Categories
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Races 2009
Hit the North 1.5 - 27th/82 (SS) Enduro 6 - 82nd/135 (G)
Brownbacks Race 1 - 11th/33 (G)
Dyfi Enduro - ?
Brownbacks Race 4 - 17th/35 (1st SS cat.)
SSUK 09 - Joint 4th : )
Mountain Mayhem - 67th/229 (team) (SS)
Singletrack Weekender - 25th/105 (SS)
Sleepless in the Saddle - 19th/122 (team) (G)
Kielder 100 - 51st/200 (SS)
3 Peaks Cyclocross - 250th/450
Brownbacks Race 3 - 10th/52 (SS) Tweet!
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March 4, 2009 – 11:46 pm
Lots of entry forms been filled in at the moment…
“Thank you for entering the 2009 Original Source Mountain Mayhem.
This is to confirm registration of your team in the SPORT MEN Category.
Further event information will be sent to team captains nearer the event date.
See you there!!
Patrick, Jill and the Mayhem Team”
Received confirmation for our team entry toMountain Mayhem* today (hand delivered the entry form to Patrick’s house last year - but a first class stamp did the job this time - much easier!).
Also signed up for the Howies Dyfi Enduro , and Enduro 6 which is looming.
An entry form for the new Brownbacks Race series at Rossendale Quarry is mooching around the house too.
And an entire year after it was booked I’m doing the Athertons Training Day this weekend - need to root out the body amour and the flat pedals !
Tonights ride was cold, snowy and my legs felt heavy - good fun though!
*Quick note
The Mountain Mayhem website is really poorly designed - images used for the main navigation, tables used for layout, font tags all over the place, all very 1999 - hope it didn’t cost too much. The Pro-velo site is pretty poor in terms of design too.
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Hit The North 1.5 - race report
February 8, 2009 – 7:55 pm
Go!
In short Hit the North was a lot of fun the course was excellent (much improved over the original HTN course in my opinion). I was really glad I chose to ride the singlespeed (and scwhable mud shark 1.5 tyres), the 32:18 ratio proving to suit the climbs and the flat bits weren’t as long as I was expecting. Conditions were great, crisp and icy to start, progressing to mud in the later laps but not the claggy stuff.
I also had a bacon butty and brew in my muddy mitts within 2 mins of crossing the finish line - great way to spend a Saturday morning!
According to the results I finished 27th so quite happy with that considering my recent lack of mileage.
No. 4
No. 4 - catching flies!
Hit the North 1.5
February 6, 2009 – 9:29 pm
First race if the year tomorrow - Hit the North 1.5
I say race it, I imagine it will be more of a pottle in my case.
Excuses I have so far are:-
- Had a virus thing last week and not been on a bike for two weeks.
- Doing it on a singlespeed with a 32:18 ratio which I think will much too spinney for the course.
- There will be much ice and slippage.
Should be fun though!
Better…
January 24, 2009 – 10:34 pm
Total opposite of my last ride - out on the SS again for just over 2.5hours and felt really good.
I did a loop from Whalley Bridge to Buxton via Derbyshire Bridge, which I’ve not done singlespeed before. I thought there would be a few pushes as there are a couple of steep sections - but completed the entire ride dab free. And zipped past all the other geared riders I saw on route. Was good to do a less familiar route too.
Tonight’s ride
January 22, 2009 – 10:34 pm
Tonights ride (SS) was pretty uneventful. I felt slow both up and down and I was all a bit rubbish really. I lay the blame firmly at been up at 5am this morning as I had to visit the hamlet of London.
Gale!
January 18, 2009 – 1:55 pm
Picked up the singlespeed from Eighteen bikes on Saturday and headed out for a short ride around 5pm, it HAD been a clear, sunny winters day.
Five minutes into the ride it started to rain, an hour later we were in a full blown gale - although short it was the most difficult riding conditions, I’ve ridden in for a while (perhaps ever). I was riding for just over an hour.
Meanwhile Shaggy (singlespeed!) and Twinkly Dave were deciding the winner of the solo category of the Straffpufer race around 170+ miles in 24 hours, in those conditions - they think they had it bad - sheesh!
More Thoughts on the ‘Hardcore hardtail’*
January 13, 2009 – 10:28 pm
Another short ride late afternoon/early evening (can’t seem to get out until dusk recently) on the Gary Fisher Ged.
Not so sure about yesterdays (totally unscientific) theory of riding a heavier biker will make you faster when out on the race/light bike. As I felt reasonably OK at the top of a climb which I usually finish gasping for breath on the lighter bike (Voodoo Bokor (and SS but that is to be expected)).
I believe this is because the lighter bike encourages you to go faster whilst climbing, a terminal velocity is reached on the heavier bike you can put in the extra effort but not a lot happens so the plod continues. Although my thighs felt slightly tight after yesterdays ride, which is quite unusual for me (this could be down to the differing pedal position of each bikes though?).
One of the most technical descents in my local loop area (descent into to Little Mill Inn/Rowath from barking dog farm) usually requires a wise line choice - on the Ged though I can (more a less) just blatt down any line that looks half decent. I was again surpised just how much quicker the bike is downhill (rocky, boulder ridden downhill - i think the difference would be far less in sweepy/trail center-ish stuff).
*don’t like the term ‘hardcore hardtail’ - can the mtb press create a new marketing term please.
Hello Ged - how you been?
January 10, 2009 – 7:26 pm
After a slow run this morning (Significant Other slowing things down).
Decided at 3pm to get out for a quick ride, as the SS is still awaiting the brake lever to be returned from Magura (its leaking - 18 Bikes have kindly sent it over to them for the repair job). The Voodoo has loose cones on the rear wheel (will hopefully have chance to fix tomorrow, it also has a worn chain and cassette (i.e. skips the new chain) so have refitted the old worn chain and plan on riding it all to death before I replace).
So, only one bike left.
I can’t remember exactly the last time I rode the Gary Fisher GED but I have a feeling it was pre-Transwales (5 months +). The reason for not riding it for such a long time (apart from it been rather lardy) was that something was kaput in the drivetrain, I had no recollection exactly what or the symptoms though. So, dusted it off fitted some peadals and commenced the obligatory ride around the block - all seemed fine. New XT Shadow mech, mmm… I’d forgotten I’d fitted that. New chain, new cassette, new middle ring I’d forgotten about them….. Had I the problem already been fixed? And am suffering from amnesia?!
So met up with S (who was able to ride at super short notice) and set off on a ‘local loop’ (Brookbottom > Strines > Roman Lakes > Mellor). Apart from not setting the H and L screws on the rear mech previously and the BB been a little sticky all seemed to be fine?! As it was still super icy and the ground still pretty much solid (ace!). I’m reserving final judgment until I encounter a bit of mud on whether it is really fixed.
The bike felt fast and super confidence inspiring (pointing down), and I have the overly optimistic view the extra weight may help with the old training.
What I learnt today:-
- I may have mild amnesia
- I’m still loving this weather!
- Hope lights are not infallible (S’s light refused to switch on).
Alpkit Gamma Headtorch review
January 8, 2009 – 10:30 pm
Back sooner than I thought!
Nice snowy run last night which gave me the excuse to try out a my new head torch from Alpkit.
The Gamma was a bit of an impulse buy - persuaded by some good reviews and very reasonable price of £12.50 (with batteries included!). The main beam is slightly brighter than the default beam on my Petzl Tikka XP headtorch (which cost around £20 more) but the Gamma doesn’t have the wide angle lens and the resulting spread of light which I find helpful (but not really essential) for running offroad.
The separate battery pack on the Gamma which is fitted to the rear if the headstrap (back of the head) makes the it much more comfortable to wear while running compared to the Tikka XP as the weight is equally distributed and negates the wobble/bashed on the forehead effect.
The Gamma has a strap that runs across the top of the head which holds the lamp securely and I think must contribute to the lack of been bashed on the fod. The battery pack also has a handy red LED light so motorists can see you trudging (or riding) along those roads, which I thought was a nice touch (Although it doesn’t have the battery indiactor of the Tikka which is useful when you remember to check - pitch black run home anyone?).
Overall I prefer the Alpkit Gamma over the Tikka XP* and it costs around 1/3 of the price!
Bigup to the Alpkit massive!
*to be fair I think the Tikka design is now a few years old and the LED light power seems to have gone all Moore’s Law