Merida Ninety-Six XT Ride Review

Skating around the issue

The ground was definitely frozen. I could feel it through my jersey as I lay spread eagled in the frosty dirt. The front wheel had shot out from underneath me throwing me onto the ground. I tried to get up but my foot slipped and I fell back to the ground. I scrambled up like Bambi on an ice rink, sliding around desperately trying to get to the top of the slope. Luckily it was only my warm-up lap!

I've never experienced a frozen race course before. The frost was like snow in places and the soil was frigid. In some areas the ice made conditions sketchy at best. In between the corners the firm ground meant high speeds, but after a few wobbles and with my confidence dented, I decided on a tentative approach for the rest of the lap.

Warmed up and leaping away from the start, I followed the leading riders through the first few bends. As we hit a wide sweeping curve all grip disappeared and we all skated through the corner desperately searching for grip. Suddenly my bike stepped out from under me, I caught it before hitting the deck, but this allowed the three in front to pull away. I resolved to use my strength on the next climb to close back up and as we hit the base of the incline I applied a surge of power. The rear wheel spun out on the frozen ground and I stalled. Forced to dismount I ran up the slope and ended up losing more time.

The gap ahead remained steady for the remainder of the lap, until we reached the scene of my warm-up incident. Two back markers from another category had dismounted and were struggling to make their way up the slope on foot. So I was again forced to scramble up the icy incline. I finished the lap with 3rd still firmly in my sights trailing by around 16 seconds.

Driving into the new lap and attempting to close the gap ahead I dived into an icy switchback too fast. First thing I knew I was on the deck. Scrambling back onto the bike I was now even more tentative and tense, when I needed to be supple and reactive to the conditions. After a couple more big scares I backed right off. It isn't often I can say I don't enjoy riding a bike, but right then the option of stepping off and getting back in the car was so strong I stopped.

I turned back towards the car, but then saw two friends who were still racing. Perhaps it was the thought of trying to explain myself to them after the race that provided the motivation to get back onboard and complete the final lap. I was very relieved to see the organisers had closed the treacherous incline by the time of my third lap.

I crossed still in forth, slightly disappointed in myself, but at the same time pleased that I had persevered.  

New team kit

The new City Cycles team kit has arrived just in time for the first XC race of the season this Sunday. Thanks to our shirt sponsors McMurdo and Strada wheels the blue shirts will be hitting the course at the first round of the Gorrick Spring Series.

Base miles

Winter is time for putting in the hard graft. If you want to reap the rewards come the summer, then you should be piling on the mileage now. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have been used to annual averages of over 150 miles a week, regularly topping 200 miles by the end of the Sunday ride. In two years I only rode less than 100 miles in a week 3 times  - each time while on holiday. (Even then I'd always managed some miles while away!)

However, taking on a new business has meant a steep learning curve and lots of extra hours planning and dealing with the inevitable paperwork. So in fact owning a bikeshop has lead to much less time on the bike. A commute of 10 minutes each way, instead of an hour hasn't helped either!

Sunrise on the South Downs before work

As a result I have only topped 100 miles over seven days, 6 times since mid August when the whole purchase process kicked off. My goal for the new year was to try and structure my week to hit the 100 mile goal for the first time in 6 weeks. I started well with a 3 hour MTB ride on Monday, my day off. I grabbed what I could during the week, before waking up early and splashing around for 90 minutes before work on Saturday. I totted up the totals - 99.8! Oh, well! I could roll up the lane Sunday morning and notch up the last few yards.

Then came the opportunity to join the boys for a longer Sunday morning social. At 8.30 I rolled down the lane into the drizzle. My legs immediately felt heavy, having ridden the previous day. It was a sobering thought that only a few months ago I used to think nothing of a daily 35 mile commute. I joined the others and toiled away at the back of the group, destroying myself by taking the occasional turn on the front of the group.  

It is obvious my fitness has suffered in the past 4 months as time in the saddle has reduced. In the short term I am not going to have the same opportunities to ride that I had in the past, but this week has proven it is possible for me to maintain a sensible level of training, enjoy time on the bike and hopefully not embarrass myself come race day!

Sunday social!

Happy New Year!

Here is a look back at some of my favourite photos from 2016. See you all next year!

Vittoria Peyote Tyre Review

Lets be honest. Until a few weeks ago I'd never heard of the Penyote. Vittoria as a MTB tyre brand wasn't on my radar. However, in the cellar at City Cycles I found of box of this 29 x 2.25 tyre. The tread looked promising and at under 600g it passed the weight weenie test.

Vittoria market the Peyote as their "Go to XC tyre", with positive remarks from sponsored rider Pauline Ferrand-Prevot the 2015 World XC Champion. This means a low profile and fast rolling tyre are guaranteed, but what is the grip like? The sipped knobs and stepped side lugs are a positive start. The sidewalls aren't wafer thin either, like some lightweight XC treads; which should help the durability.

I mounted the Peyote on the front wheel tubeless, without any problems. Visually the width was a little disappointing for a 2.25 tyre. For comparison the tyre is just a smidge plumper than a Specialized Fast Trak 2.0 and definitely narrower than the Rocket Ron 2.25 that it replaced.

I tested the tyre on the North Downs at Peaslake on a cold day with very mixed trail conditions. Fast frozen hard packed man made trails, slithery greasy roots, slippery mud on top of hardpack and deep claggy glop! This ride had it all!

I was asked frequently during the ride how I was getting on with the Penyote. My response was slightly non-committal because what could I say? It had handled everything that had been thrown at it. The tyre is nicely predictable and I had just forgotten about it and concentrated on riding!

It is a cross country tyre, but I found you could lean on it pretty hard and still find grip. On firm trails like "Barry Knows Best" it held a tight line on the berms, handling quick direction changes nicely. In softer, loamy conditions the knobs dug in well. This type of tyre is never going to be brilliant in the proper sticky stuff, but it was controlled and manageable. I was also pleased to find it handled wet roots without any scary moments. At the end of the day I was pretty impressed. This tyre definitely gives the Schwalbe Rocket Ron a run for its money, in fact I'd be tempted to say I preferred it trail manners. (I've been running a Ron upfront on the race bike for several years now.)

As a punt in the dark I've been impressed with this Vittoria tyre and will definitely be leaving it on the bike to form a longer term opinion. The Rocket Rons I've had have just gone on and on forever, so I'll post again in a few months when I have a better idea of the durability of the Penyote.

2016 Year End Summary

Club and Sponsorship:

For the first time since 2010 I didn’t join the South Downs Bikes club this year. Although I definitely missed the camaraderie at races, team sponsorship was unlikely as I couldn’t commit to a definite schedule of events at the beginning of the year due to the birth of my daughter in February. Instead I obtained sponsorship to cover my entry to the Grand Raid marathon race in Switzerland. As part of the package McMurdo also supplied the distinctive orange Fast Find Ranger PLB branded jersey. I was also appointed a brand ambassador for Absolute Black, riding their oval chainrings throughout the year. Both of these agreements meant I continued to blog and also introduced the Ben Races Bikes Facebook fan page.

General:

I continued to ride the S-Works Stumpjumper. The major upgrades this year were new wheels from Strada and the DT Swiss fork which is a revelation compared to the SID I had previously.

For the 2^nd year running I purchased a British Cycling racing license. This enabled me to enter the National Marathon Championships and obtain a better grid position at the Grand Raid.

Racing:

Training in 2016 started slowly following the birth of my daughter in February. However, the focus of the year was August where I would race 3 marathon events in 3 weeks.

Racing started in May with the Gorrick 100 where I rode well but failed to make the top 20.

There was then a brief foray with the Olympic distance at the Southern Championship, where I missed the Open podium by 1.2 seconds!

By the time we reached August my training had gone well, but I was still concerned about my stamina beyond 4 hours after a few issues on longer rides where I completely hit the wall with a racing heartbeat. The Brighton Big Dog allayed the concerns as I came home 10^th on a challenging course against a high class field, which included the National Champ. The next weekend was the Grand Raid. The target was simply to finish the 125km Alpine course, which I did in 10hrs 30min. Despite the brutal course I completed the ride ‘relatively’ comfortably apart from the loathsome ‘hike-a-bike’ section. The third race of the month was the National Marathon Champs in Wales, which actually proved to be the toughest of the three. In terrible conditions I battled the elements and inner demons to be the 20^th senior rider home.

With the pressure now off it was time to enjoy myself! I entered the Open category at both rounds of the Gorrick Autumn Challenge, where after 13 years of trying I won my first Gorrick race! I was third in the second round, finishing the year on a high.

Social:

In the build up to the Grand Raid I had a number of great social rides. Long days in the saddle with friends, including Winchester and back along the South Downs Way with Ian and Julian.

With two children at home and a school run to complete my total mileage for the 2016 was lower than the past few years. However, I enjoyed another cracking summer of off-road commuting. Regularly passing Stanstead house and looping over Kingley Vale in the morning or on a warm summer's evening. There can be nothing better for relieving the stress!

Highlight:

Riding across the Swiss Alps!

In summary:

Enjoyable, experience laden year!

Looking ahead:

2017 is the dawn of a new career in the cycle trade! The effect this will have on my free time and cycling opportunities is unknown. Therefore my focus will be just continuing to ride, maintaining my fitness and entering events when I can. Watch this space!