Day 3 of my road trip took me to Ae Forrest. Enjoy the video:
Friday, 1 June 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
The Wagon Wheels are rolling!
Last week I was on the road visiting dealers. After a few months of feeling a bit under the weather and not really training properly I decided to use the trip as an opportunity to get in some fun miles on the many trail centers Scotland has to offer. As luck would have it the sun even made and appearance for the whole week!
Here is my first video from the trip:
Here is my first video from the trip:
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Back in the real world!
So after a crazy start to the year travelling the world riding and racing my bike it's back to reality. It's 4 weeks since my disappointment at the 24hour national championships and the whole experience left me physically drained. Hindsight as they say is 20:20. I shouldn't have ridden the 24hour race, the 12h race was a much better option and I'm certain I would have come away with a medal but the 24hour national title is what I wanted and I was willing to take the risk to get it.
So after almost a month away I set my targets on a new goal... work! I've been working for USE / Exposure Lights for almost a year now and full time (ish!) since September. Upon my return I've started a new role within the company. During the winter months when light sales are at their peak I will continue to help organise the orders/dispatch department but my new role comes to the fore during the summer months. I'm now helping out with the marketing side of things and am in charge of keeping the company website, facebook and twitter pages up to date as well as helping out our sponsored riders, keeping them supplied with product and making sure we get our publicity back in return. As well as marketing I'm also helping out with sales too. This is the exciting part where I get to visit dealers and help promote our products within shops. The added bonus is that I also get to go to events we sponsor to represent USE / Exposure and most of the time get to race too! (I think this could nearly be counted as being pro!)
After just writing all of that I've suddenly realised why I've been struggling for form lately! I seem to have become extremely busy with out realising it! After two weeks rest post 24h national I jumped back on my bike eager to capitalise on my massive early season and build some form ready for the summer races. The opposite seems to have happened though. After a promising threshold session where power numbers were encouraging I was confident. But then I just never recovered. A whole week to recover from a training session isn't quite right. The the cold came, one of those ones that lingers for ever, not bad enough to really affect normal life but just bad enough to ensure anything more than an easy spin makes it worse. How frustrating!
So I eased off hoping to recover in time for the Gorrick 100 race. I felt ok they day before so decided to race. Another mistake! The gun went off and I found myself struggling on the start straight. Not good but I convinced my self that it was because of the lack of riding recently and that I'd come round after an hour or so. My theory was correct and after a slight wrong turn on lap 1 my legs came round in the second hour. I moved from 11th position to 7th position in a lap and felt nice and strong, racing the Cape Epic does wonders for the legs! Entering lap 3 I was feeling good and pushed on trying to close the gap to the riders ahead. Entering lap 4 things started to go wrong. The power left my legs on the steep climbs early in the lap and I couldn't get the gear spinning on the flat fire road sections which I seemed to be fast on the previous laps. Then the snot filled my head and the head ache began. Bad times all round. Riders caught and passe me once more and I felt worse and worse.
I don't like abandoning races but I felt that continuing would only make things worse. That's 2 abandons in 2 races now, not a good statistic really. I think any results in the next month need to be forgotten and some form and health found. Work will fill the riding void though! I have an exciting road trip to Scotland next week to visit dealers and attend the Selkirk MTB Marathon. Maybe some Scottish trail center action will spring my legs and body back into action, I sure hope so!
So after almost a month away I set my targets on a new goal... work! I've been working for USE / Exposure Lights for almost a year now and full time (ish!) since September. Upon my return I've started a new role within the company. During the winter months when light sales are at their peak I will continue to help organise the orders/dispatch department but my new role comes to the fore during the summer months. I'm now helping out with the marketing side of things and am in charge of keeping the company website, facebook and twitter pages up to date as well as helping out our sponsored riders, keeping them supplied with product and making sure we get our publicity back in return. As well as marketing I'm also helping out with sales too. This is the exciting part where I get to visit dealers and help promote our products within shops. The added bonus is that I also get to go to events we sponsor to represent USE / Exposure and most of the time get to race too! (I think this could nearly be counted as being pro!)
After just writing all of that I've suddenly realised why I've been struggling for form lately! I seem to have become extremely busy with out realising it! After two weeks rest post 24h national I jumped back on my bike eager to capitalise on my massive early season and build some form ready for the summer races. The opposite seems to have happened though. After a promising threshold session where power numbers were encouraging I was confident. But then I just never recovered. A whole week to recover from a training session isn't quite right. The the cold came, one of those ones that lingers for ever, not bad enough to really affect normal life but just bad enough to ensure anything more than an easy spin makes it worse. How frustrating!
So I eased off hoping to recover in time for the Gorrick 100 race. I felt ok they day before so decided to race. Another mistake! The gun went off and I found myself struggling on the start straight. Not good but I convinced my self that it was because of the lack of riding recently and that I'd come round after an hour or so. My theory was correct and after a slight wrong turn on lap 1 my legs came round in the second hour. I moved from 11th position to 7th position in a lap and felt nice and strong, racing the Cape Epic does wonders for the legs! Entering lap 3 I was feeling good and pushed on trying to close the gap to the riders ahead. Entering lap 4 things started to go wrong. The power left my legs on the steep climbs early in the lap and I couldn't get the gear spinning on the flat fire road sections which I seemed to be fast on the previous laps. Then the snot filled my head and the head ache began. Bad times all round. Riders caught and passe me once more and I felt worse and worse.
I don't like abandoning races but I felt that continuing would only make things worse. That's 2 abandons in 2 races now, not a good statistic really. I think any results in the next month need to be forgotten and some form and health found. Work will fill the riding void though! I have an exciting road trip to Scotland next week to visit dealers and attend the Selkirk MTB Marathon. Maybe some Scottish trail center action will spring my legs and body back into action, I sure hope so!
Friday, 27 April 2012
Santa Cruz Highball
For the 2012 season I have been lucky enough to be sponsored by Santa Cruz Bicycles. They have provided me with the Highball 29er hard tail frame for marathons and stage racing. The frame is super stiff and responsive on the climbs whilst still handling the descents with ease. I run a fox F29 terra logic fork on the front which adds to the responsiveness on the climbs.
I use the classy USE finishing kit. The new super wide 710mm bars are nice and light and make the steering super precise. I have cut them down to 680mm though which is my preferred width. They have alloy inserts in the end to stop potential crash damage. The SUMO seat post has proved to be extremely reliable with no slippage at all, even on the very roughest descents during the recent Cape Epic. Finally I use a 100mm USE race stem to keep things light but stiff.
Contact points are really important, especially in endurance races. The new GX1 Ergon grip has proved to be extremely comfortable in my early season stage races. I especially like the bar end version, the addition hand positions are so much more comfortable on long climbs. I use the Syncros FL saddle. It’s nicely padded and super comfortable over any duration.
Shifting is taken care of by a SRAM XO group set. I chose XO over XX for reliability during the long races that I favour. Stopping is courtesy of TRP brakes. The Highball uses their Dash Carbon brake. This brake has proven faultless so far. It coped well with the high braking forces places on it during the recent Cape Epic and the lever adjustability allows me to keep the lever feel sharp at all times.
I use RWD brake pads. These are a new pad to the market and proved incredibly hard wearing during the cape epic. They coped with the dry hot dusty conditions as well as the wet horrific rainy day and were not even half worn after 36hours of hard racing.
You can have the best bike in the world but without wheels you are in trouble! I have been running the new Reynolds 29er carbon wheel set. I have been very impressed with these wheels. They are very stiff and make the bikes handling razor sharp and precise in the corners. The rim profile is nice and wide which leads to increased tyre volume and a noticeable increase in grip.
I use Schwalbe tyres, my main choice being the Racing Ralf 29er snakeskin. This has proved to be fast rolling and tough. In actually fact I didn’t puncture once during the Cape Epic a race famed for its tyre slicing rocks.
The bike is finished with the light and grippy Mt Zoom bottle cage. No lost bottles with these bad boys! Lezyne tools, pump and saddle bag finish the build and ensure I get home after any mechanical issues.
I use the classy USE finishing kit. The new super wide 710mm bars are nice and light and make the steering super precise. I have cut them down to 680mm though which is my preferred width. They have alloy inserts in the end to stop potential crash damage. The SUMO seat post has proved to be extremely reliable with no slippage at all, even on the very roughest descents during the recent Cape Epic. Finally I use a 100mm USE race stem to keep things light but stiff.
Contact points are really important, especially in endurance races. The new GX1 Ergon grip has proved to be extremely comfortable in my early season stage races. I especially like the bar end version, the addition hand positions are so much more comfortable on long climbs. I use the Syncros FL saddle. It’s nicely padded and super comfortable over any duration.
Shifting is taken care of by a SRAM XO group set. I chose XO over XX for reliability during the long races that I favour. Stopping is courtesy of TRP brakes. The Highball uses their Dash Carbon brake. This brake has proven faultless so far. It coped well with the high braking forces places on it during the recent Cape Epic and the lever adjustability allows me to keep the lever feel sharp at all times.
I use RWD brake pads. These are a new pad to the market and proved incredibly hard wearing during the cape epic. They coped with the dry hot dusty conditions as well as the wet horrific rainy day and were not even half worn after 36hours of hard racing.
I use Schwalbe tyres, my main choice being the Racing Ralf 29er snakeskin. This has proved to be fast rolling and tough. In actually fact I didn’t puncture once during the Cape Epic a race famed for its tyre slicing rocks.
The bike is finished with the light and grippy Mt Zoom bottle cage. No lost bottles with these bad boys! Lezyne tools, pump and saddle bag finish the build and ensure I get home after any mechanical issues.
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
24 Hours of Exposure
I push on upwards, my head craned back looking around the bends for the summit. I breath in a steady rythme, my legs propelling my body up the incline, they burn but still I push on determined to reach the top. Then finally I'm there. I've made it, I've reached the top and can relax on the flat final straight to the finish. As I reach the finish I stretch up my arm twist the key in the lock and enter my room. I've made it, my room is on the third floor of the Grapes hotel in Newcastleton. 5 days ago I crossed the finish line of the Cape Epic after 8 brutal days of racing and walking up the stairs hurt, tomorrow at noon I start the 24hours of Exposure. Something tells me it's gonna be a long day!
So I decided to try and race a 24hour race 5 days after a stage race. Most people would suggest that it was stupid idea. I can now confirm that it most definitely was! I knew it was a risk before I started but, being the idiot that I am, I decided to give it a go anyway. The pressure was off after a good result in South Africa so I had nothing to loose and a National title to gain!
I knew that I had to ride my own race. I was tired and certainly couldn't go with a super fast pace off the start so my race plan was to ride my own race at my own pace and see what happened. The race was set to be interesting with the usual fast protagonists opting for the 12hour race and a number of unknown riders throwing in the curve-ball.
After the usual ceremonial start in Newcastleton town center the race began at a surprisingly sedate pace. I was happy to sit in around 10th place up the first climb and settle into the race. Then at the top of the climb everyone sat up and looked at each other! 'Whats going on is this a race or a picnic?', I thought. So rode off the front at my own pace with only the leading 2 12hour riders for company.
I settled down into a nice rhythme and seemed to be gaining time each lap. I had no idea of my lap times, the gap to the other racers, time of day, anything for that matter. I was just focusing on my body and keeping moving forward. I swapped bikes after 2 laps opting for the comfort of my Santa Cruz Tallboy's over my Highball hardtail. I still love the Tallboy, the highball is probably faster and lighter in race situations but the Tallboy is still my favorite for longhaul truckin!
On about my 4th lap I punctured but quickly managed to fix it with only a few minutes delay. The 2nd place rider was just visible as I rode off. I felt pretty terrible and considered pulling out but figured that I was still riding faster even though I felt crap so pushed on. The gap increased lap by lap. I swapped between Tallboys every few laps but still couldn't decide if the blue one or the orange one was faster!
As night drew in I fitted my special pimp gold Exposure Maxx D lights and put on my The North Face puddle windtex jacket to keep off the night chill. This worked a treat. In actual fact it worked way to well as I got to hot and nearly dehydrated. Downing a bottle of Torq energy and a few Torq gels stopped me blowing there and then!
I was still leading into the night but still unaware of time gaps or the time of day. The course soon quietened as the 12h race finished so I guessed I must be over half way through. My legs were sore, they had been from the start but still seemed to be working. I sang some songs to my self and reminisced over racing in Africa to pass the time.
Soon things started to go a bit wrong. The steep climbs at the start of the lap started to be a real struggle to get up. The more gradual climbs in the second half of the lap were manageable but lap on lap my legs were getting weaker. I knew what was coming, the end was near. Soon my legs went numb. I could roll the gear but had no power what so ever but I still led so I carried on determined not to abandon if I was leading.
At some point in the night, probably around 15 hours in I was finally passed. By this point my legs had stopped working and I was pushing up a hill. Huw Thomas span past and disappeared off into the distance. I knew my race was over and I struggled around the lap. Next time I entered the pits I climbed off. My legs were numb and tingling.
I gave it my best shot but almost inevitably the risk didn't pay off. I've led that race for around 34hours over the last 3 years. One days I'll win it. It won't be next year though I think its time to have a break from my UK 24h champs obsession. Maybe I'll drink beer for a few weeks and decide if I'm going to ride long or if I'm going to ride fast for the rest of the year.
I knew that I had to ride my own race. I was tired and certainly couldn't go with a super fast pace off the start so my race plan was to ride my own race at my own pace and see what happened. The race was set to be interesting with the usual fast protagonists opting for the 12hour race and a number of unknown riders throwing in the curve-ball.
After the usual ceremonial start in Newcastleton town center the race began at a surprisingly sedate pace. I was happy to sit in around 10th place up the first climb and settle into the race. Then at the top of the climb everyone sat up and looked at each other! 'Whats going on is this a race or a picnic?', I thought. So rode off the front at my own pace with only the leading 2 12hour riders for company.
I settled down into a nice rhythme and seemed to be gaining time each lap. I had no idea of my lap times, the gap to the other racers, time of day, anything for that matter. I was just focusing on my body and keeping moving forward. I swapped bikes after 2 laps opting for the comfort of my Santa Cruz Tallboy's over my Highball hardtail. I still love the Tallboy, the highball is probably faster and lighter in race situations but the Tallboy is still my favorite for longhaul truckin!
On about my 4th lap I punctured but quickly managed to fix it with only a few minutes delay. The 2nd place rider was just visible as I rode off. I felt pretty terrible and considered pulling out but figured that I was still riding faster even though I felt crap so pushed on. The gap increased lap by lap. I swapped between Tallboys every few laps but still couldn't decide if the blue one or the orange one was faster!
I was still leading into the night but still unaware of time gaps or the time of day. The course soon quietened as the 12h race finished so I guessed I must be over half way through. My legs were sore, they had been from the start but still seemed to be working. I sang some songs to my self and reminisced over racing in Africa to pass the time.
Soon things started to go a bit wrong. The steep climbs at the start of the lap started to be a real struggle to get up. The more gradual climbs in the second half of the lap were manageable but lap on lap my legs were getting weaker. I knew what was coming, the end was near. Soon my legs went numb. I could roll the gear but had no power what so ever but I still led so I carried on determined not to abandon if I was leading.
At some point in the night, probably around 15 hours in I was finally passed. By this point my legs had stopped working and I was pushing up a hill. Huw Thomas span past and disappeared off into the distance. I knew my race was over and I struggled around the lap. Next time I entered the pits I climbed off. My legs were numb and tingling.
I gave it my best shot but almost inevitably the risk didn't pay off. I've led that race for around 34hours over the last 3 years. One days I'll win it. It won't be next year though I think its time to have a break from my UK 24h champs obsession. Maybe I'll drink beer for a few weeks and decide if I'm going to ride long or if I'm going to ride fast for the rest of the year.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Cape Epic 2012, the home run!
First off here is the official race video from the rainy stage 5. Unfortunately it looks like the camera has died so no further race footage from me and Ben. Maybe some one would like to sponsor me a new one?!?
After stage 5 we bumped our selves right up the GC into 24th position. Going into stage 6 we were both super motivated and feeling strong. The stage was shorter than the previous stages at only 85km, but did contain almost as much climbing as the longer stages did. It was basically 2 long climbs, once out over the mountain then up and over again on the way back before some rolling trails in the last 20km.
We were flying on the long climbs. We were riding well within the top 20 and crested the first peak by our selves in no mans land between the full time pros out front and the rest of the pack behind. We held this advantage down the descent and into the next climb. I was on the limit all day but was sure that once we crested the big climb we would consolidate our gap on the descent and hold it to the finish. We managed to hold the gap over the top but things went wrong going down! It was one of the roughest descents I have ever ridden. Riding a hardtail was the wrong choice for this race and this descent highlighted it in the most painful of manner. I was totally battered the whole way down and my muscles seized up. The trail then kicked up again on a dragging traverse and its here I cracked. Everyone caught up again and we lost our gap and got dropped. Ben dragged me all the way to the finish (again) but we never the less we still made some time on our GC rivals and bumped up to 21st place. Here is the official race video of the stage:
The final stage was a short sharp 65km affair with a few short climbs early on followed by rolling terrain towards the finish in Lorensford. I was really feeling it from the previous days efforts so was hoping that the shorter distance wouldn't mean a crazy fast pace. As it turn out it was mental! Pretty much an xc race from the gun and I suffered like a dog! Once again we were riding well within the top 20 teams but eventually the lactate in my legs got the better of me and I faded big time. We were caught and passed by a number of teams and it took all my efforts to keep on moving. That one stage in particular highlighted to me more than ever the areas that I need to improve on. We were caught by a few more team on the run in to the finish but managed to cross the line in 24th position and retain our 21st place in Elite men overall. If you had said to me at the start of the week we'd finish in the top 20 I'd never believe you. For it to actually happen is really amazing and had made me begin to re-evaluate the way I train and the races I target. With some work in the right places I see no reason why my self and Ben can't go back in a few years and push for the top 15. Its certainly something to aim at!
Here's some footage of the final stage:
After stage 5 we bumped our selves right up the GC into 24th position. Going into stage 6 we were both super motivated and feeling strong. The stage was shorter than the previous stages at only 85km, but did contain almost as much climbing as the longer stages did. It was basically 2 long climbs, once out over the mountain then up and over again on the way back before some rolling trails in the last 20km.
We were flying on the long climbs. We were riding well within the top 20 and crested the first peak by our selves in no mans land between the full time pros out front and the rest of the pack behind. We held this advantage down the descent and into the next climb. I was on the limit all day but was sure that once we crested the big climb we would consolidate our gap on the descent and hold it to the finish. We managed to hold the gap over the top but things went wrong going down! It was one of the roughest descents I have ever ridden. Riding a hardtail was the wrong choice for this race and this descent highlighted it in the most painful of manner. I was totally battered the whole way down and my muscles seized up. The trail then kicked up again on a dragging traverse and its here I cracked. Everyone caught up again and we lost our gap and got dropped. Ben dragged me all the way to the finish (again) but we never the less we still made some time on our GC rivals and bumped up to 21st place. Here is the official race video of the stage:
The final stage was a short sharp 65km affair with a few short climbs early on followed by rolling terrain towards the finish in Lorensford. I was really feeling it from the previous days efforts so was hoping that the shorter distance wouldn't mean a crazy fast pace. As it turn out it was mental! Pretty much an xc race from the gun and I suffered like a dog! Once again we were riding well within the top 20 teams but eventually the lactate in my legs got the better of me and I faded big time. We were caught and passed by a number of teams and it took all my efforts to keep on moving. That one stage in particular highlighted to me more than ever the areas that I need to improve on. We were caught by a few more team on the run in to the finish but managed to cross the line in 24th position and retain our 21st place in Elite men overall. If you had said to me at the start of the week we'd finish in the top 20 I'd never believe you. For it to actually happen is really amazing and had made me begin to re-evaluate the way I train and the races I target. With some work in the right places I see no reason why my self and Ben can't go back in a few years and push for the top 15. Its certainly something to aim at!
Here's some footage of the final stage:
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