Gauntlet

Sam of Singular Cycles posted me this challenge for the forth coming 'cross season.

Bring it on...

/click image to biggerify/

Good Choice?

Over and easy make it look classy!

Looks like Dr John and I have the same taste in bikes. Couldn't quite stretch to the height's of IF, hope my Kelly Luscious X looks as tidy. Maybe if I ask him nicely, he might gimmae a shot next week?

Uh oh.

New guy in the ranks

Just a few words from the new guy in the squad! Well if ya don't see me ya might hear me (sorry it's my way of being nervos at races I suppose). Or I liked winding Neil Dryden up aka Nelly. A wee brief insight of what chris d has let himself in for... Well I've done quite a few Scottish road races, from the girvan to the peebles hydro Apr back in the day. Mountain biking has always been my first love (let's not get confused with females) My first mountain bike race was the Edinburgh bike co-op race in penicuik early 90's. Anyway am suprised cross has come so late in. Just wished I had done it ages ago.
Well hears to a blinding cross season. Will try and do ma best for the V.C.
Oh and John Anderson needing a shelve before I leave the bike works.
Or else.

Racing Bikes

Me.

Hmmm. I've been doing quite a bit of racing lately. It's been pretty awesome.

It all began with a trip down to the Darley Moore racing circuit, near Derby somewhere far South. One of the Women's National Team Series. I hadn't done any road racing for ages, so was a bit nervous about getting dropped on the first lap, but no such thing occured, the race went pretty well and I really enjoyed it.

Next up was the Cumberland Challenge Cyclosportif, 110 Pennine miles, which are at least four times as long as normal miles. I actually really enjoyed it, and didn't find the distance too bad (apart from one point where I was asking passers by 'seriously though guys, where the hell is the god damn food stop? Tell me now!), which was surprising. I rode most of it on my own, but got a good pull for a while at the end of the first loop (the course is like a figure of eight) which was really good fun, riding in a fast bunch of men, it felt like a road race, and zooming past loads of other people. I ended up 4th woman which was pretty cool, considering I didn't have a personal domestique.

Then I went for a trip across the water to Ireland, to ride the Women's Ras na mBan, an International Stage race, four stages over three days, I loved it! Three of the stages were road races, and one a (downhill, two mile long) time trial, which wasn't really playing to my strengths. The first road race went really well, it went over a Category 1 climb, Molls Gap, I was with the leading group until just before the top, then rode with a smaller group to the finish, beating all but two of them in the sprint for the line, which was pretty awesome, as a lot of them were Dutch, and Dutch girls don't tend to get beaten in sprints all that often.

The second day was a really hard four laps of a tough little circuit with a really horrible gravel road with grass down the middle. There was a big crash on the second lap as everyone went hareing around the corner to try and get onto the gravel section first, I missed it but the bunch was split from there and never got back together. My legs gave up about 2 metres from the top of the climb on the last lap, however the Chief Commissaire said the day was the best example of women's racing he had every watched, as every place was so well contested.

The time trial was...over within about three minutes.

The last day was pretty epic, they sent us out over a Category 1 climb, around a loop and then back over the same climb, which I thought was pretty cool. The weather was glorious and the racing not that fast, everyone seemed pretty content to sit in and enjoy the sunshine.

Last weekend I made another long journey down to do the Coalville Wheelers Women's National Team Series event, it was six laps of a nine mile circuit, with a couple of sharp climbs. The race went well, I was in the leading group for four out of the six laps, and then rode with various other girls, winning my bunch sprint.

Oh, I also did an Open 10 mile Time Trial, in which I beat my pb by about 2 minutes, which wasn't too shabby.

Now Cyclocross is on the horizon, as well as a little spin around the Tour de Trossachs Time Trial, which should be fun. I'm also looking at doing the National Hill Climb Champs and the University Hill Climb Champs. Looking forward to wearing my shiny new VC Moulin kit.

Tuesdays of hurt.

What better way to finish off a good hard ride than a cold beer, steak and potatoes? Well the addition of this helps:

Nike Debacle from mike on Vimeo.

I don't really pay much attention to skateboarding but this video made me smile. Added to the fact that i finished building the Yeti today ready for 3 peaks action.

It has been a good day!

Borrowdale cross

Ooo I think I'm the first crosser of the season. Hit the Borrowdale show cross at the weekend for my VC Moulin debut. No kit, not naked though! Maybe be on Mull, if it snows.
Second round of the North West series (they start early), fabby sunny day in the wettest valley in the UK. Good turn out of riders, over 50, I managed a 27th overall and won the womens event comfortably.
Course was a bit different to our loved Scottish mud, grassy fields and 1 dead duck. Only one dismount and a bugger of a climb, too slick to ride after the second lap. Don't often get a sun tan on a cross course but did at the weekend.
Good start to the season after a shady summers result due to health things. Glad to get back on a real bike and burst my lung for an hour.

See y'all at Plean.

Mad

tasty

A little bit of Belgium in High Barnet.

Should you find yourself nearby I *highly* recommend a visit. Stunningly good pancakes and belgium waffles.

Steez for miles...

Apologies if you've seen this, but then again it is worth learning off by heart by the VCM Choral Arm for chanting at the next Worlds......

VCM colours on road.cc!

details about the upcoming Scottish Cyclocross series, of which road.cc are are a sponsor, are just out.

VCM's own Marty has done a sterling job putting a new website together for the series - http://www.scottishcyclocross.org.uk/

First race - Plean, Sun 4th October. Oh yes! Excited. Hell yeah!

SM100

(pic courtesy of SMT)

So, Shenandoah. I've been waffling on about it all year. I rode this race last year, and some may recall the Singletrack magazine article about it. I just missed the 10 hour mark. It is a tough race with several significant climbs, technical and rocky terrain, fast, fast singletrack descents with a real chance of puncturing and long dirt road rollers. 100 miles with 14,500 feet of climbing. The goal this year was to knock 8 minutes off the time from last year, and try and ride the steep singletrack climbs and enjoy (rather than grimace my way down) the downhills.

So: lower gearing, a year spent learning to spin faster and lots and lots of early season miles.

Mistake: i needed to have done more steep climbing and i needed to use a not-quite-so small gear.

The nitty gritty: After hitting New York, we sped westwards to State College in Pennsylvania. There i hooked up with east coast imba dude Frank Maguire and Jim Malta (indy fab and Genuine Innovations honcho). We had a few beers, and rode for a few hours at Raystown trails which they had been instrumental in building.

The legs felt great. A few massages prior to leaving had seemed to decrease the muscle tightness i had been suffering since Kirroughtree, and i was hoping that being on holiday would melt the fatigue i have felt recently. All good. Bike shod with new wheels dropping 450g from the front and 150g from the rear felt skippy light.

After picking up some last minute stuff for the road trip, we took the 4 hour drive to Harrisonburg, home of team Hugh Jass. For those who don't know, these guys rode 24 hour races and other endurance events with 1 pair of shorts between them, on fixed gear shopping bikes over the gnarliest terrain imaginable and basically upped the ante so high that i don't believe anyone has gotten close since.

A quick refuel at a quality eatery and out to the campsite, arriving just after dark. A few dogfish head ales calmed the nerves, but my jet lag meant precious little sleep. Up at 4.45am, with some coffee and some cereal. The day was to be dry and dusty and record times were predicted. The startline was busier than last year, but i managed to make a reasonable start and headed out on the initial dirt road happily enough. After the short steep fire road climb to the mast, we headed along a classic east coast rocky, rooty ridge line, Wolf Ridge, before the first significant downhill to aid 1. No need for refueling yet so try and knock the bike into a high cadence and spin my way along the dirt road.

This 20 mile section has one or two climbs but is generally a relatively easy ride. Worryingly, my left hamstring and quad were twitching with cramp every time i ramped the cadence up. I tried to hydrate and take in some electrolyte. With little more than 56 hours in the USA and 9 hours driving after a flight, my system wasn't on top form and unfortunately the accelerade i was using was making my stomach a bit achey. Corn fructose? maybe...I decided to cool it a little and see if i settled into things. The long singletrack climb was hard work, and i ended up walking some of it, but the drop after was sweet relief. At aid 2 at Todd Lake, i filled the bottles with Heed, and ate some PBJ's. With this i headed up Hankey's with some hope that the lower gear would ease the pain. It did and i was still aiming for a good time, my legs were not great, but i was holding.

As i popped out at aid 3 after the wicked descent of Dowell's Draft (on which i punctured, but repaired rapidly thanks to a loan of jimbo's Genuine Innovations pump/CO2 unit) i hit the road to spin out to Braley's Pond, the leaders came through. Um. Wow.

As i tried to get a spin going my body hit a blank. It just wasn't playing. I didnt feel tired in particular, but i had no va-va-voom. The following section was a bit of a grey time as i realised 10 hours was looking very optimistic indeed. After Ramsay's Draft climb, a technical singletrack ascent i was able to roll quite well, a hairball descent over sharp rock clinging desperately to the steep hill side, aid 4 was a blessing. Refueled again and pedaled out to the beginning of the long climb up to Lil' Bald Knob. With many false summits i was prepared to suffer here, but the roll out to the start of the climb seemed to take forever. I tried to do some sums and compare with last year. I knew it was possible to slip in under 10 hours at this point, but i'd have to climb well, and rock the tough decent down to aid 6.

It wasn't to be. There was no way to muscle the bike anymore than a gentle climbing pace. The false summits were punishment after a quick refuel at aid 5. They seemed to double in number compared to my memory. I made the decision to just go with the flow, enjoy the downhill, and chalk it all up to experience. Caution to the wind, i ripped downhill, the jones allowing aggressive lines to be taken and the speed was exhilarating. I *love* the riding on the east coast. At aid 6 i was crashed out. I stopped for a while to eat, stretch hydrate and talk to a few guys who were intrigued over my bike. Reluctantly i remounted and rolled to the bottom of Hankey's for the final big climb of the day.

After helping a fellow singlespeeder with a leaking tubeless tyre, i began the climb. The tanks were empty and my motivation to dig deep had gone when i had realised the time on the way up to aid 5, so this time the ascent took forever. I walked the dustier parts that had been building up all day and then rolled through the final double tracks and beautiful singletracks to the campsite.

10.46. Disappointing in some ways, but i think i may have stacked the cards against myself with a pretty tight schedule to even get to do the race.

Next time.....

the transfer window

With the deadline for transfers now past it is time for Velo Club Moulin to announce it's winter signings.

First up shouldn't need much introduction to any regulars at SCX events, is Maddy Robinson. Maddy is a consistent rider and ardent Cross enthusiast. Last years 3rd place overall and 3rd place the the Scottish National Champs. Maddy has come over from ERC and will bring some strength to our cross squad and especially help to strengthen our standing in the womens category..

Vicky Ward is the next new member coming from the KMB team, a relative newcomer to racing but with an already impressive list of achievements, having started riding in 2007, that year she was 9th in the U23 national road race championships. From there she was awarded a Scholarship to race in Belgium for a month by the Cycling Time Trials National Committee. She is one of 20 athletes at Edinburgh University who have received a Sports Bursary alongside several Olympic athletes. 07/08 NE Cyclo Cross Champion. She is about to ride the womens Tour of Ireland before focusing on cross for the winter.

And lastly Simon Muir, makes the jump from the Bicycle Works team, last into the squad for the year, Simon it's fair to say is a jovial fellow and strong into the bargain. Cross again is his main focus and next year he is going to be doing a plethora of enduro type racing mostly on his single speed, he assures me, he's a good guy and passionate about his sport.

Welcome all three, please make your selves known to anyone sporting the colours and vice versa.

That's it on new signing for this year, we are a big old bunch now and cross season is breathing down our necks. I'm especially pleased to have Vicky and Maddy on board who along with Jac should give us the dominant CX squad in Scotland. In the mens field we now have strength and depth which hopefully will see us as the dominate the results.

While I am here if everyone could email me through their winter race schedule and years results to date that would be cool, 2010 planning is already afoot.

Race hard, look good and stay healthy

K100

Still digesting this one. Basically it very much rocked.

A serious bike race professionally crafted and run with a light touch and fun atmosphere.

Chapeau! to Organisers, Marshalls, Givers of Permission, the Brewery Guys, Food and Shelter Providors and all the Riders. And a tip of the cap to designers of stout whisky packaging.

Moulineers Steve-o, Deano, Phillipio, Christo & Martino were in attendance having various flavours of racing - can we just have a big pantomime villan Booooo! for shimano free hubs.

A classic is born, I think.

Arguing with yourself.

Gorrick 12:12 Torq in your sleep

6 Laps in and i am getting fresh bottles and some food into my belly. I figure its going to be about 6pm and i will need my lights in an hour, I happen to ask the guy in the pit next door what time it is.

He responds with "quarter past four"

Minge! at this rate i will be clocking up something like 18 laps of this course. This is not good for my head. The course is good but there is only so much loamy dusty singletrack repetition my little mind can cope with. I swear a few more times get back on my beloved Spot and go out for another couple of laps whilst trying to think happy positive thoughts.

Through the first half of lap 7 i feel like i am going to puke, I console myself with the idea that if i puke i am allowed to stop. i start to wretch and instantly feel much better which is great.

Lap 8 passes ok the legs feel great, my bike is going like a dream but i am so bored! I carry on trying to coax myself up to 13 laps and a century under my belt.

Lap 9 comes and goes the course is getting pretty chopped up in places where you don't need to brake WTF? and the Loamy bits are getting deeper and deeper.

Lap 10 and Giz from Chelmer passes on some fireroad we have a chat he is racing on a team of four and i follow him into one of my favourite bits of the course a lovely contouring, fast, hardpack bit of singletrack goodness. He is going at team pace and i jump onto his wheel and we tank it through the trails nice and fast, Too fast for Solo! and it feels amazing lungs and legs burning from the effort and the satisfaction of knowing you just pinned some sweet trails!

Bang! the final nail gets driven into the coffin, 10 laps down and i have had enough. i could keep on going but with Kielder coming up a cold beer sitting in the tent and with no desire to keep pounding away at a course that is only going to become more hateful in my mind i come into the hand over area chat to a few friends.

I Find my tent, peal myself out of the Lycra with 7 hours stench and dust ingrained into it. and slip into something more comfortable. It has just started to spit with rain and as i take that first taste of beer, cool, refreshing and relaxing whilst warm in the goodness of a down jacket i go off to help Lorraine, pit bitching for Steve from Singular as he destroyed the solo category. And as an added bonus made alot of teams look a little slow!

Racing is great....

Sometimes a down jacket and a cold beer are better.

Roll on the K100

Photo credit: Joolze Dymond

Goodbye Jake

For 3 seasons my fluro orange Jake the Snake has been my faithful mount upon which i've raced the Scottish cross series. I've had some very good races and lots of good times generally on it, as well as some not so great races. Auchentoshan last year stands out as my best cx race yet -i seemed to be going great and the bike just worked perfectly, repleat with spangly new tubs (thanks to Alan McLean for the pic).

Today though I sold Jake. Whilst stripping it down and cleaning it up I definately had some second thoughts, but with a new cx bike on the horizon and limited funds it needed to be done. Glad its gone to a good home too - Paul Newnham will be ripping round the Scottish cross races on it this autumn.

A few more weeks and I should have my new cx steed built up, can't wait! And yep, it'll be in an equally shocking colour!

here. we. come.

New energy drink?

On a Whim

I've never been much of a racer. I've raced and raced allot in my 15 odd years of riding mountain bikes but to be fair I've never really achieved a great deal by the way of sizzling results. It has by no means dampened my enthusiasm for the all things bike, In fact having helped start this team with Chris D I delight in reading all of your exploits and find my self growing more and more envious of some of the longer distance rides you guys have been doing and my focus is now changing to the long player version of the bike ride. Being short of time this year I'm only managing to get out on my bike once a fortnight if I'm lucky so I cherish the time on the bike I have.

I woke up on Friday morning like any other day, sort the kids in there morning routine, got ready to go to work and then the phone rings. My Brother and Sister in law call up to invite the family up to there place on the Black Isle. Then in hits me, like I said above I've been really inspired by some of your long distance rides you guys have been doing and on a whim I declare to Ali my wife that YES we shall go north and I will ride my cross bike!!! So a plan was hatched and I spent the rest of Friday working a little and doing a lot of bike prep, sorting what I would eat and checking the weather.

Saturday 5am

I wake after a rubbish nights sleep partly due to my 7 month old daughters snoring and partly due to the excitement and thought of spending the whole day on my bike. It has been a long time.

The weather is rubbish and still raining but I am still going. Toast, tea, cereal and strong coffee is consumed. Kiss the kids and the wife whilst they still sleep and I slip out the back door to my waiting cross bike (possibly the worlds ugliest bike) I head out of Moulin with a light mist of rain and all the streets of the Pit are quiet. The first leg of the Journey takes the old A9 from Pitlochry to Calvine via Killiecrankie where I join an my old Friend Pete a 67 year old keen cyclist who has got up early to join me on the ride as far as Dalnacardoch . I'm thankful for the company and the chat and the first 15 miles disappear before my legs have realized that they have done them.

Having bid farewell to Pete at Dalnacardoch I start the long steady climb up to the Drumochter pass and the the start of the highlands proper. My legs are feeling really good to my surprise and I tap out a steady rhythm when I get to the first of several gates to pass. I lean frankenbike against the fence and open the gate. I retrieve my bike to find I have suffered a very weird mechanical. My headset has seized with the bars stuck at 90 degrees. They were just fine 2 minutes ago!!! Perplexed by this I break out the multitool and start the loosening and tightening process to try and fix the problem when what seems like the entire population of Scotland's Midges descend upon me and attempt to carry me away by the armpits to there lair. They were thick in the air and I could feel a few disappear down my wind pipe. Fumbling with the multitool I finally fix the headset issue and race away from the midges as fast I can. My lower legs now look like they belong to a leper so I up the tempo to distance my self from the pursuing beasties. It is a light head wind i find myself riding into but as I summit the drummochter pass the wind changes direction and find my self coasting for long durations on my way to Dalwhinnie following the cycle path alongside the A9.

I roll into Dalwhinnie and still there is barely a sole to be seen and as quickly as I entered the town I have disappeared out the other side and on my way to Newtonmore and Kingussie. This particular stretch of tarmac is really beautiful and apart from one camper van I see no other vehicle. It's just me, the road, the surrounding hills and country side with a light mist falling. A real magical feeling of happy solitude. I keep a steady rhythm and before I know it I enter Kingussie. 3 hours in and my stomach tells me that I have been riding a steady pace and demands some sustenance. Taking Inspiration from Phil's ride last week I crack open the camel back and tuck into half of medium pork pie and lovely snake sweeties. I am revitalised. Back on the bike I follow the A95 from Kingussie to Aviemore. Having had my 9 o'clock snack my thoughts turn to a certain Mountain Cafe. The next 12 mile disappear with my thoughts firmly fixed on the all day breakfast which was looming in my future. You have to concentrate a bit more on the road at this part of the journey as the A95 can get pretty busy especially during this time of year but I make it no bother to Aviemore and the MC.

Order up

1 All day breakfast

1 espresso

1 double shot latte

1 pint water



Superb!



Back on the bike with a slight feeling of "Perhaps I have overdone it on the food" I roll out of Aviemore with Carrbridge famous for the old bridge of Carr which was built in 1717 as a foot bridge to the north being my next destination. I continue on the A95 which is a bit dull and the traffic has defo picked up since my stop. Concentrate! Keep to the white line, black pudding stay down!!! I cruise through Carrbridge stopping for some photos on my way to the slochd summit the second highest point of my ride north. By this stage the road slowly rises and after nearly five hours on the bike my legs where definetly feeling the long climb north. This is the slowest point for me on the ride and my lack of riding this year was showing. I grit my teeth and dig deep, the lactic in my legs is building but after a while the pain goes and I feel like I'm getting my second wind. My head has sent a message to the legs saying "get on with it, we don't get to do this very often so enjoy it" Thankfully my legs listened and I summit over the Slochd Pass.

Old Bridge of Carr

The approach up to the Slochd summit.

From here to Inverness it is predominately down hill and my big ring is now getting a workout. My Maxxis razes are whirrring below me as I wind along the back road to Tomatin, a road which crisscrosses the railway line to the north. This road passes under some stunning railway architecture in the form a several viaducts built way back in the day and still being used today. Truly stunning pieces of engineering.

Passing through the sleepy hollow of Tomatin I meet with the A9 proper for the first time. This is the only juncture on the route were you have to cross one of Scotland's most dangerous roads. Thankfully it is only a crossing and not ride along it. I'm always confused by the Landsend to John A Groats set that insist on riding up the A9 proper to achieve there goal endangering there lives as this is the quickest route from A to B. Does this not go against what cycle touring is all about?

Across the A9 and the route takes me through Moy and onto Culloden the sight of the last military battle fought on British soil. It is here I get my first sight of the Moray Firth. My spirits are lifted at the prospect of nearing the end of my journey and my tempo is raised again from the meander that I was enjoying. The roll down from Culloden is a fast one and the number 7 Sustrans route signs start to become a bit thin on the ground. Several wrong turns later and a trip through a traveling Gypsies camp I find my self cruising past The big Tesco (other supermarkets are available) in Inverness with the Kessock Bridge in my view.

Happy!

What a difference entering the metropolis of Inverness by comparison to the solitude and quiet roads and cycle paths I'd been riding for the past 6 and half hours. I navigate the traffic and make my way onto the Kessick Bridge with my final destination of the Black Isle on the other side. Stop for a quick Kodak moment with the wind blowing a hoooly. Across the bridge and I'm met by one final big hill over to Munlochy. By this time my legs are surprisingly still in good shape and I crest the top the hill with a punch of my fist into the air knowing I had a 6 mile downhill/flat ride to Rosemarkie beach. I cruise the final 6 miles with huge a grin from ear to ear pondering what I'd just achieved and the joy it gave me. I roll onto Rosemarkie Beach to be met by my family who had driven up earlier during the day with an icy cold can of coke and a bottle of Bitter and twisted ale. Bliss.

Thanks to you all in the team, I'm really inspired by your efforts. Reading your efforts be it racing or just riding for the crac has inspired me to ride the longest ride I've ever undertaken. It people like yourselves who make this sport and lifestyle so cool. Keep up the big rides, keep up the racing.



Thanks



Stats

175km

7.5 hours in the saddle

plus 90min stoppage time for food, photos and mechanicals.

Racing; how it ought to be...

What is racing all about? "Why on earth am I doing this?" is a pretty common thought during a race, especially on that first lap when your body is also asking, quite reasonably, "what are you doing and can you please stop it now!" Given the amount of time spent riding around in circles in recent years it's something that's been given a small amount of thought while out there and mostly forgotten as soon as it's over and a cold beer has been pressed into my clammy mitt.

During this weekend's Brighton Big Dog, a fairly obvious answer came to mind (for me at least). It's about friends. Most of my closest friends I know through this World of Bikes and spending time with them is usually the main instigation to enter an event.

As the name would suggest, the Big Dog is held in Brighton, at Stanmer Park to be more precise, somewhere I know for 'cross racing and seriously fun singletrack shown to me as the local trails of some of those afore-mentioned friends. Now, it's not that common in my experience to ride the sort of singletrack pieced together and nurtured over years of night rides and weekends in the context of a race. Those trails are normally ridden by invitation only and it's always especially flattering to be party to that long-accumulated knowledge.

So, the Brighton Big Dog is a race put on by a very enthusiastic group of committed local riders; it's absolutely not for profit as any money made goes behind the bar in a local pub for consumption by anyone who was lucky enough to have entered the race. What a brilliant idea! The format is pretty simple (this is a good thing); it's a 6 hour enduro run from midday (or there abouts), by solos, pairs or threes with a retro class for solos on old bikes. Despite the race being sold out there remained a low-key, fun atmosphere with much cake and tea, the opportunity to sell your old stuff in a bike jumble and the friendliest vibe I've witnessed at a race in a long time.

All run on Those Trails; the 8 mile circuit managed that trick of being fun pretty much all the way round despite having some nasty climbs. Lots of singletrack, sketchy roots, off-camber descents and so many sections that had you thinking, "Ooh, I love this bit..." as you rounded a corner and pointed your tyre at the first knobbly root.

Back to those friends. I drove down on Friday night and met up with a small group of lovely people including VCM riders Phil and Jon, all the way down from Glasgow. We stayed at a campsite near Ditchling and the usual chat, beer and star-gazing ensued. Next morning, bottles and other essentials were muled over to the course by friends as the three VCM boys headed off by bike. It wasn't far to Stanmer park, but within a mile or so we were dragging our hangovers over the Ditchling Beacon which did a great job of waking up the legs! A few miles of pootling and admiration of the rolling hills brought us to the park and yet more friends; hugs, kisses and all-to-brief catchings up and suddenly it's time to ride.

Friends; heckling and hollering through the start/finish, shouting encouragement or open abuse out on the course, a slap on the arse, a brief chat about just how much fun this piece of trail is or to ask, "how many times did you get stung?" (one section was beset by angry wasps who stung many riders on the first lap, but the marshalls very efficiently re-routed the course in time for the second lap and we riders were left mostly unmolested there after).
I'd re-built my old Manitou HT for the occasion and it felt pretty alien to me with it's arse up, head down position and twitchy handling, but once I'd remembered how to ride a 'normal' bike it rode beautifully (if also a bit squeakily). Despite a first lap in which I happily bimbled off the course and down a descent before realising something was up and having to loop back the laps ticked by quickly (in my head if not on the clock). Then all too soon it was over. Little rivals the feeling that you've finished a race, there's a beer in your hand and you can shortly polish off a guilt-free pile of fried calories or two.

Somehow I'd managed to end up in second in the retro class, so a rosette, a kiss from the podium girls (and the bearded Charlie) and a somewhat bemused loiter on the podium ensued.

Jon struggled with a probable bug and still put in six laps to finish well in the solos while Phil rattled round in a three at a frankly silly pace - great to see him back on form. Lisa raced the single lap 'One-derdog' while Gareth, recovering well from injury heckled and drank beer as the strong team-player that he is.

Thankfully, that wasn't the end. After faffage and nosh, it was down to the beach to be met by cheery faces for beer and inane chat into the early hours.

Now that's what racing is all about. Isn't it?

Huge thanks to all those who put this event on. It reminded many of us what racing can and should be.

nind andhera

the black sleep

it's been a while since I visited the blog or in fact had anything interesting to say within it, so I'll keep it as brief as I can. it's not been a brilliant year for my riding, bad health post CX and a combination of family, work and an enthusiasm misfiring have left me staring at the wrong end of summer with little to show by way of 'riding' so I set about sorting that out (slightly by default but it has helped)
now I am not saying I have had no riding, the riding I have done, I have for the most enjoyed but there certainly has been a lack of spark whenever I turn the cranks these days, time, energy, sleep all seem to have been in short supply this year. but the year doesn't wait for one to catch up and so as the days start falling off the calendar like the autumn leaves, cross season is on the horizon!
with this on my mind I first set on a five day adventure with some work mates, five days riding road bikes over to Islay, a lot of ferries and a reasonable amount of miles, it was good, I wasn't fast but I didn't feel bad a more detailed account can be had over here.
this trip should have given me a semblance of fitness for this weekend past at SITS, Sleepless has become a bit of an institution, it arrives at the end of the season and has traditionally for me marked the time where riding changes from longer heady summer rides to shorter more intense and chillier rides and that still may be the case but first Sleepless.
I was racing in a works team of four all reasonable fitness and pretty mellow, not too serious and just wanting to get some laps in with hopefully no fuss. the previous years race had been marred by some atrocious weather and conditions that claimed bikes and riders at an alarming rate, the weather prior to this years event could quite easily have left the battered and bruised veterans of last year at home but fortunately they turned out in their numbers and raced hard.
I'm not going to bore you all with the tales of suffering and hurt, so I will keep it simple, our team 'strategy' fell apart at around 2:00am, and we never clawed it back, that said, I managed 7 laps, certainly not the fastest but I tried to maintain a raffish canter. by the end of the days worth of riding I was both tired and invigorated, my body knew it had been worked, my head was mush. a great weekend.
and so to cross, my little foray into the competitive arena tells me there is much work to be done, certainly last year I was in better shape, this year however I am a misshape.
above a pub door today I read, "One beer is a terrible thing"