Gorrick Spring Series - Round 2

I think we should create a new rule: Team mates shouldn’t line up next to each other on the grid.
 

Alex and I were side by side ready for the start of the Super Masters race. The hooter sounded, muscles tensed, power was applied to pedals, chains took the strain. Shoulder to shoulder, elbows entwined we were off. To my right there was the unmistakable sound of a chain snapping, followed by a rider wobbling into the pack. Suddenly we were all squeezed, I was pushed and fell towards Alex. Obviously I never want to crash, but my worst fear would be taking out a team mate at the same time and ruining two races. Using all my Jedi powers of levitation I somehow managed to stay upright, Alex actually supporting me as I wrestled myself back into the saddle. We were sliding back through the field but we were both still in the race.
 

A technicoloured ribbon of riders streamed through the long flat singletrack section and into the infamous corkscrew. Having dealt with the challenging swoops and dips I emerged onto the fireroad. The front wheel skidded on the loose gravel and slipped out from under me. The “Force” was no longer with me and I hit the ground hard. I was quickly back up but the bars were at about 30 degrees, so I was off again for a realignment. Pushing to catch up I repeated the same trick only 200 yards down the path at the next turn – I was panicking!
 

I was last and knew the Super Vet leaders would soon be bearing down on me. Letting them through would cost me more time so I burnt some bridges and rode hard up the next few climbs. I passed a few riders and by the end of the first lap I was only 15 seconds behind Alex. A regular situation for me last year - 2013 was to be a new start! 

 

We charged across the roots, dodging the trees for the next 4 miles and as we approached the feed zone Alex slowed to swap bottles and I pushed on. I am well suited to the short Crowthorne climbs but despite my best efforts I was towing Alex and a rider from Singular Cycles along in my wake - I just couldn’t drop them. I managed to break away once on one of the rooty inclines, but got held up lapping another rider and they were immediately back on my wheel.

 

Near the end of the lap there was a steep, stepped and rutted decent followed by a tight, twisty little climb. We dived down the decent and on the way back up the other side, caught a slower rider. I took the chance and slipped up the inside and pushed on. This time it worked in my favour as the other two were trapped for a few extra seconds behind the back marker. The elastic was broken! I was able to enjoy the final lap, as the track dried and the passage of hundreds of tyres began to run in the new sections Gorrick had created. I finished 17^th two places outside the points and one ahead of Alex. However, it was a step in the right direction after the previous round, with hopefully more steps ahead.

Gorrick Spring Series - Round 1

I didn't head to Tunnel Hill with high aspirations. I have been quite ill recently and hadn't even touched a bike for over two weeks. However, I did make life even harder for myself. Successful racing is largely about prepartion and planning. Long term this means months of training, but it is also true for the days, hours and minutes leading up to the start.

Unusually I hadn't bothered to pack the car night before, which meant I ended up leaving home later than I'd have liked. A problem compounded when confronted with a pea souper on the A3 and a 40mph speed limit. When I finally arrived in Mychett I quickly grabbed my race number, but it was already too late to complete a warm-up lap. The benefit of a warm-up lap is two fold. First it stretches the legs and prepares the heart and lungs for the challenge ahead. Secondly it provides an opportunity to assess the course, identify the difficult bits, pick racing lines and maybe even tweak tyre pressures and suspension to suit the conditions.

Instead of my normal routine I rode the first 10 minutes of the lap and then set off back to the car. Obviously you can't ride backwards down the course, so I had to follow my nose. It might have been my recent cold but my nose had no sense of direction! I was soon lost, riding randomly through the forest. By chance I eventually stumbled onto a road and headed off in what I hoped was the right direction.

The final stage of the pre-race schedule is fuelling the body to prime it for 2hrs physical exersion. In my case this is normally a combination of water, energy drinks, a banana and then a gel. Having thankfully guessed correctly the road had lead me back to the carpark, but with minutes to spare I only had time to ditch a jersey before wheeling my bike onto the line, literaly as the starting horn sounded.

I was dead last and progress was slow. I coughed and wheezed my way past a couple of riders and some others repairing mechanical issues, but the body wasn't really ready for 200bpm heart rates. My challenge was just to finish, a task which became even harder as my poor race preparation left me dehydrated and as a consequence suffering from cramp.

However, two things made the journey worthwhile. I was back on the bike, the sun was shining and I enjoyed the great trails! Plus on a day when my cycling wasn't winning any awards I scooped the £50 spot prize!

Racing Licence

My racing licence has arrived through the post from British Cycling. I can now collect national ranking points at this years Southern XC races. I have also entered the national race at last years London 2012 Olympic venue - Hadleigh Farm in Essex. So excited already and the race is not until August!

You could at least smile about it!

Bike Changes for 2013

Specialized have no plans to update the Stumpjumper this year. With no new bike planned I am instead in the process of making a few componentry changes.

With mud being a frequent adversary on the race courses last year I found myself constantly encountering chain suck. If anything changing my inner ring to a titanium 25t from Carbon-ti mid season made the problem worse.

To try and knock this issue on the head I have decided to go for a 1x10 set-up. Doing away with a chainring at the front has also had the added benefit of knocking a pound off the weight of my bike. I was able to remove the front mech, shifter and associated cabling to bring the total weight down to approx 18.7lbs. The biggest weight saving however was from the super-light and uber-sexy 32t Carbon-ti integrated spider and chainring. (Although I will be sorry to say goodbye to my Rotor Q-Ring.)

Without a front mech the chain is free to jump off the single chainring, so I replaced the rear mech with an XTR Shadow Plus mech. In principle the clutch mechanism locks the rear cage to prevent the chain flapping around over rough ground. Unfortunately my first experiment at the 4 hour Brass Monkeys race was not entirely successful. The chain still dropped off the outside of the chainring when using the lower end of the cassette. Therefore I've bought a Superstar chain guide which I hope will solve the problem.

Following my recent bike-fit I have also replaced the S-Works seatpost with a Syntace P6. This has allowed me to move the saddle position slightly further forward. The clamp of the Syntace post also offers far more support to carbon railed saddles.

Another change is to my racing rubber. A spate of rear punctures due to damaged tyre sidewalls has lead me to look for something more durable. I used to like the old Specialized Fast Trak but I hadn't tried the new 29er version. The Fast Trak Control casing is slightly heavier than the S-Works but it is still only 580g and should be more resistant to wear and tear. The tread may look rather racey but the tyre has performed well in the recent, mud, snow and slush. I will continue to run either the Maxxis Ikon or Beaver up front depending on trail conditions.

I have a couple of further upgrades planned for later in the year. Firstly Formula have updated their R1 brake for 2013, to improve the clearance between the pads and the rotor. My current R1's are brilliant but suffer relentlessly from brake rub, which I spend hours in the shed tuning out.

My Stans Crest wheels have also started to need the occasional tweak and TLC to keep them running true. I'll have to see if I can raise enough on ebay selling my stock pile of old odds and ends to fund a new wheelset ready for the summer. 

Goodwood 7 Hill Challenge

On Sunday I set myself a challenge. The chalky folds of the South Downs rise up north of Chichester, the first ridge stretching east from St Roches Hill to Bignor. This is the scenic location for Goodwood race course and offers great views of the coast to the south, and the scenic South Downs national park to the north.

Ignoring my commute, almost every ride I do starts or finishes (sometimes both) with a climb over this chalky obstacle. There are 7 surfaced roads you can use to reach the summit and my personal challenge was to tackle them all in a single ride. To add a little complexity I decided to do so without repeating any section of road in the same direction.

The southern slopes provide three longer steady climbs of a generally lower gradient, the northern face four shorter, steep, stinging ascents. The valley on the northern side of this ridge is one of the most beautiful in the local area. The villages of Singleton, Charlton and East Dean nestle down between the hills, each with its own pub if you are in need of refreshment!

Riding Time: 3hrs (inc. 30min from/to home)
Total Accent: 1023m
Total Distance: 78km

Climb 1 : A285 North from Halnaker
Length: 5.5km
Ascent: 122m
Max Gradient: 6%

Climb 2 : South from East Dean
Length:1.3km
Ascent:80m
Max Gradient: 7.5%

Climb 3: Kennel Hill north from Goodwood Motor Circuit
Length: 3.6km
Ascent: 136m
Max Gradient: 7.6%

Climb 4: Town Lane south from Singleton
Length: 2.3km
Ascent: 107m
Max Gradient: 10.6%

Climb 5: Goodwood Hotel north to Pilligreen Lodge
Length: 4.7km
Ascent: 128m
Max Gradient: 6.7%

Climb 6: A285 south to Benges
Length:1.5km
Ascent: 49m
Max Gradient: 6.3%

Climb 7: Knights Hill south from Charlton
Length: 2km
Ascent: 101m
Max Gradient: 8.1%

It was hard work but on a sunny winters day the beautiful views were more than adequate reward. Unfortunately it is not quite possible to complete the route without repeating a short 200m section from the race course to the Triangle car park. There is persumably an off-road equivalent of this challenge, so far I can think of 6 bridleways leading to the top.....!

Bike Fit

Every year I lavish large sums of money on my bike in the pursuit of extra speed and performance. Often the gains are so negligible and indiscernible, that if they exist at all it is probably only in my head. However, as somebody once said “It’s not about the bike”. At the end of the day it is me that is powering all that expensive carbon and titanium along. Far bigger performance gains could undoubtedly be gained if I ate, slept and trained better. I do what I can in the time available, but cycling is a hobby and has to fit around work and family commitments. So without making drastic changes to my lifestyle it is about being the best I can, with the resources available

With this in mind I had always wanted to have a bike fit session. I have been training and racing bikes for 20 years but much of my bike set-up is formed from habit, I was sure that a fresh pair of eyes would highlight some areas for improvement. So when South Downs Bikes opened their new Bike Fit studio I was one of the first in line!

I rolled my embarrassingly dirty bike into the gleaming brightly lit studio and it was set-up horizontally on a turbo trainer in front of a camera. However, it wasn’t a case of leaping straight on the bike. Far from it, first came a health questionnaire. Injuries, past medical conditions were all covered in detail. Then it was time for the physical examination which was a real eye opener! I was asked to adopt a variety of poses, manipulated on a massage table and even dragged around by my feet. I was truly amazed at the level of detail involved and the time spent discussing each assessment. You do need to be prepared to stand in a brightly lit room barefoot, on one leg, wearing nothing but your cycle shorts! I was diagnosed with collapsing arches which was causing my legs to rotate inwards under load. My right leg was found to be longer than the other, although within normal tolerances I was relieved to hear.

Finally after all this it was at last time to get on the bike. Measurements were taken of my knee angles, hip rotation and other critical dimensions. Then literally mm by mm my cleats, and then saddle position were modified to move me to a more optimal position. You are constantly asked during the process to test the adjustments on the turbo for a few minutes to make sure you are comfortable before moving on to the next item.

After 3 hours my saddle had been raised 9mm and moved forward by 3mm. My cleats were off-set to allow for a twisted seating position and also moved back by a mm or two. I also had some nice new shoe inserts and most noticeably a longer and lower handlebar stem that almost instantly transformed how I felt on the bike.

The whole morning was a fascinating and informative process. The level of detail and the time dedicated to fine tuning my position was extremely impressive. Once back out on the road things did feel a little strange for a while, but I have adapted quickly. I am now in the process of transferring the measurements to my other bikes, even small gains will almost certainly benefit my cycling more than saving 20g on a new titanium widget. 

Brass Monkeys Winter Series Rnd 3

Look 4hrs of riding and no mud!

The second Sunday of the year and it was great to be back racing again. Better still the sun shone and the trails were dry, already trumping 99% of the events I attended in 2012! Five hundred riders gathered at the Tunnel Hill course near Pirbright for the third and final round of the Merida Brass Monkeys winter series. Despite the sunshine the average temperature over the 4 hour 30 minutes I was racing was a bone chilling 2 degrees.

The course would rate highly amongst the best I have ridden. The vast majority being fast flowing single track, even some of the climbs were technically interesting and challenging. As is usual with Gorrick there was a dizzyingly twisty section in the trees, but on the whole it was a really enjoyable 7 mile circuit. However, as I have already said the highlight was undoubtedly how dry the course was despite the recent weather.

As I had missed a round I wasn’t gridded at the start. This made the first few miles more fun than usual! Back in the pack there was plenty of bumping and barging as everyone fought for the same bit of singletrack. Having found some space I was starting to move up the field when the chain dropped off my new mono chainring. Using a single chainring at the front without a chain guide was always going to be a bit of an experiment and now I had the answer! You DO need a chain guide, even with a clutch rear mech fitted. Anyway it was perhaps only 10 to 20 seconds until I was back up and running but several riders had crept past. The chain dropped 3 more times in the first two laps, until I learnt to avoid the higher gears and ride at the top of the cassette, where the extra tension in the derailleur seemed to keep everything in place. Obviously this meant I lacked top end speed on some of the flatter sections but this became less of an issue as the laps wore on and my pace naturally slowed.

To be honest I felt terrible on the bike. I think a lack of off-road riding was partly to blame, with too many training miles spent on the road bike. Off-road riding is a different type of cycling, power output is far less consistent than steady miles on the road ride. Instead you are constantly pushing up a slope or accelerating out of a corner. As I came round to complete my third lap the legs were beginning to wilt and so was my rear tyre. Luckily I was able to nurse the bike back to the pit area with a little air still remaining.

After a top-up I set off again, only to hit the back of the 2 hour race which had just started. To be honest it wouldn’t have been much slower to walk. The riders at the back of the 2 hour “race” are having a lovely ride in the woods, but you certainly wouldn’t describe their pace as brisk. Constant calls of “Rider left” or “Rider right” often result in a worried glance over the shoulder before a wobbly exit into the foliage. Looking at the lap times I would calculate I lost 8 minutes on a 48 minute lap trapped behind slower riders.

However, eventually perseverance paid off and myself and two other 4 hour riders emerged on the other side. Neither of my new companions seemed willing to come past, both sitting contentedly on my rear wheel for over a lap. As I crossed the line for the 5th time the clock said we had been riding for 3hrs 50 minutes. Only one lap remained. I had a final swig from the bottle, a fig roll from my back pocket and dug deep for the push to the line.

We quickly dropped one of my followers but the other stayed glued to me like a shadow. I pushed on a couple of times and the gap grew to 5 -10 metres but he always got back on my wheel. So after four and a half hours of racing we came to the final hill, a steep tangled mass of roots. I kicked as hard as I possibly could, pushing my calves to the very verge of cramping. Half way up was a back marker, I went to the left, my shadow darted to the right. Then I heard a ‘CLUNK’ and a shout of “Oh Fu*k!” I’ve no idea what happened, I didn’t look back, I just kept pushing hard for the line praying my chain wouldn’t derail one final time.

It didn’t and I finished a respectable although not remarkable 16th out of 72 starters.