When it dawned on me that this was the longest period of my adult life without riding a bike I decided it was time for some shock therapy; the Super Quaich. I figured that if I missed the first round I would have a month to get myself into some sort of shape before the 'big comeback'. That didn't quite go to plan and I ended up spending practically every spare hour fixing up the new place. A couple of cross rides with friends left me in no doubt about what to expect, even my normally easy ride to work had become hard work.
Having seen photos of the mudfest at Doonbank in 2016 I decided to keep things simple and race on my singlespeed. Handily this meant that I could ignore the fact that I didn't have a working geared bike for another week or two. The evening before the race was spent searching frantically for my race kit which seemed to be spread across every unpacked box in the house.
Arriving at the race I had no idea how I was going to go, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but just how ugly would it be? It was great to be back at a cross race and catch up with friends that I hadn't seen for a while.
One advantage of not expecting anything was that I felt really calm on the start line. I was planning to take the first lap easy but when the gun went I got the perfect start and a huge gap opened in front of me, that never happens! Left with no choice but to take advantage I managed to get to the bottom of the first climb in a good position. Half way up it was obvious that I needed to back off and ride a steadier race.
The course was a cracker and really suited the single speed. Lots of off camber after the lung bursting run ups gave me a chance to recover without losing too much time and I managed to hold it together for a decent result; 42nd. Better than I was expecting and best of all I had avoided relegation.
A few turbo sessions and I'd be able to kick on at Foxlake, a course that I know really well and have gone well at in the past. Well, that was the theory...
...eh, no. That's not quite how it went. Surprisingly the turbo sessions went to plan, once I'd found dusty turbo lurking unloved under yet more boxes in the garage. I even managed to find some tyres for my bike, a Limus for the front (perfect) and a Chicane for the back (I'm sure it will be fine).
The race didn't go so well. I started near the back, had a shocking start and an even worse first lap and went backwards from there. I felt like I was running on empty for the whole race and a disappointing 68th was the result. Luckily I had done just enough to avoid relegation but given the stacked field for Dig In I wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.
A stinking cold followed and that was the end of the training plan. Suddenly the weekend of Dig In arrived and I was feeling nervous. A great day of coaching with Helen and Stef Wyman on the Saturday left me feeling more confident in my skills and with plenty to work on. At least now I only had to worry about the pedalling in between the skills.
Another shocking start and I was at the back of the race. Man, please don't let me get dropped by the whole race in the first lap. I knew this was a possibility but now it seemed to be coming true. Fortunately Bo'ness is a lot more forgiving of a lack of top end fitness than the punchy climbs of Foxlake and I managed to get my head down and grind myself away from the tail of the race. 71st. Not exactly setting the world on fire but I'll take that.
So goals for next season:
1. Try and re-discover some mojo and the fitness that follows.
2. Fit an outside tap.
Having seen photos of the mudfest at Doonbank in 2016 I decided to keep things simple and race on my singlespeed. Handily this meant that I could ignore the fact that I didn't have a working geared bike for another week or two. The evening before the race was spent searching frantically for my race kit which seemed to be spread across every unpacked box in the house.
Arriving at the race I had no idea how I was going to go, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but just how ugly would it be? It was great to be back at a cross race and catch up with friends that I hadn't seen for a while.
One advantage of not expecting anything was that I felt really calm on the start line. I was planning to take the first lap easy but when the gun went I got the perfect start and a huge gap opened in front of me, that never happens! Left with no choice but to take advantage I managed to get to the bottom of the first climb in a good position. Half way up it was obvious that I needed to back off and ride a steadier race.
The course was a cracker and really suited the single speed. Lots of off camber after the lung bursting run ups gave me a chance to recover without losing too much time and I managed to hold it together for a decent result; 42nd. Better than I was expecting and best of all I had avoided relegation.
 |
| Photo by Christopher Hogge |
A few turbo sessions and I'd be able to kick on at Foxlake, a course that I know really well and have gone well at in the past. Well, that was the theory...
...eh, no. That's not quite how it went. Surprisingly the turbo sessions went to plan, once I'd found dusty turbo lurking unloved under yet more boxes in the garage. I even managed to find some tyres for my bike, a Limus for the front (perfect) and a Chicane for the back (I'm sure it will be fine).
The race didn't go so well. I started near the back, had a shocking start and an even worse first lap and went backwards from there. I felt like I was running on empty for the whole race and a disappointing 68th was the result. Luckily I had done just enough to avoid relegation but given the stacked field for Dig In I wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.
 |
| Photo by Iona Fisher |
A stinking cold followed and that was the end of the training plan. Suddenly the weekend of Dig In arrived and I was feeling nervous. A great day of coaching with Helen and Stef Wyman on the Saturday left me feeling more confident in my skills and with plenty to work on. At least now I only had to worry about the pedalling in between the skills.
Another shocking start and I was at the back of the race. Man, please don't let me get dropped by the whole race in the first lap. I knew this was a possibility but now it seemed to be coming true. Fortunately Bo'ness is a lot more forgiving of a lack of top end fitness than the punchy climbs of Foxlake and I managed to get my head down and grind myself away from the tail of the race. 71st. Not exactly setting the world on fire but I'll take that.
So goals for next season:
1. Try and re-discover some mojo and the fitness that follows.
2. Fit an outside tap.
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