Overall Results

The results are out for the Hope Series 2, both for the final race (Race 3) and the overall series positions.

I managed to retain a respectable result even though I couldn't compete in Race 3, managing the keep 14th place overall. Matt managed an excellent 12th place in Race 3 and a great start.
Follow the link to get the pdf version of the results:

Overall Positions

Race 3 Positions

Last weekend saw the first ride after the back problems, which are now clearing up. Just a short ride and not a blistering pace, so a good re-start after 2 weeks off. Re-starting riding a little less frequent has given me chance to get the wheels into the wheel builders for a replacement for the broken spoke and needs a little truing.

Gears are the next issue that need sorting, I have a feeling a next cassette and chain might be required with the amount of gear slippage under heavy load even after aligning the gear changes...

Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 3

Injuries - I hate 'em.

A few days of serious back pain led to a trip to the Osteopath on Saturday, and with it any chance of starting Race 3 evaporated. I was completely gutted, especially having convinced Matt to join me and enter the last race.

Attending the race as a spectator really opened my eyes to the size of the Quarry, particularly how the track loops back and forth which provided lots of viewing from a central vantage point(and no wonder Cath was able to put good videos together with much of the action coming past her a number of times). I followed Matt and gave encouragement where I could, knowing the first race was simply going to be a shock to the system.

The layout of the track looked great. The back of the quarry right through to starting line was basically downhill (this I'm going to have to come back and try without it being race day). Unfortunately, the down side to this is the fact that the start-line up to the top of the quarry (which in most people's eyes is quite an evil climb) was included in every lap!

I'm glad I visited the race as a spectator, I managed to chat with the chap who allowed me to use his photos on the previous blog, but also nice to chat with a few racers who I'd spoken to at previous races.

I'll post the overall race series positions when they are available, but the race series after 2 races had me with 60 points from the 28th and 14th place finishes. That put me in 9th position for the Weekend Warriors overall. I don't expect to keep that position with the huge number of competitors from today, which is disappointing that I couldn't race today to try to maintain that good series result. After my first race just a few weeks ago, I'm really happy to be part of the top ten at this stage and maybe in the next series I'll be able do something similar.

I'm definitely going to enter the next race series at Lee Quarry, many thanks to the organisers again. Check out the video of the last race, following Matt as he has a great ride.

Race 2 Results

From Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 2 - Sept 2009

The Hope Series 2 - Race 2 results are in and I've somehow managed to get 14th position!
http://www.brownbacksracing.co.uk/race_series/downloads/Hope_XC_Race_Series%202_Race_2_Results.PDF

I'm absolutely delighted with that and actually a little bit unexpected as I had thought most other people seemed to improve as I had. So, that is a great result. I submitted the video to SingleTrack Magazine who posted it on their website along with the excellent review.
http://www.singletrackworld.com/2009/09/hope-xc-race-series-race-report/

I also asked if I could use a couple of photos from the race that one of the photographers had captured. See below for the two great shots from Steve Hyams who kindly allowed me to show his shots on here. His web site for all the photos can be found here: http://www.ikam99.co.uk/ikam99/Lee_Quarry_270909.html

From Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 2 - Sept 2009

Keeping riding and working on the fitness seems to be the order of the next few weeks, not sure if I can improve on 14th considering the last and final race is likely to be packed, but I'll try, we'll see how I get on...

Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 2

From Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 1 - Sept 2009

The second race weekend came around quite quickly and with around three weeks of regular riding (2 to 3 times per week) I hoped to make an improved ride this race.

The race organisers had changed the route this time round, some of the original course still existed though which would be impossible to remove, like the starting hill which spaces people out nicely before the first singletrack and the downhill / cattlegrid section towards to starting area. The newer sections were towards the middle of the lap and reasonably tricky, I'm sure one part was actually vertical right before and 90 degree right hand berm/turn.

I felt the consistent riding I'd been doing over the recent few weeks paid off as I started quite brightly. Only to wonder whether burning myself out of lap one would actually be the best way to improve on last time...?

The end of the first lap felt like I'd gone off way too fast and following that with a lap of reasonable pace, I wondered if the third lap, like last time, would just hurt my lungs and legs again.

Yep, it did! Lap 3 started to hurt.

But, this time, I was able to take a bit more time to recover on the next lap or so. By lap 4 I was getting back into it. I was going up hills slower by now, but for some bizarre reason I was able to clean the up-hills without getting off and pushing, in fact completed an entire lap completely clean. I fully expected at the end of lap 4 to hear the welcome sound of the last lap bell, except it wasn't there. The range of emotions at this point was weird...thinking it was probably the end of my energy levels, but yet knowing that I'm likely to get a better result compared to Race 1, I wanted to try to kick on.

So, lap 5 was back to some pushing up hills again, but with the marshalls giving great encouragement that the end must be reasonably close, I did think I was likely to get to the end of the race at lap 5 (I thought I must have just missed the bell and the leaders would be past me at any time). As I closed in on the end of lap 5, I did get the final lap bell and knew I'd managed to get that extra lap. Even though it was going to be a hard lap 6, the bell was still very welcome and gave a great extra morale boost.

It turned out to be a good tactic to start as fast as possible, just getting that early position in the whole field and trying to keep that going helped me to keep a high enough pace to improve. Without seeing the lap times and positions, it's difficult to judge how well I did and if other people improved also as I feel I have, so time will tell on the result. Trail Guru link of the course.

Again this was very well run event and enjoyed the whole experience better the second time round as I knew (basically) what I was doing. It would have been better if people didn't go home back down the track when the race was still running (presuming they'd crossed the line and finished already), I know there were a few behind myself who might have had this problem too.

I'm looking forward to seeing the race lap times and finish position later in the week.
Here is the video footage that Cath put together for me.

No photos this time, video only, but will look online to see if any of the photographers have any.

Next & final race of the series: 18th October 2009.

Preparation for Race 2

Preparation has started for the next race.

The reason for the chain jumping off in Race 1 is now clear, the bike had a broken rear derailleur inner plate (which holds the idler gears). I have managed to source a part from a carbon fibre manufacturer and not pay the £150 for a whole new rear mech. Amazing how bike shops didn't really want to entertain helping me to source just the part that was broken, seems Shimano won't supply just the carbon fibre part on it's own as a repair item. Mmmm, strange that they put carbon fibre on anything mountain bike related and then won't offer a repair item?

Anyway, I found a guy that will make me one if I break it again and that's the problem solved. Might even buy a few and put them on ebay...? Do other people break these things or was it a one off for me?

The bike needed a service, so it's gone in for that, including rear hub re-build. Shimano hubs just need a new ball race I'm hoping. Hope they are repair items and I don;t have to buy a whole new hub :-) The rear shock has also gone off to Mojo as it sounded very 'squelchy' like the oil was not where it should have been. A couple of people in the week had mentioned it sounded like it needs looking at, so another warranty item I hope. With all that, I should be able to pick it back up and get it home on Friday, just enough time to go on a short ride before Sunday's race.

I'm looking forward to the race this time a little more as I've managed to get a lot more rides between the last one and this one. I managed to get to Sherwood Pines and a few local rides with the Wakefield mountain biking club. I do find my legs burn quite often now though, think I'm just trying harder all the time when I get to hills.

My finish position for Race 1 was 28th out of 31 in the Weekend Warrior section, so at least not last, and gives me something to build on. I've already read that the track will laid out differently, but I'm looking forward to giving it a good try.

More after Sunday...

Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 1

From Hope Series 2 Lee Quarry - Race 1 - Sept 2009

After a few weeks of waiting and deciding to enter, my first ever mountain bike race day arrived.

It was certainly a new experience, after many football matches, cup finals and playing at a reasonably good level, this was all new and nothing like any match day nerves. This was more apprehensive from just not knowing fully what to expect. Because of that, I felt slightly unprepared and how things would pan out. Even with what you think is all the right kit, it just feels alien to be on a start line waiting for a starter to give us all the signal to go.

The first thing to do was register and sign on, basically like signing on to marshal on a rally event, signing up to agree there are risks involved etc. I got a number board for the bike (number 44) and one to put on my back. I also got a blue wrist band, the type you get in a night club sometimes, the wrist band is really sticky on one part and once it's on, it's on. I put this on my wrist in readiness only to realise that my glove and sleeve pretty much cover it up immediately, so noticing everyone else had them wrapped round their seat tube or ankle (so obvious when you think about it) I got another and went with the seat tube option.

After signing on, off most people went, to get familiar with the course, really glad I did this as some of the course was a little tricky and just to know the drops and rocks was a good eye opener, it also gives you chance to find the line and learn the obstacles. The fact I was back at the start line pretty much out of breath from the recce lap didn't make me feel so confident, but knew this was going to be all new and fitness was going to be an issue, regardless.

The mass start put the BC racers (British Cycling) and the Weekend Warriors (my category) off the start line together. This was up a steep climb, loose gravel/quarry road, and with people scrambling for grip - weekend warriors I refer to here, I never saw the elite racers as they just cleared off :-). I seemed to find a few gaps in the heavy traffic and jump into them. So I felt like I was not last and definitely ahead of someone, that was great. But the long climb to the top of the quarry was a period where the jostling continued until the first singletrack, where wheel to wheel, we got in line. Still not last, it felt like this was going to be fun.

The race spread itself out after that, the course offered lots of steep climbing and technical descents, swooping (roller coaster) berm descents and a nice section of sandy hard work granny ring track.

I really enjoyed the first two laps, they were the easiest and most fun by miles as I was trying to race. I think by lap three I just wondered what I was doing, lungs and legs pretty much screaming at me. One long climb (only walkable on every other lap for me) I managed to clean and ride. That was a good feeling to be able to ride it (plus it was faster to ride than push I noticed, even at 2 mph! Cramp was really close after that climb, so at the top of that section I backed off a little and started to ride like I was tired and just wanted to get to the end of the event. That took a further 2 laps which meant I'd completed 5 laps at the finish. I was really happy with that but know for sure I was feeling it during the latter stages. I don't have a finish position yet, results out on Wednesday.

One complication I had was the chain/rear derailleur were not happy by the second to last lap and the chain kept coming out of the idler gears in the rear derailleur. This took about 10 seconds each time to fix but became quite annoying, I'm hoping that it was just mud causing the problem (the cleaned bike seems to be in line with no bends/breakages apparent, at least). We'll find out during the week if it's broken. Not sure how to prevent it happening again. I certainly won't want to be replacing an XTR rear deraileur. If so, XT is going on.

I tracked the ride on Trail Guru, follow the link to see how long it was.

I also have photos and video which Cath kindly took and braved the cold. I was grateful to have someone else to help, I think doing this alone would be hard work and less fun if you have a problem. (I saw one guy had the ambulance crew come to have a look at him - I heard it was his ankle but he's okay, so I'm glad to hear that). The organisers had a lot of marshals out on the course and it was very well run, and you can't beat the sound of the bell for the final lap :-)

Well, next race, round 2 is September 27th so I'll be planning a lot more fitness before then to help get to 3 laps before it really starts hurting... A great start to attending race events and really enjoyed the experience.

Back after Summer Recess

From Petronas Towers KL July 2009

It's been a while since I last blogged, including travel with work, so wanted to get back online...

Summer has had a larger effect on people being available to ride this year and running out of cash hasn't helped either. But since the last blog I've started riding with the local club in Wakefield, Bad Brains MBC and I've sent off my entry to my first ever mountain bike race - Hope Race Series 2 at Lee Quarry. Hmmmmm!

The local club ride on Tuesday and Thursday each week, rain or shine. Tuesday's is a slightly more leisurely pace, maybe a few extra stops along the way compared to Thursdays, but each ride tends to be 12 - 16 miles rides, give or take a few. Starting to ride with them in high summer was helpful as no lights were required even at the end of the ride at 9.30pm, but now (mid-August) lights are needed especially through the woods, so an investment is imminent. (actually tried some lights last night and they were fantastic, riding in the dark is a lot of fun!). Here is a link to the web site: Bad Brains MBC and also a link to the forum where they post the rides for the forthcoming week. Ride bikes, drink beer, eat cake - such a good motto!

The bike race is at Lee Quarry (near Rochdale), a place that the Singletrack magazine use for the Singletrack Weekender amongst other things. The basic race format is 1h30m and complete as many laps as possible. There are three classes, I entered the Weekend Warrior, but the options were: Elite Racer - (BC racing licence required); Weekend Warrior - experience of bikes and riding with reasonable fitness; and finally Have-a-go-hero - New to it all, but lots of enthusiasm to try it out.

I've no clue as to whether the bike will be good enough, I'm sure the Stumpy FSR can handle it, I just mean that I saw photos from the last race series and everyone who seems to be quick, is on a hardtail (I need to get Stumpy HT ready!!). The rest are on full suspension but maybe short travel versions, like the Specialized Epic, Cannondale Rize or Scott Spark. My Guess is the people on full suspension are Weekend Warriors, making the most of their rig and racing it. So, we'll see how it goes. I'm used to taking sandwiches when I go for a full day out on the bike, so that'll be weird not eating half way round. Don't guess that's the spirit of a race anyway. I am quite excited but apprehensive too.

Race dates are Sundays - Sept 6th, Sept 27th, Oct 18th and I hope to hear I made it onto the entry list soon.

I'm trying out Sherwood Pines this weekend, should be easy-ish trail riding but that's good to try another trail centre and get others to come along too. Aiming at the XC Singletrack routes and not the family trails of course :-) I'll see if I can get TrailGuru working on here too.

Sunday's ride is also posted on TrailGuru, see link here: Newmillerdam

Ride at Temple Newsam in June: Temple Newsam