Exposed in the Woods

After an "interesting" performance in the Kielder 100, I was rewarded with a rather nice Exposure Joystick. Tonight, I organised a little group ride over Thetford Forest with some very nice people from Iceni Velo, and really wanted to test out my new "toy". Didn't start too well - bit of a rush to get there, ended up 10 minutes early, but everyone else was there way before that, and had come prepared. Hmmm...not a good start! I quickly attached the helmet mount for the Joystick, as well as getting the rest of my gear together. At first, I had the light pointing way too forward, which meant that I was lighting up the ground directly in front of me. This was rather off putting. Fortunately, we were sessioning bomb holes in perp for Dusk 'til Dawn, which is just a week away, so I had plenty of time to adjust the light. Ended up slotting it on the side, pointing more towards the front.

I've always enjoyed a good Thetford night ride in the weeks leading up to D2D - usually a case of riding around the fireroads looking for openings in the woods, and freshly cut singletrack. We picked out some sweet little trails and got in some good miles on the connecting fire roads. For once, I felt confident on the bomb holes, even when I realised my back brake really wasn't bedded in as much as it really rather should have!  Once I had the Joystick adjusted correctly and hit a nice singletrack section, it was unreal! Have enjoyed night riding for a good two years, but always used a handle-bar-mounted flood light. Enjoyed that, but having a good head mounted lamp just opened up the trail - it made picking lines so much easier. A tiny light, and I didn't notice any extra weight on the helmet (or an imbalance towards the mounted side).

As well as riding with the very lovely Iceni Velo guys and girls, we also bumped into the very jovial chaps from Team Cambridge. Got some serious envy tonight, in the form of a titanium Cotic and a Grey LeMond era, Mondrianesque jersey.

If the weather for D2D stays anything like it did tonight, I can't wait to put the Joystick through it's paces for 12 hours. Can't wait!

Kielder 100 - Another Day in Paradise

Last weekend saw my first attempt @ the K100 which if you don't know is a single lap 100mile race heading into and out of Scotland starting from Kielder on the borders.

Our trip with Dr Read, Mr J V had been planned nearly a year in advance with B&B already booked and the with the others already having competed in 2011 I knew what to expect a little. Their were originally 5 of us going me, two Iceni Velo and two VC Norwich riders, but the VC pulled and out and we roped a another newbie in from the XC racing team CCN (City College Norwich).

Early drive on the Friday due to the big distance and a later sign on after a trip to the pub, a bit close for comfort for Mr J V I think. The midges started to bite so we headed off to the B&B @ Snabdough Farm - highly recommended this place amazing value and beautiful rooms and very accommodating even when you come in late and leave @ 4:30am. After a very early start the realisation that it was prob going to rain all-day we were at the race village @ 5:30am still tinkering with our bikes. I thought by getting to the start at 6am, 30mins before the start would allow me a space at the front with the XC boys. No I was about 100 riders back. There were 800 riders entered but I believe only 700 only made it to the sign on (only 700!).

We were off and not be were I wanted to started I has spend the first 5miles taking some risky overtaking moves to get to the top twenty behind the lead-out quad bike.

With this done I could settle in my planned 12mph average, within 30 mins we were soaked through and biked stripped of any lube and the first and only set of brake pads started to fade.

The first two checkpoints were looking could for me and had with my pacing and endurance fitness I was looking at a top twenty. However before I had reached the 50 mile mark my only set of brake pads had completely gone but decided to push on just finished.

A Chance meeting with another East Anglian Gordon Hollingworth and his unfortunate crash and his subsequent retirement gave me 1 set of pads! Thanks Mr H. As only 1 set i put these in the front for maximum stopping power. pushed on but with 1 brake couldn't keep the speed on the descents and within another 20 miles was completely brakeless, pushed and with some dodgy feet anchoring as braking I made the last checkpoints. The last 10 miles meant getting off and walking anything that wasnt uphill which was a lot. Loads of my places passed me in the last hour or so and I had had to walk my bike over the line finishing 51st but bearing in mind that out of the 700 only 177 finished is a testament to how tough the event is.

I finshed a little over 11hrs and returned to the start to find Mr V And Jason had retired after around 30miles. So we went to the pub and waited for Dr Quirky to roll in.....a couple of hours past and still no sign of him but as we heard on the PA that someone had made the last checkpoint and was being escorted by Motorbikes around the course we wondered if it was him. And yes offically last and in 177th position he had made it though in true quirky style still with functioning brakes after only 1 set of pads. A time just under 2.5hrs after I came in but a sterling effort to finsh as 623 riders who didnt even get that far! A truly epic event and has to up there in the hardest 100mile MTB races in the world.

Brighton Big Dog 2011

Right some belated race reports, for August's race me and Dr Read planned to head down to the south coast to ride the Brighton Big Dog 2011 for the first time.

As we were in the Solo 6hr cat (which for an Enduro was my shortest event of the year by about half the time) we planned to race and return in one day so a early start was required.

In usual Dr "quirky" Read style the 6am depart from Norwich turned into nearly 8:30am by time he had got out of bed. So what could only be described as a brisk journey down to Brighton and a bit of Sat Nav confusion when we realised that Stanmer Park the public house was not the race venue. We arrived an hour before the start!.

We had to get the bikes together and have a little warm up no time to pre-ride the course not really required over 6hrs.

Cycleaid kindly donated a mass of cakes and goodies from www.rainbowwholefoods.co.uk which we were sure the Brighton crowd would enjoy but sure we wouldnt get to sample by the time our 6hr stint had finished.

Anyway we were off at 12 and straight onto a lungbusting grass climb the course was nice and techincal with no real rest bites and the lap took about 40mins. The highlight for me was on the first lap a camelbak full suss boy passed me on a descent and shouted "you might have me on the climbs but I will have you on the descents" then we hit a sharp left and he wiped out into a tree! (but was okay). That incident kept me laughing for miles. I came across Dr Read about mid way through the event walking up a hill with his arm covered in blood. and despite me having to up my normal pace to something more like XC i romped back at 5:14pm with 7 laps and not likely to get an 8th in before 6pm or catching 8th place I called it a day with a respectable 9th place.

Results 2011

This year has been a great success for Team Cycle Aid. Our main goal of the year was a top ten finish in a national class enduro. Nicely achieved already at a few events. Still, plenty of racing left for the rest of the year.

24hr of Exposure (solo UK/European championships) - 16th

Mountain Mayhem (mens team of 4) - 8th

Mud, Sweat & Gears Summer Enduro (10hr solo) - 6th

Bontrager TwentyFour12 (12hr solo) - 7th

Brighton Big Dog (6hr solo) - 9th

Kielder 100 - 51st (of 800 starters)

Dusk 'til Dawn (12 solo) --Ian Read 19th Solo

Thetford Winter Series round 1 (4hr mens solo) - Dean 13th 4hr

Thetford Winter Series round 2 (4hr mens solo) - Dean 12th 4hr

Strathpuffer (24 hour Solo) - TBC

We have also been spreading the Cycle Aid message at many sportives and other organised rides, including being the first riders to attempt the Norwich 50 and Norwich 100 in the same day.

Sponsors

Cycle Aid - Bicycle accident solicitors - our awesome sponsors Cycle Aid are personal injury solicitors specialising in cycle injury and accident claims. They act for you on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis giving expert legal advice to help you make a claim for compensation. They have been involved in many substantial claims involving head injuries, shoulder injuries, spinal injuries, facial injuries, back injuries, knee injuries and other bicycle accident claims. They will recover their costs in addition to your damages, enabling you to retain 100% of your award. They will fund the claim at no cost to you. We all like to think that we're never going to have a bad accident on the bike, but sadly these things happen. If they do, Cycle Aid are the people to help.



On One/planet x - makers of fine mountain bicycles from northern England. This year we have been riding the Whippet carbon hardtail, and absolutely love them. Mark has been on the Carbon race 29er.
On the road Dean has been riding the RT-57 and its clocked some serious and fast miles.
Next year he will be riding the Planet Dirty 29er carbon hardtail offroad.

Hope - have been supplying world class components and lighting

Juice Lubes - Home grown lubes and creams to keep our parts moving

Scimitar Clothing - For supplying high quality bespoke race clothing

Gallery

Bontrager 24/12 2011

This was my first year at Bonty and having signed up sometime ago I hadn't given it much thought until about four weeks ago. The first shock was when I looked on the map and realised it was a 400mile drive! anyway I was entered so committed.

Having only competing in the ultra fast summer enduro 2 weeks previous and having to have the subsequent week off as managing to lose my voice through a bad cold/chest. I had thought that Im very unlikely to fit for this but took it easy and rode a 10TT the night before I left and only being 8 seconds slower than my course PB I realised my fitness was that off.

As it was such a drive I left Norwich at 4am on the Friday morning and only stopped for a "Big one" fry up @ services just outside Bristol and arrived onsite around 11am. It was lightly raining on arrival and got steadily worse as the day wore on and at one point was biblical in proportions.

The course was being pre-ridden and some serious mud was being picked up by the riders, as I was self pitting and with one bike I decided to save my energy and bike for the main event.

The rain stopped on the Friday night and after the usual 8 person portion of pasta and a beer I turned in for a early one at 9pm. Had the usual awful nights sleep in the pop up tent (need to seriously invest in something decent) having condensation dripping on my face during the night and having to stumble across the silent campsite a 4am for a pee.

Got up about 9am so got a few hours kip in albeit not that great and I had prepped everything including bottles the night before I just sat around and chatted to other competitors.

11:30 came and I rocked up to the start line, despite being 30mins before the start I was about 5 rows back but this was going to be enough to get a reasonable start and not get caught up in the mele that is a 1000+ riders trying to squeeze through singletrack.

As my first lap was also my recce lap I was quite impressed and shocked by how technical the course was. Lots of big roots, rocks, berms, river crossings and switchback climbs. This was going to make for a very tough 12hrs. Spent most of the first 4hrs battling for a top 10 postion with Rob B from Columbia/Bike food and Rob from the Royal Navy team and having seen Rob B laying on the grass at his team tent between laps I realised I wasn't the only one suffering so early on. Quitting was crossing my mind more than once as I just couldn't get my groove on but I plodded on thinking what it had cost my sponsors to send me there and with the help help of Scott and Mark (loco-tuning who were supporting Zoe on her solo 24hr quest) who gave me the motivation to get back out there and also at one point let me eat some on their delicious chicken curry!

Not sure if it was was the chicken curry or the copious amount of energy products finally kicking in I got my groove on and managed to catch Rob B up towards to last two laps and the 7th place Rob (royal navy) on the penultimate lap. The last 11th lap was just keeping it consistent and keeping my 7th position, came in at 11:57pm and not knowing the time all night it was to late to lurk so crossed the line and called in a night.

Showered and then sat up with Mark and Scott and cheered Zoe Frogbrook on with her 24hr solo in which she finished a very impressive 2nd.

My aim this year is top ten positions at large National events like this and job done, so despite the early fitness issues I left a happy boy!