Manor Water Hill Race

The gaps between the SCX rounds are a useful chance to catch up with other activities, handily there was a hill race this weekend past- just the job for a Saturday afternoon. The event was combined with a sheepdog trial and sheep judging show, luckily the running was limited to just that, no sheep involved. I was keen to have a do at the sheepdog trial but my parents Parson Jack Russell is more interested in eating sheep than herding them so we left her at home.

The run was good, 10 miles and 700m of climbing, an out-and-back course so pretty much 5 miles up then 5 miles down. Brief flirtations with hill (fell when south of the Border) running over the last few years have always led to the same outcome for me; strong biking legs allowing me to climb the hills well but poor descending technique causing major cramp when coming down (and the loss of all places gained on the way up). Thankfully Saturday marked some progress. Besides being a step up in distance I also got the hang of the descent- at last- I was getting pretty miffed at always loosing races on the downhills. The trick with running down is to lean in and let go- easier said than done however. Having only ever run shorter hill races of a few miles I was unsure how tough 10 miles would be so didn't go too ballistic on the outward leg, also keen to save some strength for the return run. I reached the summit in 4th place, just behind Westies team mate Owen and happy that this was a good place. Owen disappeared into the thick mist off the summit and I thought that would be the last I'd see of him knowing that form would suggest I'd soon slip back. Determined not to repeat previous mistakes I leaned into the hill and let the brakes off. To my delight my legs didn't cramp and I was able to fly down- a great feeling. About half way down I caught sight of Owen and got a sniff of a top three placing. No holding back now, full gas. Catching Owen I pushed past and kept the pace high managing to get a small gap as we got back towards the finish. The last mile was a case of hanging on and making sure no one was coming up behind. I was surprised and pretty chuffed to finish 3rd, 1 minute and 1 second off winner and course record holder Brian Marshall. I'm not sure what it is with fell races but there always seems to be a friendly relaxed atmosphere, no one taking things too seriously and most often a bottle of beer at the finish; I can highly recommend it, if nothing else it will make bike racing seem a whole load easier!

Autumn Racing

I thought I'd write a few words on my first couple of races in my new Velo Club Moulin kit.

8th September - Kinross CC - Ochils 4th Cat Road Race

 

Thanks to Ian Henderson for the photo.

This was only my second road race and my aim was to ride closer to the front and try and finish with the bunch.  I was feeling good in the run up but it's always hard to know how you will feel in a race.  

After 3 or 4  neutralised miles we joined the circuit for the first of 7 laps.  I had driven the circuit earlier in the day and it seemed really hilly but it didn't prove to be so bad on the bike.   The circuit climbed slowly to Duncrieve before a fast descent into Glenfarg.  In Glenfarg village it took a sharp left turn onto the Church Brae climb.  A steep, but short, initial section was followed by a long steady 3-4km long climb.  This descent was fast but well surfaced and not technical and a left turn onto a narrow road completed the circuit.  I really enjoyed the course and it was well suited to me with over 100m of climbing each lap and a non-technical descent.

The pace felt steady throughout the race and I was able to stay in the first 10-20 positions reasonably easily.  Each time up Church Brae I was able to move up to the front of the race.  I was expecting that on one of the later laps someone would force the pace on the climb and break the group up but it never really happened.  With hindsight I should have tried to make the race harder myself but that's easy to say now.  I wasn't confident enough to try and go off the front as I'm not strong enough to ride in front of the bunch on the flat.

The character of the race changed on the final descent.  Anyone who had survived the 7 ascents of Church Brae had a chance to win.  Given the chaos surrounding me I decided not to contest the sprint and rolled in 20th, behind the solo winner in a bunch of around 25 riders. 

Overall it was a brilliantly organised event on a good circuit.  I'd definitely recommend it.  If it finished on the climb it would be perfect.

6th October - SCX Round 1 - Auchentoshan

 

Thanks to Anthony Robson for the photo.

 

The first round of the Scottish Cyclocross series finally arrived and I was feeling more nervous than usual.  The start sheet for the Seniors race had a different look to last year.  Would that mean lots of new faces finishing ahead of me or more people to pass later in the race? I'd been feeling good in the last few weeks.  Would that translate to a good race or disappointment if things didn't go well?  When I last raced at Auchentoshan in 2011 I felt I struggled to get to grips with the course. Had my riding improved since then or was it just too technical for me?

The day started well.  Parking was hassle free this year and it was good to catch up with lots of people.  My pre-ride revealed a course that was significantly less muddy than last time I raced here and with some subtle but good changes.  

All too soon it was time to line up at the start amongst lots of new faces.  It felt a bit like the first day back at school and I'm sure I wasn't the only nervous rider on the start line.  The start was a bit chaotic, the gun went almost immediately and a few riders were caught out.  One of the main things I learnt last year was to be patient at the start, you can lose a lot more going for a gap than you can ever gain.  If you are blocked I think the best thing to do is just to slot in and treat the energy saved as an extra match to use later in the race.

Coming out of the woods I was in a good spot behind Addy and Graeme Warren.  Unfortunately Graeme punctured at the end of the first lap and that was the end of his race.  My aim was to try and ride cleanly and make as few mistakes as possible and hopefully keep Addy within sight for as long as possible.

By the second lap I was following Addy, but was a reasonable way back and I was a similar distance in front of Tim Mackley (Deeside Thistle).  That was more or less the pattern of my race.  I was getting towed along a bit by the glimpses of Addy and fighting hard to stay in front of Tim.  I managed to have a pretty clean race and keep the rubber pointing down.  

One earlier than planned dismount before the burn, a brief tangle with the course tape in the finish straight and a 5 second stop to check my front wheel at the pits were the only problems.  Given that it is a tight course in places I didn't have any hold ups passing people, everyone was riding really well which was amazing with so many new riders.  

Unfortunately I also managed to hit something very hard at one point and put a sizable dent in a new tubular rim which caused an impressive brake pulse but the tyre stayed inflated.

Overall a great race which went better than I could have hoped.  It turns out I can ride Auchentoshan after all and it was nice to have a race where everything clicked.  Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement.  Well done to everyone that raced, especially Maddy, Steve and Simon with their great results.  

I'd also like to say a big well done to the organisers of a first class event.

SCX Round 1. Auchentoshan

Blessed are those who struggle

Supreme support from Bikelove and Rankin Campbell

The wait is over the Scottish cross season has finally got under way, kicking off classically at Auchentoshan. The weather held, the racers came and fierce battles ensued. 

Starting procedings was the first lady of Moulin, Maddy Robinson in a womens field that saw a lot of new faces and a few absent ones, this of course was of no consequence to Maddy as she proceeded to smash the field and most of the junior and V50+ field into the bargain, an awesome start picking up firmly where she left last season. 

Simon Fairfull riding so fast we nearly didn't notice that helmet

Old blokes up next and a packed field with 5 riders for us. the largest field of the day and it was pretty frantic at the start, that panic driven enthusiasm led to a pile up on a straight bit of track, for fuck sake guys chill out. Anyway some of us (me) got ensnared in this vomit of riders strewn across the track and lost sight of the race very early on, the rest however went on to have a riot out there. Big Simon Muir was the fastest of our V40's buried himself for 10th place, that is a mighty result in this stacked field and lets not forget DrJon, who also killed it for a superb 16th place, I'm still looking for pictures of you guys, so they might get added later.

Meanwhile back in the real world Fraser, Russell and Myself were midfield-ish. We will be faster. 

Maddy struggling to hold onto her bike it was so fast

Steve Halsall heading to the third step

Last race of the day the Seniors, again a lot of new faces and absent regulars but this didn't stop the racing which was unfortunately won by a dude on a mountainbike, whilst I don't really have a problem with that his bars were so wide no one was ever getting past him, behind him though an almighty battle was unfolding. Steve fought all the way with Colin May and after one little slip May took the second spot but lets not take anything from Steve's third place there were riders charging behind him, a great strong ride only 7 days after his 12th place at the 3Peaks, superb. But it wasnt all about Steve, again we packed out this field and Addy took a hard battled 10th, Simon Fairfull 11th and Ian Dunlop in his first proper cross race snuck in at 20th despite some mechanicals and bike swaps. So all four seniors in the top 20, a great start. 

Addy Pope, full speed gurn 

Chrisd, desperately trying to make up for lack of speed with grace and finesse (neither pictured) 

Rubber of choice for this round, Challenge Grifo and Limus 

Results here

Thankyou to Michael Martin and Anthony Robson for the photos. And a special thanks to all at Glasgow United for a great event. 

3 Peaks Cx 2013

The dust has settled on the 3 Peaks for another year and by writing this means that I survived.
I travelled to Edinburgh on Saturday to meet up with VCM team mates Addy Pope, Maddy Robinson and Fraser Waters our team support/ mechanic for the weekend. Our stop off for Saturday night was at Maddy's folks in Dacre near Penrith.  Mr & Mrs Robinson clearly knew what lay ahead for us as they had dinner that was fit for hungry athletes.

Sunday dawned early for us at 05.30.  We still had a wee bit to drive to get to the start at Helwith Bridge and we wanted to get there early for a couple of reasons.  Parking being the first and getting a good place on the start line as anyone that has done the 3 Peaks before will know trying to get 650 cyclists jostling for position out and over the bridge is utter carnage. 

Thankfully I got myself into a good spot and I had a trouble free start.  I soon found my pace in the pack on the road to Ingleborough.  Turning off the road I got my first glimpse of Simon Fell with a long line of riders snaking their way up the hill side.  I would get there soon enough.  I had heard horror stories of how steep Simon Fell is and yes it is steep having now experienced it but I must have prepared myself mentally for it being much worse.  It wasn't easy but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and it seemed to pass quite quickly.  Up on top of Ingleborough the challenge was to keep hold of the bike as it was incredibly windy.  I had a reasonably good descent off the hill but I did witness a lot of over the bars action.

The next stretch on the road was welcome relief for my tight calfs after the climb.  Turning off the road Whernside was in view.  Again I plodded on keeping my momentum steady along with those around me.  The climb up Whernside is easier due to the stone steps. Once close to the summit the wind came into play again with everyone desperately trying to stay on their bikes or hand onto them. 
I spent the top part of the descent running with the bike as it was all I could do in the gale force wind.  Not what I was hoping for but you just have to take what your dealt.  Lower down I got going again and I had it in my mind to be careful as this was the high puncture risk area as was evident all the way down with riders stopped fixing punctures, chains and rear mechs.

I reached the stunning Ribblehead viaduct in one piece only getting a quick glimpse of it while getting my head down for the road section to the last hill.

I found myself on my own battling a headwind on the road to Pen-Y-Gent lane and the last climb.  Ascending the lane was where my gear modifications came into their own with me being able to climb on my 34x32 for longer that those around me.  Pen-Y-Gent was the warmest climb of the day with the sun now beating down.  I stuck with my previous plan of simply keeping moving forward.  All I could think of at this point was getting to the top so I could start descending as the riders already descending were making it look great fun.  The top seemed to arrive pretty quickly and all that was left for me to do was to get down the hill without puncturing as this would be a disaster having come so close to the finish incident free so far.

I had a trouble free descent dodging both drainage ditches and riders still ascending. Dropping onto the road for the last two miles to the finish brought out the smiles knowing that I had survived my first 3 Peaks.  A few twinges of cramp were nothing to worry about at this late stage and I held position to the finish.  I was delighted I had completed the 3 Peaks in one piece in a time of 4 hours 23 minutes 19 seconds for 221st place.  I thoroughly enjoyed the race and I'm already planning what can make a difference to try and break that 4 hour barrier next year if I'm lucky enough to get in again!

Velo Club Moulin had 8 riders in action.  Stevo placed a fantastic 12th 3.24.45, Simon 87th 3.57.55, Ian Dunlop 149th 4.10.09, Addy 179th 4.15.55, Gordymac 224th 4.23.19, Maddy 284th 4.35.59, Chipps 393rd 4.55.31 and Beate had to retire somewhere out on course.

For those thinking of the 3 Peaks I learnt some valuable lessons.

1. Plumbers insulation on the top and seat tube is your friend when shouldering.
2. Refuel on the road sections, its the only time you will be able to.
3. Low gearing makes Pen-Y-Gent more enjoyable.
4. Tyres pumped up hard avoid punctures but you still have to be careful.
5. Tighten everything it will rattle loose if not.
6. Don't expect to do anything on the Monday you will be burst!

Friday the 13th - Edinburgh to Aviemore

The kids and my wife have a long weekend, i've handed in my notice at work, it's the end of the summer and i've wanted to ride to Aviemore for ages.


So the plan is for me to huckle Russ into joining me for his navigation skills ( i get lost in Sainsburys ), we ride up Friday am, stay over at the in-laws in Aviemore with Russ catching the train Saturday and me catching it Sunday, my wife and the kids coming back down on Sunday with In-Laws and bikes in my van. Easy eh?!

Thursday evening : New garage fancy pants automatic doors jammed!, bike, track pump, tools and spares inside. Lots of swearing. Wife knowing how cross i was getting ran over to the builders across the road and got his spare control unit, this worked. I was in! Bike etc. moved into the house. Bed at 11 in spare room so i wouldn't wake the family at sparrow fart.

5:30 - Up, It's dark. Looks damp but can't hear rain. Coffee and Porridge for breakfast. Choice of kit crucial, went for Equipe jersey, Craft summer race shorts with 2xu tri shorts as a liner, gilet and my Craft microlight waterproof. Gloves, socks, glasses. Stuffed my pockets with a Clifbar (bluebery flavour), a Cherry torque gel, a spare Zero tab, peanut butter and jam sarnies wrapped and sqaushed as small as possible, a pump and a half of a buff in case it got cold.

6:20 - Off, It's wet! and it quickly dawns on me that it's really bloody wet, by the time i've gone 2 miles i'm drenched, the swearing has begun. Wrong jacket; too flimsy, wrong gloves; fingerless, overshoes?! damn forgot my F#@!ing overshoes. To be fair i didn't think i'd need them when I was at home but it was a lot wetter as i neared Edinburgh.

6:35 - Meet Russ, Puncture, yep puncture less than 25 minutes in and I had a flat back wheel, Lothian road is a mine field of pot holes and ruts and it looks like i hit one in the dark wet conditions. Russ turns up and i'm sure that inwardly he's giggling as I'm always giving him grief for being puncture prone. I get the tyre sorted and we're off again. My back lights batteries have died!

South Queensferry, still pissing it down and i'm freezing, my teeth are chattering. Seriously Edinburgh city council need a kick up the arse, that cycle path out to South Queensferry and onto the bridge is a mess, roots, gravel, signage missing just crap for the countries capital city. Ned in vauxhall corsa nearly wipes Russ out.

The bridge, the romantic part of me had a vision in my head of us riding over the bridge to the backdrop of a cracking autumnal sunrise, nope, it's misty, wet and freezing. I'm having trouble riding straight from the shivering.

Sandy Wallaces, it's raining harder than ever and i'm already contemplating our escape routes, Sandy isn't open and it's probably a good thing because if i'd gone in i'd have never come out again.

Dunfermline, the cycle path when we can spot it is pretty good and by the time we get over to the hospital the rain is easing off. I'm freezing, Russ can't feel his hands or his feet, but it's my body that's cold. I've got all my kit on and my extra half buff that when i decide to pull over my mouth and nose to generate some heat makes me wonder if that's what water boarding must feel like.

9:20 - Kinross, it's stopped raining! I'm warming up. The descent down into the flood plain around the town was brilliant, both Russ and I joked that we'd hate to meet a logging truck. Round the next corner and what do we see? Yep there it is; all 18 wheels of it, luckily for us the truck was heading into the forest below us and the road was clear by the time we got that far. We stop for the first time of our own accord (since the puncture) and have a sarnie, according to Russ my lips are blue, i certainly feel cold but i'm not as bad as I had been earlier. We both agree that we've made reasonable time taking the weather into account.

10:25 - Perth, Tesco, Hot Chocolate and a danish, bliss! A quick tasty bite and some serptitious use of the hand driers in the loo get us warmed up nicely and ready for the next leg to Pitlochry where we plan to stop for lunch. First though we have to negotiate the Motor Mile and the beginning of the A9. Luckily we only have to ride maybe 500m up the dual carriageway and then we headed off toward the brilliantly named Tullybelton.

Bankfoot, I just saw my shadow! The suns out, hurray, i'm down to just my gilet and the waterproof is stashed, superb.

Past whinnies b&b we miss the turning and head off toward Stanley before I realise we should of taken a turn down a road under the railway about 600m back. About turn and we're on the right track again.

Dunkeld, getting peckish. The cycle path along this section is a mixture of old bits of the A9 and some 'shared use' paths, sometimes we're feet from the A9 and sometimes it's out of sight and you can still hear the trucks and buses hammering along, the road is amazing as we ride parallel with the A9 but maybe 50m up to the right. The distance to Pitlochry from the entrance to the railway station carpark is 14 miles, 100 metres further on it's 15 miles and then 100m further it's only 13 miles if the signage is to be believed hmmmmm?

Balinluig and the road goes back over the A9 heading for the last stretch to Pitlochry. Soemwhere between here and Pitlochry the road goes sharp right and sharply uphill, this tests the legs a bit more than everything else we've come across, yet again the road was superb twisty and tight and well surfaced. Whoever Dougie is he's got lots of suporters along that stretch of road as every few hundred meters there's a message telling him to 'Go Dougie' but his friends have a strange sense of humour as they lied about it being the last climb.

1:00 - Pitlochry, lunch! Cafe Biba and a lunch of soup, bread, chips, tea and caramel shortbread sorts us right out. I'm dry now too. I grabbed some new batteries for my back light and some Haribo from a 'Johnnie a' things' and we headed North again along roads that felt familier after the last VCM 'Cross monument ride in the snow.

Athol, strange, Route 77 that we had been following, was being directed into the grounds of a country house and in true middle age male fashion we ignored the signs and carried on regardless. Whatever the other route was, we were more than happy with the one we had chosen, it was fast, smooth and devoid of any traffic. Cracking. Both of us were feeling a bit sluggish after our lunch and I stuffed in some Haribo to pick me up a bit.

Drumochter, wrong!, Haribo come down is not nice, way too much sugar means way too big a drop in energy and I feel rubbish. But the cycle path is superb, mainly old A road or new buttery smooth tarmac with only 1 or 2 km of gravel, we're making good progress, the support crew ( wife, kids, nanny ) pass us on the A9 and wave, blow horn etc... and then they pull in just before the summit to hand out the sourest sherbert lemons i've ever had the pleasure of. Russ has lost the plot, he's down to no arm warmers now, i'm not that brave but it's nice and warm.

Dalwhinnie, downhill! It's all downhill from here to Aviemore ( we hope ) i've eaten the Cliff bar and feel much better, both of us feel remarkably well with hardly any aches and pains, just the usual sore backside and stiff neck but not what i'd expect after over 100 miles on the bike, long may it continue.

9 miles? 9 miles to where? we keep seeing these old stone markers by the side of the road saying we're 9 miles from somewhere, surely not Kingusie that would mean we only had about 24 miles to go, we'll see.

Newtonmore, Newtonmore was only 9 miles, we're both surprised how good progress we've made since Pitlochry, it's a beautiful autumn evening on lovely quiet roads and cycle routes. The temperature has dropped though and we're both in our windproofs again. Russ has another near miss, this time with an overtaking 7 and a half ton wagon.

Kingussie, Kincraig, Tiger Cubs! we'll be back there with the kids Sunday I bet, still fantastic weather and there's almost no traffic, both of us are feeling the mileage a bit now, the odd uphill we encounter puts us both in a lather, our legs are definately a bit tired but still not as bad as i've encountered before on shorter rides.

9 hours in the saddle - Aviemore, we've made it! chuffed, both of us feel tired but ok, no where near as bad as I expected, no mechanicals, punctures or other unplanned stoppages other than the puncture before we properly set off and for Sherbet Lemons. That's the longest ride i've done in one day and to be honest one of the best long rides i've done full stop.

Despite shit weather and a puncture at the off the day was brilliant. Cheers Russ. When are we doing the double :-)
I better say thanks to the rest of the crew, My far too understanding wife, kids and in-laws who without their help we wouldn't have had a bed, food, return trip for the bikes or the all important post ride Brew. Cheers Guys.

3PCX Training.

Hello.

Looks like there's a few VCM folk entered for the Three Peaks this year, should be a good day out. If anyone is interested there are some good training options this weekend (7th/ 8th Sep). First up there is a fell race at the Devils Beeftub near Moffat; nothing too crazy, more of a short sharp effort but should be a good test for the calf muscles ahead of Simon Fell, please see here; http://www.shr.uk.com/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0097

Secondly I hope to do a big loop on the cross bike around the Peebles area on Sunday (4-5 hrs pressing on), my last chance of getting a big ride in ahead of the race. The route is still forming in my head but will probably end up taking in a bit of Peebles woodland then down towards Selkirk and back up to Innerliethen via the Three Brethren, hopefully including some extended portage sections! Far from finalised though so if anyone fancies it and has a route suggestion let me know. After this weekend I will be fighting out of Glasgow's West End for a few weeks so if anyone fancies some hill intervals in the Kilpatricks or stair running sessions let me know. There you go- what an offer! Should be good training to beat the legs into shape for the race though. The shorter sessions will also be good tune up for the SCX races so anyone welcome, you don't need to be doing the 3PCX to enjoy some lactic burn. Leave a comment after the post if you fancy it or a text to 07793966529 should get me if I haven't checked back here before the weekend.

PS. Any suggestions for the longest continuous staircase in Glasgow? Multi-story car parks are good but it can upset people so ideally a nice big wide outdoor set would be ideal.

Cheers
Steve.

Fort William Fat Tyre Weekend

10 Under The Ben

First up on Saturday was 10 Under The Ben.  I was approached a long time ago to ride in the mixed pairs with a work colleague so this one had been a target for me all year.  The competition was pretty strong in the mixed pairs with fellow VCM team mates Addy & Maddy riding too.

It was up to the boys to start as Me and Addy faced the long out lap before getting into the course proper.  The usual carnage ensued during the hectic scramble off the start but during our lap and a half we made good progress working together and we steadily moved up through the field.
The placing's settled in quite quick and remained pretty static throughout most of the race but Addy & Maddy overhauled the 4th place team to move into and finish a fantastic 3rd mixed pair (Well Done).  Myself and Cherie from Highland Fire-fighters Cycling team kept it steady throughout and finished 5th mixed pair with 9 laps in 10hours 6minutes.  Altogether I was delighted with our placing considering the competition that was present.


Enduro Enduro!
Sunday dawned reasonably bright and so we decided to try and loosen the legs at the Enduro Enduro at Nevis range.  The relatively short route was just under ten miles long with four timed special stages.  The stages were varied giving something for everyone.  I had decided to ride the enduro on my hardtail so I wouldn't get carried away and damage myself as there are a few cycling things coming up that I want to be 100% for.  My thoughts were that if I stayed on I wouldn't finish last. There were a few sketchy moments just to keep me on my toes and I had a few words with myself to not be so stupid and get a grip.  It must have worked as I emerged unscathed to finish 38th out of 111 riders.  Now how much would I have made up on the full sus?
As it was I turned out to be the sole VCM rider for the enduro in which I had to rock the white kit after using the black the previous day!

On reflection it was a great weekend of racing, Catching up with folks I hadn't seen in ages and meeting new faces.  10 Under was as tough as ever and the Enduro was nice and chilled.  Good times.

Now it's onto Haughcross and then the mighty 3 Peaks.  Keep the wheels rolling!

Happy Cycling

I've been a bit quiet on here recently too, but riding my bike a bit more these days. Not so much a comeback, just happy cycling.

The Scottish Cyclocross 2013 calendar is out, hopefully a few more Scottish races to add this list too.

See you at Haughcross? Possibility of a FifeCrossRide in the afternoon afore it as a wee warm up.

Substance.

It would be fair to say my racing has been on hold. But that is not to say I have been absent altogether. This weekend, I took the opportunity provided by the beautiful weather we have been enjoying to piece together a fantastic Cairngorm loop.

Read more here.

summer style tips

Breaking the Silence

It's been pointed out that it's been a bit on the quiet side on here, so time for a mildly abridged update of my vaguely competitive pedalling exploits from the spring of 2013.

I came into the year with the plan of not really having a plan. Rather than get too tied up in one particular thing or an other I thought it'd be a good idea to get stuck into a bit of everything. So far I've pinned a number on for a bit of road, TT, cross, XC.... Even a sportive.

It kicked off back in February with me breaking my road duck, entering a crit for the first time. That went OK. I had a couple of digs at getting away, but it was pan-flat so no moves stuck. Predictably came down to a sprint, which bearing in mind my spindly legs, didn't really suit me. Still hung on for 7th though.

The following weekend I headed up to Halifax for the inaugural Movelo City Cross event. When the organisers first announced this new format I was peachy keen - loved the idea of racing in an semi-urban environment, hopping piles of rubble rather than planks. But an enforced last minute venue change meant that the course would be a pretty straight forward cross course. Still, there was different format to play with; two short seeding races in the morning with the top half of each going through to the final in the afternoon.

I wasn't feeling all that rosey after a couple of practice laps, however I got stuck in as best as I could in what was the tougher of the heats. The course was suitably brutal - A fast start, straight through a big sandpit, fast field section, then under the bridge and into a super-boggy drag before a flat out hardcore stretch to go up & over the bridge. Off the bridge and we then hit a big horrible grassy wall to crawl up. Remount at the top to tear down some cobbles, then left up a steep climb, down, up, berm or jump down, round a lump and repeat. There really wasn't any let up. It was pretty much a 20 minute start effort.

Safely through to the final I had several hours to kill. Thankfully there was plenty of other racing going to watch. Once the sun was past the yardarm I got myself a beer, caught up with some folks and shouted at some people racing. Eventually it was time to get kitted up again and deal with the final. After a day wandering around my shabby legs were not in prime condition for the effort needed for the race. It hurt like hell. Finished 10th.

Then it snowed for a couple weeks.

Once the snow had finally cleared I was busy, both on & off the bike. I've been working a lot, commuting a lot and racing a fair bit too. I had a go at another crit. This time a longer one at Darley Moor (which incidentally is a right shit-hole). They're funny things these crit. Every other type of racing I've done over the years is very honest; typically the fittest/most skilful rider wins. In these the sneakiest rider prevails - he who hides best, wins. I don't really go for that so I thought "What would Jens do?" & launched a series of Voigt-inspired unrelenting & ultimately doomed attacks which left me out of gas for the finish. I finished in the wheels somewhere happy in that I'd had a good ride out.

The next day was a 70mile 'recovery' ride with Uncle Rog (he's not my uncle, but he is called Rog) in a howling gale. Then on the Tuesday it was race day again. But first a couple of us went out & did a hilly ride into the Peak District clocking up another 50. Come early evening I then rode out to have a go at our local club's hilly time trial; 10 miles with 450+ metres of ascent. After the previous three days riding my legs were feeling tight, but you know what it's like when you pin a number on... Ended up winning, 15 odd seconds ahead of local bike racing legend type chap Mark Lovatt. Woot!

No let up yet. I've not got a car at the moment so I spent the rest of the week commuting 50miles a day, having to come home headfirst into a damn windy wind. Come the weekend & I was back on familiar territory at the Midlands XC mountain bike race. I'd missed the first round as I'd gone to watch Milan-San Remo, so started at the back of the grid. No bother though as the race started up a stiff climb straight into that big wind that was refusing to go away. A hard start up a hill suits me and I steadily worked my way to third wheel before we got into the woods. Going up was fine, I can do that, but I keep forgetting to spend any time riding my mountain bike other than in races so my descending skills are somewhat lacking & I lost places on the way back down. That did make for an interesting race though. All too often in XC races, after the first lap, you can find yourself riding on your own for the rest of the race. So, it was great to have a real ding-dong with a few guys. That made it feel like you were really racing the whole way through. My legs tied up in the last 100m so I dropped 2 places on the line to finish 8th. Usually that'd be irritating, but as the race had been so enjoyably tough I found myself really happy.

The next week was another 250+miles of commuting and feeling ever more fatigued. I took the unprecedented decision to take a couple of days off, drink some ale and watch Liege-Baston-Liege instead of riding.

Two days off & I was back at it. Rode to work, rode to a TT, raced that full-gas, then rode home. The weather was pretty pleasant so loads of folks turned out for it. Many of which with intimidatingly fancy TT bikes, disc wheels, funny pointy hats n' all. I just had some clip-on aero bars on my normal road bike. Whooosh!... came in 4th with a reasonable time of 23:16 (that counts as a moral victory as 1,2 &3 all had jazzy-pants TT bikes).

Next up in my season of things and stuff I had a dig at the Fred Whitton. It was the first time I'd done the event consisting of 112 miles of Lake District ups and downs. Even though the weather was crappy, I rather enjoyed it. To be fair, I am pretty decent at riding up silly hills, so I was in my element. It took me 6hrs38 of pedalling time to compete be route. A brilliantly organised event, finished off in fine style with a complimentary Cornish pasty, mushy peas, biscuits & a brew.

Summer next.

Rotary Club Glencalvie Challenge

Last Saturday I travelled slightly further North to Glencalvie for the Rotary Club Challenge.  In years past the challenge has started at Aultguish on the Ullapool road finishing 19 miles later at Glencalvie.  This year however the challenge was upped to 39 miles making it an altogether bigger challenge for everyone.  With the start and finish being at Glencalvie this year the logistics were made a whole lot easier for the organisers instead of having to deal with the headache of a point to point.  The race route took us West into Gleann Mor and Deanich Lodge followed by Strath Vaich out onto the Ullapool road at Black bridge down to Inchbae where the route turned off road again taking in Strath Rannoch.  The remainder of the route had riders retracing their tracks to Deanich Lodge and the finish at Glencalvie.
I was happy with my preparations in the lead up to the event and it was immediately clear that I was going to have a race on my hands right from the get go.  I decided I had to go with the early move or I would be leaving myself too much work to get back on, so chase it down I did.  It became evidently clear early on that I had a battle on my hands, Fitness and strength not a problem but 29" V's 26" I had not really experienced before but it took a fair bit of effort simply trying to keep with my competitor on the flat sections.  As we started climbing I pulled a small lead and increased it on each descent only to be caught again on the flat to rolling stuff and so there developed a pattern that was to be repeated for the whole race. We both tried on various occasions to attack each other but there was no shaking either of us.  This had me working out in my head where I was going to make the decisive move but when each point arrived it wasn't quite going as planned.  As we approached the latter stages the pace shot through the roof and I found myself struggling to hold on with me experiencing twinges of cramp, I thought the game was up.  This is where I had a lot of thoughts going through my head with the overriding one being that I couldn't come all this way to falter at this late stage so with one last kicker to get to the last mile of rolling track I dug pretty deep to get back on, finally bridging the gap on the very last descent.  From here there was nothing else left for me to do but draft to the finish where I made the perfect jump within sight of the finish.  I had done it crossing the line after 2hours 52minutes of racing with a slim 1 second advantage.

I was presented with my medal and Go-outdoor voucher from Iain Mackintosh president of the Inverness Culloden Rotary club.

Now I have to mention my fellow competitor for making it such a fantastic race.  I had never come across Barry Scrimgeour or raced against a 29er before but they both made me work harder than I have done in a long time.

That's me for just now folks I'm still buzzing from it.  What I want to know though is what everyone else is up to?  Far too quiet on here for far too long..............

2013 CYCLOCROSS YEAH

2013 Scottish Cyclocross Series
6th  October - Auchentoshan, Clydebank
20th October - Callendar Park, Falkirk
3rd November - Knockburn Loch, Strachan
10th November - Strathclyde Park, Motherwell
24th November - Irvine Beachpark, Irvine 
14th December - Glengom Castle,  Isle of Mull
Best five results to count for series.

Scottish Cycling Cyclocross Championships
8th December - Foxlake, Dunbar

Non Series Races
3rd August -  Haughcross, Aberdour
21st September - Rothesay Cycling Weekend, Isle of Bute
27th October - Loch Lomond Shores, Balloch
15th December - Glengorm Castle, Isle of Mull - incorporating the Scottish Singlespeed Cyclocross Championships

National Trophy Series
13th October - Abergavenny
3rd November - Southampton
10th November - Inter Area Championships
17th November - South Shields
1st December - Milton Keynes
15th December - Bradford
5th January - Shrewsbury


British National Cyclocross Championships
11th/12th January - Derby

Keys to the Kingdom - POSTPONED

Y'all had probably guessed by the lack of info, but the Keys to the Kingdom ride has been postponed for now, this is due to things.

 

Apologies for the lack of official notice. Will try to get something sorted for sometime in May / early June.

Red Bull Hillchasers.

Several weeks ago, VC Moulin riders Marty Savalas, Chris Savalas and drjon Savalas confined themselves to the 'Moulin training facility with one goal in mind.

Total domination of the Red Bull Hillchasers event in Edinburgh.

It was clear that the uphill, cobbled sprint played to all of their strengths. With just the right tweeks to their training regimens, podium places were a sure thing.

During the day they spent their time dead lifting, squatting and pressing huge weights. All the while the team nutritionalist was helping them imbibe colossal amounts of sugar, taurine and caffeine. During the evenings the team spent their time channeling Felix Baumgartner and visualising Forstermann's thighs. They left no stone unturned. Brian Jacks was drafted in to give the final polishing needed prior to the big day.

There was no need to alter the team's bikes - singlespeeds all the way. The TSPC overalls were dusted off and they arrived brimming with confidence on the start line on a frigid Edinburgh morning.

All told, things didn't exactly go to plan. An explanation will be forthcoming, but at present the team members are working with the VC Moulin psychologist to tease out the exact nature of the mal-performance. Needless to say: they'll be back!

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and video.

dig in is dead, long live dig in

Allegedly the last ever episode, surely not!

I think I speak for all of the Scottish cyclocross community when I say, thank you for the good times and sweary banter.

We look forward to the next chapter, whatever it may be.

Oh Mallorca how I miss thee

No Mallorca for me this spring.  Still, these fine short films from the Madison Genesis team have reminded me how very special the riding there is.

Madison Genesis 'Bikes, cameras, action' from Cyclevox on Vimeo.

MadisonGenesis - Race Day "Behind the Wheels" from Cyclevox on Vimeo.

How we do?

So the delayed champs have happened, the season is over. 

How did it hang for you?

It would be fair to say the conditions were fairly hostile, a pre-race walk of the course was the most I could muster up by way of a warm up, it looked slippy, cold and straight forward, very much an up and down course. The up was particularly unsettling for someone carrying a lack of fitness into the race but hey, it was only 40 minutes, how hard could it be? It wouldn't take long to find out, more later.

First up for the Moulin were our two awesome Queens of Noise, Maddy and Lyndsey who have been true stalwarts all season, we could all take a feather out of their big bunnet of enthusiasm. The women got the rare privilege of not racing with the men which allowed them a lot more freedom to express their inner wrath and express it they did. No surprises on the winner, Eileen Roe has been in pretty electric form all season, straight from the gun, nice work. Maddy fought out a hard race and took a well deserved 3rd place and a step up onto the podium, awesome job as she also collected 2nd for the series, another great season, but hey hey its not all Maddy, what about that 4th place for Lyndsey! Awesome work sisters, truly awesome. 

Lyndsey Carson, focus and attack. 

Maddy persisting with the white kit

A quick word for Rory Mellis, who is at least related to VCM, a good strong ride in a tough U16 category to take 3rd, stick at it young un.

Right, the Veterans, up front all the usual suspects, this is one gnarly category and the racing throughout it is tough. A lot of no shows gave a false sense of hope for a reasonable ride and that was pretty much were it stopped for me, not a single lap did I feel any love for that climb or what followed, it just didn't happen for me. Moving on, a return to the start line for the Mighty Simon Muir, I haven't seen the big fella for quite some time and to be honest he was the only ray of sunshine on that start line. Anyway we were off, the pace as befitting a national champs was frantic, I lost sight of the race very early on and plugged away to at least finish, meanwhile that old devil Mr Muir was shuffling his way into the top 20, more awesomess. Russell Stout completed the VCM veteran skinny old dude line-up and he put in another strong ride for a sound 30th, good stuff mister. 

The Beast is back. Simon Muir.

Despite the brakes, another solid ride from Russell

Seniors next, a depleted field for VCM but Addy Pope wasn't going to let that stop him having a fine race, in fact in light of the pace at the front of this race finishing 8th sandwiched between Paul McInally (Rock and Road) and Steven 'Becks' Turbitt (Glasgow United CC) so a big tip of the hat to Addy, another rider who has had a totally solid season, next level son, next level. Whilst on the subject of the seniors race it would be rude not to mention Rab Wardells' ride, that was a mighty formidable performance, lapping the whole race up to 4th place. And before you know it, it was over. 

Two wrongs seem to make a right, baggy shorts and disc brakes for Addy.

Well done East Kilbride RC for the excellent organisation in particularly nasty conditions, pat yourselves on the back, a big boo boo to Scottish Cycling for not making much (if any) effort to have a presence at this a national title, the podium photos tell the tale, despite this it was a good event and a fine mark to the end of the cross season. 

And so to this year. . . 

bunnet

Big thanks to Martin (naegears) Steele for all the pics.

worlds

2013 UCI World Cyclocross Championships from Gizmo Pictures on Vimeo.

nutteloze ruiters

you've got my number. . . . . . . . . . . . .