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Day at Tirpentwys today for the lads. Absolutely awesome apparently. My boy still can't quite 'let it go' fully on the Enduro bike compared to the DH bike. But not really sure why. He seems to just not let go of the brakes quite as early.
He was riding both bikes and did about 20 runs in total I think. Me and the other lads dad were uplifting them.
Chilling and some pool action in the garden and BBQ, then up early again for race day at FoD. Let's see what happens here.
Awesome!! Well done…
👏🏻 😎 Well done team 🚴🏻
Well done. Good result 👏 👍
He had a bit of a scrappy run apparently but obviously wasn't terrible. The plan was to do run 1 on the Fury and run 2 on the Privateer 141 but it didn't work out as they only got 1 run each. But sometimes that works out good, sometimes bad.
But of course, he'll take the podium
Tired now, beer time
Been a quiet week on the cycling, bit of a rest/recovery sort of thing for the week. It's been pretty intense in the past few months, so a rest was welcome for both of us.
We're heading to Tiverton tomorrow morning for a weekend at Southern Enduro. Got the full team racing including the boss. The boy is still a DH racer but at times we have a bit of a play in Enduro land. It was a slightly complex one for us this weekend as it clashes with the Llangollen Gravity race which would have been decent pratice for the National DH at Llangollen in a few weeks time, but the lad was given the choice and wanted to do team stuff instead of just practicing the DH track. I thought that was exceptionally good of him to put the team ahead of just himself.
Both the bikes are ready to roll, we've still been playing with the pressures/settings on the 141 as we're not quite there yet, but some changes from the boss a few weeks ago and a bit of dropping of pressures from me and we're getting his bike closer to where he wants it. It's now got some Race Matrix Uberbike pads in there and a slightly different bleed to try and get the lever throw/position closer to his RSCs, but obviously we can't quite get them 100% the same due to lever design. In the ideal world we'd have the same on both, but with them being a chunk of change along with the cost of the incoming Specialized Demo i just can't justify the extra expense currently.
It's been interesting chatting with him in the past few weeks with things like the Lenzerheide and Leogang stuff on along with some other stuff on Redbull TV and the Enduro series coverage. I've been subtly quizzing as to whether he still wants purely a DH Race future and the answer is 100% yes. We were watching Cam McCaull and Gee Atherton on a prog who were doing pure Freeride stuff, but it didn't seem to grab him.
It's also been interesting to see the different paths the team are taking this year after all starting with the same goals of racing Pearce and Nationals, the boy is the only one now who'll be competing in the Nationals for the rest of the season and potentially onwards from there.
I know it's come up a few times in other posts about financing all of this and if i'm completely honest, i block 99% of the thoughts out.. but yeah at times it can be a bit on the tough side, but we're doing OK and can continue as we are for the forseeable future if that's what he wants and where he wants to go with it all. IF the time comes where we head out of the UK to race, well that's a whole different level of funding and we'd need to work out a few plans and priorities there, but i don't see that being next season (unless we did a 1 off race) so we'll worry about it if it even comes about.
The one thing we could really do with most is a tyre sponsor, we'd like to experiment more with rubber choices, compounds, treads etc on both bikes, but there's only so much you can do when they're £60-80 a throw. But other than that, we're happy, enjoying it all and having lots of laughs.. It's been challenging with some of the weather, locations and mostly the bloody mud this year... but we're in a bit of a sweet spot currently with BBQ, camping, laughs, beers... So we're both happy 🙂
Just so you know, it's not all seriousness.
We left early to head to Tiverton, stopping at Weston Super mare for ice cream and walks by the seaside.
Then headed to random pub in middle of nowhere as Sat Nav took us on weird back route to site..
Looks like a grand day out, good luck for the race!
What’s the benefit of heading abroad ?
In my sport (skiing) it was just that the higher ranked competitions were abroad.
I assume in mtb it’s the quality of the tracks rather than the level of competition?
Sort of comes back to an older post of mine that lack of clear pathway makes it hard
A week over there of lift assisted trails and he can ride more in a week than in a month over here, longer and more gnarly trails will give him an immense boost of skills in a short length of time.
trouble is his uk trails may well bore him upon his return
My lad's at Tiverton with his Exeter Uni mates too. Number 302 in U21s if you spot him 🙂 First race on his Meta SX... Says he's gonna come last, but I think he'll do ok.
Take him to Morzine with a friend.
Set up in the Campsite in Montriond (that way it is always a downhill roll/pedal back at the end of the day. And a bit more chilled/cheaper than staying in Morzine.
Day 1 stick them on the Pleney lift.
Day 2 same, but Les Gets,
Day 3 Super Morzine
Day 4 Pre la Joux/Chatel
Give him a bumbag to put a snack, euros, pump, tool, tube, phone, etc
Meet him somewhere for lunch each day to check in/make sure he actually eats
BBQ every night.
Repeat until time to drive the van home.
Let him smash out as many laps as he wants. Take a day off by the Lake or do something else as a recovery day. It’ll be the best holiday he ever has and you’ll get to ride with other parents/STW users as well as with him.
If you think how much DH he gets in at BPW, imagine what he’ll get out there. And it’ll help him get used to the longer tracks that you don’t get at FOD, BPW, etc.
Hows it gone today 🤔
Great weekend. Back pack mediocrity for me. Although if you count dnf I was 5/9.
The boy didn't really get Enduro again as a format, he doesn't like racing semi blind with just 1 run in practice. Due to a cassette issue, he had to race mullet which didn't help as he's never had the Privateer setup mullet and it's not designed for it. Plus the missed practice time as it went wrong and it was 20 mins push back up to top. So a little bit disappointed from his perspective. He finished 16/30 which didn't make him happy.
Take him to Morzine with a friend
Just a sec, I'll go grab a spare £2000 from behind the sofa, then take 2 weeks off work and he can miss the rest of the season races lol.
I don't mean to sound flippant, but some things I simply cannot do, despite them being cool.
What’s the benefit of heading abroad ?
For us it'll be simply for the experience, the laughs, adventures etc. Sure it'll be ace on a new track, but it's as much about dad and not time as much as anything else
Genuine question, as I’ve raced enduro but not DH
The boy didn’t really get Enduro again as a format, he doesn’t like racing semi blind with just 1 run in practice
in the enduro races I’ve done you normally have a couple of hours to practice what you want, which doesn’t give a huge amount when you have four stages but can get a couple of runs in (I’m normally too unfit to do more than a single run 😂). When you rock up at a DH how many practice runs do you get? In my head as there is only one course and all fields practicing you wouldn’t get a huge number of runs but I’m completely ignorant hence asking the question
Not seen many videos but imagine it was really dry today. Hosepipe ban since April for Devon.
Also surprised the fields were so small. Men's 40-49 seemed to have by far the most competitive and biggest field. See Matt Lakin won, shame he isn't still racing his rigid dirtbomb 😆
how is one run of enduro practice any different to downhill races? I’ve not done a downhill race to compare so don’t really know how they are different? Do ypu usually get a lot more time to practice at your boys DH races?
He only got to ride 2.5 of the 4 trails
On a DH weekend he'll get 7-8 runs on the Sat and 3-4 practice on Sunday. So yeah a fair bit more time.
I think it’s practice between the tapes and with race pressure so he will learn from it. Main thing is you had a decent weekend and at least it was dry again!
We had an awesome weekend mate yes. It was honestly right up there in terms of best weekends.
I'm soooooooo knackered now. These races honestly kill me and despite appearances, I'm trying hard!
Since your boy seems to be ending up firmly in the DH camp, how's this going to work out with Privateer and Katy Curd? Presumably she provides some or all of the coaching time through the team, and obviously you've got the Privateer, so what's your thoughts on how things might look next year- still with the development team?
For some reason, from what you have previously said, I'd thought that Privateer had a DH bike in the pipeline or development, and would stay with the squad, but I'm not sure where you see things going from here, especially in terms of development and coaching.
Well that's getting a bit deep and personal 😀 but obviously the thread is here for some of that so i'll reply.
We've considered this scenario a LOT mate yes, i mean a heck of a lot. We class the coaching as 100% our priority and the team as the priority over everything at the moment. This weekend we had 2 options, 1 Llangollen DH race (where he's racing in 3 weeks) and 2 was the Southern with the team. He/we chose the Southern we're part of Katys team and having them all together at a meeting isn't always possible, so we took advantage of it to get togehter and the weekend banter was briliant.
The simplest answer to your question is, we'll race in the team for as long as Katy wants him. (i know i say WE a lot, but honestly unless you live through all this you can't quite grasp how much of a joint effort it is, both me and him are just as important to it all..honestly). He'll do the Southerns, the Welsh, the whatever Enduros but his priorty really is DH. Katy knew this before taking the riders on and nothing on our side has changed. But the answer is, i can't answer it in many ways. So many things are factors in this with team, sponsors, kit, bikes... That it's really out of our hands and purely in hers and theirs as to whether we're in the team next year. But for our perspective, yeah we'd love to be. The boy gets on with her brilliantly and she's such an infectuous personality of enthusiasm, but obviously along with that she's got knowledge that is top-class, she can see things, pick up things and analyse things so so well.. Obviously then she has to get that information over to the riders and they have to put that into place, but again, that all seems to flow really well between them.
Regarding bike choices, well as you've seen we've gone for the Specialized Demo. I can't get into any other discussions on what may or may not be being developed, but still, we've gone for the Demo for next season and beyond either way. There's many many reasons for that but a lot of it comes down to proven race technology/development, warranty, support, parts etc. When you see the pro riders, the Specialized is right at the top of the game. Sure, i understand he's not... But the bike itself is a completely race ready machine in any guise/spec. It's the right size for where he'll be for at least a couple of years in terms of height, maybe even longer.
We do chat in the van a lot about stuff and he's still 100% up for racing DH and seeing where (if anywhere) that can take him. So we keep plugging away at it, keep trying to find speed, trying to find skills and trying to find smiles.
He only got to ride 2.5 of the 4 trails
How long did the mechanical take to sort?? I managed 6 runs before racing yesterday & I wasn’t pushing (mostly because the transition was like the M25 in rush hour).
That’s the beauty of Enduro racing IMO, you are never going to have a perfect run (also the case racing DH as well) but thats the same for everyone.
Personally having done both, I think racing enduro has an awful lot of translatable attributes to DH in that it teaches you to think on the fly a lot more. I couldn’t tell you how many DH races I did where by finish of practice, one seeding run then 250 riders down a track have obliterated a line I was taking & caused me issues in the middle of my one & only race run of the weekend.
Plus, time on the bike, literally doesn’t compare.
How long did the mechanical take to sort?? I managed 6 runs before racing yesterday & I wasn’t pushing (mostly because the transition was like the M25 in rush hour).
A while, mostly because he was at the bottom so had to walk back to the top, then replace it, set up the gears, brakes etc... It wasn't helped by the fact i had no idea he'd had an issue as we were at different parts of the track when he had the issue so he was doing it with the help of the other parents rather than me. So he just didn't quite get as much practice as he'd have liked. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying he'd have done a lot better, but he'd have been a little happier.
Sounds like a top weekend, I see the boss lead by example 🙂
I can empathise with his dislike of the format. I perform much better(which is still rubbish) in the mash up format than the single run format. So when he is racing DH he gets to work out exactly what he needs to do on that one track, multiple times, like the mash up format but with only 1 effort that matters.
16/30 is still pretty damn good when you consider the speed of those in his age group. Plus you had fun, and got to see the boss attempt to hula with inserts. So a win there as well.
Shame to miss so much of practise - sounds like he needs a spare bike 😀
In seriousness, if you are going to be racing too, is he 1) at least vaguely mechanically competent and 2) does he have a spare key to the van to sort basic things by himself?
Not even getting a single run on some of the trails would be a huge disadvantage at his high level I'd imagine. If you want to nerd out, how did he do on the 2 stages he did get practise on?
As Hobnob describes, getting good at enduro will be a good skill for DH racing especially in adverse weather.
If you want to nerd out, how did he do on the 2 stages he did get practise on
11th and 15th So a bit better... but still not as good as he'd have liked.. Drew was a chunk quicker this weekend. But there's a few reasons behind that i think... He still isn't able to push the Enduro bike as hard as he can the DHer. As to why, i don't really know the answer to that, he loves the Privateer and is getting plenty of bike time on it, but he still can't quite get 'there' on it. It's something for him and Katy to work on in training that's for sure.
The cat he's racing in is really close along with him being RIGHT on the cusp of the age cat, he's still only 14 but racing in the U18 class. (Not that i'm making excuses, he finished where he finished, that's fine with us)
(if racing in U15 he'd have been 5th).
In seriousness, if you are going to be racing too, is he 1) at least vaguely mechanically competent and 2) does he have a spare key to the van to sort basic things by himself
I think in truth this weekend was likely to be my last race... Whilst i really REALLY enjoyed it, the truth is, i'm pretty rubbish and not getting any better. So it's more just a 'day out in the woods' between tape for me. It would be pretty sad in some ways if it is my last as with Southerns you do get to ride tracks and locations you can't ride outside of race time. But i was a little disappointed i wasn't there to fix/resolve the issues, but that's me being a little harsh on myself of course. Truth is mate, i'm not really sure as to what the answer is. Racing on the Sunday as well as the camping, then the driving and prepping both bikes/riders/food/etc it does get a little hard. We're having a pretty intense time currently with every weekend taken up with the sport and whilst i'm not too worried about burn-out, i'm slightly jaded today i'll admit.
As Hobnob describes, getting good at enduro will be a good skill for DH racing especially in adverse weather.
Absolutely.... we're trying our best, both as riders and crew.
It's the drive home at the end of the weekend that really does me in wether I'm riding or not.
I'm not sure that I like the idea of mash up format races, but it's not something that we have out here. Being able to repeat the same track over and over makes it a bit less enduro and more DH.
But hey, we aren't even allowed to ride the course the previous day for our regional cup! If you want to check it out, you've got to walk it.
We can't ride the day before. Track walk the night before, practice in the AM, which really you only get 1 run per trail (maybe fractionally more), so you're in semi blind. Remembering the tracks is quite hard.. There were a few little bits from practice i remembered on race runs, but many bits i didn't have a clue on 😀
Mash up is good if you make a mistake on a run of course... but wouldn't help me much in general 😀 I go tooo slow to make mistakes.
really you only get 1 run per trail (maybe fractionally more), so you’re in semi blind. Remembering the tracks is quite hard.
go-pro and watch it back in the break between practise and race? not the same as riding it repeatedly admittedly, but should help jog the memory for "flat sprint coming up" or "challenging corner is around the next tree"
Not a bad idea at all mate 🙂
If i record my runs it'll be like watching it in slow-mo too 😀
Actually even better if he has someone of similar ability (team mate, or just tag on behind a competent random) in shot. will give a better view of the track than just the 1st person view.
Not bought any pics yet... but as you can see, he was really enjoying it 😀
https://www.rootsandrain.com/photos/10806103/rider/111960
Just had a results update too for me... i was 4th not 5th...
Still completely rubbish, but 1 place less rubbish 😀
Any chance not being able to push the enduro bike as hard is phsycological relating to the open face helmet?
The cat he’s racing in is really close along with him being RIGHT on the cusp of the age cat, he’s still only 14 but racing in the U18 class. (Not that i’m making excuses, he finished where he finished, that’s fine with us)
Why isn't he in the U15? Is it because he turns 15 this calendar year? That's what happens in BMX, big age range groups are hard when you're at the bottom of them for sure.
Why isn’t he in the U15? Is it because he turns 15 this calendar year?
Yup, that's the one.
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Well that’s getting a bit deep and personal 😀 but obviously the thread is here for some of that so i’ll reply.
Sorry didn't intend to probe too deeply, but thanks for the reply. It must be great for you now to see the results coming through as reward for the work that everyone has put in.
Sorry didn’t intend to probe too deeply,
I think we're past that with this thread 🙂
It must be great for you now to see the results coming through as reward for the work that everyone has put in.
Of course, but results are really only half of it for both of us, they bring happiness and sometimes a bit of sadness at the same time i think. But either way we try not to get too hung up on things like results and focus on just enjoying the time out in the hills and playing on bikes.
Why isn’t he in the U15? Is it because he turns 15 this calendar year?
Yup, that’s the one.
well, there's a massive difference between a 14 year old and a 17 year old in terms of experience and physical development. He shouldn't get too hung up on that.
Yeah i know mate.. but his team-mate drew was flying this week and he's a lot lighter/smaller than my boy, he ended up with 5th which was an absolutely fantastic result. However he does seem to get on better than my lad with the 141 and he's even going to race it in the upcoming Pearce DH round at Bringewood in 2 weeks i believe. So it's not all about the strength/size, but yes i do agree that the lad needs to keep the emotions grounded, some weeks you're the tortoise, some weeks you're the hare... It's swings and roundabouts.
This weekend is a weekend off racing..
However, we're at Bringewood for practice on Sat and then Dyfi on Sunday for a 'party-laps' day 😀 for his birthday party. So it'll still be a chunk of bike time.
Before that there's coaching tomorrow of course 😀