Bontrager 24/12 - Team Effort

For the first half of 2015, because of work I didn't have the time to either race or do events, so when I finished my exams I May I basically signed up to every race and event I could. The next race was this one: Bontrager 24/12, a 24hr mountain bike race...

Having returned from France and the Alps on Tuesday evening it suddenly dawned on me that I had a 24hr race this weekend, albeit in a team, but I hadn't prepared anything, my bike still had its race number (and associated dirt) from Mountain Mayhem... Ow I hope it still works actually... 

We were a team of 4. Myself, Damien, Jon and Simon, well until Thursday when simon unfortunately came off I a practice ride a bust his shoulder, we were now down to 3 riders, competing with teams of 4 and 5. I had no idea how we'd fair. As with all endurance races the weather plays a huge part in the success or failure of a ride, in this instance the weather was forecast to be mixed, sunshine Saturday, rain Sunday, we'll have to wait and see.

Damien thankfully agreed to drive, and we left London around 8pm Friday, making the 4 hour drive to Newham Park, just outside Plymouth. We arrived just after midnight, found the venue and pitched the tent, we weren't off until 12 the next day so no super early start. We awoke to glorious sunshine, maybe the rain wasn't going to arrive, and after registering, which included a free bottle of Ale, and breakfast we met Jon, our third member and prepped the bikes. My bike was still working thankfully, albeit Dave (if you read this) it does need a service... Some opt for a practice lap, I never bother, my view is you have 24hrs to get to know the course, it will likely change over time due to weather and volume of riders too. That said this course was quite long as 13.8km, hilly (as always) at around 1,000ft per lap, we were promised plenty of singletrack at the rider briefing, and also one section know as a bog, fun. 

I suggested I do the first lap, handing over to Damien and then onto Jon before going out again, initially in the day we'd plan to only do 1 lap turns, with a view to double up at night, this has worked well for me in previous events, so should work well here, albeit with a rider down.

12 arrived and it was time, in was on the start line, not a great position, but I knew there was a big climb to start with (cliff climb) where I could make up time. Off we went, pace fairly high, but loads of riders on the course slowed progress a little, we initially wound around the arena, up a small climb before starting the whole lap, in an attempt to drag the field out a little. Seemed to work, and as we hit the first full lap the number of riders in team kits increased, I was apparently in a good position. The first section was a long climb on road for around 500m then gravel farm tacks for another 1k. This was a timed Strava segent, so I put in a fair effort, not sure I'll keep this up for 24hrs though... The woods came as a welcome relief with some singletrack, conditions were best described as "sticky" meaning progress wasn't rapid, plus I'm convinced this was still up hill? We looped around the woods for a couple of K before the descent started, first half was a narrow, but very flowing singletrack section on the edge of a wood, great fun, and with a clear line you could really nail it. I did. This ran into a fire road descent before a small, but sharp climb. The cottage return section was next, a fast and techy downhill. Started off with a few bombholes before opening up into a fast chute. It was narrow, rocky but great fun! Usually 24hr courses are built for endurance, and as a result a little bit boring, but this was actually enjoyable! Conscious not to crash out on the first lap I did take it steady though. Back into the arena briefly, before being taken across a stream and a short sharp climb, then winding through a shooting range before climbing again, over the campsite with a fast grassy descent back into the arena. That was that, first lap into 24 hours and it was done, how many more I wonder? First lap in 42 minutes, not bad I guess given the traffic. I handed over to Damien who set off, we had decided to each do one lap, which would mean depending of lap times (suspect we'd do similar with 5 mins of each other) each rider would have around 1:40 between their laps, enough time for a bit of food and rest, but not too long so you'd get cold and seize up. We'd reassess this in the early hours... The laps ticked by and we were all feeling strong lapping now in around 42, and each of us 2/3 minutes either side of that. The evening and darkness arrived, weather still good, and now around 1am, my turn to go out, I'd had a proper meal (potatoes and tinned curry) and was ready for a double, this would mean I could come I and then in theory get 3 hours sleep! 1st double was fine, 2nd double seemed to take ages, in reality it was only a few minutes slower, but I was pleased to get back to the tent and try and sleep... I say sleep in the loosest sense of the word because I'll full of sugar and adrenaline and can never sleep at these events, sure enough, I lay in my tent, in slightly damp cycling gear completely wired, but also tired. No sleep was had, despite trying, so it was up again at 6am for another double lap stint. We seemed to get the timing abit wrong here, and Damien who was now out, should have been in, essentially he'd done another double, and it was Jon's turn next, so I had another 2 hour wait, at which point the weather gods changed their mind, and decided to start the rain, I've not seen rain like this for a while, everything was wet it was torrential. This was going to be a matter of survival now... I was off onto my second double, at around 8am. To be honest this wasn't fun, it was very grim, everything was wet, but at least the sticky mud had gone away, trails were now rivers, which actually rode quite well... I came in and thankfully was done, Jon was off for his second double. After his 1st of the double he was flying, still 45min laps, it dawned on us we'd get a third lap in! Jon, who seemed up for this was oddly loving this... Another quickish lap and he made it back before 12, so yeah, out again. Finally finished around 12:25, looking quite heroic. We'd finished, the odds stacked against us, 2 riders down and rain, but thanks to great riding and teamwork we finished 11th. Pretty bloody awesome I think. 

I'll come back next year, great course and atmosphere, but it it better than mountain mayhem, Naaa that's a classic! 

Crystal Palace Crits - Winner Winner

I havn't been doing blog reports on individual Crits races recently, mainly because i don't have time, but secondly they'd be two a week and people would soon get bored.

However this post is different, this post is about Crystal Palace, and the fact that I won the 3/4 race there. As much for my own memory than anything. 

Crystal Palace, in South London, is one of the best crit racing scenes. Situated in the park, the short circuit of less than 1k is brutal, sharp corners, a hill (not very steep) and dead mans corner all serve to offer serious levels of pain. Many people view this circuit as one of the harder ones in London, and that often means a strong field in both e12 and 3/4 races. 

I sat on the grass before the start, eyeing up the competition, the usual suspects, trying to see if they'd moved onto cat 2, alas, not the case, not yet anyway. I felt relaxed, after a big week last week I had rested over the weekend and the legs felt good. Andy P from Phoenix also in the 3/4 race, and as we sat on the start line (no warmup) I was saying how Palace is one race is love to win, maybe the rest of the riders heard me say that? I've done enough of these now (5 this season) to know that being in the top 10 riders is key, because of the corners and narrow circuit there is no real opportunity for a big bunch to gather. A few laps in and settled down to a comfortable pace, didn't seem too high, maybe is was slower, maybe I felt good, or maybe it was the 6 shot bloks I had before the start? Nothing much happened, a few attacks from Bigfoot and Dynamo, but they didn't stick. A drop in the pace, and Andy came through, proceeded to tow everybody around at a great pace for two laps. This helped get ride of any stragglers, and we were left with a fairly large group of around 20/25 riders. My turn now, and I came to the front, attacking out of every corner and making sure my cornering was spot on, I wasn't really gaining much distance, so after two laps of this sat up to let a few others have a play. We were now at 10 laps to go, or there abouts, I was placed well in the top 10 riders. Just before the bell another attack up the hill by Bigfoot, dragged a Dynamo rider and Andy across, they had a gap of maybe 50 meters when they crossed the line on the bell. I was 4th wheel now going into the final lap, I was quite happy with 4th so held my position, bottom of the hill now and I could see the pace of the three riders slowing abit, still no riders have come past me, so at the bottom of the hill I went, past Andy and the other two and I kept going, bloody hell I was in the lead coming into the final straight, I sat down, gurned some more and crossed the line, nobody came past, no celebration, no two hands in the air for glory, just a shout and a quick air fist pump once I was sure if won. Wow, I've just won Palace. Couldn't quite believe it. First win in more than 2 years, great stuff. 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/361222526 

Etape du Tour 2015: Saint Jean De Maurienne to La Toussuire

So this year's Etape was my fifth one, and from looking at the profile could be one of the hardest (apart from 2012, that was stupid wasn't it) 138km in total from Saint Jean De Maurienne to La Toussuire (Where Froome attacked Wiggins in 2012, remember?) and would be used as Stage 19 of the Tour on the 24th July.

This year I could only get a few days off work, so unlike the usual car full and 10 days holiday with my brother and Parents, Lucinda and I drove down in the Rover, left London on Wedneday at 4pm and arrived at our villa in Orelle, just outside Modane at 7am Thursday. Perfect. 

I had a good number this year (226) which meant I was in the first pen, and off at 7am. Jack, Dave and Lucinda were also all doing it this year, Lucinda's first time, so on race day we all arrived at Saint Jean early on the Sunday to allow for plenty of time to find the bag drop, faff and chat. The weather forecast had been "mixed" for the past few days, so I made sure that I took all the kit, including arm warmers and Gilet, even though in all likelihood I wouldn't need them... 

7am arrived and we were off. The first climb, Col du Chaussy was just 2k into the ride, 16k in total at an average of 6%. I had a few aims on this climb: Climb in under an hour, stick with the quick guys, and ride hard. After the climb was a 32k flat section where if you were out on your own you would suffer. We hit the lower slopes and riders suddenly started to go backwards, I felt really good, having rested the day before, and managed to make sure I wasn't passed by any riders. I had started the middle of the front pen, so was under no illusion that a front group was already up the road on the climb, and likely that I would never see them (correct). I maintained a good speed (around 16-18k) and VAM (velocità ascensionale media, translated in English to mean "average ascent speed", quoted in meters per hour) of around 1000. Around 3k into the climb I could see another Phoenix rider, this was Miles, we both finished with a few minutes of each other last year, so I knew he'd also have a good start number. I caught up with him and pulled to the front setting a high pace in an attempt to dislodge some of the other riders in this now small group, we shared turns and rode all the way up the climb, the pace however was a bit too high, I was conscious that whilst the route was only 138k I didn't want to blow up on the first climb, especially with 3 more to come... We crested the summit in 55:38, VAM of 1086, so from a time climbing perspective I was happy with that. There weren't many riders on the road now, and no real groups forming, so Miles and I hit the descent with a fairly clear road. I hadn't ridden this before, Miles had, and it showed, he was descending very well, and quickly opened up a small gap. We got the bottom slopes, and I was now in a small group of 4 riders, with a much larger group, around 30 just up the road, we worked together and quickly joined the back, with nothing much happening, yet the pace still quite high so had a easy 30k, which given the Glandon was coming up might be for the best. I hit the Glandon at 9:15, so temperature wise it wasn't too hot which given the climb is 20k in total, averaging 7% and climbs 4,658ft was for the best. I was feeling good still, upto this point had got my fueling spot on, drinking one 750ml bottle of electrolyte, 2 gels and 1 bar. I was still with Miles at this point and we rode together, along with two other very euro looking chaps upto the 10k point, where a sudden injection of pace saw me slowly drift back. I decided not to follow Miles at this point, namely because I knew this was not only a long climb with a nasty final few Km, but we also had two more cols to climb. The final few K was unpleasant at best, I was low on water, and thankful for the campers and supporters handing out bottles and cups of water and shouting "Allex Allez" 1K to go and a final kick at the top and I was there, hardest bit done a reckon... 1:22 climb time, VAM of 1028. I stopped for exactly 1 minute at the feed station to refill bottles, drink some coke, eat some cheese tart thing before I was off again. Thankfully at this stage they were not busy, so being quick was possible. Onto the small 4k climb onto the Croix De Fer, After feeling abit hungry at the top of the Glandon, and perhaps a little tired I felt great now, upped the pace again and onto the descent. Confidence was up now and I was flying down, taking the correct lines and getting as aero as possible, every little bit of every saved here is important for the Mollard and La Toussuire. Bottom of the descent was 100k done and now onto the Mollard, another climb i've not done before, and one that i had forgotten about really. Ah it;s only a Cat 2, Ah it's only 5k. Yeah, i wont be saying that again, 5k is long way in the mountains. Still feeling strong though, and having left a small group at the bottom of the climb I was pushing out a consistent pace, nothing much to report on this climb really, I was pleased when it was over though, 23:41 in total with a VAM of 950, slightly down on where I needed to be, but not surprising. Another gel and another bar at the top, allow enough time to digest and onto the final descent, and what a descent, sketchy and rough in places, beautiful smooth tarmac in other places, plenty of hairpins and plenty of blind corners. I thought I was quite a good descender, apparently not, it really is impressive watching guys hurl down the mountain and around corners at speeds and levels of grip I thought wasn't possible. An area for some improvement I think. The final climb was La Toussuire, a fairly long 18k, with the hardest 3k right at the bottom, and an average of 6% overall. The bottom slopes were tough, I looked down at my Garmin and saw 10kph, this simply wasn't quick enough, the sun was baking and the temperature around 35 degrees now. I worked out that at the current speed the climb would take me nearly 1 hour 30, that wasn't quick enough and woudl mean i'd be over the 6 hour mark. I gave myself a serious talking to, especially after I was passed a group of 5, necked two gels, clicked down the cassette and stood up. I can't lie, this hurt, everything was telling me to sit down again, go back up the cassette and spin, but as I powered past the small group that had just passed me I kept on going, and whilst the climb does thankfully now get a bit easier I was maintaining around 16-18kph and a VAM around 1000. Into La Corbier and around 4k to go, just 4k! another gel was hard around 6k to go which now started working, down the cassette again as the gradient lessened and out the saddle once more. Now out La Corbier and 2k to go, I could SEE the 1k to go sign, thankfully the gradient once again flattened and allowed for a solid pace, now at 5:50 going into the final K I knew i'd manage a sub 6, thankfully. La Toussuire and the finish line was awesome, so many people out cheering on, but I was on my own, no sprint finish for glory thankfully, so kind of just cruised over the line, that was La Toussuire done in 1:08 and a VAM of 953, again slighter lower than i wanted, but i'll take it all the same. That's the Etape done for another year, and as I filtered through to the "Pasta Party" I was actually pretty pleased with my time, no idea where this would place me but hopefully enough for a top 200 finish. I joined Miles in the finishing tent, who finished just a few minutes before me, a storming ride. We chatted about some stuff, at pasta and then sat outside in the sun, relaxed and built the cycling tan whilst other Phoenix riders and mates turned up, probably best bit of the day. Results in and I came 185th out of 14,000 starters and around 9,800 finishers. I'll be honest, i'm quite pleased with that. 

Strava Link: 
https://www.strava.com/activities/349368289/overview

So that's now 5 years of "Etaping" done, so I reckon i'm in a pretty good position to offer 5 tips for anybody looking to ride in 2016, I know I will be...

#1 Training - Logo Solo Hilly Rides
Club rides are good, but the problem with club rides is they don't truly reflect the Etape, you stop and start and benefit from the shelter of other riders. You'll be out there for 6/7/8 hours, solo riding, so some solo riding around 5 hours will get you trained for this. As is often the case in winter, base miles are often the order of the day for many cyclists, and this was certainly one of my training methods. This may seem an obvious point, it may also seem slightly boring, but I personally like solo rides. In addition to this climbing for 10 minutes up Box Hill once wont really cut it. Find somewhere with longer hills, or if that isn't possible do hill repeats (a particular favorite) 10 Swains Lanes in North London for example is around an hour in total, with about 3,000ft climbed. Although you're not climbing all the time it's certainly a good way to get the hills in.

#2 The Race - Pacing is key
More so than ever on this particular stage as you had 4 climbs. There is no point smashing the first climb 2k in, and then blow up on 2nd or 3rd climb. I made sure I not only rode on feel, but also maintaining a constant speed and effort up climbs, not worrying too much about other riders on the road. So when Miles attacked on the Glandon I didn't follow, I was concerned with pushing too hard and loosing too much time on the last climb, i'm 100% sure that was right decision. Using VAM as a measure of effort when climbing was also useful and is almost as good as using power, well, unless you have a power meter.

#3 Travel - Road Trip
Everybody loves a road trip don't they? For the past 5 years we have driven to the Etape, with varying numbers of people. This year it was just Lucinda and me in the car, we racked up a total of 1,450 miles, with tolls adding upto 173 euros and fuel 220 euros, we also caught the eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais, cost was about £120 return, but it only takes 35 minutes! Driving from calais to Orelle took just under 10 hours, which if you can share driving is easy. Our chalet spelt at least 10 and workout out to be about £15 pppn, bargain indeed! Doing it this way, and not through a tour company is great, but does rely on yu having a good support team, which we did again this year, in the shape of my parents and Dave's wife Charlotte. Their help was essential, especially ferrying us around on race day. 

#4 Training/Race - Mental Toughness

 This point is similar to the first one, but you need to be mentally tough. 5km around Hertfordshire might seem like nothing, but 5k in the mountains climbing is hard, long and will take a while. Likewise you need to train your body to be climbing for over an hour. Little changes to your body position can help, I'll ride on the tops for this k, or I'll have a drink every 1k sign. Either way it's a long day in the saddle, so solo rides are key. Hill repeats are another good way to toughen up mentally and benefit climbing as well. 

#5 Kit - Gearing

This year I ran a traditional 39/53 setup with a 12-28 on the back, this was fine for me and allowed a good steady cadence. However do not underestimate your gears. A compact is ideal, and if I had one I'd run that (34/50) with either a 12-28 or a 12-32. I churn quite a hard hear, but if you prefer to spin a 32 might be a good option. It may sound obvious but a new set of brake pads will improve confidence and braking ability, don't forget to bed them in a little though

After the Etape we had a days riding up the Mollard, went for a swim, it was pretty epic, few photos below. Can't wait to come back now...

Thanks for reading. 

RAS De Cymru - Stage 3: Another Hilly Road Race

The days are kind of bluring into one now, but stage 3 was a 100k road race with two tasty hills towards the start of the race (about 3,500ft climbing), and more importantly this was a point to point race, so naturally more pro. 

The previous night we had discussed tactics, and following my previous shocker of a day I quite fancied going for the KOM on one of the climbs, Ben agreed this would be a good idea and would be happy to help where he could. 

We had managed to arrive at the start and race briefing with loads of time, and as a result managed to line up behind the lead car, which given the neutralised section was 12k was pretty perfect, being in the bunch as people jostle for position with the constant surges and braking from the car wasn't something I wanted to experience. We set off (feeling pretty pro to be honest) and rolled out the town and onto the open roads, a few small climbs in the neutralised section, these hurt and we weren't even racing. Yeah, cool. 

The flag dropped and instantly the pace upped to 50kph, we were off. I was now probably 20th rider on the road, and after yesterday, apart from trying for the KOM, my other aim was simply survival, and to not loose any more time to the GC. The first hill arrived and the pace was high, I moved up a little, but I didn't have the legs for this and the current KOM holder was flying, along with plenty of others, it seems that whilst I'm a good climbing so are most of the riders in this race, great. Straight over the top and onto a fairly technical but fast descent. Short distance from the bottom was the second climb at 25k, maybe I could try for the KOM here, or maybe not as it happens, I was in teh wrong position middle of the peloton and didn't have the legs, the pace was again pretty relentless here and as we crested the hill riders were being shelled, I looked around and there was only 20 or so behind me, crap. Then there was a gap in front of me, crap. Pay attention! I chased and got back on for the top section as this was quite lumpy, and was safely back in the bunch. A very fast descent with some awesome hairpins followed, and then a 10k section of a dual carridgeway, this was both quite cool, but also a bit scary as trucks thumped past us at 50mph! I knew that after the climbs the remaining 40k was fairly flat and if I was with the peloton i'd be safe and hopefully not loose any time. Some time passed, some more Ks passed (quite quickly) some bars were eaten and we were flying, and the second section of DC we were motoring along at 45-50kph, this was quality. We came off the DC and now onto a minor road, only 5k from the finish (thankfully) I was feeling ok at this point, I was nowhere in terms of stage result mind. Then 3k to go a I see a rider flying through a hedge, and see Ben go down, crap. A few riders get caught behind this, me included, and the peloton breaks up, leaving a small gap of maybe 5 seconds. I chased and joined a small group who powered onto the finish climb, where, upon crossing the line I was maybe 20 seconds down on the front group. A breakaway had about 1 minute on us too, so thankfully didn't loose too much time at all, result! 

Rest of LP did well, Joe absolutely burying himself on the final 10k and brought the time down a fair bit to the break, problem is, the break had about 10 riders, and nobody seemed to know who (apart from Kendal of Feather) so there was nobody willing to work with Joe. Ben was riding super strong, but unfortunately was taken down, nothing too serious mind, road rash in the usual places. Simon missed the chased at the top of the second climb, and as a result did loose time coming in about 15 mins after the peloton.

Finishing the stage and regrouping there was a sudden realisation that we had a hilly TT in the afternoon, infact it was only 2 hours away, better get a move on and head back to race HQ. 

RAS De Cymru - Stage 2: "Rolling" Road Race

Stage two was now here, a 52 miles road race, with 4000ft of climbing in what was described as a rolling stage. Basically a long 7 mile climb then a fast and wide downhill section, followed by a few punchy hills, then do that again for 3 times, and finish at the top of the climb. We again, arrived with enough time to drive the course, i'm glad we did, because that first climb just kept on going, it wasn't very steep at any section really, however it was relentless, with a sharp 9% kick at the top just before the finish at 1km to go. We all arrived back the the race HQ slightly nervous (yet again) about what lay ahead of us. 

HQ

After the race briefing we were off, a very short 800m neutralised section then once on the climb the flag was dropped at the race started. The pace was fast, silly fast, I however was feeling very good, was in the front group, and moving up towards the top 10 riders at times, there were no sections on this climbs where some real hurt can be put down, ie: 10% gradients, but the constant climbing did mean a few people drifted back. At the top of the climb we had averaged 24.5mph! The climb was only 3.3% average, but still... The descent was equally as mental as we hit 45mph and at one time I saw 50mph... I felt great and was in the front group group still, maybe top 20 at this stage, I was however being very careful, the last thing I wanted was a crash! I was loving this. Then BANG. Is that me? Yeah bugger... front blowout at 45mph in the group was scary. I slowed, wobbling and staying upright being now the main aim and eventually stopped as the Peloton swished past and were gone, long gone, this was going to be a lonely race now. I waited for what hat seemed like forever, but was probably only 30 seconds for neutral service. They stopped, gave me a wheel and I was off again. They caught up with me and paced me for a few miles and then had to leave me on the climb to help others. I was on my own now, and as I reached the top of the climb the weather changed from a mild 19 degrees to a fairly wet 19 degrees. The rain came hard, and to be honest, at this stage I was almost glad not to be in the bunch, especially with carbon wheels, and nervous riding. Have still no idea where I was in terms of the lead group was hard, I didn't know if they were just around the corner or miles away, that said I felt good still and was passing dropped riders, so just decided to push on and try and minimise the amount of time I was going to loose on the stage. It wasn't until halfway around the 3rd and penultimate lap that I found some riders. I got to these 5 guys and we worked together abit, but they were dropped riders, so in reality i'm not sure if they helped with the pace, nevertheless I stayed with them, save a bit in my legs for the next few days, I had seemed to get my fueling spot on and now just as we came onto the 4th lap, and the final climb I had eaten 1 bar and 2 gels, and about 1.5 bottles of electrolyte stuff, I started to maybe get a bit hungry on the climb, but given we were only 2/3 miles from the finish I just dug in, clicked down a gear and turned, the 5 riders still with me, and taking turns as we upped the pace.  We got to the 1km to go mark, a sharp climb and then a bit of flat and rolled across the finish line some 5-7 mins behind the lead group, maybe a bit more. I was gutted, but taking the positives from the race I felt strong throughout, I was climbing well, onto tomorrow, which is hillier, but then there is also a TT in the afternoon with a 1 mile finishing climb. We'll see what the legs, body and mind are saying this time tomorrow.

Belgian Tan 

In terms of the rest of London Phoenix, Ben and Joe finishing in the top group, maybe top 20? Simon maybe 30 seconds behind that.

Onto tomorrow.

Ras De Cymru – Stage 1: 6.9 mile Team TT

As we sat in the sports hall of the University of South Wales I don’t think i’ve ever felt so out of my depth, a 5 day, 6 stage road race in Wales over some pretty tough terrain. What was I doing?

The first stage was a Team TT of 6.9 miles, with effectively no climbing at all. London Phoenix  (Simon, Ben, Joe and myself) were off first at 3:32pm (thanks to Gunther winning the Ras last year) We arrived with enough time to ride the course before, and managed to note down any key points where we needed to be careful, or could seriously drop the hammer, like 3km to go. The course was on quiet country lanes, that in general, were in very good condition, a few sketchy corners and rough sections but overall it was looking good. Conditions were humid to say the least, car said 29 degrees! We were going to be dripping!

Pre TTT Selfie

As we stood in the layby, with 2 minutes to go I was nervous, our previous training sessions for me had never gone great, I always seemed to tired and didn’t have the legs, however having rested well over the past week I was feeling good, I think.

We were off. Joe first, then me, Ben and then Simon. Joe shot off, I clipped in just, and Ben almost clipped in, a few moments passed but then both Ben and Simon were on, and we settled down to what would likely be a very painful time. We had agreed to do turns of around 20 seconds on the front, then rotating clockwise to the back, in practice this had worked well, and seemed the best option. I pulled through and maintained a constant 30mph (50kmph) for my turn, I was feeling good (thankfully) and couple this with a borrowed set of 50mm wheels holding this pace, and getting back onto the group seemed good. I rolled around and joined the back as Ben was now on the front pulling, the pace still high. We were doing well, upto the half way point our average was around 28.5mph, certainly more than I was expecting to see given we were on standard road bikes (minus aero wheels) Just after the half way point there was a sharp left turn, I took this perhaps a little too slow being on the back, but sprinted back with a bit more effort. By this point, Simon, who was nursing a hip injury from a road race crash the previous weekend seemed in pain, he dropped back for a turn and it was just the three of us powering on. 3km to go (thankfully) this was where we agreed to really drop the hammer, I certainly tried, but our average was dropping slightly and were now at 28mph for the ride. 1 km to go it was a world of pain, we were all hurting now and could see the pace dropping ever so slightly on our turns, and the turns lasting slightly shorter. Never the lass we crossed the line Joe, me & Ben at 14:56 (time taken on third rider) Simon 5 seconds behind us.

I was chuffed! I felt great throughout and despite it hurting towards the end, it hurt everybody, so that was kind of ok? To be honest, I was just pleased to finish strong and not let the guys down! We had no idea really how we’d done, being the first team off, but as we rolled back to the start there was a lot of very pro looking riders, lean was certainly the name of the game here.

Back at the Uni we had dinner and checked the results, joint 5th, what a result! The team (and I) was really pleased with that, and better than we had hoped for. Beat quite a few good teams too.

Tomorrow is a “rolling” 52 miles road race, so we’ll see what happens...

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