2014 End of Term Report

7179 : Miles ridden

478 : Hours in the saddle

10 : Races

6: Top 10's

2 : Podiums

0 : Wins

Highlight:

First Gorrick Podium

Low point:

Crash at  Dunsfold 4^th Cat Road Race

Favourite Ride:

Sunny Good Friday blast through Porridgepot and other Gorrick classics with Matt Craner and the crew.

2014 Summary:

2014 has been an enjoyable, rewarding and successful year of racing, with podiums and consistent top 10 finishes. Things started positively in January when 9^th at the final round of the Brass Monkeys secured 5^th place overall in the four race series. Even better, Spring heralded my first podium finish since 2012 and first ever at a Gorrick event after 11 years and nearly 50 attempts. There was another strong top 10 result at the Kawasaki Enduro in May before my season hit a bit of a speed bump.

My first (and quite probably last) foray into the world of road racing ended in a South London hospital ward. It had started well, as I enjoyed the experience of racing in a large peloton on a warm, sunny, evening. With the line insight we opened up for the final sprint and at 30mph the rider in front of me unclipped and nose dived to the floor. His cart wheeling bike bringing me and several others hurtling to the ground. Six months after my slide along the asphalt, cheek bones have healed and luckily I still have both my ears, but the scars are still visible.

Missing the bulk of the summer races, including the nationals, was frustrating but provided me with an opportunity to just get out and ride. Evenings after work were spent under blue skies on the green South Downs, enjoying the glorious dry trails. When finally it was time to start training again, the dry weather meant I could pile on the miles commuting to work. This was lucky because my fitness was shocking; numerous times I was left trailing off the back of a social group ride. However, as I racked up the miles the weight dropped off and strength returned to my legs.

My return to racing in the Autumn started just as the Spring had finished, with another podium at a Gorrick cross country event. Despite another week in hospital during October I was back in time to finish 7^th in the Masters Plus category at the final XC race of the year.

Unlike last year I had very few long rides under my belt going into the winter endurance races so a series best of 8^th in atrocious conditions at the first round of the Brass Monkeys series was a personal triumph.

 

I’ve really enjoyed my cycling in 2014, the uncompetitive summer was frustrating but it was nice to forget about racing for a bit and revel in the simple enjoyment of leaving the house and exploring the local trails. Competitively it was rewarding to get back on the podium and I was generally pleased with my performances, since I’m not getting any younger! (Only two years away from the Vets category now!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers!

Weight Weenie – Part 3

The final part of my gram shaving exercise really is just nit picking! Weight savings are negligible in the grand scheme of things, but the prices are low and it satisfies my inner bike geek!

A bike is covered in steel bolts. Companies like Pro-bolt offer a complete range of far lighter aluminium and titanium fasteners, in a range of colours to match your ride. Individually the gains are insignificant, but if you start to consider ten disc rotor bolts, four for the disc callipers and handlebar stems etc. there are small but cumulative gains to be had.

It isn’t suddenly going to propel you to the front of the race but mentally knowing you’ve optimised your bike does provide a physiological crutch when you’re on the starting grid staring at the other riders tricked out race rigs.

Bottle cage bolts. Replacing the steel bolts with aluminium saves more than 50% - 7g.

Replacing the bolt in my seat post clamp with a Titanium replacement saves 3g.

  

Weight weenie saving: 10g

Brass Monkeys : Round 2 - The Christmas Cracker

 

Santa on his way to 11th place!

After the mud bath that was round 1, Sunday produced a perfect crisp winters day for the 2nd installment of the Brass Monkeys series. The course provided some awesome fast technical trails mixed with long taxing fireroad climbs. It was a frosty start but the sun was shining and bikes stayed relatively mud free after 4 hours racing.

For me it was a race of two halves, the fast stop/start nature at the beginning of the lap suiting me perfectly. From the start I even stayed with George Budd and the leaders for the first few miles until we reached the swoopy army trenches section. All day I made up ground and passed riders early on, only for them to catch me again later in the lap.

My run of top 10 finishes came to an end (just), but I finished strongly ahead of several riders who I haven't beaten for a couple of years. I think they were surprised to see Santa coming through!

Weight Weenie – Part 2

The most ‘bling’ weight saving upgrade also provides the most significant weight saving. I have replaced both of the existing front and rear quick release axles with Italian crafted aluminium from Carbon-ti. Yes, this means sacrificing the quick release facility, but in longer races I am carrying a mini tool with me anyway, and in shorter cross country races I don’t carry any spares, so I wouldn’t be in a position to fix a puncture anyhow.

       

The standard Shimano 142x12mm axle plus Rock Shox 15mm bolt thru weighed in at a portly 164g.

   

Carbon-ti front and rear axles are a featherweight 69g.

Weight weenie saving: 95g

Weight Weenie – Part 1

This is the first of a 3 part series covering some gram saving changes I’ve recently made to my bike.

With the 4 hour winter marathon races in mind, I turned my attention so reducing the weight of tools and spares fighting for space with the fig rolls in my jersey pocket. The obvious place to start looking was the Crank Brothers multi-tool. Including a chain tool, along with the usual assortment of Allen keys and drivers, it is quite a chunk of metal. Taped too it is usually a replacement chain link, which does have the potential to become unstuck and lost. 

 

The replacement Top Peak mini tool weighs only 74g, but doesn’t include a chain splitter. This weight I moved to the bike by using a Specialised SWAT headset cap. This replaces the existing head cap, with a clever integrated chain tool. It also provides a handy and secure storage location for the chain links.

Weight before: 180 + 22 = 202g

Weight after: 74 + 29 = 103g

Weight weenie saving : 99g

Merida Brass Monkeys Series - Round 1 Minley Manor

Conditions on Sunday were amongst the worst I have ever experienced at a bike race. Every turn of the pedals sounded like I was grinding stones through a mangle. Grit and dirt flooded its way into every nook and cranny of bike and clothing. The churned mud offered no grip, the rear tyre spinning and fish tailing. It wasn’t just forward motion that was a challenge, I had no brakes at all from the end of the first lap after my brake pads ground down to the metal. Rain fell incessantly all day and by the end of the race some of the puddles were deeper than my bottom bracket.

 

It had rained overnight and was still pouring as I slithered the car into the quagmire that doubled as the carpark at Minley Manor. I wasn’t keen on even getting out of the car and was soaked before I reached the starting line. There is no ‘Masters’ category at Brass Monkeys so I was feeling old as I nudged my way into the huddle of soggy riders. The rescheduled race times didn’t really work from my point of view. Starting 15 minutes after the massive 200 strong 2 hour field, we were almost immediately upon the back markers. In such treacherous conditions many were really struggling and making your way through was complicated by the ruts and puddles which didn’t really offer many alternative lines. 

 

Unusually for a 4hour race I had a race long duel with a couple of riders. We repeatedly swapped positions over the first few hours, taking turns to slip and slide ahead, occasionally even getting out of sight, but before long we’d end up back together. We started to shout comments to each other about the conditions, trying alternative lines and generally just falling over in the mud! It wasn’t until lap 4 that I made the decisive break and I don’t believe either of them were foolish enough to join me for lap 5!

 

In a strange masochistic type of way it was enjoyable. At the very least it was an experience and a race I’ll not forget. I added to my run of top ten finishes by slithering home in 8^th.

DHB Toe Cover Overshoe Review

Dave has asked for a review of my latest weapon against that old adversary - the British weather. He's asked because on Sunday I was sporting some fetching DHB neoprene toe covers. Everyone else on the ride was kitted out in full overshoes, so it would be interesting to see how these little numbers withstood the elements during 4 hours riding around the lanes of Sussex in mid November.

 

I originally bought these from Wiggle to keep my feet warm during the winter. They quickly and simply slip on over the toes of your shoes and I haven't noticed with them moving or sliding around. Quick fitment and removal is such an advantage over Neoprene overshoes, which let’s be honest, can be a bit of a pig. I can fight with slippery, muddy overshoes for several minutes, spreading mud around the kitchen floor. All this wrestling stresses the seams which ultimately fail, along with the zip. None of these problems here.

 

Another issue I have with full overshoes is the inability to adjust your shoes once they are on. The DHB toe warmers allow finger access to tweak ratchets or straps. Full overshoes also give you huge clown feet, which can rub on expensive cranks and frames.

 

My reason for choosing the DHB option, apart from the very reasonable £7 asking price, was that they covered the entire front of the shoe up to the top of the tongue, unlike some competitors that really do just focus on the toes.

 

So do they work? Well they definitely keep out the chill on a fresh Autumn morning, although we're not into proper winter yet I'm optimistic they'll be up to the job for everything but the coldest days. Where I have found them particularly useful so far, is on days when the roads or trails are wet, but it isn't raining. In these conditions they do an excellent job of keeping water and muck thrown up by the front tyre, off your shoes and your feet therefore nice and dry. In proper monsoon conditions full overshoes will do a better job of preventing water ingress to your tootsies, but it is relative. Even with full booties the water eventually runs down your legs, soaking into your socks and filling your shoes. So you are only delaying the inevitable.

 

Back to Sunday's ride and to respond to Dave's initial request. It wasn't cold so the primary purpose of these little black numbers wasn't tested. It also started dry but the roads were wet after showers overnight. The DHB's did an excellent job of keeping the road spray off my shoes perfectly. At this point full overshoes were overkill and perhaps a bit toasty in the hazy sunshine. Towards the end of the ride we did run into some rain, not heavy, but the puddles got progressively deeper. Although the top of my socks started to get damp, when I got home the insides of my shoes were still dry and dandy. So probably the DHB toe shields were the perfect compromise for these mixed conditions.

 

In summary I'd highly recommend these little slippers. They are so easy to pull on, take off and even store in a jersey pocket if not needed any longer. They keep wind chill off your feet and in many situations provide all the water protection you'll need, with only a fraction of the hassle associated with  full overshoes. They are already an essential part of my Autumn wardrobe.