Brighton Big Dog

Chris and I raced the 6 hour mixed pairs at Brighton Big Dog a couple of weeks ago. The sun was shining all day and the conditions were dusty and fast. Although we were sun bathing in between laps, there was no slacking when we got back on the race course as the top 3 positions were constantly changing. This mainly depended on whether the men or women in the pair were racing each other. Due to a double lap that Chris did in the middle of the race it worked out that I was due out to do our last lap... against the men! We were leading, but there were going to be two fast men from the 2nd and 3rd pairs coming to hunt me down in the forest at any time! Although I gave it my all, they passed me during the second half the lap meaning that we came 3rd. We were still chuffed with our podium position, which was what we aimed for, and even got some lovely yellow rossettes. Big Dog is a race I would definitely recommend as the organisers just want to make sure everyone has a go and enjoys themselves. The extensive category list includes a retro cat and the 'Wonder Dog' for people who decide to enter for one lap on the day, and all the profits from the race go behind the bar for a party in the evening.

After Brighton I had my last week working at TF Tuned before I start my primary PGCE next week. To mark my leaving the world of mountain bike suspension and going back to school I went on holiday for a week to Valencia. I enjoyed the balance of city and beach, drinking sangria and eating tapas and wearing a pair of white shorts to the tomato festival!

 

 

 

 

Bontrager 24-12

Last weekend I did my second 24 hour race of the season in a women's team with Jackie and Diane from West Drayton Mountain Bike club and Sarah. Only two women's teams were brave enough to take on the 24 hour challenge, so our tactic was to finish it and enjoy it without destroying ourselves too much! We were also down to 3 riders for the majority of the race as Sarah wasn't feeling great - 24 hour racing with jet lag, not a good idea! I thouroughly enjoyed every one of my 6 laps, no draggy field climbs just technical ascents, descents and river crossings the whole way. I was also lucky enough to get the dusk and dawn lap. There's something special about racing at those times in a 24 hour race. At dusk there's the excitement of darkness falling and a nights racing ahead, then at dawn you get a sense of relief that you've almost made it. I'd forgotten how good the course is at Newnham Park and it's made me very excited for the last round of the BMBS series there in September. Thanks to the CNP Orbea team who let me crash at their camp and borrow their mechanic Damo who very kindly washed my bike down for me after every lap. They dominated the male team race with a total of 32 laps! We completed a modest 21, 4 laps behind the fourth lights team. Photo taken by Snapper Chick.

BMBS Round 4

Margam Park last weekend was definitely a challenge! The rain during the week leading up to the race had turned the technical descents into off camber, rooty, rutty mud slides. After crashing quite badly on my practice lap the day before I realised I definitely needed some grippier tyres. Unfortunately on my first lap with the adrenaline pumping I think I thought they would make me invincible, they didn't. I actually lost count of the times I crashed and was laid on the track forcing competitors to run around me (sorry about that!) On the second lap I took the descents more cautiously, even dabbing my right foot on the ground as I went down in an attempt to stay on the bike and not waste anymore time. The other 430 metres of the 6km course was climbing, and although I was in the top three on my first lap by the second lap I was starting to tire and on the third and final lap I let 4th and 5th overtake me. I managed to get my head back in gear on the final fire road climb despite the blazing heat and overtake 5th, and was right behind 4th position as we headed down the final technical descent. There was a very narrow gap between two rocks at the top leading on to a rut not that much wider than tyre width, so you had to make sure you descended in a very straight line or you would hit the side and be over the handle bars! Unfortunately, or fortunately for me really, that is what happened to 4th position. I managed to get down that one without any problems, and give one last effort across the field and around the arena to take 4th position.

 

Mountain Mayhem

I guest rode for Columbia bike food's expert mixed team at Mountain Mayhem this weekend. We finished 6th out of 12 teams entered. There was some serious competition with the Scott and Hope team battling it out for the win and the likes of Liam Killeen and Nikki Harris racing. I think we did well to finish half way up the field. It was exciting up until the very end, as we discovered we were in 7th and only 30 seconds down on 6th after about 23 hours! Luckily our last rider Andy still had the legs to overtake the rival team and put a few minutes into them to secure our 6th place. We completed the same number of laps as 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th position - 24, of which I did 5. I can't say they were the most enjoyable, the course seemed to defy gravity as every little descent you went down there seemed to be a climb twice as long! Luckily the rain stayed off but it had rained a lot on Friday so there were some muddy parts such as 'plasticene wood,' another climb where the tyres seemed to be stuck the ground! Hopefully all that climbing will have been good practice for Margham Park, BMBS round 4 this weekend.

BMBS Round 3

Early last week I spontaneously decided to race the 3rd round of the British Mountain Bike Series at Wasing Estate. Last year I focused more on endurance racing and the year before that I was living in Italy, so it was my first one for two seasons. Having raced the national series most years since the age of about 12 I think I needed the break really. I was feeling very nervous all week, I hadn't raced any of the ten expert women on the start list before and I was wondering whether I would be able to keep up the pace of a national race again. I got a lift down with my friend John on Saturday afternoon and rode the course twice. It was only 6km and fairly flat apart from a couple of short sharp climbs - so fast! I was pleased in a way when the rain set in on Sunday morning as I cope quite well when courses get slippy and it might have slowed the pace down a bit! I also found out that we were doing 5 laps, not 4, which should have suited me better. I was called up last to the start line as I hadn’t done the previous two rounds, but I got a good fast start and was 2nd out of the arena. I got over taken by a couple of people, but then saw the series leader Ruth Owen-Evans ahead and knew that she would be a good rider to stick with. I clung onto her wheel and let her set the pace. We stayed in 3^rd and 4^th position for the first three laps. On the fourth lap we caught up with 2^nd place Ruby Miller, she stayed behind us for a bit and then we managed to lose her. We were now both in for podium positions and only had to battle it out between ourselves. Ruth picked up the pace not far into the last lap, I didn’t quite have the energy to follow her and she was able to pull away from me. I finished in 3^rd place, 30 seconds down on Ruth and 2 minutes down on the race winner Laura Massey. Chuffed with my podium position and relieved to have finished I had the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the afternoons races. I had lots of fun in the feed zone despite the torrential rain handing out bottles and cheering on friends and team mate Chris in the expert cat.

I also met Columbia Bike Food team during the weeked and agreed to help them out at Mountain Mayhem this weekend. Their female rider is injured so I am the last minute sub in their expert mixed team. This is becoming a very busy racing month as the weekend after that I'm having a second go at the next national at Margam Park.

Bristol Bike Fest, 6 hours solo

My 6 hour solo race at Bristol Bike Fest unfortunately didn't go as I had hoped. Despite the steady heavy rain I was really enjoying racing my local trails at Ashton Court in Bristol. The newly unveiled track next to the quarry has so many berms and humps you hardly have to pedal and breaks up the rocky, rooty sections really nicely. I was very aware of what a long race it was though, I kept looking at my new pink knog computer to check that I was doing consistent lap times of around 35 minutes. Although I didn't realise it, on my third lap I was told that I was in the lead but 2nd place Lydia Gould was only about 30 seconds behind. This put pressure on me to pick up the pace a little. I was trying to change gears going up a fireroad climb near the end of my 4th lap when it all went a bit wrong. My gears were crunching and nothing was happening, I got off my bike and I realised my rear mech had bent and the rear hanger had got caught in my spokes and snapped. I couldn't believe it, one minute I was winning the race and ready to attempt to stay there for the next four hours, the next I was carrying my bike back to the car at the side of the track. It's just the way mountain bike racing can go I guess. It would have been a really tough race but I like to think I could have kept that pace up and got on the podium at least. I spent about the same time racing as I did cleaning the car, kit, bike and trail of mud through the house, then cheered myself up in a warm dry cafe with a mug of mocha with marshmallows and whipped cream and a chocolate brownie.

 

 

Charge product review and Erlestoke 12

I took a trip to the big smoke that is London on Thursday night to the Charge 2012 product preview at the Conran Shop in Chelsea. The bikes really did look amazing all artfully placed in the room settings and perching on top of £3000 tables, in particular my new Ti Freezer. I haven't done cyclo-x since I was about 14 but with that bike how could I resist?!

Saturday was one of my race highlights of the year, the Erlestoke 12. Even more fun and sociable now since it's change in format, racing from midday to midnight. I was racing in a mixed team with Neil, Jon and new team member Chris. My bike was all sparkly and race ready with lots of the new parts, thanks to Neil and Nick, and felt really fast through all the technical single track and bomb holes - even more of it compared with last year. I went off 4th, and got 4 laps in but would have loved to keep riding because the course was so enjoyable. Saying that, it was good to finish at 9.30pm, get changed and relax with burgers and budweisers waiting for Neil to come back to take the win. A big group of us all stayed up at the Charge camp chatting, drinking and listening to music until the petrol ran out of the generator at 3am. I will be spending this week doing a bit of riding, but not too much, and mentally preparing myself for my 6 hour solo race at Bristol bike fest next Sunday!

Royal Scottish mountain biking weekend

I spent the royal wedding day in a car travelling to Scotland for a weekend of mountain biking with work mates from TF Tuned. Although I missed seeing the dress for the first time live, (travelling with 8 men I think it’s safe to say that I was the only one that cared,) I’d say the trails of Glentress and Innerleithen were worth the sacrifice. We all arrived in convoy late Friday afternoon at our campsite in Peebles, put up our tents and headed straight to the trails. Although in the South the weather wasn’t that great, bizarrely sun was forecast in Scotland for the whole week and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There really is nowhere like it for riding in England. Glentress has a brand new trail called ‘berm baby berm’ where you actually feel like you are on a roller coaster and the winding never-ending climb up to the top of Innerleithen is so painfully satisfying. Three days spent destroying ourselves riding all day, three nights spent drinking beer, eating take-aways and me embarrassing myself trying to play pool. Thanks for the fun weekend boys.

Salisbury Plain Challenge

I have to admit I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic at 6.30am the day after new year’s day, but Salisbury Plain challenge was just what I needed after Christmas eating and being lazy at home! I signed up for the 35k (wimped out of the 50) and was up at the front on the start line. When the race started I became determined to keep up with Nick and the Charge crew for as long as possible! Soon after they got away from me I was caught up by masters rider Emma Bradley and we got a good fast pace going. I felt a bit bad when I rode past Nick and crew all trying to fix one bike, but too many cooks and all that! (I don’t think my mechanic skills would have helped them anyway…) Next target was the tandem that kept over taking us on the down hills after overtaking it on the up hills. A couple of miles before the end we put in a last effort and got them before the finish line. Beat the boys and the tandem and 2^nd place overall - good start to the year!

Vans snow boots

My delivery of a box of Vans by the lovely Neil last week couldn't have been better timed. These boots are keeping my toes nice and toasty on snowy walks.

http://shop.vans.com/catalog/Vans/en_US/product/womens-shoes/lifestyle/quilted-phoebe-women.html

http://shop.vans.com/catalog/Vans/en_US/product/womens-shoes/lifestyle/mirah-women.html

Weekends away and Downhilling

I finished the season with the Bristol Bike Fest. Sarah and I came 2^nd in the 4-hour pairs despite a big crash from Sarah on the gravel zig-zag descent, meaning that I did a couple of double laps while she was recovering. This is my local course so I know every trail really well and friends and family usually come along to support.

After Bike Fest I went on a couple of long weekend trips to Amsterdam and Triest in Northern Italy. I loved the fact that absolutely everyone rides bikes in Amsterdam to get around, old and young in all weathers, and they seem to have priority over both cars and pedestrians! Triest is on the border with Slovenia and I stayed in a hotel on the sea front. It is apparently the Italian city for shopping and ‘aperitivos,’ in other words cocktails and free bar food before dinner. I have missed Italy!  

Last week I rode downhill for the very first time. I borrowed a big bouncy bike and rode down Cwmcarn. It was fun but I think I was keeping the brakes on too much! I did get a little bored of sitting in the uplift van for 20 minutes to ride for 5, so in the afternoon I swapped bikes and rode the XC course.

 

 

Dusk 'till Dawn

Me and Sarah took another win at the weekend at one of the last 12 hour races of the season, Dusk 'till Dawn. The race started quite dramatically with me sprinting round the start loop to get into a good position going into the single track, but then stopping just after the finish line to mend a puncture! Although I don't think I spent too long mending it, the majority of the field had passed me by the time I got back on my bike and I got held up a lot on my first lap. I tried going round people on the single track, getting lots of heckling in the process, 'Oooh she's a bit keen!' etc. This meant that we were in 2nd position for the first two laps until I put in quite a big effort on my second lap, (probably a bit too big!) and overtook the leaders with a good time gap. However, what was an exciting fast-paced race soon turned into more of a battle for survival in the pouring rain and mud! It rained constantly from just after 8pm until 4am and what were 1 hour 10 minute laps became 1 hour 30s. But me and Sarah had seen the weather warnings and were mentally and physically prepared for the worst! I had brought a huge bag of changes of kit with me and in between laps we had a cosy gazebo with sides to hide in. This was our first race with no sleep and the conditions did make it really tough. A lot of riders quit the race about half way through, so I think we did well to carry on until around 7am having completed 7 laps, which was 3 laps ahead of 2nd place. I think my bike is going to need some TLC now! 

Torq in your sleep winners!

This weekend me and my friend Sarah Turner raced Torq in your Sleep as a pair at Minley Manor. Sarah became an honorary Charge rider for the weekend and borrowed race kit and a bright pink duster. The race was close to Sarah's house, so on the Saturday we went for a ride around her local trails so that she could get used to the bike. The single track is so fun and winding around there that I think we got a bit carried away and probably tired ourselves out a bit much the day before a 12 hour race! We re-fuelled at Sarah's friends' bbq where luckily there was an amazing selection of pastas! Neither of us had done a 12 hour pair before, so we weren't really sure how to pace ourselves and were slightly nervous about the next day. For the first lap I rode behind one of the other women's pair riders, very conscious that we had a long way to go. I overtook her after half a lap, and we increased our gap gradually throughout the race. Our laps were taking about 50 minutes, so there wasn't much resting time in between. Luckily Sarah's 24-hour racer boyfriend Trevor was our 'pit bitch' for the weekend and did everything for us so that we only had to worry about racing. (Thanks Trev!) Although it did rain for one of my laps, the course stayed relatively dry and really fast and fun, which makes a nice change from the last couple of races I have done. We completed a total of 14 laps (7 laps each,) which took the win over second with 13 laps, and third with 10. We finished the race pretty knackered, but very happy with our first team win (and Sarah's first win ever) and looking ahead to the next one!  

Brighton Big Dog

Last weekend I helped out James and Steve from West drayton mountain bike club by replacing the girl in their mixed team. I have to say that I was just as excited about the night out in Brighton and free drinks after as I was about the race! We arrived in a bit of a rush on Saturday morning after my amazing map reading and a few wrong turnings, so only had time to pre-ride part of the course. It wouldn't have made much difference though because by the time it was my turn to ride the rain had set in and the course was pretty muddy and hard to ride. One off camber up hill was hard to even walk up. Good job I had just left my mud tyres on from the Bontrager 24-12. By my lap we already had a good lead thanks to the boys, and I managed to increase the gap by another 9 minutes or so. My second lap was quite a lot more enjoyable as the course had dried up quite a bit. Most of it was rideable, but challenging, so fun. I think sometimes I actually quite like riding in the mud. The race was only 6 hours, so it was strange just doing two laps and then being finished after being used to 12 and 24 hour races recently. The prizes for first were really good, and we even got champagne (which I got sprayed in the face with!) and personalised jerseys with 'bicycle race winner, mixed cat' written on them. Not forgetting the beautiful red rossettes! The bar that everyone went to after was right on the sea front and the race organisers were pretty generous with the free drinks vouchers! Thanks a lot to Rob Dean for letting us all stay at his house!

 

  
 

   

 

Hardtail nation interview

Why don't you have a read of my interview on www.hardtailnation.co.uk ?

Lovely picture as well from Set 2 Rise... The mud teeth / knotty hair combo, I look like a monster!

Bontrager 24-12

Lots has been going on lately, first I graduated, then I got a job. (Well, an internship for year.) It's in London so I'm moving there in a week, and Nick has promised me a Plug to commute to work on. I was in London last week and I saw about 5 in the space of about 5 minutes, I definitely need one as well to fit in! 

At the weekend I guest rode for a West Drayton mountain bike club women's team at the Bontrager 24-12 at Newnham Park in Plymouth. We were entered in the open women's 24 hour category as a team of five. We started off on single laps, and then planned to divide the team during the night to double up while the other half got some sleep. I did the starting lap, and after the next two rounds of single laps we were settled into 3rd place. However, when the dark started to set in so did the rain, and the course became a bit slippy. A couple of the riders in my team weren't comfortable going out in the mud in the dark, so me and my friend Sarah from uni had to do the majority of the laps during the night. By morning the rain had stopped, but that meant that the mud on the course had started to dry and clog up the bikes, but luckily I was only getting off the bike on two parts of the course. (And thank god for the free jet wash after every lap!) We were well clear of the 4th team by the morning, and with just a few hours to go were only 20 minutes down on 2nd place. In the hope that 2nd place might not send another rider out before 12pm, I was sent out to do my 7th lap at 10.50 with the aim of getting in before 12pm so Sarah could get out for another lap. I was pretty exhausted and sleep deprived at this point, and was worried that my legs might just give up half way round the course and I wouldn't make it back in time! But I made it back in an hour and Sarah got to do the 24th and final lap for the team. Unfortunately, the 2nd team had also sent a rider out half an hour before... oh well! 

It was a really fun weekend overall, there was a good atmosphere and I met loads of new people, including two other West Drayton riders who won the men's 24 hour pairs who I'm now riding on a team with at the Brighton Big Dog in a couple of weeks time. Highlights of my weekend included the luxury hot showers after most laps, a random kid telling me how much he liked my bike, and Mr. Bontrager man coming up to me after my last lap giving me a random prize of a hip flask with 'Bontrager 24-12' engraved on it just because he 'really likes Charge.' 

 

  

 

Set 2 Rise win

The Charge team I was in won the mixed category at Set to Rise, but only by ten minutes apparently! It was quite weird because the team that came 2nd were Bath uni and I had to race competitively against them, even though they are my friends I ride with all the time! I got to ride a shiny new bike built up especially for the race. It was a good job I got some skinny mud tyres put on at the last minute following the downpour, as I was able to ride the course without sliding around too much on my first lap, just before it got dark. Through the night we switched to double laps to allow people to get some sleep. I had a few hitches during the first of my double laps at around 2am; my light came off the handle bars and I couldn't see well enough to put it back on until a nice man stopped and let me use his light! And I missed a sign post whilst I was trying to hold the light and the brake with the same hand at the bottom of the descent, and consequently went the wrong way! I guess these things are all part of night-time racing, they seem to be for me anyway! This meant that on the second lap Bath uni caught me up. However, when my friend started chatting to me and mentioned that our teams were on the same lap number I got a sudden burst of competitive energy and managed to sprint off! Our positions changed a couple of times after that, but I missed it because I was asleep... I woke up in the morning to take down my tent in a bit of a daze and stumble over to prize presentation feeling a bit rough to the nice surprise that we had finally taken the win! 

Uni - done

I finished my last ever uni exam on Tuesday! It is quite a strange feeling to have no studying to do after a really manic last few months. I think all my exams went quite well, just have to wait for the results now in three weeks time. This week I went for a long xc ride with some friends in Bath and got some really bad tan lines... oh dear... Then I went to London for a couple of days where I discovered a bike inspired cafe / bike workshop called 'Look mum, no hands!' on Old Street, and I stopped to have a yummy caramel short bread and latte for breakfast! I've been recovering from an post exams party today, now going to pack all my stuff ready for Set to Rise tommorow. Should be a good weekend.

Student champs

Last weekend was the student mountain bike champs where I came 5th. This picture from the start line made me laugh, I look so nervous compared to everyone else! I was probably thinking about all the heckling I was going to ride into down the hair pin descent... It was a really fun race and I was pushing really hard right to finish line - for my whole last lap I could see 4th place just in front but unfortunately she just beat me by a couple of seconds. Me and my team mate Sarah Turner got the silver medal for the girls' team and the boy's team got the gold. The boy's downhill team also got the gold the day before, so all round an amazing weekend! It would have been really cool to stay in our little scout hut in the middle of the forest for another week and do more riding but unfortunately had to go back to uni the next day.

50 best bikes

I had my five minutes of fame the other day! - The Independant used my photo on the front page to advertise a list of top fifty bikes inside.