunday dawned as warm and sunny as Saturday and I decided it was the perfect day for not just some mountain bike orienteering but also a lengthy trip in my Triumph Spitfire, fresh from a service and recent MOT. I’ve had the spitfire since I was 18 and this year it is 40 years young! With the bike on the back, it really shows how small it is compared to a modern car!
The venue, Hayfield is brutal, nestled in a valley near Manchester there are hills in what seems every direction. With my #pearlizumi #pichampion kit on I decided to not try and avoid them, just get on with it and soon I was off and pushing up rocky tracks towards the top of Chinley Churn. I then headed in a clockwise direction through New Mills before climbing seemingly never ending hills ending up to the North of Hayfield at ‘Robin Hood’s Picking Rods’, whatever they are, and Crown Edge Rocks.
I was a little early and ended up a slightly disappointing mid-table but I can feel my fitness slowly returning. Afterwards, there was a great atmosphere for the Winter Series prize giving – the man of titanium, Killian Lomas, again scooping the overall win.
On the way home the sun baking down on my bonce had me stopping in Buxton for some sun tan cream – spring must finally be here then!
Proudly standing in full Pearl Izumi Champion Team gear on the start line in Ampleforth, North York Moors, of my first open 5 I was full of trepidation. This would be the longest event by 2 hours I have done since my 2011 injury and I wondered if I had perhaps bitten off more that I could chew – 5 hours of running and mountain bike score orienteering! My running shoes had my PI Champion team straplines on the laces – Endure on the left foot, Enjoy on the right!
The atmosphere in registration was friendly and it was very well organised. I had decided to run first, for a few reasons, I need to tape my ankle at the moment for support, I wasn’t sure how my legs would work trying to run after 3 hours of biking and I also thought I’d be able to plan and strategize more easily for both disciplines whilst running.
I went off a little too quick on the run, enjoying the morning sunshine and had to keep reminding myself I was going to be out a looong time. It was a mix of footpaths, forest roads and straightlines across fields to the south before crossing the main road and heading up into Wass forest.
I started to really struggle after about 1 hour 45, having to walk short sections of flat and the slight rise of the road through Ampleforth back towards transition had me really struggling……
Into transition, feeling broken after just over 2 and ¼ hours I wondered how an earth I could now go out and do another 2 and ½ on the bike, particularly knowing straight away I was going to have to attack a 100m climb (vertical). I shoved some food down me (a jam sandwich), treated myself to clean socks for some reason, donned my cycling gear and headed back out 6 mins after coming in.
The climb out of Ampleforth was brutal and I was really struggling but I soon found my pace at tre top and started to enjoy the riding. Wizzing down across the fields of Scawton Moor was fun but more brutal climbs and gluppy mud to the north end of the map were horrible.
With 55 mins to go I was at the north end of the map, I was knackered and had a long way to go! I had two options – pootle in, enjoying the sunshine, the views and not worry about points or bury myself. I noticed my headset cap – #endureandenjoy365, my back felt OK, realised I was actually doing ok and went for the make it hurt a lot option.
The last two climbs were really painful, I was seeing stars but knew I needed to nail it else I’d be late and then lose all my hard earned points. I skidded into the finish after 5 hours 2 mins and 16 seconds (losing 6 points) completely exhausted. At download a surprised organiser said good effort, you should stay around for the prise giving. Turned out I’d done much better than I thought – 5th on Male Solos!
Overall a great event in a lovely part of the country with a fantastic atmosphere. Might have to do the whole series next year!
Since 2011 when I last bought a new bike, the mountain biking world has gone a bit bonkers. New wheel sizes, new component standards from rear hubs to headsets and bottom brackets and the rise of the enduro and trail bike and different riding positions.
At some point in the not too distant future I am going to have to bite the bullet and replace my bike so decided I’d better test one to find out what all these new fangled standards are all about.
I’d like another British bike so with Cotic offering informal test days every weekend and one this weekend on Cannock Chase I went along. Sam turns up with a van full of bikes and after a little fettling coaxes the group around well known trails.
I opted to test a medium Cotic flare, a 130mm travel ‘trail’ bike but apparently built to be light and lively. Also interesting as per all Cotic’s is the steel front end to the frame. The Cotic website is here.
Mountain biking has changed in the last 5 years, all the other testers were wearing peaked helmets and most were wearing kneepads. Nearly all were also on flat pedals so I know this new stuff is not just about the bike……
The new fangled stuff I’d be trying for the first time included the following with my thoughts below!
Me wearing baggie shorts
Wide handlebar, Short stem
27.5 wheels and 2.3 aggressive tyres
Dropper seat post
1×12 drive train
Super slack head angles
My Pearl Izumi Champion Kit came with a pair of baggie mountain biking shorts. First off they are not that baggy and are lightweight and tailored to fit you ‘on’ the bike not off. They were comfy but with #PIChampion lycra on underneath, to be honest, I didn’t really see the point – round one to old man
I’ll start off being really honest – even in the car park before heading out I hated the Flare, but a lot of it was that it was simply too small for me and the geometry of a medium had me bum in the air and very cramped up with the short stem (see photo). I tried a 29inch 120mm Flare Max, large, on one section of the Monkey trail and immediately felt better really enjoying throwing it about but could feel the big wheels and I now know I definitely want to stay with the smaller wheel size (now 27.5).
Positives on the Flare though – quite light given the steel frame – the rear suspension (drop link) was amazing – almost like not noticing it was there. The X fusion shock and fork were also very good. It also looks great, much better than the big aluminium sections of my current Marin frame.
The wide bar – 785mm and short stem (well no stem) – an absolute no – hated it, really don’t get the point at all. I had to stop 3 times on the Monkey trail simply to feed the bars through some tight spots between the trees and bashed the bar a couple more times. On the tight corners, I was almost hitting my knee. The large Flaremax I tried had a 40mmish stem and slightly narrower bars and I found this much more to my liking! – round two to the old man.
27.5 wheels and big fat tyres were fine. The tyres were a little heavy but as a standard, the difference to the 26inch wheels is only just noticeable. – round three to the new brave world.
Not sure what the collective noun is – a ‘wodge’ of Cotic’s perhaps
1 X 11 drive chain was Shimano XT with a 11-42 on the back and a 30 teeth up front. I have been concerned for a while I would not be fit enough to ride a single front ring which would be big enough for tonking road sections on Mountain Bike Orienteering races but this setup round the Monkey Trail was spot on, including a stiff climb up to the top of Lower Cliff where I rode the whole of it without any problems. People always say it is simpler not having to worry about a front mech and to be honest I would agree blasting around a trail centre but Id like to test 1X11 on a MBO score in the Peak District before committing.
Round four – Brave new world.
Dropper seat posts – this again is easy. If there is anything gnarly enough for me to put my seat down as I used to back in the early 90s that I can’t ride with my seat up I am not doing it – I don’t bounce like I used too, I am too chicken. The weight penalty alone is not worth it for me.
Round five to the old man.
Super slack head angles are difficult to explain. Old XC racers have head angles of between 71 and 72 degrees, making them twitchy and very direct, with a penchant for putting you over the handlebars if you get it wrong. The slacker head angles of modern trail bikes at 67 and 68 degrees make them easier to ride but less responsive. Fighting the short stem, wide bar and with the bike too small for me I couldn’t properly feel the effects of the slack head angle so the jury is still out on that one.
Round six – a draw.
All in all a really useful test and I would like at some point to try a large Cotic Flare with a lightweight xc type wheelset some narrower bars and short stem and no dropper before I make a final decision but at this point I am leaning towards a 27.5 inch XC short travel full suspension bike – trouble his hardly anyone makes one anymore 🙁
I’ve been meaning to do an Open 5 for years, however there has always been something else on or some other excuse. One of the perks as part of my Pearl Izumi Champion Team is an entry to an event and the Open 5 seemed to fit the bill as something a bit different.
The event concept is you have 5 hours to visit as many checkpoints (all worth different scores) as you can on bike and by foot – navigating !
Alan Hartley, a friend who has done loads of open5’s has given me lots of tips about kit, transitions and strategies and the bike is ready – time to drive up to North Yorkshire !
The attraction of foot orienteering and mountain bike orienteering on the same day, a couple of miles apart and in the lovely Forest of Dean was just too good to ignore. The morning of the event dawned rainy and cold in Stafford by the forecast for FoD was good which overruled my initial thoughts of binning it due to a very light morning dose of manflu – well a runny nose…
The foot orienteering organised by Bristol Orienteering Club was superb, a gorgeous mature forest and well planned. I got into a great head to head race with someone I knew, Gavin Clegg, after I fluffed a control and had a great time. Good too was to catch up with my old junior coach Anne Donnell – now 86 and unfortunately unable to get out into the forest she was helping at registration, pointing people in the right direction.
I shoved a tiffin and can of drink down my neck and then headed up the road to the Cannop Valley mountain biking centre – which was heaving with riders, the day having turned out to be really quite nice!
The Mountain Bike Orienteering was really well planned by Black Mountain MBO on an excellent map and after 2 hours of pedaling I finished tired and happy ready for the long journey home.
Wow, what a weekend…. Talk about burning the candle at both ends and in the middle, I came back completely shattered and longing for a long sleep but a great time with lots of old friends.
The event was completely centered within the city of Kaunas, the races taking advantage of the dense path networks inherent to rolling forests so close to large populations. The long race was well…… Long, very long, very very long and I was completely out of my fitness comfort zone. The mass start race was organised as a one person relay, riders coming back through the start zone a number of times, riding the various sections of the course in different orders.
I had a good start but as I came through the start after the second map I realised I was not racing any more, it was just a case of a challenge to finish the course. I eventually rolled in after well over 3 hours, completely broken…
Unfortunately there were a few problems with the Sportident Air in the results and with my experience of the system and my role at the event as IOF Juror I spent a fair bit of time after the race helping out.
The Saturday brought the middle race in a spectacular venue across a huge bridge a short ride from the city center near the university district. I was much happier with the distance and had a good race but again I spent a fair bit of the afternoon in my role as a IOF juror before heading out to dinner that evening a a late night with lots of friends from all over Europe.
Sunday morning brought a hangover and very tired eyes as we headed out of the city to a beach alongside a river where the Sprint race was to be held. Luckily I had a reasonably late start so well the clock beeped my start time I was fine. The sprint race was one of my best ever races, on a fantastic map and other than a spidersweb of purple lines well planned. Riding off track was allowed so I used some foot O skills a little cutting through when I made a mistake but essentially had a great ride. Coming into the finish was great fun along a springy singletrack next to the river. As I crossed the line I heard my name called in second place…. there were a few riders left to finish so I didn’t hold out much hope but as I watched the screens over the next half hour it became clear I really had had an excellent ride and I was in third.
Unfortunately I found out to my embarrassment at the prize giving Id actually been knocked into 4th after a rider was reinstated however I was really chuffed with 4th.
We had another good night out in Kaunas on Sunday before I got up at stupid a’clock to head for home and straight to work. Overall a fantastic event and well done to the rest of the British team, particularly Charlie who yet again came hoe with a clutch of medals!
This month 5 years ago I ended my burst of late 30s fitness jumping off a garage roof in Russia at the World Cup MTBO final in the sprint. I kept going that week but the long race from which I retired with sore race was my last proper international race.(see here!) This weekend completes my return to recreational racing with the World Masters Champs, running alongside the World Cup final in Kaunas, Lithuania. The last 6 weeks hasn’t been the ideal prep, I trashed my ankle at the World foot O champs spectator races and then got a dose of manflu which to be honest is still lurking under the surface.
Anyway I picked Lithuania as its flat (hills were never my strong point) and there is a large team of British Masters going out so the ‘Holiday’ side should be run.
Friday is a mass start long race – I am just going to chill out at the back of the race and see how it goes, enjoy the orienteering and riding as it will be all too easy to have the red mist come up and blow up after 90 minutes and start making mistakes or worse still hurt my back.
I am really looking forward to the middle and sprint races on Saturday and Sunday but not the silly o’clock return flight home on Monday morning.
The event website is http://www.mtbo.lt/ for more details
Entry lists are on Eventor https://eventor.orienteering.org/Events/Show/544
A chance to ride a mountain bike orienteering event on my old home turf of the Quantocks, mixed with a weekend catching up with the family and a visit to Bridgwater Carnival was a perfect end to the half term holidays.
Bridgwater Carnival was fab, awesome huge articulated ‘floats’ interdisbersed with mad individuals in costumes, the odd majorettes band and of course a bit of wind, rain and the waft of sizzling sausages. I am not sure standing in the cold for 3 hours was the best preparation for a Mountainbike event but we had a great night. For those that don’t know about the Somerset carnival season, more info here http://www.somersetcarnivals.co.uk
The next morning dawned wet windy and with mist and cloud hugging the Quantock hills as I drove to the event, wipers lashing the screen. After a catchup with old faces and some general phaff about what to wear I rode the 20 mins to the top of the hill to the start.The clouds and rain had cleared to give fantastic views in all directions.
Even with the rain stopped there was standing water everywhere and lots of slippery slimy red mud. On the way to #1 I lost the front end of the bike and soon found myself in a slowmotion superman dive into a muddy puddle. In a way it spead me up for the day as already being cold and soaked I didnt mess about from then on!
I knew the key to the event was to pick a route which kept climb to a minimum. As I splashed through the mud I suddenly picked a route from the map that worked and went for it….
My legs are still struggling with 3 hours, the climb up to the top from my last checkpoint was narrow, steep and slippery, all too soon I was off and walking, craving some food… The minutes ticked away and it was only some bravery and a full suspension bike on the last decent that meant I only lost 20 points being 10 mins late.
However a smile soon formed itself on my face as I downloaded in third place
Sunday dawned as warm and sunny as Saturday and I decided it was the perfect day for not just some mountain bike orienteering but also a lengthy trip in my Triumph Spitfire, fresh from a service and recent MOT. I’ve had the spitfire since I was 18 and this year it is 40 years young! With the bike on the back, it really shows how small it is compared to a modern car!
The venue, Hayfield is brutal, nestled in a valley near Manchester there are hills in what seems every direction. With my #pearlizumi #pichampion kit on I decided to not try and avoid them, just get on with it and soon I was off and pushing up rocky tracks towards the top of Chinley Churn. I then headed in a clockwise direction through New Mills before climbing seemingly never ending hills ending up to the North of Hayfield at ‘Robin Hood’s Picking Rods’, whatever they are, and Crown Edge Rocks.
I was a little early and ended up a slightly disappointing mid-table but I can feel my fitness slowly returning. Afterwards, there was a great atmosphere for the Winter Series prize giving – the man of titanium, Killian Lomas, again scooping the overall win.
This month 5 years ago I ended my burst of late 30s fitness jumping off a garage roof in Russia at the World Cup MTBO final in the sprint. I kept going that week but the long race from which I retired with sore race was my last proper international race.
