its all about stodge, bikes, MTBO and the outdoors
Well its now finished, well as finished as it will be until I can afford a new fork and wheels. As I am injured and banned from the bike at the mo it will be another week before I ride it for the first time (which will be on the roads). Weight including pedals is 10.2kgs which I am happy with given the Reba’s. Definatley a totally unplanned red and white thing going on but other than some very tired forks I think it looks the part. Ill do a full spec at some point soon…
The build of my new Kinesis Maxlight Pro 3 is nearing completion. Unfortunately my USE Sumo was not long enough, hence it being for sale. I have now taken delivery, thanks to Ant White of Mount Zoom and the XC Racer shop, a shiny new KCNC Scandium seatpost and a Mount Zoom clamp.
They are very light, 163 gms, in fact the seatpost comes with a 85kg rider weight limit for XC use !
http://www.xcracer.com/shop/viewproduct.php?productid=183 for the seat post, http://www.xcracer.com/shop/viewproduct.php?productid=165 for the clamp which at 9 gms is amazing !
Im still not sure what I am supposed to do with the dodgy shaped bag the seat post came in though 🙂
27.2mm USE Carbon Sumo Seat post cut down to 320mm to the rails.
Comes with spare clamp £35.00 ONO (£70.00 on CRC at the mo- RRP £85)
contact mark@stodgell.co.uk
As you will know the Chase Trails Cycle Project on Cannock Chase is through to the final of the National Lottery Award in the best sports project category. Voting has now closed and the winners will be announced live on Saturday night. Although they have no great expectation of winning the overall title, the project video will be shown and I hope to at least get a glimpse of the Chase Trails team as they sit and sip champagne.
Well done Chase Trails http://chasetrails.blogspot.com/
After a long break through the summer months the MTBO season in the UK finishes with a flurry of events.
Firstly there is a MTBO on Tankersley, used earlier this year for the British foot orienteering relay championships, this Saturday, organised by World Masters Bronze medallist Killian Lomas. On Sunday nearby there is the second round of the ever popular Dark and white winter series of 3 hour score events.
http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=197
Two weeks later sees a drive north to the wild forests of Gisburn for what promises to be a fantastic couple of hours of technical and hilly riding, organised by Alan Hartley and Pendle Forest Orienteers.
http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=188
That evening the physical gives way to the social and clerical and the BMBO AGM.
http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=251
Various score events all over the country carry us through November into December when there is a MTBO in Hurn forest down south and the famous Military Challenge between Xmas and New Year this time returning to its roots around Aldershot and Long Valley.
Full details of all events coming up are here http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/
Watch out for another MBO score event which will be confirmed later this week on New Years Eve morning on Cannock Chase !
My back is slowly on the mend. As I have throughout the last 20 years when I have an injury that won’t settle, I have been heading south to Somerset to see my old Physio Ivor Field.
I first saw Ivor when I was 16 or 17. He used to fix my ankles the last time I was really fit when I seemed to twist them every weekend orienteering so I could race X-Country the following Saturday. Mad times but I did eventually rehab them.
Ivor’s skill is getting to the cause of problems, not just treating the symptoms.
Apparently I have two injuries going on at the moment. My lower back has been giving me grief for a while and it seems the jump off the wall and subsequent racing just finished it off. The main underlying issue seems to be a pubic ligament strain, which I think Ive probably had for a year, that coupled with some poor core stability.
So I’ve been down to Taunton twice in the last two weeks. Ivor uses a range of treatments from chiropractic to electro, laser to acupuncture, depending on what’s needed and has also given me lots of exercises to be getting on with. His exercise diagrams are elegantly simple, drawn with a posh ink pen.
Things are improving and today I will get back on the Turbo for 20 mins of leg spinning but I think it will be a long road back to a full training and racing schedule.
I should have been posting about a road trip to Colmar, for the French Championships this weekend but the state of my back has unfortunately meant although my car went I stayed at home. A small family ride last weekend put my back out again but this time so badly I couldn’t even drive home. Ive had a couple of treatments so far and things are much better but I think I will be off the bike, particularly the MTB for some time, certainly missing the rest of the domestic season at Tankersley and Gisburn.
I am now concentrating on getting better and any riding will be on the turbo trainer for at least the next month or so….
