Welsh Gravity Enduro - Afan, 24th May 2015

The great Afan Forest offered us all some technical climbing between stages for the second round of the Welsh Gravity Enduro Series with the first big climb up to stage one. I was lucky to have ridden the stages the day before although most the lines were fairly straight forward with being on existing trails. 

Stage one was the first of three pedal-like-a-demon stages it was great fun and ended with three small jumps however it was here where I was caught up by the rider behind me as I wasn't pedalling hard enough and my cold wasn't helping! So with a little bit of course marking tape wrapped around my bars (don't ask!) I crossed the line with the aim of getting my times up on the following stages.

Stage two was downhill from the finish area of Stage one which was a pleasant surprise enabling my legs to have a well deserved break. This stage had a freshly cut muddy section put in the top which linked to the main trail and this was followed by a track strewn with rocks, it was basically balls-out with a few short climbs which meant you could not loose your momentum or you'd stall. I had a clean ride down here, my Orange Five quite literally ploughed through the rocks and I made good time, very happy with that.

Stage three was the longest stage that I have ever ridden, to get to it you had a 45 minute climb back up the technical ascent. As soon as I got to the top I was set off straight away to complete the stage, the route was another pedal-fest down an undulating rocky track and I was grateful for my tubeless Michelin Wild Rock R2, no punctures for me and I took the third in Elite, hoorah!

My next races are Cwmcarn and Grizedale in June, bring it on!

Robyn.

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SDA 2015 Series Opener - Innerleithen, 28th - 29th March

Jamie and Tom headed up to Innerleithen last weekend for the opening round of the Scottish Downhill Series, both riders are on a new team and riding new bikes, did it all play to their favour though?  Here's how they got on....

Jamie:

It was time for the first round of the Scottish Downhill Series at Innerleithen in the Tweed Valley.  Although it was exciting to get back into racing again I was feeling nervous having only received my new Development team-issue Frank The Welder bike a week before and indeed having only ridden it once prior.

Tom:

Saturday, 7:30am and the rain was coming down so heavily that I was reluctant to even get out of bed, a cosy duvet is my best friend!   There’s a race weekend to be had though so I clambered out and got straight into my riding kit, had breakfast, grabbed the bike and then rode along the track to meet up with my mates.  The plan was to get the early uplift and be the first lot down the track. That first run down the course was immense and I was blown away by how well my FTW bike was eating up the rugged terrain, I was progressively gaining more confidence as the day went on and was in love with the track, it was running totally fluidly.

Jamie:

I was raring to go and start practising regardless to the rain.  I took my first run cautiously and cruised down hitting all my lines. The track was challenging and I had to stay 100% focused as it was easy to be caught out.  My second and third runs were much better where it felt like I was riding at a good pace and hitting my lines square on, perfect.  After my last run I was feeling happy and confident with my riding.

Race day

Jamie:

I got up and stuck on my kit for a practise run before the racing got under way, the track had changed a lot with more exposed roots to take into account.  It was just after the first greasy section where I was kicked off my line and hit a tree with the side of my hand, the pain went straight though my palm.  I cruised back down to the pits and got some ice on it to make sure I could try and get a race run in.

Back up and on the start line waiting for the beep.  Off I went on my first run, it was feeling fast and I was nailing my lines.  This was until about half way down when my hand suddenly became very painful, it was hard to hold onto the bars and made me slow down a little.  By the time I was hitting the bottom section of the track I was two-finger braking which was really sketchy however I managed to get a full run in.  Crossed the line with a decent time of 3m 18s, which put me into 8th position in the Juniors.  Due to the pain in my hand I reluctantly pulled out of the second run in case of further injury.

Tom:

Like Jamie I decided to only do one practice run, saving myself for the races later in the day. I stayed fluid on the bike, the track was nice and sticky giving some good grip in the corners and the exposed roots were not as bad as I was expecting them to be.

My first race run went well; straight out of the gate and sprinting to the first right hander as fast as I could. It all went quickly without any mishap and I crossed the line in fourth place only to be knocked back into fifth by the next rider down and it was there that I remained.

My second run started almost as well, I pinned the technical section that everyone was struggling with and carried on down the track however mis-judged a corner and lost a load of time.  Got back on the bike and up to speed, the adrenaline had kicked in and I was trying too hard resulting in a second mishap on the lower steep corners resulting in a much slower time to my first run and I dropped down to the 13th place in the Youths.

Despite the outcome of this weekend it was a great experience of getting the new FTW bike up to race pace, all in it was good weekend and has set me in good stead for the BDS at Ae Forest.

Jamie:

Overall it was a 50/50 weekend for me, I was happy about coming 8th in a strong field of juniors but the ‘what could have been’ nagged somewhat.  There are however many positives to take away from this race and I am determined to get to the next race and push harder.

We would both like to thank Lee Walker at The Development Racing and Stewart Wood at We Love Mountains Ltd, and not forgetting the legend that is Frank The Welder, for all of their help in the off-season with getting our FTW bikes put together.

Onto the next race!

You can follow The Development's shenanigans on their Facebook here; The Development Racing Team

Here's Mud in Your Eye, the Inter-Area Cyclocross Championship, Hardwick Hall, 9th November 2014

As I've mentioned before, my dad likes to be the first one at the venue, last weekend was no different, in fact it was even earlier as the weekend’s racing was extra special. It was the Inter-Regional Championships where dad and I were both part of the team representing the North-East, and as you can probably imagine, our nerves were kicking in a little more than normal.

I woke at 6:00am, had a quick shower, threw on my clothes and climbed into the van, all within 20 minutes I think, go me! Needless to say as soon as we were on the road I went back to the land of nod and the three-hour drive for my dad was over in an instant!

So there I was at the venue with ruffled hair and sleepy eyes peering out of the window to see nothing but mud. All part and parcel of racing cyclocross I agree, but little did we know how much of a problem it was going to become! Anyway we hopped out the van, had a chat with fellow team-mates and a stroll around the venue. Regardless to the gloop it was a lovely place.

It wasn’t long before we noticed people practicing the course with overly clogged up bikes and, uh-oh, the alarm bells in my head started ringing! The track walk called for wellies and just walking around the course was a struggle, never mind riding it! People couldn't ride two laps without a bike change or a mechanical and I was doing 40 minutes worth of laps. I knew it was going to be a big issue especially as I didn't have a spare bike! My heart dropped. Oh what to do, what to do?

A little while later I was very kindly offered a spare bike. Although it was too small I was incredibly grateful for the fact I even had a bike to change to. A lot of riders didn't even do a practice lap because it simply wasn't worth getting caked in mud before the actual race. So, after some hectic plan making and organisation of the pit-plans, I headed for the starting line.

Then the start gun went off! The first corner was super tricky, just who am I kidding, the whole course was super tricky! Just unrelenting sticky mud, although with that said I managed to do quite well and was overtaking quite a few people.  For the time being I was in a good place considering who I was riding with, super female athletes!

It didn’t last though, as expected my bike soon got clogged up with mud so I changed at the pits the first time I passed it. I quickly regretted it as I didn't realise how small the loaned bike actually was, it was incredibly uncomfortable!  However I’m made from pure Northern grit so… you know the score, I knuckled down, grinned and bared it as best as I knew how.

Soon enough the loaned bike became ridiculously stuffed with mud and leaves, I couldn't even turn the pedals and the accumulated mud weighed a tonne. This left me with no other choice but to get off and carry it until I got back to the pits.

 

On arriving at the pits I was so far behind and wanted to give up however the reassuring words from my close friend Rhianna whilst she handed me my cleaned bike made me carry on. I got back on my own bike and set off with the aim to catch up to the group. No sooner was I making up time and getting back into the swing of things the worst of worst things happened, my rear mech snapped! 

Though my patience had thinned and my tears were almost showing I hopped off the bike, threw it over my shoulder and continued to run, walk, crawl and swear. The further I got the further my head went dropped, I knew my competitors were finishing while I was still out there, feeling both embarrassed and defeated as I was one of the last people on the course.

As I was coming up the long straight I saw my dad approach me and seeing him almost made me start to cry because I was so frustrated. He realised what had happened, gave me some motivational advice and then sent me on my way, not long afterwards I crossed the finish line with mixed feelings. Although it was a disappointing day I was also proud that I completed the race, I’d overcome some demons and persevered. Dad was at the finish line waiting to retrieve my bike. With arms open wide he gave me the world’s biggest hug and told me he was proud, that was all I needed.

So, never a failure, always a lesson, and it's all experience at the end of the day!

I'm now looking forward to this weekend at Durham with the CXNE event on Saturday and the National Trophy on Sunday! More nerve wrecking and exciting times ahead, wish me luck!

Megs

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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

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Photo copyright of Dave Hopper

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Debut: Cyclocross.... Megan takes on the CXNE opener at Hetton Park....

Photo copyright of CWhat Photography

It was a little while ago when I introduced the team’s new kick ass cyclocross and criterium racer to you all, Megan Hopper.  Last weekend she debuted for the team on the CXNE’s Hetton Lyon Park cyclocross event, sadly the Frank The Welder frame had not arrived in time, and on the eve of the second round we’re still waiting for it, yes, I’m looking at you Parcel Force!  But anyway, let’s cut to the chase, here’s Megan with her run down of the day……

I wasn’t nervous that morning, I didn’t know who or what I was up against and my off-season training had gone really well, fitted it all in perfectly with my recent exams and work so I was feeling fresh and raring to go.  We arrived at the venue noting there were more female entrants to the previous season, this is good because it meant I had more competition but bad for the very same reason and this is when my pre-race nerves kicked in!

Photo copyright of Ed Rollason

With no time to waste I jumped on my bike and rode a few practice laps of the course, I was feeling pretty good.  It had a few hill climbs, tight right corners and some tough terrain but of course these are the markings of a well thought out cyclocross course.

Photo copyright of Vicky Hopper

My expectations for the race were to just do what I could and stick with who ever I could as this was the first race of the season and I didn't know where I stood in my category.

The race kicked off, my adrenaline kicked in and I aimed to sprint forward until I was the first woman. With hindsight this was a bad idea, as I soon needed to even out my pace.  It wasn’t long before I caught up with another woman rider though and I stuck with her until the second lap where a second woman joined the ranks.  As I tried to make my move past her I skidded off around a corner and came off the bike, damn!  Back on it within a flash though however I reckon some mud had found its way into my bike’s cassette as the gears were really messing up and making it harder for me to pedal smoothly thankfully they soon corrected themselves and so the race went on!

Photo copyright of Vicky Hopper

I stuck with the two other ladies through to the end of the race where I came third. I was really, really happy with my result because the woman who came second, Michelle Caisley, is a rider who I was nowhere near to last year and there was never a race where I was able to keep up with her. This was reassuring that my training had gone well and that I was improving.

Photo copyright of Vicky Hopper

Everyone that is part of CXNE, all members and spectators, are really supportive no matter what the result, you really do feel like you are part of something.  Because of this my motivation is to train even more over the coming week so I am prepared for the next race.

Photo copyright of Dean Reeve

I'm really excited for what is to come and hopefully I will creep up to first place woman as well as first place junior.

See you all in mud!

Megan

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