Race Report: 2015 Mountain Mayhem

Summer Solstice means one thing to most people, the longest day, for me (and some others) it means Mountain Mayhem. For those that don't know, or didn't read my blog last year, this is essentially a 24 hour mountain bike race at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire. You can either enter as a team, pair or solo. I was 10th solo last year, and this year I was determined to do better.

I arrived early afternoon on Friday, greeted by a marshall, and was ominously directed to the Solo camping area, this was already quite full. Whilst obviously a Solo rider is only one person, often they have a huge support crew, so good trackside camping was at a premium. I managed to get a good pitch, near the course, which was key, so I could nip in and out to get supplies and food during laps. This year was slightly different to last year, as this time I had a pit crew in the form of my brother Jack and two mates, Tom & Dave. In order to place highly in these event a pit crew is absolutely essential, it's quite difficult to know what you want at 3am, let alone trying to work a stove and heat up pasta.

Another vital aspect of any mountain bike race is the weather, what can be a fun and enjoyable course in the dry can turn into an unrideable mess in the rain. The forecast had been changeable over the past week, with the latest saying rain on Saturday. However as race morning arrived the sky was clear, and the latest forecast seemed good. Usual pre race nerves, tyre woes, bike set up (what do you mean by brakes aren't set up right Dave?) and wondering what to wear happened, and before I knew it 11am arrived and it was off to the rider briefing in the main arena, the usual race prep talk was given along with rules and it was back to the tent to but on the lycra i'll be wearing for the next 24 hours, nice.

The race starts like many other endurance mountain bike races, with a run. The idea behind this is to string the field out a bit, and it usually works pretty well to be honest, it's only about 1k afterall. I was stood on the start line, chatting to Ellis from Phoenix and a few other mates I knew were competing, I was seriously nervous, I knew how hard it was last year, and this year was going to be harder, i'd put the pressure on myself. The claxon went off, that was the start, after the short run I was back in the arena, collected the bike, and off I go...

The Plan
I hadn't bothered to ride the course before, afterall I had 24 hours to get used to it, plus from the reports i'd seen online it remained very much unchanged from last year, albeit i'd kind of blocked that out, but I knew there was nothing too technical, and realistically i'd be looking at lap times ranging from 40 to 55mins over the course of the race. It really is a course of 2 halves, the first half is actually good fun, some sweeping singletrack, fast flowing sections, especially through the trees. The 2nd half, well, that was tough. Almost everything after the "grassy section" which itself includes a tough climb, especially as the grass gets wet, was hard, and the climbs both steep and technical (ok, maybe not in isolation, but when you're tired they are) Overall the course is 7 miles, and near as makes no difference 1000ft of climbing, punchy! Having a full support team this year also meant I could create a plan and try and stick to it, and with that in mind I was looking at doing 4 lap stints, so 28 miles and around 3ish hours of riding. 1 gel per lap, 2 600ml bottles with High 5 electrolyte tabs in per 4 laps, some midget gems in my pocket an a banana, lets see how this goes.

Laps 1-10
The first lap was fairly uneventful, I just planned on settling into a steady rhythm, not worry about any other riders on the course and well, just keep going I guess. Conditions out there were excellent, loads of grip, seemed quite fast, and as remembered, the first half was indeed good fun. I'd opted to run Continental Mountain Kings (2.2) after Dave's advise, with the view that if the rain does arrive I can still use these if conditions get worse, thus meaning I wouldn't have to stop for a tyre change, got to say, great advise there. The climbs were also as remembered, steep, tough and if you get the line wrong or hit a loose rock then can become quite tricky, nevertheless I rode them all, albeit slower than others, making sure my heartrate wasn't too high. The last few miles were tough, with three short sharp climbs, one after the other, a steep technical descent, and then a long grassy drag back into the campsite and arena. Plenty of trackside support and camping, including my support crew, who were there with bottles, jaffa cakes, gels and soreen. A new plan had emerged, one that meant I didn't need to stop at all, let alone every 4 laps. With that in mind a quick fling of the bottle and a fresh one full of water and I was off out on my second lap. The first one was around the 46 minute mark, so about where I needed to be. Laps 2,3 and 4 were excellent, really getting into it now, and setting some very consistent lap times around the 44 minute mark. Every lap the chaps were there, handing me bottles, cheering and stuffing soreen in my face, even a ham sandwich at one point, thanks Tom! My hydration was going well despite it being humid, and overall feeling good, long way to go yet, but feeling positive. Lap 5 and 6 seemed hard though, no idea why, looking back I think I had mentally prepared myself for a 5 min stop at lap 4, come off the course even, but that wasn't happening, I couldn't stop riding. Onto lap 7 and I started counting how many till i could have a meal, it had been agreed, whilst I cycled past that I would stop at 8pm, a few reasons, first of all you need lights of your bike past 8:30pm, secondly i'll be very hungry, and finally i'll have done 10 laps in 8 hours, which would put me on target for 30 laps. 7 and 8 were good laps, i'd had some more food during my ride through camp, including scotch pancakes (fave) and was looking forward to some pasta. Lap 9 it was getting quiet out there, i specifically remember the first half of the lap and there being nobody passing me, or me not passing anybody, but then after the "grassy section" riders seemed to start appeared, maybe i was more tired than I thought. Then on the final climb under the trees it went very dark and I could hear the rain, great, thankfully nothing more than a very heavy shower, which if anything  made conditions slightly better in terms of grip under the trees. Woah, 9 laps done, that final climb was hurting, and out onto 10, a quick shout to the lads, pasta, coffee and warm sauce was the order. I spent all of lap 10 then thinking how much I could eat, I think this spurred me on and I posted a quick time around 45 mins. Into camp at 7:50pm, on time, and above target. I jumped off my bike, coat and clothes on and sat down as Dave gave my bike the once over, fixed that annoying rattle that developed on lap one, fixed my brakes that "somebody" had fitted, index my gears... nothing major then. Jack and Tom then handed my pasta, and more pasta, and a bit more. I was getting fed up with gels and sweet food now, so savory stuff was essential. I agreed the next stop would be 4am, another 8 hours away, and hopefully another 10 laps in the bag. 4am would mean i'd get the dawn lap (fave), take my lights off and get some breakfast, well that was the plan.

Early on. 

Still going. 

Laps 11-20
I set off at 8:08pm, feeling full of energy, full of food and looking forward to the night laps. The first two laps I was flying (for me), I posted a 42 on lap 11 which meant I missed the lads! Lap 12 was similar at around 43, and was met with Dave running down the course to find me "We wondered when you'd be in, mechanical?" "No, my 12th lap..." Another 2 bottles replaced, making sure I was drinking just as much water as I was this god awful gel/electrolyte tab mixture in the other (seemed a good idea at the time and does work) Lap 13, and the first lap where I really needed my lights, well Tom's lights, seeing as mine broke. I knew the course well enough to not need the full 1000 lumens it offered, and wanted to make sure the battery lasted so went for the lowest setting, which worked well. The night laps are always going to be slower, namely because you can't see everything on the trail as clear as in daylight, but also because your body is telling you to go to sleep. Laps 13, 14 and 15 were all around the 50 minute mark, so still on target. The lads were still out there every lap, handing me supplies and forcing food down me. Lap 16 now done and I crossed the finish/start to see the running total time now at 12 hours something, over halfway there, which was a good thought, but also if I carry on at this pace and speed i'll end up doing 32 laps, that isn't going to happen... I had a lot of riding to do. The following laps were quite tough, I just felt in a daze really, a trance like motion akin to when you wake up in the middle of the night, apart from this time I was in the middle of the woods, sat on my bike riding. Finish off lap 18 and I shouted Jack to grab me a coffee, a cold one, so I could drink it quickly, try and wake up a bit, that along with a few gels seemed to do the trick and lap 19 was on, I knew the night shift was nearly done, and I knew i'd be doing the dawn lap soon, it's the oddest sensation, you've been riding for hours through these woods, total darkness, no noise at all, but than all of a sudden they come to life and the dawn chorus starts, it's one of the best moments of the race for me. Right, onto lap 20, I knew my breakfast of porridge, bananas and anything else I fancied was close, it was starting to get light and the race was nearly over... Ow no, maybe not, but still, only 8 hours left... I rolled into camp around 4:45, my previous night laps had been tough, both mentally and physically and whilst I was ok, times were slowing, with my last one, lap 20 just over an hour I think, in needed this sit down and coffee.

The night laps

Laps 21 to 27
The final push, you're nearly there, come on solo. Just a few words that were shouted as I set off on my 21st lap at 5:08am, by now it wasn't just the legs that hurt, the whole body hurt, arse, arms, wrist, hands, back. Whilst the course was good, it wasn't half tough on your body, the steep climbs, the very rough grassy sections, and the braking bumps, all of which on a normal ride would be nothing, but here they were something to overcome, and something to not look forward to. Laps 21 and 22 were slowing, more riders were coming onto the course as they woke up (lightweights...) and this tends to mess with your head abit, I had other solo riders passing me, looking fresh and speed off into the distance, I tired to chase a few on lap 22, but i didn't have it in me. The on the final climb in the woods my chain came off, no biggie, back on, and immediately off again, a quick look over and can see nothing wrong, but it wouldn't stay on, so I ran. It was about 1.5 miles to camp, so not that far, but certainly 1.5 miles I would have rather not ran. Dave took the bike from me, and hurried over to his workstand to have a look. Thankfully I had bought Lucinda's bike on her suggestion, so had a spare, swap seat posts and I was off on my 23th lap. Lucinda's bike is a 26" Giant XTC Team (NRS) full sus bike, full suspension meant comfort, and whilst on the first few miles of the course I couldn't believe how comfy this was, held it's speed well, and I was setting a great pace, partly I think because of the bike, but partly because I had lost 5 mins swapping so felt I needed to make that up somehow. Onto lap 24 and Dave had fixed my bike, no surprise there, best mechanic i've ever met bar none (if you're ever in Shropshire check out The Trailhead, great shop: http://www.thetrailhead.co.uk/) can literally fix anything. Despite this my body was craving the full sus comfort, so I stayed on that for another lap, first half that was the right choice, second half of last 24 and no. I wasn't used to the bike and I missed the rigid climbing of my 29er XTC, I slowly made it around the course posted a slow 55ish lap, not bad I guess. F1 Pitstop style bike swap and I was back on the XTC, and ontomy 25 lap, somewhat of a milestone considering that is what I did last year, it was 8:55am now so just over 3 hours to go, and during lap 25 I worked out that I had 3 more to do, or maybe 4 if I rode quick... As long as you come in before 12pm you had to go out on another lap, it would be close. No worries though, lap 25 was slow, around the hour mark, and there was no way i'd better that. I don't think i've ever really experienced pain, both mentally and physically like laps 26 and 27, they were tough, no other words, I couldn't relax on the downhill sections as my hands hurt to much and I couldn't really get much speed up on the flattered sections, and I certainly couldn't ride the steepeer climbs, I was simply going through the motion, tell myself it was nearly over, only 14 miles or so... I headed out onto what was my final lap, lap 27 at 11:15, I was done, but then so was everybody else, and the sense of camaraderie started to build around the course as pockets of "lurkers" appeared, a few people chatted, and most shouted "come on solo" this was simply met with vacant stares, and a grunt if they were lucky, I wasn't ignoring you, I was grateful, thank you. I relief to reach the top of that final climb was immense, just to get through the arena and it was over, behind me I could see two solo riders upping the pace, what if these were in 8th and 9th and it was going to be a sprint for the line,I couldn't let that happen, so from somewhere I mustered a sprint from some 0.5 miles from the finish, well i say sprint, more just slightly quicker. I crossed the line 2nd here, only to find out these guys had done 13 laps, not to worry. I just stood on the course, not sure what to do now, do i cry, do i sit down, can i eat? One of the Pivot Boompods guys came over congratulated me on an epic ride "every time I saw you, you were just riding, not stopping at all" Yeah, that kind of summed it up I guess. I was a broken man, and as i stumbled off the course, met by Dave, Tom and Jack we celebrated, I was handed a beer by Bruce and then ushered to a seat at Vee Tyres tent. I was done.

Through the Campsite

Main Arena

Sprint Finish. Destroyed. 

27 laps
24 hours 8 minutes
190 miles
30,000ft climbing
7th Solo

Done

Very Done.

I didn't have a number of laps targeted, I guess "more than 25" but to get 7th I was chuffed to bits with. What a race though, it's brilliant. It's odd, you spend the last few hours wanted to be done, you finish, and then I just wanted to get back out there...

Thought it might also be useful to share so tips, not just for anybody ready, but also for me when it come to next year, so...

Some Tips:
Whilst yes, the winner did win on a rigid hardtail (32 laps...) most people would seriously benefit from a full suspension bike, I didn't think I would, but on a course like this the extra comfort and speed could be the difference between an extra lap or not. Plus your body will thank you.

I was running a 34T single ring up front with a 36T biggest at the back, whilst this is fine for normal rides, and looks good I could have done with an easier gear, 32 up front would have been ideal if using a single ring, again, certainly be doing that next year. It will of course seem easy to start with, but towards the end I thought me knees might go.

A support crew really is essential to place well. I didn't have one last year, hence me coming in every 4 laps to refill bottles, having somebody handing you food and fluid is amazing, and takes anther think you have to think about away, which means you just focus on riding. My support crew were amazing, I owe you a beer (or a Jagerbomb Jack)

Eat real food around normal meal times. This might not always be possible, but I found that I was hungry around my normal dinner and breakfast time, so program that into a rest, even if it's just 5 minutes, having some real, warm food, not something that has come out of a gel packet is a nice feeling, also something to aim for and look forward to.

Cold Coffee, this worked very well, perfect shot of caffeine, tastes nice, isn't a gel and quick to get into your system, i'll be doing this again for sure.

Make sure your clothing is easy to put on/take off. I spent what seemed like forever trying to get my jacket off. Use knee/leg/arm warmers and a gilet if you get cold, again, very easy to remove and put on it needed without getting changed. May sounds obvious but it's an important point I think.

Don't stop. You can always do it. At the start I said I wasn't going to sleep, mentally that is tough, but once you know that is the plan, you'll stick to it. There were a few moments on the course where I wasn't sure if i'd make it, but after a good talking to knew I could finish, it didn't matter how long a lap would take, i'd just keep going. After all a 24 hour race is as much mental as it is physical.

A few words of thanks, first of all Jack, Tom and Dave, couldn't have done this without you guys. Dave (again) for the photos, All the marshalls and organisers, an event like this doesn't just happen, and cheers to Go Outdoors for stepping up as headline sponsors.

Thanks for getting this far, hope you found the post interesting. I'm still hurting today you'll be pleased to know, but already looking forward to next year, wonder what the weather will do...

Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/330239323
https://www.strava.com/activities/330239356
https://www.strava.com/activities/330239246
https://www.strava.com/activities/329886619

Race Report: Bristol Bike Fest

I've long since been saying that i'd like to have a crack at a mountain bike endurance race on trail centre type terrain and course. So with that in mind I signed up to the 12 hours Bristol Bike Fest, however keen to share the enjoyment/suffering/glory with somebody else, I fancied a crack at the mixed pairs category, so Lucinda agreed and that was it. Entry in.

My main target for the year when it comes to endurance mountain bike racing is Mountain Mayhem, so with the Bike Fest falling the weekend before Mayhem, some may see this as not ideal prep, I on the other hand, saw this as a great opportunity for me to test my fueling, make sure the bike was nailed, and get used to counting laps and trying to work out if i've got time for another before the finish, all whilst sat in a tent eating cold pasta. Nice. 

Bristol Bike Fest held at Aston Court, a large country estate just a few miles West of Bristol. Aston Court has a purpose built trail (Super Nova) that is 4 miles long, with sections of Red additions. The Bike Fest route used most of the blue, all of the red sections and then some additional fire roads to make 1 lap 5.8 miles, with the aim of the game to ride the course in your pair (or team or solo) as may times as you can before the race finished at 9pm (any laps finished after 9pm are not counted)

We left London on Friday around Lunch time, stopped off at the Rapha Archive store (rude not to eh) and then made our way onto Bristol. When we pulled into the event village and camping I was quite surprised with how small it felt, however there was a great atmosphere, with lots of people sitting out drinking beer and trying to set up tents. Pitch found and tent up, we decided to walk the course, or at least some of it, just to see what the terrain was like, having never ridden here I wasn't sure what to expect and this being Lucinda's second ever mountain bike race, and not only that, but having only been riding a mountain bike since January this year we both thought this would be worthwhile, pointing out any difficult areas, as it happened the course seemed ok, fast and flowing hardpack ground and gravel, with nothing too technical meant this should be fine. After a hearty dinner of cold pasta and warm sauce we headed into the event village/tent for a beer. There was plenty of people milling around, mainly drinking beer and eating chilli, nice relaxed feel. They also had roller racing, with the converted prize of 5 free beers each to fastest male and female rider. Not an opportunity I could turn down, and with that in mind Lucinda and I had a go and set our times, initially with us both topping the leader-board, for now anyway. Time to retire and off to sleep and discuss tactics (just keep riding yeah?) It was as I was putting the bikes away that it started raining, much like the forcast said...

Camp Set up

Start Line

I think it was about 2am, it might have been later, but the rain was lashing it down, for anybody who has never camped in torrential rain, imagine the noise of showing with a plastic bag on your head (yeah, ok) sleep that night, was at best, slightly disturbed. 6am and it was STILL raining, are we really about to do this? Apparently so, and as the 6:30 alarm went off we both woke up, both with a slight look of trepidation, or that might have been hunger, not sure. Breakfast and porridge cooking, bikes prepped, clothes on (how many layer, waterproof, shorts, 3/4? gloves) many questions about what to wear, and we were ready for the 8:30am briefing, and the 9am start time.  The start format was a short run to the bikes with one member of the team/pair opting to run, do their laps then hand over the baton (or in this instance big hair bobble) to the other team member/s. Lucinda and I had agreed for me to do 2 laps, and Lucinda then do 1, and we'll just been doing that till 9pm, easy.

Ready to roll

The start. Quite mad really.

The gun went off and a melee of riders set off up a small fireroad climb to find their bikes. Once on the bike it was time to settle into a rhythem, get used to the bike again (i'd made some changes, namely handle bars now 740mm wide) and just crack on. As with all mass start races the first lap is always very congested, and especially on this course as the first 2 miles offered very little by way of overtaking opportunities, despite this progress was good, and I was maybe in the top 30 riders on the course. The first few miles were great fun, fast and flowy hardpack singletrack which then lead onto a grassy flat section, followed by a fireroad climb, and opportunity that Lucinda and I had identified as prime overtaking opportunity. Reaching the top, there was a small descent, before you were plunged into the darkness of the woods again, still following some of the blue trail, so plenty of tight corners and bumps to navigate over, before the route rose slightly on some very tight and twisty singletrack, again, opening up we were then sent downhill, off the blue route, and onto another very wet fireroad, by this point I was soaking and the earlier effort to try and stay dry and not ride in the  puddles was quite frankly laughable now, I was just going to have to embrace cold wet feet for 12 hours. Upon reaching what I can only assume was the lowest point on the course we were met with a gradual and then steep rooted climb, a section we didn't walk the day before (thankfully). The climb now, on fresh legs and with very few riders having ridden it was fine, however I knew as both the course and legs become tired this would prove to be tough. Climb done, and we reached the next twisty singletrack section on what later became apparent, was my least favorite section of course. This was a tight, twisty section, where I seemed to struggle to find any rhythm, not sure why, probably lack of skillzz, probably the fact it was all slightly up hill. Either way the section after here was great fun, and by now, at around mile 4.5 the riders had thinned out, and I got a clean run at this section, it was, dare I say it, enjoyable. The final 1.5 miles contained a steep climb with loose rocks, roots and no clear line, again, I knew that whilst now, feeling fresh this would be fine, but after 7 hours on the bike i'd probably not feel the same. This climb then brought us back to the edge of the event village, and then straight back down down the only pure "red" section of the course, instantly different to the rest of the course, the rocks were loose and slippy, an overall rougher terrain, with jumps and trail features such as rock gardens and steps built in to make sure you are awake, this then lead into a fast descent with a clearly shorter rocky line, and a smoother line which might not be as quick, I opted for the later, still making sure I did the jumps. The course then went back upto the event village via a long grassy climb and a final fireroad flat section, before a sharp 180 degree turn into the arena. So that's 1 lap done, around 31 minutes including the run, so not bad, only 11.5 more hours to go. 

Out on the second lap I felt great, especially now I knew the course better, and there were less riders, I knew where I could really make up time, and where i'd be best to try and conserve some energy. This lap was however pretty uneventful, well bar the air I got on some of the jumps obviously. Timing wise I was being constant with my previous lap, and aiming to lap at around 30-32 minutes. Final grassy climb done, and few more places gained I pulled into the arena, and the handover area to pass onto Lucinda, she was off, and we were onto our third lap. Neither of use were sure of her lap times, but agreed that a time around 50 minutes would be great,and with that in mind I went back to the tent and grab some food. I'd done less than 12 miles but it was amazing how hungry I felt, plus it was bloody freezing, windy and raining. Nice one June! Back into the handout area and before I know it Lucinda turns up! She'd just racked up a 45 min lap. So now i'm out on another 2 laps, with the aim now to get 5 laps completed before 12, and therefore the potential for 20 in total. 12 noon was also quarter of the way through in terms of time, so a nice milestone. Again, nothing much to report on these laps, my 3rd was around 33 minutes, and 4th slightly slower at 34 minutes, but I still felt good, if not a little damp, and coming into the arena, to slightly heavier rain, Lucinda was there ready to take over and do another lap, and we were in before 12. Back to the tent again and with the weather getting worse it didn't make sense to just have an hour/45 minutes between laps, you just didn't have enough time to get warm and eat anything substantial. With that in mind, i'd made the decision that on my next time out i'd do 4 laps. 4 laps was a bit less than 24 miles, it's not the distance that tends to get to you in races like this, but the fact that you're out doing the same sections, without a break for a number of times. The first lap went well and traffic on the course wasn't that heavy now so posted a good time. The rain now finally stopped, and it was getting slightly warmer, which was a welcome relief, with this however meant the course, in sections, was starting to become slightly sticky, and especially on the long rooty climb towards the back of the course, still progress was good and I came into to complete my 6th lap in just over 33 minutes. Out for another 2 laps now and I looked down to see very little by the way of water, and reaching into my jersey, no gels... (no tools either for that matter) being concious of this I tried to ration the water for this lap, however by the latter half I was feeling dehydrated, and starting to get quite hungry. 7 laps now done and out for the 8th, wasn't really looking forward to this, and wished I had some food, never the less I pushed on, conserving energy in the twisty sections and rolling the bumps, just at the half way point of this 8th lap, I was out of water, not ideal... my pace had dropped a little and after what felt like an age I finally emerged out the woods and onto the second to last climb, I knew from this point it was about 8 minutes till the finish, I crossed the line some 10 minutes later, and clocked a lap time of 37 minutes, my slowest of the race. It was Lucinda's turn for a double lapper now, as she headed out for her two laps I stood in the handover area quite tried, but mainly hungry. Back at the tent and plenty of food and water later (Pork pies, cheese and onion pasty, cheese rolls) I started to feel normal again, thankfully. I waited near the start of the course to see what time Lucinda would come in, and she was still lapping in just under 45 minutes, and off out onto the second lap. Some more food eaten, bike cleaned (a bit) it was time again to wait in the hand over area. A quick handover I was off again, onto another 4 lap stint, but this time with a full bottle of energy drink, and Lucinda to hand out gels after every lap (very useful). The first and second lap were both great, and despite more riders now being on the course, and the rain/drizzle starting again the course was riding quick I was really enjoying the flowing sections of singletrack, I posted a 32 and 33 minute lap, which given this was my 9th and 10th seemed ok, and about what I was targeting. The 3rd and 4th lap of this stint was getting harder though, and the course was starting to take its toll, especially on the hands and back. During my final lap before handover I was starting to plot how many laps we still had to do. I'd worked out Lucinda had one more to do, and me 2 more, maybe, just maybe 3 more... There is always a moment in a endurance race based on laps where you try and work this out, and depending on how sleep deprived you are it might be accurate. Another quick handover to Lucinda for her final lap and she was off, I was off to get more food, a coffee and some energy from somewhere and before I knew it I was back in handover area. Lucinda came in at 7:25pm, that meant i'd have 1 hour 35 minutes to do 3 laps, quite a big ask at the start, let alone now after over 10 hours. Never the less my 13th lap was quick at 32 minutes, still just over an hour to go, it was looking close. 14th lap was however a bit slower, and at 8:28 I was on the final climb, I knew I wouldn't be able to make another, and crossed the line in 34 minutes at 8:32pm. We were done. 19 laps in total. We were tired.

Coming in. 

Going Out

14th lap. 

Done.

I was keen to see where we had placed, and upon checking the results, we were confirmed as 5th in our category, and around 60th overall, I reckoned that was pretty awesome! More impressive and surprising was perhaps there was only 5 minutes between 3rd, 4th and 5th. With 2nd and 1st on 22 laps a piece.

Back to the tent to clean up, collect our 5 free beers each, relax and eat. We were done and what a great race and event. Beer hasn't tasted this good for a while. Upon reflection perhaps a tougher course than I had thought, relentless under tyre and wet, slippery conditions meant you couldn't really relax and just power on, you always had to be alert, even in the dry I reckon this would have been a tough course. Reckon Lucinda has the bug now for endurance mountain bike racing as she's already suggest Oktoberfest at Ashton Court again in October...

Thanks for reading if you've come this far. This week i'll be mostly resting ready for Mountain Mayhem and 24 hours of mud and riding.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/325132111

Report: Tour of Wessex

The past 6 months have been rather empty of cycling events due to work and studying, however with that now out the way I can look at concentrating on cycling again, and in particular events, races, weekends away and general adventures.

The first of which events was the Tour of Wessex on the May bank holiday weekend located in Wessex, Somerset. A 3 day event covering 335 miles and 25,000ft of climbing. I've heard of this event before, with riders from phoenix doing this for the past few years, however never actually considered doing it. As is often the case this was Lucinda's idea, seemed like a great idea to me though.

For the true festival feeling we opted to camp, so filled the car with everything on Friday afternoon and set of for Somerton and base camp along with what seemed to be everybody else from London... We finally arrived some 4.5 hours after we set off, but in the daylight so set up camp and generally faffed around. Dieter and Neil from LP also joined Lucinda and I later on Friday evening and set up camp, including a huge dome/festival tent and all the camping equipment. Need to work on getting more kit I think.

Day One - 107 Miles - 7,200ft Climbing
8am start time meant a 6am alarm, which allowed plenty of time for faffing, cooking porridge and making sure both bikes were ready to roll. 7:30 arrived and everybody was starting to line up so I quickly grabbed supplies and headed to the start and the front group. The idea was to ride with Neil and a number of RPR riders (Justin, Marcus, Jamie & Kris) and ideally stay in the front group, and try and be the first riders back, a big ask maybe given the quality of riders, but one I was confident I could do.
I hadn't really had much time to study the routes, but knew that the first two days were the easiest (relatively speaking anyway) so was expecting the pace to be fairly hot from the off. Apart from a small 1.9 mile climb at mile 3 the first 24 miles were pan flight, up until Cheddar Gorge, a 2.5 mile climb at 4% average (total was 6.7 miles at 2% average). I knew this would be the section of the route where an attack would be mounted and I wasn't wrong. I was feeling strong as a group of 15 or so riders upped the pace on the front and we started to pull away, Ed Fowles of Hackney CC attacked hard and got a few hundred meters from the main group, which I was now pulling up the climb, slowly I reeled Ed in and passed him after a few miles, now on the flatter section of the climb. I had no idea where the top was so a final attack towards what I though was the top but me clean by 100m. I slowed to see what the lead group was doing, only to see about 10 riders (Including Neil from LP and Kris from RPR). This was good, and I thought hopefully we could all work together until the finish. Over the next 15 or so miles the pace remained high, the terrain rolling and the group generally working well together, albeit Neil doing more than his fair share on the front (no surprise there) Mile 50 was Alfred's Tower, a 1.4 mile climb at 7% av, peaking at 25% the first hundred yards were quite easy, and wasn't expecting the hill, until Neil came up alongside and informed me this was a bloody steep section, and he wasn't wrong! The group, now at 7 riders, all crested the climb together, and all looked to not enjoy that, not just me then, thankfully! There was a feed station at the top and after a few words were exchanged we all agreed to refill bottles and grab some food then head off again, well that was apart from one chap who rode off. We were now down to 6 riders, but managed to form an organised chain gang over the next 10 or so miles until we hit another short, yet sharp climb, and this time an attack from Paul Newton of Derby Mercury caught everybody napping as he rode off the front, thinking this wouldn't stick I didn't do anything and neither did any other riders, but then he was gone. So now 5 riders left and a organised chain gang to try and reel these two lone riders back, yet despite this they stayed away and after a largely flat final 20 miles we crossed the line some 6 minutes down from the lead 2 in 5:13 hours and 9th finisher. A great day, quick pace and a really fun route! But bloody hell my legs felt heavy! Time for a sit down and a bear and enjoy camping in the sun.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/309982909

Day one arena. 

Day Two - 116 miles - 7,300ft of climbing
After trying to stay awake with Neil, Deiter, David H and Allen and failing at about 9:30pm I knew today was going to be a tough day, I was tired and my legs felt it, but then I guess everybody was in the same boat. That said I was still aiming to stay in the lead group today and was good to see the lead riders from yesterday on the start line. Off we go, and this time down to the coast and Bournemouth, in a day that is known as the easiest (ok, it's still 117 miles) I was looking forward to another fast paced ride. As usual Neil was sat on the front doing far too much work, so I pulled alongside and suggest maybe some of the 40 other rides in this group should take a turn? No? ok. Then at mile 20 *bang* A tyre explodes in the group, and it's Neil's. Crap he's on tubs... I slow, pull over and go back along with Tomasz (another rider in the top 10), the pitstop didn't work, so it was a roadside tub replacement, and after 10 minutes of faffing seemed to work and stay on the rim. 

So we're now 10 minutes down, but with the aim of still working together for the remaining 97 miles and trying to catch the lead group, this is going to be hard! Then at miles 30 another bang, and this time Tomasz has a flat, a very quick tube change meant we only lost 5 minutes, but the riders we had just over taken had now passed us again. Now slowly accepting we were probably unlikely to catch the lead group we settled into a solid pace and working a chain gang system very well. To say today was flat would just be wrong, with a few punchy climbs, especially Milton Abbas at mile 80 (1.4 miles at 6%) we had still maintained a high pace and picking up another rider around mile 60 certainly made the chain gang of 4 an efficient system. For the last 20 miles though I just wanted the ride to finish, a super aggressive position may look good and be beneficial in crits, but after 5 hours by back was starting to become sore, and the weather was setting in, in what had been a very nice few days weather wise so far. Never the less we upped the pace as the terrain was flat, and I think we were now all feeling the burn, thankful to finally see signs for Somerton we crossed the line in 5:54, some 22 minutes behind the lead group, which had apparently split into a group of 4 and a larger group of 25 riders! Shame, but day two was such a great route, and probably more enjoyable than the first day. After a few moments early on in the day my legs felt great and was looking forward to teh final day, although Neil and I were now out the top positions we were still aiming to ride in the lead group, you never know, we might get a 30 minute break going...
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/310745168

End of day Two sunset.

Day Three - 112 miles - 10,500ft climbing
Billed as the hardest day by quite some way I was looking forward to this route which headed out towards Devon, The longer climbs should suite me and I was confident i'd stay with the lead group. The first 20 miles were pan flat, very windy, and lots of riders in a group of around 35 not willing to do anything, que 4 of us doing the work on the front again, but ah well, made for a more interesting ride. We arrived at the first hill, and what I though was the first major climb of the day, so attacked hard and managed to get a big gap, only to go around a corner and not see the road go up anymore. Ah well, I sat up and waited for the group. The road was a tight twisty singletrack section which made for some great descent, however upon coming around a tight left hander Neil (2 riders in front of me) hit a car. The car had come around the corner too wide and the group didn't have enough time to slow so Neil hit the wing mirror and then the floor, which meant the rider behind him rode over him! Both wheels were destroyed, but riders seemed ok, I stopped along with Tomasz, to make sure Neil was ok, he seemed to be, albeit slightly dazed and shocked. As he had to wait for neutral service Tomasz and I set off in hot pursuit of the lead group, and good 5 minutes up the road, we rode hard for the next 10 miles picking up Ed Fowles and a few other along the route, now forming a group of 10 or so riders, with 3/4 doing the work. This sections was quite flat and the pace not too high as we knew the hardest bit was to come, the Portlock climb and Exmoor. The second feedstop was at miles 48, at the bottom of the Portlock climb, a private toll road of 4.1 miles and 5% average, total 1,200ft in climbing. Now just three of us on this climb as the rest had stopped we had a good pace and I was feeling good as we picked up some riders who had fallen off the lead group, we must be close now? As we reached the summit we saw the lead group of maybe 15 about 1 miles up the road, we were close. A small descent and the bang, i'm sliding along the floor, all I can hear is me sliding on tarmac, what happened? I have no idea, time seemed to slow down a bit and I remember looking at my ahdn as I slid. I finally come to a rest some 10ft from my original impact point. I'd hit a rock, I could see the bugger. This had knocked me off balance, caused an instant pinch flat and i'd gone down, hard. As I laid on the floor I could hear Tomasz and Ed coming over and the car driver behind picking my bike up and rushing over, "are you ok mate" no idea... I didn't really want to move, but after what seemed like minutes, but must have been seconds I was lying on the grass verge clutching my hand. This was the worst road rash i've ever had, all the main contact points had hit the floor, and as a result were not looking good. I could move though, and whilst Ed & Tom waited for the medics (thanks guys) I checked myself out, nothing broken, and the bike was fine! The medic motorbikes arrived, wrapped me in an emergency blanket, whilst it was sunny the wind was up and I was already getting cold and bandaged me up. So that was it really, the end of day three for me. I was then picked up by the mechanics car after being assessed, and that I was going to be fine, albeit sore. The TOW team did a great job, looking after me and my bike, which was a very slick process and i'd like to thank the bike medics, mechanics, organisers and St John Ambulance for taking care of me. Not a service i've had to use before, and one I hope I don't have to again, but they did a great job.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/311369091

That'll sting.

Did witness the LP train from the van though.

3 days done, well 2.5 really. I now need to do this next year to try and finish. A really great event, made better by camping, good weather, beers and good chat. Thanks for reading if you got this far

More information on TOW here: http://www.pendragonsports.com/Tour_of_Wessex_2015

Race Report: Redbridge CC 2/3

Over the past few months I've been having a think about crit racing and I'm not really sure I enjoy it all that much? Maybe because I haven't won a crit and need to employ tactics? I mean I'm not sure how many people actually enjoy it, but fields are getting bigger and bigger with 2/3 and 3/4 races regularly seeing 60-80 rides on a small closed crit circuit, be this Hog Hill or elsewhere. Riders always say how they enjoyed it after (me included) and looking back over races I guess I do, maybe, but I seem to have a voice in my head that says just focus on TTs and hill climbs, which seeing as I don't have a TT bike or a Hill Climbing bike seems slightly odd. These events however signify the simplest form of bike racing, just you racing again a man and a stopwatch. Having said all that I'll still race crits, probably do ok, still enjoy Crystal Palace and swear never to race at Hillingdon.

Hog Hill from March last year, but warmer than now... 

All the same I thought that racing in February was as good a time as any to start the crit racing season, so with that in mind I made my way to Redbridge Cycle Centre in Essex, also know as Hog Hill. A 1.3 mile twisty circuit, with a finishing hill of 0.2 miles at 7%. Not much on its own, but 25 times is tough. 

The weather was what I'd call grim. It had been raining, and the air was cold and damp. Couple this with a fairly brutal headwind, I obviously opted for a skinsuit. As a mere 45 riders in the 2/3 race lined up I know Hog Hill was going to tough today, and with the usual BC commissar talking to we were off. Immediately somebody jumped off the front, nothing too unusual in this though, often happens (must be trying to get tv coverage for sponsors...) nobody really seemed concerned, however after a few warming up laps with people jostling for position it was clear this chap wasn't getting caught, not yet at least. 3rd or 4th time up the hill and a Cambridge CC rider went off the front, in what seemed like effortless ease, he was sat down, most others were wrenching on the bars. Nobody had chased this attack, I'm not sure why? Maybe didn't think it would stick, however now 30 mins in and these two riders were flying and as the group neared the bottom of the circuit these two were pulling away, not at 36 seconds clear. 

With just over 30 minutes to go there were various attacks now, including fellow London Phoenix rider Ben Knowles, and a chap from Handslig who every lap was being cheered on my his son. I had a few goes, engaging TT position but I just couldn't make it stick, partly my lack of power I suspect, but mainly the wind... Maybe. Riders were being dropped now and almost every laps there was a couple who had punctures and therefore a lap out. I somehow didn't get a puncture and stayed in the top 10 of the group, apart from a few moments when all of a sudden I found myself near the back, you've really got to concentrate here, so fought myself up again. 5 to go (thankfully) and the two riders were never getting caught, as reminded to the group my the commissar on most laps... The Hoggenburg was hurting now, not just me though, but the group was slowing as the wind hit us on every lap. 2 to go and yet more attacks, but yet nothing sticking as the wind soon winds you back in. 1 to go, legs and heart going now, Ben jumps off the front with one other, and this might stick, but as were near the final assent up the Hoggenburg they're caught, the pace goes up and the sprint start, too early for some as I go around the outside, and cross the line outside the points, but 12th, which isn't the worst. 

Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/261071321

First race over then, and did I enjoy it? Well no not really. But will I be back and do more, of course, in fact next weekend. So I guess I'm half right, I don't really enjoy crit racing that much, but at the same time I'll keep coming back for more and more. Weirdo. 

Rail to Trail - Wendover Off Road Half Marathon

So Saturday was a first for me, an off road half marathon no less. This particular event was part of the Rail to Trail off road series, which consists of 4 events all within an hour of London by train. Wendover is beautiful little market town in the Chiltern Hills, just 47 minutes from London by train. As I woke up on Saturday I was greeted by rain and snow, now this wasn't forecast, and might make the half a little more challenging... Lucinda and I arrived at HQ in the centre of Wendover in plenty of time to sign on and review the route in a little more detail. Whilst I was doing the Half Marathon option, there was also a 10K and Marathon option should that take your fancy.

Around 280 runners started the day, with the Marathon runners off first, then half, and then 10k'ers. By the time the half marathon runners lined up the weather was beautiful, cold, but I was really looking forward to starting. Having studied the gradient profile before I was under no illusion this was going to be tough, with near 1,600ft of climbing over the 13.2 miles. I also wasn't sure how I would perform, I have been increasing my running more and more recently, however nothing of this length and certainly not off road, pacing myself would therefore be my downfall I thought. The start was straight up a small B road, and then almost immediately off across a field and climbing towards the woods. I was for some reason on the front, however I could hear the footsteps of my fellow competitors getting closer. Over the first 2 miles I took it steady, trying the gage the speed of other runners, my legs were feeling great though, no tight calves which is a problem I suffer from sometimes when going too hard. Now at the 4th mile and the second big climb of the day, very muddy, traction was difficult, but short strides meant I powered up. At this point I was joined by another runner, and caught up with the marathon leader. I lead the way for the next two miles, keeping my pace consistent and making sure I wasn't pushing too hard, I still had over 7 miles to go at this point! Seeing that half way sign was a huge motivational boost, the marathon leader had dropped off, and the other runner had dropped me (or so I thought) I made a decision though not too chase him, and stick at my pace, that was the right decision. The wooded sections were very boggy, with no clear lines and deep flooded areas of trail, which to be honest was great fun. Deep down I just enjoy running through mud and getting covered, yes that's childish.

From the half way point the route got harder, with a number of very steep down and up hill sections, although I was still feeling fresh and my legs felt good running of these hills was a false economy, so I walked. Getting going again was tough, this was a better option than running up these hills! 9 Miles done now and a flat section along muddy fields was a welcome relief, it was here that I thought I saw David Cameron, and yes I was right, the route did go over some parliamentary land, one runner even got a selfie with him, kudos! Final road crossing, and the Marshall informed me I was leading and had just 3 miles to go, the first of these 3 miles was up hill, not a steep hill, but again I was walking, legs were burning but I knew the last 2 miles were down hill. After descending I reached the road where we started, and finally the finish line, where I crossed the line in 1:44, and what I thought was second place. However apparently not, I was first over the line and had only gone and won! I couldn't believe it, very pleased indeed!
Strava link here: https://www.strava.com/activities/257810521

The whole idea behind the rail to trail series, run by Trailscape, is to try and make trail running more accessible to runners in London and the South East. This is their first year running the series, and have run 4 different events (Essex, Kent, East Sussex & Buckingham) all of which can be reached from central London by train in under an hour. I supported Lucinda doing the one in Kent, and we both did this one in Buckinghamshire, both were very easy to get to and easy to find the HQ from the station. All very well organised, clear route signing, and a challenging, but rewarding route. You have a choice of either 10k, a half marathon or the full marathon, so something for everybody really, and there was a huge range of runners, from people who have never run off road before, to hardy fell runners! Unlike some of the other trail running series' this doesn't require a whole weekend away, and the associated travel and accommodation expense. I really do think Trailscape are onto a winning formula here, and will 100% be dong the full series when they start again in October 2015.

So Trail Running eh? What's all that about? Well for me, although my main sport is and always will be cycling, running offers a great opportunity for short, high intensity workouts when perhaps going for a ride isn't possible, and although I do ride every day, i also try and run 3 times a week, and often at the moment this consists of 5k-10k runs at lunch. Running for me is very simple, in winter when cycling it can often take 10 minutes from deciding you're going on a ride to leaving the house due to the amount of layers you need. Shorts (shorter the better) and singlet and a pair of trainers and you're off, and that's why running at lunch is so appealing. The issue for me is anything over 10k on the road is boring, and here is where trail running comes in.
In its most basic form trail running is about setting off, not really sure where you're going, not bound by junctions, pavements or pedestrians, just you, a pair of off road running shoes and a vague idea where you started. Ideally of course lots of mud. The attraction of heading off across a field, over the moors to a place where you'll probably not see anybody else really appeals to my sense of adventure. There is no real emphasis on speed, more of a desire to challenge yourself to run or walk up that steep climb or forge a new path through a wooded area, not really having much a clue where you're going, it's all about the adventure and exploring areas where you wouldn't on a bike. In terms of fitness, trailing running really does help, there is nothing quite like the all body workout of running through a muddy field, fighting not only to keep going at a constant speed, but also to simply keep upright and not fall into that muddy bog. I went on quite a few running adventures last year with Lucinda around Scotland and the Peak District, these were put simply, amazing, and hopefully some of these pictures below might inspire you to buy an OS map, sit down with a coffee and plot a route. If you'de rather not do that, there are loads of trail running books out there to provide ideas for routes of different length and level, something for everybody.

Thanks to Trailscape for putting on the event, the marshals as ever, anybody who baked the cakes. Look forward to the next one. More info here: http://www.trailscape.co.uk/index.php

I paid for the race entry myself and am not supported by Trailscape, I just think more people should know about this awesome series. 

Review: Alpkit Gourdon - The Rucksack of Power

I've been riding into London now for nearly 5 years, every working day, with distances ranging from 4 miles to 54 miles...  I've tried various methods of luggage transportation, from a big 35L Karrimore daypack, to a small 15L backpack I was given on the 2012 Etape du Tour. I've tried taking in new clothes every day and i've tried taking in everything on Monday (this is currently my preferred method).

I now use an Alpkit Gourdon 20, and have been using this for the past two years.
Well, where to start? It's a fantastically light, 100% waterproof 20 Litre rucksack, available in a range of colours (I opted for the fluro yellow for extra visibility) The minimalist and simple design no only looks good, but is fantastically functional, with two side pockets for bottles (also very useful for carrying shoes, wine bottles, beer) and an elastic drawstring on the back for extra bulky items, such as a coat, more shoes maybe? The Gourdon is fastened by a roll top buckle system, which allows for a large opening at the top of the rucksack. This opening means you really can stuff clothing in, well as long as you don't need your shirts ironed, and utilise the space to the maximum. I have also on occasions ridden with the top open and items poking out. The buckle fastening system also serves a secondary purpose of carrying bike wheels. Ok so I don't do this everyday, but on the 5/6 occasions I have and commuted home they have been very secure (proof). The adjustable chest and waist straps provide ample support when on the bike or running/walking, whether the Gourdon is fully loaded or half empty

The 20 litres are surprisingly roomy, and not only has the Gourdon been used for 5 shirts, Laptop, work items, i've also used it for weekends away, hiking, trail running, mountain biking (there is a pouch for a water bladder), shopping trips to Aldi (very useful) and general storage of stuff that can't get wet when camping (important)

Even after two years of solid use, almost everyday, the Gourdon is still 100% waterproof, and apart from mud, oil and dirt is still in great condition, and literally no signs of wear to the material. I can't really see me needed a new rucksack for a while unless I damage this, and even then Alpkit provide free repair patches when you buy the Gourdon.

Ok, so what is the price for this lightweight, multi-purpose, waterproof rucksack? £22.50. Yeah, that's right. Ow I bet shipping is loads? Nope, that's free too. Alpkit are a great British company, offering a range of bags, climbing gear, bike-packing gear, lighting and clothing. They also have some pretty epic blog posts, enjoy!

Overall - A fantastic piece of kit that not only every commuter should own, but anybody who needs a rucksack really. You can't go wrong.

Alpkit link: https://www.alpkit.com/products/gourdon-20

*I bought this bag myself and have not been sponsored to write this post, I just think it's a bloody brilliant bit of kit

Race Report: Capital Tri Duathlon - Velopark

February is known for being cold, often seeing snow showers and heavy frosts, so whilst some cyclists either stay inside on a turbo, or venture to warmer climates to ride mountains I decided that I'd do a Duathlon in East London.

Capital Tri (http://capitaltri.com/) run a bi-weekley dutahlon at the Lee Valley Velopark (Olympic Stadium) on Tuesday, starting at 7:30pm. This is a "sprint" distance event, a 2 mile run, followed by a 10 mile bike, then a final 2 mile run on the Road Racing circuit, benefiting from no traffic, smooth tarmac, nice twisty corners and flood lighting. 

I naturally arrived early so went inside the warmth of the Velodrome and watched the track riders go around for a bit, secretly quite jealous that these people could stay inside... It was then time to register and get changed. I was unsure of what or how many layers to wear, so opted for the brave choice of a skinsuit with a LS base layer, anything more would have been uncomfortable to run in, and also most likely meaning I get too hot on the run. So that was that, Skinsuit in February. 

A small field of 12 hardy people had signed up, and within the 12 a couple of guys who looked rather quick, including one full tri spec Fuji bike and a Cervelo. Nice. After the briefing was given we lined up on the start line, had out photo taken pulling a snowman pose (what is that?) and off we went. As expect two guys sent off very quick down the hill, however by the bottom corner I had caught them and settled into what I thought was a good pace. Something which is often difficult when you have a bike and then another run to do. By the end of the first lap (run is two laps) I had built up a good 200-300 yard lead with a further 200-300 yards to third place. I completed the first lap in around 5:50mins and then onto the second, slowing down a little for the hills as to try and conserve some energy... Second lap now done, and I was still in the lead and into the transition area, where I discovered that putting on a helmet and shoes in the dark with cold hands was very difficult. I seemed to be in the transition forever, finally managed to fasten my helmet, and off onto the bike leg and the first of ten laps. The first two laps are always the hardest on the bike, as your body has to adapt and engage different muscles, I seemed to be going slow, breathing in litres of icy cold air didn't help, however after three laps I had managed to find a rhythm on each section of the course and through the bends and was averaging a consistent 25mph, which given I had another run to do (did I mention the cold too?) I was fairly pleased with. Coming into the final two laps and my legs were burning, and on the last lap I slowed a little just to allow the legs to recover. Into the final transition, helmet thrown to the floor (clever) and running shoes on, I was off. Compared to 25mph av this run now felt like I was going backwards, my thighs burnt and yet again I found it difficult to get into a good rhythm, not helped by a stitch which had hit me from somewhere. Slightly too late, and now onto the final lap I did find my form, and settled down, taking the turns and hills slower than the first run but concentrating on my strides and breathing. Seemed to work and I crossed the line with a total time of 52:50. 

Analysing the times after, my moving time was 50:09 compared to 50:17 from the last time I did this event in April, so that's encouraging. The decrease in time has come from my running, with my bike time only 1 second slower than before. Having said that what let me down tonight was my transition, but then a time in February is never going to be as quick as April, cold hands and gloves do not make for a speedy transition. 

Links to Strava here:

Run 1: https://www.strava.com/activities/249634048 

Bike: https://www.strava.com/activities/249634065

Run 2: https://www.strava.com/activities/249634017 

Thanks to the Capital Tri team, a great event, very welcoming and encouraging everybody throughout the race. I would really recommend these events to people, I mean it's only £13 and you get a whole evening of fun. 

Thanks for reading, i'll be back for the next one in two weeks time.