2025 (Amateur) bike racing

I’m doing the Hamsterley TT in March, technically a DH race but it done on an easy trail centre red, and it’s designed to be don’t on a trail bike, no hardtail cat last year though, although it’s easily doable on one.

practice in the morning, 2 runs in the afternoon, fastest counts

I’ll also be doing the Hamsterley TT, and probably most of the other Northern Downhill events. I went to them all last year to support my son and finished up entering two on my hardtail and having a good time, and would like to continue in that vein. I have choice of hardtail and full suss in 2025 and don’t know which I’ll choose for Hamsterley yet. The sections of the red route they use have recently been repaired and are running very fast, so either would be fun.

I would love to do the Manchester Midweek Madness XC series again, sadly I'm about as fit as a dead sloth, so we'll see...

Southern xc again for me with daughter first year u14 (on her new to her chisel ht I've been building in secret). Going to look for a few more localish xc races as well.

Full Gas Track League at Lee Valley for winter HIIT. Some vets circuit racing at Hillingdon to follow, then (health permitting), BBAR 50/100/12h TT series on the tricycle.

Off road, thinking of the Graloch for UCI finals in France. Maybe.

Cannock Winter XC as a starter (and the carrot on thr stick to not be a complete slob ovee Christmas/Winter).

Hamsterley Beast Enduro is entered, and then probably some local XC in Yorkshire.

I do work in Manchester semi regularly so I need to get organised and plan my schedule around those midweek races in the various parks around the M60, it does look fun!

Gorricks xc Brass Monkey's next week and end of Feb. Might do one of their xc classics in  area 52. Then, the southern xc series along with a xc national at Cannock chase. Maybe a xc national in Wales.

I will aim for at least one FNSS ( https://www.fnssmtb.co.uk/ ).

May do Kirroughtree national XC in fun cat ( won't get a race license ) as a long weekend 7stanes jolly.

Not a race but I enjoyed https://borderland-mtb-challenge.org/ last year (it was a beautiful sunny dry day, which helped!) so may do that.

Also booked Alps Serre Chevalier group holiday which I imagine may become a little competitive depending on who else shows up.

Not MTB but I might try a crit at Darley Moor (Haus/VB https://hausraceteam.co.uk/vb-critleague )

Also looking at this charity sportive https://castlesandcathedrals.org.uk/, which I've done in the past and it had a nice atmosphere

I haven't done much structured training so far this year but have been maintaining ~4W/kg FTP and punch with ZRL racing.  I think fit enough to have fun without bothering the fast guys.

I'll be carting No.1 son round the length and breadth of the UK as he races the XC NPS, the Welsh XC series, crank-its and the Midweek madness. I'm going to have a dabble again this year after taking the winter off and getting desperately un-fit, so I've figured that the short track is the way forwards as 20mins of near death is easier to manage than 90minutes of certain death.

Already one race (Strathpuffer) and one win down!

I'll be focussing on 10 Under the Ben and the last ever 10 at Kirroughtree. I'd like to do the Eastgate 8 but I'm at a wedding. Idly pondering the Chiller 24 too in November.

I'm hoping to fit in the NX XCMTB races inbetween all he gravel events and enduros i've booked in already.

But so far i've found these xc races

Posted by: Munro Biker

↑

I'll be focussing on 10 Under the Ben and the last ever 10 at Kirroughtree. 

10 Around Kirroughtree would be nice, I did that many years ago and I saw on social media somewhere it was going to be the last one.

The Glentress 7 thing looked good too.

Had a great day at Gorrick brass monkeys rd3 today. Lovely course and good conditions if a tad chilly once you’d finished. 
Started far too far back (on the misassumption that anyone in matching Lycra with a proper xc race bike would be better than me) but at least that meant I got to spend the rest of the time overtaking and chasing people down; probably made it more fun. 
had a hot bath when I got home, took my phone with me based on the real possibility that I would not be able to get out again and would need to summon help. 

Not entered a huge amount yet as there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of XCM style mtb events in good locations for me. Looking for stuff like the GT7 that's not a big drive away. A few in the early season but did the Dirty Knock a couple of years ago in awful mud and then the Yorkshire mtb marathon in 2024 was daft in the very wet conditions we had- significant stretches unrideable so no fun.

So I'm going back to do the Gralloch. I'll probably enter the Dalby Grit event as I also plan to do the national gravel champs in the same part of the country.

Entered Ardrock. Decided against NN as people say it is very hard and I haven't done much enduro racing (I found Boltby straightforward though). There's another Enduro around Rothbury in August that I'll also enter.

Entered the C2C2C audax and I can never remember if they are races. I think they are but everyone is pretending they are not, the opposite of a sportive? In any case, at 300km I'll just be riding it.

Might try and do some local TTs. Undecided on the end of the year. My hill climb campaign was going well until I ended up in hospital with a burst appendix. Unfinished business there. But, the national CX champs are local (South Shields) so maybe I'll dust off my griffos to get some points and a place on the start line (V40s so probably not too hard to qualify).

there is a 6hr / 12hr event on here https://focusrides.co.uk/events/

I would love to do the Manchester Midweek Madness XC series again (2025), sadly I'm about as fit as a dead sloth, so we'll see...

*sad sloth face*

So this year is the first year I plan on getting between the tape rather than watching. 

Enduro and light downhill I reckon. 

So will be entering both rounds of the Poacher enduro. The first is just u Der six weeks away and for various reasons I’ve barely ridden since late October. Might die. 

Sadly not racing but hopefully I'll see loads of you at the below while helping out doing a bit of organising/chip timing:
Off Camber XC in Blanford: https://my.raceresult.com/321526/
SouthernXC Series: https://southernxc.online/
Gravel Rush: https://eventrexuk.com/gravelrush-winchester-ride/

Anyone race this weekend?

Eldest daughter an I both did SXC round 1. Happy with 29/90 for me while carrying a cough/cold that meant firmly keeping a lid on my breathing to avoid blowing up. Daughter went well and was catching her friend one age cat up, she seemed to find the transition to full course much easier than with CX last September. She especially enjoyed being on track with more riders as all the youth, juvenile and women's cats race together.

I did the first round of the Southern xc at Matterley Basin yesterday . 7 laps and 19 miles later for the grand vets and I was throughly cooked. Finished mid- ish pack.

1st round of the Welsh MTB XCO series at Llandegla for me. The first time I've raced XCO in probably 20 years - it wasn't even called XCO back then! - and the first race since a few CX rounds about three years ago, and it felt it. I was off the pace on everything - climbing, tech sections, everything. It took 3 laps to get to grips with the course, and there were sections that I only cleaned in the last two laps and then it was the end of the race. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next round in Margam. I can see where I can make a few immediate improvements, like not sliding off on every root, and have time to put more training in.

It's funny lining up for an XC race though. Everyone is very skinny, which isn't how the rest of the world looks these days. My wife suggested that my lycra may need belly room. 😀 

I was working on the Junior & Women's CiCLE Classic races at the weekend. A wildly convoluted road race route around Melton Mowbray involving some gravel / farm track sectors, about 110km for each race. 

The level of professionalism now in the amateur ranks is incredible. Juniors used to have a (deserved) reputation for chasing down anything that moved, now they're riding like World Tour pros. Proper commitment, decent tactics, good support around them and genuine sportsmanship. 

Every once in a while I have vague notions of trying some racing again, then I realise I'd get my arse handed to me on a plate by guys 30 years younger than me!

I'd get my arse handed to me on a plate by guys 30 years younger than me!

The race I mention above - the Elite were doing 12 minute laps. 20 minutes for me, and about 14 minutes for the fastest in my elderly age group. I have some catching up to do.

Son No.1, now a first year U14 in XCO / XCC world, did the Cannock Winter Classis the other week in the Youth category so U16 & U14 combined, he had a good race and came home in 6th around 6 minutes behind the winner, current U14 CX national champ so a good outing.

View this post on Instagram

Last weekend he did the Welsh XCO at Llandegla on Sunday, first high level XCO race as a 1st year U14 and moving from 20'ish minutes at U12 to a much longer (hour on the bike) race, U14 winner (same as the Cannock winner) did his out-lap plus 3 in just over 53mins, 2 mins clear of 2nd and then 2nd to 8th were covered by 5 minutes, he had a pretty bad last lap but still did really well to end up 8th overall and 3rd placed 1st year in a smidge over 60 minutes, so a very similar gap to Cannock on a much grippier course.

The thing that impresses me about these kids is their lap times compared to adults on the same courses, I reckon I'd struggle to best him nowadays and he's only 12 😶 

He's off to Cannock again the weekend after next for the opening round of the BC XC NPS XCO & XCC series.