Yeah Midweek is a great little series, and perfect weather started it with a bang.

Not sure if I was particularly sensible riding a just finished (brazed the last bit on Saturday) singlespeed. 32:19 was way too low for all the flat but at least I could still clean the climbs at the end. But the bike handles and fits perfectly so it will be a quick ride at weekend (if dry) and then strip and powder coat before Haigh. Possibly first singlespeed and probably a few places down on usual suspects due to silly gear choice.

Most impressed that the local youth pronounced the new bike was cool – raw steel must be hip in Bolton (better tell Sick).

Tom was 5th and 1st junior (yes he lapped me). Jake 4th and Alison 3rd.

We are starting to enter things more selectively as costs for 4 people are just getting silly. MWM definitely has the right balance.

At national rounds is it still saturday practise starts at 1230?

@mick_r

Tom was 5th and 1st junior (yes he lapped me). Jake 4th and Alison 3rd.

Have you seen the results or was that just counting on the day? Good results all round for the family then.

Can’t you just clear coat the bike, the frame looked pretty good raw.

I know what you mean about costs, thankfully my 2 re still little so it’s max £8 each at the moment.

Haven’t seen any results. Was just what we knew from counting / podium / just off podium etc. Hence no idea where I was apart from behind the kids and just ahead of Mrs 🙂

The last BC entry was 3 people for Cannock, 4 at MWM and 2 at Crank-it which came to over £200! And we’re lucky where a bit comes back in prize money…..

Had a lot of people saying just to clearcoat it but not very durable. I’ve also got 1kg of Unimog orange powder to use up. It also hides some of my brazing from the critics…..

@twowheels: Yes that’s the nice thing about doing a weekly race, you start to really dial in your riding through the twisty stuff and your fitness just grows. I was happy with my result – good start and a bit of luck at the end when a rider who passed me punctured right before the line. Proves it’s always worth pushing right to the end so you can take advantage of opportunities like that.

Little update on the last two races, Manchester Mid-Week Madness at Leverhulme Park was a total 70 minute thrash ‘fest with dusty dry trails and much fun all round, in Men’s Racer cat (think Elite, Expert, Sport & Vet all thrown in together) I managed 21st – top 3 were Elite, so pretty happy with that.

Moving on to the first round Welsh national XC Series at Llandegla last Sunday, the course was bloody brutal, nigh on 200m of climbing per 4.8km lap with most of it in one go up a path that averaged over 12% and had peaks of 29% in it!! Throw in bits of the Red, Blue, Green and some seriously loose & loamy off-piste to an A-Line that I wouldn’t ever attempt – but a few did, it made for an excellent race. It got quite strung out early on, but I managed to come home with a very respectable (in my book anyway) 13th position in Vets smack bang in mid-pack, and I know I couldn’t have gone any harder on that course.

Keep the reports coming, more pics needed 🙂

.

If i wasn’t logged on via works VPN which blocks Instagram i may be able to tell you 🙂

Gave up as I can’t embed the link / share the post for some reason

Well, I think I now know whats wrong with me.

But, nevertheless a weekend spent with Norovirus has lead to much thinking time, which in turn has led to… less thinking time 😀

I’ve decided to knock expectation and results on the head and apply little measurable yet unimportant goals to my races and just enjoy the fact that I’m able to attend.  Its nearly mid year and I need to actually enjoy some MTBing.

So during tomorrows Beastway, I have an identified nemesis to keep up with but won’t be disappointed if he drops me, and in Llandovery I’m not going to give a toss about time or position but I’m riding the climbs to HR or feel in replacement of watts (I don’t have an MTB PM) and enjoying every piece of flat/down single track in a speedy manner.

I might even have a beer at the campsite Saturday night – whoop! (Just one, of course).

That sounds like the best post you’ve made in about 3 years. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but i do sit and shake my head at times reading your posts and thinking to myself “This bloke just needs to have some fun riding …” It does seem at times like you do it out of a sense of something other than enjoyment. Which honestly saddens me.. So if you can do that, then i’m all for it 🙂 Nice one.

“This bloke just needs to have some fun riding …”

I do, a lot (albeit not in the last month).  Like I said before, I’m like watching the News, I rarely writeup anything good. 🙂 This extends beyond Cycling 😀

sense of something other than enjoyment.

Racing & competition?  But I get your point.  A recent image of the most miserable looking bloke in a race kind of brought this home a bit.

Anyway, I’m moving on!

It sounds like there’s been some great racing – anyone attend the SWXC race, from what I’ve heard the course was cool?

We had a wicked time down in the New Forest with the SouthernXC and Dirty Hot Lap Time Trial. The weather gods were on our side (until the last couple of laps for the day). Everyone was super positive about the course and very kind in their feedback – thank you!

If your looking for photos there is a great album by Kevin Sheldrake linked below
https://www.kevinsheldrakephotography.com/Cycle-Races/Southern-XC-2019-R3/

Anyone Glentress 7’ing this weekend? I’m signed up in Mixed Pairs but will be going for a bit of a jolly (it’s probably my last race of the season, unless I can haul a quad together for Relentless). My teammate’s boyfriend signed up solo and she was going to support – I suggested we both support but also race our bikes. Expecting nothing from it, I’ve already satisfactorily proved to myself I can race bikes this year.

Munrobiker.

Relentless – as discussed at 10utb

Keep me on the back burner for relentless

We will see how jnr and mum are after the dust settles.

I might even be able to rustle up some gears And suspenders suspension

trail_rat – I have you in mind 😉

@Kryton57 @mcvittees – hope you both have fun tomorrow. Weather looks cracking. Frustratingly I sprained my ankle badly playing football, so I’m out just as I was getting quicker :/ Pedalling smoothly on road is OK so I might come for cake and to cheer you on! I hope to be back next week somehow. My plan then will be to continue riding consistently with gradual improvement. Btw good to hear you more upbeat Kryton.

@weeksy re. Photos – we had celebrity photographer Geoff Waugh at Beastway last week. Album: https://waughphotos.photoshelter.com/gallery/190508Beastway/G0000jC2oydYgPaY/C00007sqssWERCuk

He got a few of me (and @mcvittees)

(n.b. I bought this one, which includes social media rights so I think it’s OK to post)

Partly for my future reference:
https://waughphotos.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/190508Beastway/G0000jC2oydYgPaY/I0000LGRmFiSxtlM/C00007sqssWERCuk
https://waughphotos.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/190508Beastway/G0000jC2oydYgPaY/I0000u.wPvcnZCxs/C00007sqssWERCuk

I finally built up my 30mm carbon/Pro 4 rear wheel. With ZTTO SLR2 cassette and Ai2 rotor I’ve shed 0.5kg from the wheel. I took it for a gentle ride and am pleased with both the stiffness/feel of the wider carbon rim, weight loss and slick shifting of new chain/cassette.

@mick_r – ok I can’t resist, show us photos of your frame already [in a separate thread to avoid derailing this one], edit: please!

Unfortunately no race pics of bike from last week, so I’ll stick it in the making things thread once collected from paint tomorrow.

Back to race updates – boy 1 was 1st junior at a quiet Grizedale Crank-it / 3rd behind the two elites. Still finding his feet in juniors, and we had a good talk about how to ride it intelligently and not get beaten up – which seemed to work. Boy 2 was 3rd and happy. Parents each got 2 hours of rocky sunny bridleways and not racing 🙂

He’s doing rather well in Junior’s isn’t he, should make for an interesting CX league this year.

Guess I’ll get my arse kicked again next Wednesday at Haigh Hall

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

What a difference racing with a smile on your face makes.  Beastway Rd5 tonight and I got an awesome uphill start come from the back to enter the first downhill single track section in about 6th behind McVittees.  However, despite a practise lap I forgot the down hill had a chicane in the middle and crashed into the tape unable to stop.

Oh well.  Carried on, did what you do and finished.  Where did I come, who knows but it was a lot of fun tonight.  Still feel I’m riding “flat” but hey ho!

After missing a round Jnr re-established his authority by sprinting to second place and maintaining it to the end of the race consistently growing a gap to 3rd.  He was very focused, I forgot to take a photo but blimey what a race face!

Now enjoying a cold Bulmers :p

Heading for Gt7 this weekend in an old blokes pair. Should be fun.

Got my first ever XC race (spent a few years racing DH in my 20s) on Wednesday, midweek madness at Haigh Hall.

Entered the enthusiast category, any advice for a newbie of average fitness.

I’ll be on a blue/orange cube reaction if anyone’s wants to say hello or point and laugh!

Well that was emotional.

Spent most of the day either in the rain or in the clouds at the Scott Marathon at Llandovery.  Finished 16th place which is my highest finish.  So although my XCO pace has gone and TBH my legs weren’t the best with no taper and a race this week, I felt I rode to plan and pretty consistently well too.   TBH I wasn’t sure if I was riding strongly or not, I just watched my HR and rode.

Did a lot of the event back and forth with Steve_B77, good to see him again, and agree with his sentiment that having climbed a 3km fire road average 10% in the wet for 45 minutes, going down on fire road was scant reward.

So I’m really pleased, really tired and glad that I haven’t gone entirely to pieces but I’ve just changed how my output works.

That sounds bloody good Kryton – well done!

Well I’ll be honest, I didn’t enjoy the Llandovery Marathon one little bit. The weather was shite so you were wet before you even started and given that the area has some amazing single track and green lane style riding the mixture of monotonous fire road climbs, followed by fire road descents, the odd bit of freshly cut single’ish track and a bloody logging road with lengthy stretches of tarmac in the middle and end just didn’t do it for me.

Just to add to the joyous slog, my bottle cage bolts backed themselves out 3 times so I lost a good 10 minutes faffing screwing the bloody things back in again!!

But in the end I can’t really complain at coming home on 17th for the full marathon though, just over a minute behind Kryton.

Wife and I did the monster 100k, I was hoping she had decided to cut short on to the 75k as the top part was brutal with some crazy rocky descents, but she carried on. I managed a 5:36 and Jane a 7:55. Saw a lot of crashes and punctures in the front of the field but managed to avoid any issues as didn’t go mad on descents. Would have been a very different course in the dry but fair play to the organisers for linking bits together that can cope with the volume and differing abilities of riders. Sitting at 40mph on a wet muddy downhill fireroad has it’s own stupid appeal..

I thought you were going to catch me actually Steve.  On the final road section you might remember on the little green lane there was a little steep bit (Bolt said 17%)   i climbed that with painful legs and immediately cramped in both quads and my right hamstring at the top.   I got off and walked, hobbled then jogged alongside the bike for a few minutes to work it off before i could get back on before it joined the road into Llandovery.

I’m feeling the effort today, about to commence the clean up and rear brake pad replacement 😀

I really enjoyed the course at Llandovery. Most of the fun tech was out on the monster loop though. As to the weather, it’s Wales, occasionally it rains I believe.
So yeah a good day for me and a mate. We rode it rather than raced and got to eat lots of the homemade banana cake at the feed stops. Top marks to the baker, it was lovely.

Well done all! I rolled in after 7.30. Could’ve taken a good half hour off that had we not stopped and chatted to the feed station guys as well as a few photos once the sun came out. I think I enjoyed it retrospectively- but there were times in the opening few hours I thought of turning left at the split. The weather was downright miserable.

Did the ride on my Cotic Solaris. The plus tyres were all over the place on the muddy woodland descent but overall felt like a good choice of bike for the rest.

Just one additional mention… the Hopetech Acadamy for the little ones was brilliant. My boy hasn’t taken his Hope tee shirt off since!

Aaannnnddd breath!

Phew.    Beastway Rd 6 last night with many absences due to half term.  This allowed me to get a sixth place within which I felt stronger than before.  I forgot my computer so have no other metrics to measure, but it was a fun evening leading Vets on lap 1 then inevitably falling back a few places.  Jnr came 1st in the U10 with a great ride.

Just spent my lunch hour doing my a short set of VO2max intervals set of intervals before a day off tomorrow, its been a heavy 7 days with a Marathon, and XCO and 4 sets of intervals over 7 days.  I’m going to sleep well tonight but actually don’t feel as tired as I felt I would, and I’ve a feeling I’m coming into some kind of form.   Lets see.

Good stuff – soudns like a couple of good results in the bag and pleased to hear you’re finding form after your coahcing misgivings.

Think I@ve talked myself into entering my first xc race of the year for the national at Aberystwth. Looks like its the same course as the welsh champs last year which was a cracking course and I feel like I have unfinished business with the course as I had an wawful race last year (one of my worst ever) despite in theory the climbing suiting me.

Anyone racing the Southern XC series Rd 4 at Folly Farm tomorrow?  Missed Rd 3, but back in it for this round.  Day after my birthday, so expect meticulous preparation…

@Kryton57 – good stuff indeed! I forgot it was half term and wondered why the field was so small. Was it only 45 mins? Only 2 riders in SOM. Would have been easy points if I wasn’t injured (photo of my ankle on Tuesday below!) There’s a chance I’ll be back next week but I can’t make the final champs round and decided to ask the organisers if I can defer the rest of my series entries till next year.

Anyone else antered the Aberystwyth NPS for next weekend? Despite misgivings over the entry fee (and to a certain extent my lack of structured training) I’ve entered sports cat. First XCO race of the year for me; looking forward to it now. Looks like it will be a bit showery weather wise which is a blessing with the size of the climbs 🙂

Quick update on last weeks Manchester Mid-Week race, it was bloody wet, muddy and almsot dark int eh trees by the end of it making for very tricky conditions – it was more akin to a ‘cross race than an XC race eventually. To make matters worse I forgot my HRM, so over cooked it on lap 1 and paid for it for the rest of the race eventually coming in 22nd in the mixed “Racer” category, s not too bad i the end, considering the quality of the field.

Next one is at Chorlton Water Park on 12th June with just a Wedding to attend in between!!

I rode the MSG race at Thickthorn on Sunday. I don’t know what anyone else thinks but putting on a national race at a course like this seems a bit inappropriate. Surely better courses must be available to test the best? Don’t get me wrong, regional / local race fine; simple flat course with the odd technical feature make entry into the sport easier, but for a national race I’m not so sure. People may travel hundreds of miles to attend and deserve more than 1.5hrs flat out round and round a field. Don’t want to have a pop at the guys organising MSG races because they work damn hard and put on good events but this just seems wrong.

@twowheels: That looks painful. Did you do it in the race?

Had a good race at Haigh with steve_b77 – caught him up after he went boom 🙂
Usual places for rest of family with Tom running in with a half flat front tyre.

Was a very late night as a friend ended up in hospital after preride, so we drove his son and van home. Could happen to any of us and one day might need the favour returning…..

We won’t be making the 5 hour trip to Norwich so that is us eighty odd quid in entries plus fuel better off. Also not super impressed with the last minute email about limited camping at Aberystwyth. Off-site tent camping logistics don’t work if you are supporting 3 races including the first on the line at 9am (so packing up a wet tent at 7am).

Grass roots xc seems strong, but National races feel like too big a demand on volunteer organisers. Not sure what the answer is.

I’ve just entered the Gorrick Kawasaki 100 as a training ride at the end of the 3 week, 600 TSS a week training block.  Yikes.

Steve this is one for you surely….