2015 National Championship - Llangollen, 18th & 19th July 2015

After the disaster that was the deluged Fort William I was excited to be back out on the bike again as I haven't been riding lately with my little 'un taking up all the 'daddy-time'.  First and foremost I need to do a big shout-out to Paul '#DoASkid' Stoddart for the lifts there and back, you ROCK fella!

The 'Champs this year were at Llangollen where the venue suits me to a T with its super steep terrain, however despite it being dry I was feeling hesitant as it may not have been the best choice to get back into the swing of things!  With that said my FTW beast of a machine failed to disappoint being perfectly at home here on the Welsh hillside handling like a dream. My Hayes brakes and Michelin tyres were all working superbly in the dusty conditions and where other people were having issues they didn't make me #DoASkid once!  (See what I did there, see?! ....I'll get my coat!).

Due to the extremely dry conditions the track was changing with every run, this was by no means a complaint as I was having tons of fun. Think I bust out about seven runs on Saturday becoming more confident with each one. 

Mother Nature strikes back, I was woken up over night to the sound of heavy rain coming down and my heart dropped at the thought of re-learning the track again.  It wasn't so bad in the morning, the track was back to being bone dry however some lines had been completely blown out.  I planned to take some new routes in my seeding run, it was risky but there was little else I could do.

My seeding run went alright, I was consistent and smooth but backed off on the new lines that I was trying out through lack of practising them earlier. I finished mid-pack and knew that there were some seconds to grab on my race run in the tank.

My race run could not have gone better; I hit everything with a little more gas and where I felt myself drifting the bike's handling saved my ass, Frank Wadelton, you are a genius!

I came over the line finishing in15th which I was overjoyed with considering the severe lack of riding time this year. My fitness has come on in leaps and bounds thanks to CrossFit Jacana in Durham.  I also want to the say a big "Thank You" to Lee and the team's sponsors for their support with putting an awesome ride together.

See y'all on the next hill punks!

Nick.

British Downhill Series, Bala, 28th June 2015

Nelly's here!

Rolled into Bala with my family on Friday afternoon, having never ridden here before and from what other riders had been saying I kinda guessed that I was in for a surprise.  Sure enough after setting up camp I headed up the track and the rumours were confirmed, it looked totally sweet, seemed to flow really well with some sick features thrown in, just as I like them!

Saturday morning and the sun was shining, I couldn't wait to smash some runs down the track. The great weather stayed all day and the bike was riding mint although it took a while to get my lines dialled in I got there eventually.  

After eight runs I called it a day and headed off to wash the bike down.

Awaking on Sunday morning to the pitter patter of rain I realised that it was going to be a wet one, damn!  After riding in the previous day's dust and getting the course nailed down this was horrible and my practice runs were not good.  

My seeding didn't go well as I crashed a few times mid-run like a lot of people, the course was a quagmire in parts. With the seeding run out of the way my race run went well, I lost a little time in the woods but crossed the line in 8th place which I was really happy with considering.

Next up is Moelfre, see you all on the mountainside!

Nelly.

British Downhill Series, Round 3 - Llangollen, 30th & 31st May 2015

Controversy....

Tom Newrick: We arrived at the venue early on Friday morning and set up the tents, even at that hour there were some murmurings about the course and the track-walk proved it to be true, it was steep, very, very steep!  

I knew then that it was going to be a struggle on the track. Headed up for my first practice run on Saturday morning and came off twice, each further run I was still coming off my bike and my body was starting to hurt.

Come Sunday morning I headed back up for my first practice run and landed really hard after being catapulted over the bars.  Being completely battered and bruised I could not justify racing on the course and sadly pulled out of the event.

Lee here: I fully understand the position Tom Newrick had been placed in, the course was very controversial, although it's a UCi sanctioned event and needs to challenge riders, this track may have exceeded the limit. I mean it says a lot when the pro riders are in agreement with how punishing the course was. I don't blame Tom for pulling out of the event at all as he could have had a serious injury.

This now leads me to what happened with the team's Tom Nelson.

Nelly made the ultimate mistake of not signing on in the morning before his practise runs, that is his own mistake and he knows it was wrong (and hopefully he's learned from it and won't do it again!).  I fully understand and appreciate his mother's anger after the event, and indeed must admit to being pretty angry with the carry on myself.

My question was in regards to how Nelly managed to have four practice runs without being pulled up by the start line commissaire in regards to not signing on.

The commissaire notes the rider numbers down however he can't check those against the start sheet until the Saturday evening as this is when the timing company collate the sign on sheets and produce the seeding list.  Nelly had tried to sign on at the end of the day however by this time the commissaires had left the venue.  One of the arguments was that some other riders had got late entries however those riders signed on before the commissaires had left.  Nelly however was too late and Si Paton was sadly placed in an unfortunate position, he could only say no, the BDS are sanctioned UCi events and his hands are tied to that, so unfortunately Nelly was unable to race.

British Downhill Series Round 2 - Fort William, 16th - 17th May 2015

*Ding Ding* Round 2

Nelly: Fort Bill here we come!  Newrick and his dad had left home at 4am on the Friday morning to make sure he had decent time on the track and I wasn't far behind with my crew. This weekend was going to be turned up a few notches as not only were there international riders competing at the event with the World Cup being here in just a few weeks' time, the adverse weather was also closing in fast.  It was going to be a bumpy ride.

Come Friday evening I was buzzing for race day because let's face it, Frank Wadelton's downhill bikes are simply made for this course, they rail!  Had a chat with my co-pilot Tom Newrick and he'd had an awesome day on the hill despite a puncture earlier on, our practise runs weren't in sync so we didn't get any joint runs in sadly.

Saturday morning Nick turned up and with him the wind and pouring rain, it wasn't looking good.  There was a lot of uncertainty about the gondola running and a lot of riders were holding fire in hope that they would open.  Mother Nature had won this one and sure enough the call was made; it was going to be an old-school style 30-minute push-up to the top of the lower section with the event being run from there.  

As Nick was saying, there's not a lot to practise on that section of track, they'd built up the motorway jumps ready for the World Cup and you had to either go fast and clear the lot or take it cautiously losing time.  The track although short was still fun to ride, some riders were grumbling though and I could see both sides of the coin, it wasn't a good day for the BDS management.

The push-up was knackering after a few rides though, I reckon Newrick had the best idea; get a couple of runs in and then go ride the cross-country route to keep his legs moving! Nick got a few runs in and then headed back to his hotel.  Regardless to the course conditions I was happy with my riding and had it all nicely nailed down.

Race day Sunday arrived with no change in the weather and with just one race run it was going to be all or nothing, I had to keep it pinned..... which sadly I didn't. Mother Nature got the best of me here and I crossed the line in 17th place, not the top ten that I was aiming for.

Newrick: I was one of the riders getting fed up with the pushing to the top, it certainly wasn't helping my mood and I was shattered.  My race run was lousy after nearly crashing on the first pointless rut and that was my only shot at it done and dusted, or should I say mud splattered, I took the 25th place in the youths.  

Nick: Fuelled by a massive Full English breakfast I plodded up the hill with everyone else and got a couple of runs in.  One of the main issues was catching people up on the track which made taking the motorway jumps at full pelt sketchy, took it easier with the later runs just to make sure I knew what I was doing come the racing.

The start was catching people out, it was pretty tricky and a lot of riders were coming off, thankfully I stayed on my bike but only just and got the power back on!  The course from there to the motorway jumps is uneventful, under normal conditions with a the full course being used this section is mentally demanding after you've been assaulted by the top of the course.  With this weekend's format it was just, well....!  I got to the motorway which was the only really challenging bit where I hit the hip jump and drifted off my line on landing and although I cleared the step down my landing there wasn't too hot, came in far too fast and to brake hard otherwise I would have hooked up on the next jump and been another victim heading to the local A&E. Mid-way in the Masters with a 17th for me.

Next up are Robyn's Welsh enduro assault at Afan, Jamie's ballet training with the Scottish Downhill Series at Glencoe and then the big bad BDS at Llangollen.

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From the Front Line, Durham CXNE 13, 18th January 2015

Photo courtesy of Andrew Whitaker - www.northern-horizons.co.uk

Hey you guys, it's Megan, I've just got back from Durham, it was a cold one! Here's the low down.....

For the last two weeks my hard training and good eating regime had gone well, I was ready for it.

We were curious to see how Durham University's cyclocross course had been affected by the hardcore winter weather where snow, sleet and rain were the call of the morning's journey. Needless to say once on site it was freezing cold and the ground was frozen, I knew there and then that it was going to be fast and slippy.

The bikes were soon out, I was kitted up and rode off with my dad for a few practice laps. The course was all about power, although there were a few technical corners on uneven terrain, which later in the day caught out the unwary, there were a lot of straights which required getting your head down and pushing hard. Dad was giving me tips here and there especially with which lines to take and no matter how many laps we did neither of us could get warm!

Time was ticking and I headed to the starting line, as soon as the gun went off Jenn Batey and me shot forwards and I stuck with her until the first corner. This was where I gained the advantage of the inside line and got away quickly, from there on I was working alone.

Trying to keep a steady pace was hard with the thought of Jenn hot on my heels, I was feeling pretty good though and stayed fluid.  The race went really quickly, before I knew it the bell had rung for the final lap, digging in a little more I crossed the finish line in first place with a huge smile on my face.  I love cyclocross!

It's the final round of the CXNE next weekend, sad times, it has been such an amazing series this year and I've constantly been blown away by the amount of ladies participating, here's to an even greater increase in the women's field next season.  

See you all in North Yorkshire next weekend.

Megs

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Down Town... CXNE 11, South Shields 26th December

Hi everyone, it's Megan here again keeping the team's purple, red and black flag flying!

The CXNE race at South Shields had me a bit worried as I hadn't raced for a few weeks and was nervous that I'd dropped behind even though I was still out training.  Both college work and a recent bout of illness were preying on my mind however I wanted to give it my best, dig my teeth in and have a bash.  

It was a really cold morning so the warm-up laps required layers, lots of layers in fact and the frozen grass crunched under my wheels although that didn't last for long. The course was pretty good, lots of tight corners, some long straights and one relatively small hill that eventually turned into a thigh-burning assault!  Throughout practise the ground was inevitably being churned up becoming muddier and slippier, I knew this was going to be a problem with the tough off-camber sections later in the day.

Not long afterwards it was time to head for the starting line. Everyone was in great spirits nattering about Christmas and what we were all up to, especially the ladies, well you know how we can gab!  There were a lot of good vibes.

Off we went. I had a really good start, jumped up, slid straight into the pedals and got comfortable right away. I headed off to the front with Jenn Batey and followed her for a lap. 

Coming to the off-camber section my earlier fears were confirmed, it was incredibly slippy and backing that up it was here where I came off my bike, lost some time and the other ladies started to catch me. I jumped straight up, lifted my bike and ran towards the flat section, remounted and got my cadence going again. It was just a few minutes later where my hip began to really throb, damn you adrenalin!  I must have landed on it rather funny, anyway, not to worry I knuckled back down, northern grit and all that! I was now following Jenn and Natalie Batey and it wasn't long before Wonder Woman Nicola Davies caught us all up then everything settled down into a steady race pace.

Well, that was until coming to a simple corner where I slid off and landed like a tonne of bricks. It was a silly old fall, just down to very poor riding where I completely lost it, and oh boy did it hurt!

It all happened quickly, the adrenalin kicked in again and after jumping straight back up realised I couldn't actually stand properly as my hip was in agony. Hobbling along as I pushed my bike, being thankful of its support, I realised I'd twisted my bars in the fall and by this time, I was just exhausted.

Sadly I had to pull out of the race and hobbled with my poorly bike over to the car park where Jamie Brady spotted me, picked up my bike and took me to the paramedics for a check up. Thanks again Jamie, you're a star!

An unlucky day but as I've said before, it's all good experience and something to learn from.

See you all the next round,

Megs x

Here's a wee video of The Development's Zak Holmes tearing up the Alwinton course in the UK that was put together by the up and coming Matt Stamp Photography...... here's Life In Purple....

Life In Purple from Matt Stamp on Vimeo.

Life In Neon at the Durham CXNE, 15th November 2014

Woke up on Saturday morning feeling sprightly and raring to go, well there’s a change, think it was because I was so excited for the full weekend’s worth of racing. I was under the strict instruction not to go all-out during the CXNE race in Durham, since the next day I would be competing at the Nationals in the same arena, so, no biggie! Today was purely getting to grips with the course and keep my points up for the league, however, I knew this would be a struggle since I had let myself become way too competitive. Yes, that’ll be my hereditary dad’s genes right there! 

Dad wasn't racing today so it was all about me (ahem!) the benefit of this being that even when my bike got a speck of dirt on it, it was wiped off within seconds, thanks dad!

When we arrived, as usual, I got ready, practiced the course and signed on. This race was the first time I was competing on my new bright pink Frank The Welder CX bike and was super excited to try it out!

The course was pretty good with quite a lot of sections where you had to dismount. There were steps, hurdles, and a steep, slippy, muddy hill that was catching a lot of people out, myself included. Adding up all the technical turns it created a challenging course and kept the riders on their toes, exactly what you would expect with a National Trophy event the following day. Big applause for the course designers, you rock! My nerves weren't that bad to be honest, I was really enjoying the practice and having a good giggle, I knew that my race head would be on later in the day however.

Sure enough it was soon time to be gridded. My dad and me went to the start where Nicola Davies, Bev Blakeman, myself and then Jenn Batey were called out. Oh, was that the pang of my nerves kicking in just then?

Off we went and despite the strong temptation to sprint off straight away with Bev, Nicola and Jenn, I paid heed to my dad’s advice and kept a steady pace letting them fight it out up front. I ended up having a mini-battle with Natalie Batey which became rather amusing, I slipped off in the mud and Natalie overtook me, Natalie came off in the mud and I overtook her and on it went!

I will also tell you something weird; my dad screaming his head off with words of encouragement every time I belted past the pits. Under normal circumstances he’s on the course the same time as me, today however there he was being my proud dad!

The bell suddenly sounded for the final lap. This was what I was waiting to hear, head now down and firing up the adrenaline I got the cranks turning harder and managed to leave Natalie. I crossed the finish line taking fourth place in the Women’s category whilst keeping hold of the top Junior spot which I was stoked with.

Megan

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Jake Goss' B-Roll From 'The Welder'...

Here's Jake Goss' b-roll from 'The Welder'.....

Frank's up on the 'Tube, go watch....

The Long Road to Cumbria... CXNE Workington Hall, 28th September 2014

So the long road to Workington in Cumbria dragged on like mad. I was really tired from the early start but this didn't stop me from being hyped up for the race and annoying my dad all the way there, but hey that's what dads are for!  Two and a half hours later we arrived at the CXNE venue at Curwen Park and as usual got our kit on, signed up and checked the track out.

I absolutely LOVED the course, probably my favourite so far with it being quite technical and I really liked the kinda downhill sections through the woods. I'd say there were two main climbs that caught every one out, including me, however I like climbing so that was the icing on the cake.

Being at the start line considerably earlier than normal in hindsight may have been a bad idea as my pre-race nerves kicked inI Despite being confident with the course, my nerves were becoming quite noticeable. Not much later I was lined up and then sped off in the mass scramble from the start.

Photo copyright of Alan Draffan

The start itself was really narrow so I sped forwards to get in a good position and was soon the leading woman. This gave my confidence a boost and a welcome dose of extra energy, I was mixing in with the male riders and overtaking some of them!

Photo copyright of Alan Draffan

Photo copyright of Alan Draffan

As I kept passing the pits the spectators informed me about the big gap between myself and the second lady. this gave me really good vibes and I didn't let up.

Photo copyright of Alan Draffan

I crossed the line smiling and really pleased with the day after just taking the first woman and first junior woman position, achievement or what?

At the awards presentation I was given a generous £20 and a bottle of wine which came with the strict rule of having to give the wine to my mam, Ha, the cheek of it! ;)

So there you have it, a major result for me which continues to motivate me to train harder.

Excited for next weekend's race.

Megan

x    

Photo copyright of Dave Hopper

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