Dirty Reiver 130k

A largely positive spin on a day in Kielder Forest, yes indeed sports fans a positive report from an event.

Verity and I travelled up the night before, we had discussed camping but on waking Saturday morning we were very glad that we had stayed in a hotel as it was -1 and I had to defrost the van. The drive to the start was an easy hour from the hotel and everything was fine until in the traffic waiting to get on site. Small issue really and easily mitigated by me walking up the hill to sign on while Verity parked the van.

Having tested the bike well on Thursday and given my luck with valves etc. in the lead in I did nothing to the bike beyond check the wheels were on tight and that my packs were secure.

Waiting around I was cold, this impacted wardrobe and that meant the warm up tights stayed on, I also put on waterproof jacket. I was wearing a base layer, arm warmers and a Gabba so really didn’t want to put on another jersey or a bigger jacket as with the effort planned I knew I would get warmer. Wearing the heavier winter gloves though was a necessity as was the buff, yes I was that cold!

I rolled out about 0830 and yes I am going to moan, the start was crap, no point in a neutralized start that just rolls us around a bit until we come to a huge bottle neck. Either a longer first section on open roads or better start control is needed. It just made my first 45 mins a little cold and a little frustrating as I struggled to get past people.

At 50 mins I stopped to remove the top layer, buff and gloves( I had a thinner pair) I then spent the next 30 mins moaning about being cold, some people are never happy.

Onto the positive stuff, by an hour in the legs felt good, my early concerns about my stomach had abated and the trails were as advertised. It was really GOOD gravel and I was making progress. Hr remained mostly in Z2/3 and I was riding about 20 watts above my target with no drama.

My 2nd niggle, if there is no timing mat to cross and we do not need to go to a feed station then just give us an arrow to carry on. Riding 200 metres to a dead stop was just a pain, not fatal for sure but not needed. That said intermediate splits would have been nice.

I’m not one for views I admit but the gravel was fab and the climbs at points gave some spectacular views into the distance. It was great to catch up with Rapid Rich, Zoe, David and the chap from Solway Pirates who I used to race at Wessex Cross. I was making progress ahead of my plan and was going to be way inside my 6hour target.

I had agreed with Verity I would stop and call her when I reached the 2nd services. I duly stopped to discover I had no phone signal so sent a whatsapp message which she got as we drove home :¬). I had a fig roll and topped up my empty water bottle at this station then reset my garmin. The maps had not worked but had managed to drain the old 1000 quicker than expected. 4.5 hrs in, no cramps or major fatigue issues to report I was just tired.

I am not sure if it was phycological but the realisation I had an hour to go and suddenly I was fatigued. I mean nothing cramped but I started to feel twinges in my triceps, sides, hip flexors, calf and hamstring and my climbing did slow however my head was in a good place and although slower than expected I was still riding at the power I had actually planned to ride at the start of the day. There was 1000ft of climbing in the last hour and I felt them all, fortunately I like climbs and the descents were brilliant. Again the quality of the gravel was a factor for making this enjoyable. After 50 mins my garmin was at 1% so I saved it and did the last section on my watch.

The last section, all 7 mins and 24 seconds was basically around the back of where we were parked and then up the hill to the castle, at this point I was in full get home mode and this was when Verity realised once more she would miss me finishing an event. She told me later that you could see how tired people were as they rode past and then there was how I rode past.

All in all I was away for about 5.5hrs including the death roll out from the castle, my ride time from the first timing mat was 5hrs 15 mins, any way I wrap it I was back early. Power numbers were 25 watts above planned for 4.5hrs and even the last hour where they dropped I was still riding the power I had planned to pre event. I had climbed 6500ft and had no show stopper cramps at all. I may have slightly under fuelled which is something I will adjust for the Gralloch. I rode further than I did in Salisbury at a higher effort and felt much better for it as well.

Sitting with Verity at the castle eating I was aware I was tired but also aware of how positively I was talking. I can see why people flock to do the Dirty Reiver, it is on a par with the trails around Dumfries where the Gralloch is held, the climbing is excellent, it was well organised except the start and everyone was very nice. If I don’t do this event again it is my choice and means my focus has changed again. It feels good to leave Kielder with a more positive view than I did the last time I was there.

I have to thank Verity for all her support with food, jackets and crucially driving me home. I’m hard work and you were brilliant :¬)

Sunday I stayed off the bike but did go to Karate and do some yoga, today I have run and will be on the bike shortly.

It’s not all doom and gloom, stay safe :¬)

Mark aka. Gobi aka. Lord Orange

I’d like to be more positive

sadly I’m not really.

However I did have a great weekend down in Marlborough for the Salisbury Gravel event. I use the word great but challenging may be better. Got done on my booking.com booking with no contact from the agent and then had to get a hotel. I don’t even want to try to explain this but I seem to have lost my money. We got a hotel and met up with Matt L and Kathy for coffee where once more we fixed the world. Nah we just talked rubbish for an hour.

Verity and I had a good few hours on the bike going to visit the Avebury Stones. This was fun some of which was caused by my navigation and I had no gears due to failure to install the battery – OOPS. We got on the ridgeway and just had a few relaxing hours together on the bikes.

I did the gravel event down at Salisbury the following day but sadly my friend Matt F put his back out so I was riding alone. Not an issue really as I wasn’t racing and this allowed me just to ride to my own power plan and be social where it suited me. Stopped early to help someone out who had tyre issues and then caught up with Christina and David who were having a chilled day out. It was nice to chat for a few minutes before pushing on. Rode with Joe whose bike I am taking to Portugal, it was nice to meet him and ride together. Sadly at 25 miles it became apparent I had a rear flat so I pulled over. Looking at the wheel it looks like one of the dings in the rim has become too weak to support tubeless so I had no choice but to put a tube in. Although not hard to do it was time consuming as The Rene Hersh tyres don’t come off and go on too easy. I was also left with a storage challenge as I had a tyre liner in. Solutions found and I rode on. Confidence improved as it became apparent the tyre with tube was working fine. I didn’t enjoy the 2nd half of the course as much due to the amount of fields ridden. Being on Salisbury Plains I really expected to be on more of the hard pack so coming to the last feed station(Always planned to stop here) I was not very happy at having 12 miles to go. Fortunately a call to the boss and much more solid ground made the run in quite fast. All in all a good day on the bike with me getting the efforts I wanted but it has made me realise I still don’t train enough to do these events properly. The Gralloch will once more be a very hard day out on the bike and I fear probably my last proper effort at these longer events.

It’s Dirty Reiver is this week, this is my final long prep ride for the Gralloch. I’m “only” doing the 130k(81 miles to us normal people). Sadly mentally I am struggling with bothering to go. Having realised that once more I feel under prepared for the Gralloch I have accepted it is time to stop trying to be something I am not. I really don’t enjoying slogging for hours on the bike in crap weather. Really I only like like long rides when in the sun in the Alps. I like hard charging racing and training sessions of a few hours so this is the beginning of the end for me as a longer distance gravel racer.

A little bit of history and some facts, when I was younger I rarely did anything that lasted longer than 90 mins. Used to joke that my tolerance for all activities is about the length of a football match. Looking back over the years you can see it reflected in my training. I may train for 4 hours a day but often its 2 x 90 and a single hour. When I was a ultra distance runner I improved and got better with going for 2 to 3hrs but often raced so I would do the sessions over 2hrs.

Oh I did a Crank It MTB event and volunteered. No major offs but even though I felt like I was pushing hard I just languished down in the middle of the field. I rode ok but the result was pretty demoralising. That said I entered the National at Cannock as it is based 4 miles from my house. Sadly god intervened with bad weather and it was cancelled.

So I have been putting this off but time to talk Karate. It’s starting to feel like a member of the family who you don’t always get on with. I love Karate and don’t want my family to stop which means I am still training. However, there are problems, no doubt I am part of the problem and have made some poor choices but I have also had a number of challenges thrown my way which have made me question my involvement as a Sempai and as a student. It is possible I do not have the right temperament to do Karate as my continuing challenges with subjective analysis and results is still causing problems. Right now I am not enjoying myself and when it’s not fun I always tell people I coach that we’re not professionals so why do something you do not enjoy? There in lies the family member conundrum, I don’t always like the family member but when we get on it’s brilliant. I am a searcher and believe I will find a way through this that allows me to continue but it will be different. Things have changed.

It’s not all doom and gloom in here, SUMMER is coming…….. MAYBE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2024 is the year that keeps on giving

Sadly it’s been anything but good.

I’ve followed up the chest infection with a couple of cracked ribs and a cold. Add to that bad news in the family, challenges at karate and all in all 2024 can do one.

That said, I did promise an update, so here we are in mid-March, and this is what things look like.

No running goals, being ill or injured, I didn’t rejoin my club or Welsh Masters. Run less than 100 miles and all with my dog.

The bike is where it is for me, at least until mid-May.

Mainly, this will be gravel with focus on the UCI Gralloch event May 18th. To support this, I’ve entered 2 gravel sportives.  One in Salisbury with Glorious Gravel and the 130k version of Dirty Reiver in Keilder.

Backing this up has been a return to Zwift racing and getting those long rides in. Doing 2/3hrs on zwift and a mix of races has helped get my head back in the game.

Add to that MTB racing. It’s up in the air to be honest. I am racing on Sunday at a Crank it event and will make a call on more races after that.

I probably need to talk about karate, even just to say we have a lovely full-time  dojo but I’m not ready for this right now.  I need to get my head around running. I could talk about selling my house as I’m sick of the rental market. Life is challenging and right now I’m not in the mood and as I’ve said before.

Who really cares what a nobody 54 year old is up to?

This was supposed to be

the blog that wrapped up the Cyclo-cross season with stories of great results at Nationals instead it’s going to be a rapid update of racing while ill, thinking I was better and how it all ended with a trip to Scotland to watch the racing.

We started with a trip to NWCCA for Betley Court and not being called to grid but managing to ride from the back row to 10th. Sadly this is the highlight of the blog and I am so disappointed with it that I don’t want to dwell on it beyond saying I won’t be signing up for this league next year for personal reasons.

The day after I thought I had a bit of a head cold but to be honest I trained pretty well all week until the Friday so made the big call to have a total rest day from training, it was the Christmas period after all. Having trained easy I travelled to Coventry for Boxing day cross, 45 seconds was all it took to tell me I was not well enough to race and I rolled round when I should have got off and got warm.

Knowing I was racing again on the 30th and with the cold dragging I backed the training right down. This is relative when you are me.

So, Nick and I travelled to Peel Park(turned out I had DNF’d a Nationals there a few years ago) and with the best part of 100 riders I lined up at the back of the grid. Although not 100% I raced well compared to boxing day, HOWEVER after cleaning the bikes it was obvious I was very cold and quite properly ill. BOLLOX I had really cocked things up.

The next day I took a Covid test , negative but I was done. Spent the next 4 days mainly in bed before getting up to go see the doctor and discover I had a chest infection that needed antibiotics. Avoiding the Hat-trick of stupid I didn’t ride BMCR nationals still in the hope of recovery and BC Nationals in Falkirk.

I managed some light training so thought I may be ok as I was no longer coughing. I travelled to Scotland with a view to making the final call at pre-ride. All hail common sense as 2 slow laps were all it needed to convince me it wasn’t my year. I actually returned my number there and then. By the time racing started I was coughing again.

It’s Jan 18th now, I am back on antibiotics and have been referred for a chest x-ray. 2024 can already do one !!! Over the years I have got better at listening to my body but it is safe to say I got it wrong for those last 2 weeks of 2023. What I’m saying is be careful, it is hard to back off sometimes but the reality I have learned is nothing is worth this. I’m an amateur and pretty average at CX so it really isn’t worth the impact it is having on the rest of my life.

Once I recover I will try to write the 2024 targets blog but until I can actually train there seems very little point.

I should say in closing even with the last month going to utter rat shit this has been my best Cyclo-cross season for about a decade so there are lots of positives to take from it and I assuming I recover from whatever this is I am already excited about CX.

The next Cross Update

I’ve just arrived at my season break point. When I say arrived the simple fact was due to a Christmas party and no local races due to it being a National trophy weekend I was presented with an opportunity to get the bikes serviced and just spend some time just training. There is lots to talk about and I shall try to piece it all together through this blog.

This blog will cover Novembers races ending at the West Midlands Champs which were early December but whose really minds that ?

First up was another trip to the NWCCA for round 5 , due to my inability to do the early rounds and their approach to gridding I was on the 2nd back row however I made a remarkably good start and managed to ride/run myself up to 11th. I had as I do made some early calls on where I would run and making a choice rather than dismounting when it goes to shit seems to work well for me. As the mud built I made the call to change bikes. With no pit crew this is never smooth but I do my best and was rapidly heading through the mud. I made the call ahead to 2 riders I was lapping and 1 didn’t move got it wrong and took me out. Once moving again I went to push hard and my chain snapped. It was a long run back to the pit to collect the dirty and very used Northroad. Issues changing gear due to mud had me distracted and I crashed heavily. I brought it home in 16th with a real feeling of what might have been.

Anyone seen my chain?

Thanks to Ian at Northroad the Specialized Crux was fixed and the Gobi was given a sprucing as well.

Next day I travelled with Nick Popham to West Midlands league round 8. Another muddy day out where decisions on running Verses riding were needed as were off camber skills. I had brought both. I like West Midlands as they grid on average finishing position and even though I had a really bad start to the year I found myself on the 3rd row. Of course I moved smoothly backwards off the start but I was soon into my routine and making progress. However, as seems to be my way something goes wrong. On one of the harder ground sections I thought I may have a puncture but as I paddled in the mud it made no difference. I then hit the path and yeap the front was pancake flat. Fortunately this wasn’t a long section and once back in the mud the bike was very rideable. I made the pits, pulled my bike off the rack then set off, it was time to see if the repaired chain was up to the job. Turned out it was as were my legs as I ran an rode myself to 5th place. Finally some reward for my fitness even in the face of a little adversity.

Told tyres work better with air in them

Confidence was high as I headed to Torbay for another round of the National trophy and thanks to reasons unknown to me the grid was small and I found myself on the 3rd row. The goal at all National Trophys is to finish above my gridding so instantly I had put myself under pressure as this meant I needed to beat my best ever finish. The unpredictable element is local riders who don’t travel. Onto the race…… I started no worse or better than normal and selected smart enough lines before the first run. The pre-ride had told me I should wear trainers 🙂 Have to thank the lads from Rotor who pitted and cheered me on. Even with all my running the bikes were struggling. I was racing 2 guys and every run section I either caught them or got a gap but sadly I wasn’t riding well and after the last bike change I never got back. I finished 15th, ranking points were mine, I was above my gridding. I should have been over the moon but although happy I was disappointed as I just never seemed to get going. Everything is geared towards the National Champs in Falkirk so to come away for the weekend and actually get points was a real bonus.

All pictures need a portaloo

With the Sunday the 19th being my wedding anniversary I was not racing but chatting to Nick we decided to make a trip to the Notts and Derby League on the Saturday. a 3rd league and a 3rd approach to gridding. They respect national ranking here so Nick was number 1, I am outside the national top 50 so was on the back row. We did laugh. Conditions were so bad we didn’t do a pre-ride but instead warmed up on the road. I don’t think it had any impact on my day as a shocking start even for me followed by total carnage of V40s and 50s ahead meant I had plenty of time to look at the course. The course was muddy with a very hard climb, I rode the climb lap 1 but ran it the other 4 time, I was faster running. There were 2 mandatory dismount points, 1 made sense the other didn’t. You just went with it. Ironically unlike trophy the previous weekend I had some bike skills, picking good lines in the mud and making progress everywhere. Come the 3nd lap I had top 10 pace and rode my was to 18th overall and 11th V50. More points which made the trip worthwhile. 

Front and back , lol

Over the last few weeks travelling with Nick to races we have chatted quite a lot and I made the choice to move teams and join Nick at M.I.Racing Team Enable giving up the Orange for the green and a little blue of Team colours. The last round of the West Midlands League was to be my first race in Team Colours, of course I still own all the rights to my accessories. This means clashing with myself will be justifiable EVERY week.

On the front row in the team Jersey

So round 11 of the West Midlands League and I found myself on the front row, this had not happened since 2014 which research tells me is the last time I was actually competitive if we are being honest. A good pre-ride told me I could ride all of this course except for the big barriers. There were no hills which meant just lots of head down and ploughing through the mud. This hadn’t gone well for me in Torbay but that was a few weeks ago. To the race and you guessed it I went backwards off the start AGAIN ! However, the joy of row 1 meant I didn’t drop far and by the end of the lap I was up 6th. Now if the race had finished there and then I’d have been happy to debut the kit with a 6th but not today. I was soon in 5th and could see the podium group ahead of me, only the leader had got away. Turns out Nick had overdressed and overheated and soon I was with him. For half a lap he pushed me before I moved away now in 4th. Each time over the start section I could see I was catching 3rd and with just under 2 laps to go I made contact and then the huge call to change bike. Again I had no pit crew so knew I was losing time but it was smooth and after a couple of turns I was back on his wheel just in time for the long soggy mud drag past the start. I kicked hard and flew, got a good gap and then I focussed on smooth lines and staying ahead. In the end 2nd was only 16seconds in front but I never saw him and had no idea if I could have found anymore. I was on the podium(if there was one) for the first time in a decade. AWESOME!!!

Welcome to M.I. Racing Team Enable

So December the 3rd and there I was at the Regional Championships, my target was top 10 but having hit the podium last weekend I was if honest hoping for something a little better. Pre- ride again showed it was a mud bath but not for the first time it was a largely rideable mud bath but with a number of banking that would require running up. No complaining from me then :¬) I wasn’t sure how gridding would work but I did get the call and find myself for the 2nd week in a row on the front of the grid. I had dressed for the weather but I think took my layers off too early as I was cold and thats never great for me. Poor start, obviously and then not helped by a few over enthusiastic starters. It was a strange day, certain parts of the course I felt good and was strong but there were also sections I just couldn’t get the right lines. On one of the descents I realised my front brakes were not really working and this brought challenges and the reality of needing a bike change. I did have a little support thanks to Nick’s friend Corrina and got a bike change. You realise it is not your day when the change bike refuses to hold certain gears and obviously they are gears you need. I just got my head down and ploughed the mud. It was weird as due to the start I had no idea where I was in the field but on the last lap I passed 2 people, felt for Andy as he punctured but was very pleased with my race craft to get the final position. Turned out I was 4th and 7 seconds from the podium. It was beyond my dreams a few weeks ago but I was disappointed to miss out on the podium.

Why slow down ?

That’s the race update done for now, lets push on to BMCR and then BC Nationals in the new year.

Quack

Have fun

Gobi

Cross is well and truly here

I’ve waited until now to do my first proper CX blog of the year as I wanted to get a good selection of races under my belt and Saturday was the first of a handful of National Trophy races I plan to do before the Nationals which are in FALKIRK of all places.

It wasn’t the best start to my season with an array of Mechanicals and a body failure in my first 2 races which saw me struggle to get inside the top 30. It is early season and I am at the back of the grid but safe to say this was not the start I was looking for. I remember sitting at home after more bike issues and my calf going pop at the CCXL race thinking I may as well stop now! However I had entered the WMCCL race the next day and thought OH WELL I may as well do one more race.

Well, thank goodness I did as the next day was at a course I had good memories of and my distressing 29th at my first race had got me a 4th row start, obviously it is me so I went backwards from there but only briefly and for the first time in a while everything just clicked with me moving through the field to finish 7th, analysis of the results say that if I learn to start I can maybe move up a position or 2 or at least race for it rather than chase it.

Although I raced a CCXL it is not a league I am signed up for, I am signed up to WMCCL and NWCCA, the hope of regular racing and better gridding being my driver. Sadly I missed the first two rounds of NWCCA and found myself at the Macclesfield Supacross un-gridded AGAIN. I love this course, It is just hard with steep bankings, descents and off-camber meaning mistakes happen and over taking chances are good. I started solidly and rode well up until I made one mistake where the impact with the ground got so much mud in my lever I couldn’t change gear. Sadly my spare bike broke on warm up(fixed now) so I rode the last 2 laps in one gear which could have been worse. I finished 14th, lost places in the real world but looking at how I had been going I probably missed out on a top 10. I came away pleased with my overall effort and to be honest thought my skills were solid. Importantly it convinced me my 7th at WMCCL wasn’t a fluke. Importantly I had more ranking points.

Next up was a return to WMCCL where they grid on average finishing position so now I was on the 3rd row, of course I started like a donkey but I rode well making my way solidly through the field, again this course had some sharp banking and descents which worked well for me but also a number of sections where simple power was an effect tool. I made one mistake which stopped me making it to the 3 lads racing for 5/6/7th place and came home in a strong 8th place. It has been a while since I put together a little consistency but it is coming.

Final race before Nationals was back in the NWCCA and I think I was on the 6th row. This was the first running race of the year and the lack of pit crew would be my undoing. I made a lot of positive decisions after my warm up and stuck to these through the race, as is my way I started poorly but made my way through the field. I had the spare bike so had to make the call on when my one change would be and chose to do it on the 2nd last lap. How my Northroad worked for 3.5 laps is beyond me but it did. In the end I changed when it really didnt want to change gear anymore. I just missed out on the top 10 with an 11th place finish and went home content but with a feeling of what might have been.

4 races and a worst finish of 14 was a good way to arrive at my first National Trophy of the year :¬)

So the preride didn’t go well, lots of the course was sticky mud which I couldnt ride and I couldn’t get over the bridge. Fortunately I met Harvey who offered to pit for me so some good news.

Sadly the final race in the block did not help my gridding and so I found myself on the 2nd back row.(row 8 I think) Off we go and well I started about as well as you expect, a long run to the first bottle neck and I came to an abrupt halt at the puddle. Traffic was a problem and so running was the norm. That said I had made fast progress and cleared the bridge no problem. Stayed on(or carried) the Northroad for over 2 laps before finally taking a change. Harvey did more than just swap my bikes as half a lap later my A bike was ready again. I decided to grab it on the last lap and as I mounted popped the seat. I adapted but it wasn’t ideal. Too late now, I was still catching people. No crashes and 28th overall had me very pleased.

So 7 races into my season and my worst finish in Any cx race is 29th . Not only that but 28th is my best ever finish in a national cx.

Double race weekend coming up and then another Trophy.

Fun times ahead

Gobi !

Kings Cup Gravel

First things first, I was as has been the norm for gravel events under trained. I have just failed time and time again to do the longer weekend rides. To be clear I am not saying I was out of shape, I am just saying I was not in 2 to 3hrs of hard charging shape.

Why does this matter? It doesn’t really but during a crazy period I had decided that as I wouldn’t win the Masters I may as well enter the OPEN event and have a go at avoiding being lapped by the pro riders. This made my race nearly 50 miles so most likely 2.5hrs of racing.

It was a glorious day and I was most amused as I put on Suntan lotion ahead of the lunchtime start. The pen was very wide looking ahead into a funnel that then funnelled more before disappearing into 1 of the 2 short single track sections. I was on the 2nd row of 2 with Ed Laverick in front of me and Connor Swift of Ineos stood calmly to my left.

We were off and it was fast and I moved smoothly towards the back all the way to the single track, welcome to cross as we stood there waiting to move. This was the only time it was a problem. Once riding the pace was high as was the power, every small group was chasing the next small group. The pace was unrelenting for the first 2 laps no matter where we were on the course.

What of the course? It was largely flat and smooth, there was one crap section of grass that was a little rooty and this seemed to get longer every lap :¬) There was a sand section with a left turn at the end which got more awkward every lap but really this was a loop for speed and power.

Back to the race, lap 3 felt like a lull but I think this was due to being in a big group and so not spending so much time on the front. The reality was the pace was still high enough that we were losing riders and gaining them. Heading out onto lap 4 it was clear to me that a few of the lads were stronger and looking to raise the game. 3 did get away and I was annoyed as position rather than effort had stopped me getting on.

However, lap 5 showed I was done as the dreaded cramps and spasms started to appear, these were not show stoppers but safe to say the last lap was all about body management.

In the end I rolled in 52, importantly on the lead lap and in my head happy I had done the open race just once. Next year if I do more gravel I will race the kids my own age.

Cooling down I caught up with Alex Dowsett who had been with the leaders until Connor Swift attacked them all very hard but sounds like he rather likes it so I am expecting I may see him at other events next year assuming I continue.

That evening Verity arrived and we stayed in a lovely apartment next to a river before heading back to the King Cup venue and riding the 40km social loop together. It was lovely for us to spend a few hours on the bike together with no stress on pace or effort.

There is a question around me continuing to do these events, I struggle to do the long rides, I am good for 1 to 2 hours but the reality is I need to put in 3, 4 or even 5 hour training rides to be strong enough to race for 2, 3, 4 or even 5 hours. That is not a decision that I need to take now, now is CX SEASON !

Cross is here

I know, how did that happen ?

So , there has been planning.

Entered 2 leagues

West Mids and North West

I also plan to do a few rounds of National league and Nationals which are in Falkirk. For anyone who doesn’t know, I went to High School in Falkirk. It is not a place I travel to on a regular basis.

There has been preparation.

Old Crux upgraded to 12 speed Sram Axs to match my Northroad.

New mud tyres, these spend a lot of time getting used so the same on both bikes.

Tyre prep, all wheels looked over, valves fixed, cassettes replaced.

Currently there are 4 wheels sat with their first coat of glue on them.

All this has been done before my first race which is in West Mids league this Sunday. Yes I will miss the first month of North West AGAIN but I am attending rounds 2 and 4 of West Mids so my cross season is at least starting in September like it should.

All of this however pales in comparison to what I am going to say next.

DRUM ROLL!!!

I have been out training on my cx bike more than once and over a week before my season starts. I really mean training, starts, mounts, dismounts, technical descending, jumping have all seen practice.

Every year I claim I shall do some specifics but fail.

Right now I am not sure who is more surprised, ME or YOU ??

Cross is here !!!

Just an update

My blogging struggles continue, with work not being great and me not racing much blogging about random stuff isn’t my style.

That said, I rode a good 10 on the North Road Ares which now has road bars on it. Had great plans to ride it more but a holiday and crap weather means I have another TT tomorrow and haven’t ridden the Ares at all in-between!!

As a family we went to Gran Canaria for a week, anyone who knows me will know what a big step this was. No car, no vast selection of bikes and spending time relaxing sitting on a beach, playing in the sea etc. You know a family holiday !

However, I am a lucky man so I had a bike with me and a time window for cycling every day. Even at 0540 it was 20 degrees C . Our hotel room had a good space with room for stretching and kata. The evenings were light and warm which made running relaxing.

This was not a training holiday, I had no goals here beyond ride and run a bit, it was about spending time with my family.

We went to the water park, we went in the sea, we ate ice cream… too much ice cream as I made myself ill 🙂 All in all we had a wonderful week just playing games and being a family. I learned a bit about myself and the positive statement is that I would do it again.

Looking ahead – I’d like to do a few more TTS before the season finishes and maybe a hill climb or two before nationals but my head needs to want it. The stunning statement is CROSS IS NEARLY HERE and through everything I want to be ready for that.

Hopefully some positive news will inspire me to get blogging more often and improve the quality of what I do write. For now , stay safe..

Galloway Forest Gravel Epic

Yes you read this correctly I was back in Scotland in the same forest I had been in for the Gralloch.

This time it was a Glorious Gravel Sportive and I had signed up for 77 miles. Yes a sportive it was NOT a race. That said I was here with a plan and wanted a hard effort.

Northroad CX bike with 35mm Pirelli Cinturato gravel M at 30psi. 1.5litres of lucozade. Front bag , waterproof, arm warmers and long fingered gloves, rear bag had the kitchen sink guide to spares. Our model is in a Gabba and Rivelo gravel bibs. Fuel carried was 12 gels, a bag of protein ball nibbles and an OTE bar.

My plan was to stop at the last aid station and restock my bottles everything else I carried for a 6 hour ride.

It was really nice to see Zoe and Dave just before the start(thanks for the picture), they had decided to drop down to the middle distance route and were riding around with a friend of theirs.

First and only drama was on the start line as without warning my powermeter was dead. Made the decision not to worry and just ride with HR/RPE as my guide.

Up the first climb I jumped in with these fine lads from Blaydon, my theory being it would stop me being a CX rider and cooking myself in the first hour. This went really well and 3 of us arrived at the top together. At the top I rode on with a chap called Keith and we stayed together all the way to the first feed station. As I had no plans to stop I rolled in turned and left, some time later Keith caught me and we rode a little longer together. On a longer climb we separated and I rolled on alone.

I am embedding pictures which I have purchased, these are to show you the views, look at the surface and also let me see where I rode. Even though I didn’t batter myself I generally look where I am going, a very useful skill on this surface. However, this is best supported by the fact I did ride a few sections which were in the Gralloch, I don’t know where but I did, I think at one point I remarked to Keith that I may have ridden “here” before but I wasn’t 100% sure.

My fuelling plan was working and on a road section I went straight past the 2nd aid station. The weather was holding up and I felt just fine, I had been trying to keep my HR below 150 on the climbs, chilling on the descents and riding Z2 on the flats.

There were road sections on the route, less than 20% and they were quiet, as a rule we were not on the main roads and any traffic I did see was well mannered. Somewhere out here around 4 hours I noticed some discomfort in the ball of my left foot, this happens sometimes and I don’t know why but it is a pain, manageable but a pain :¬)

I arrived at the 3rd aid station and as planned I stopped and put the bike down, removed a water bottle and added the Active root drink powder I had carried but also added high 5 electrolyte. Ate a Soren apple bar as well just because I like them !

I was on the home straight now and with about 10 miles to go I became aware that I was tired and the legs were starting to tighten, I was here to get the hours in so not being in perfect shape was fine. I ate the OTE bar and used some of the caffeine gels. My gel strategy had been 30 mins but from 4hrs 30 I brought it in to 20mins.

The last 5 miles were hard and progress was slow on all surfaces but I was still moving forwards. In the last 2 miles I started to feel the tightening in the back of my knees and the quads starting to cramp, this becomes an interesting battle between sitting and standing to climb.

Nearly missed the finish turn but was happy to turn right and roll down the hill to the line, 77 miles, 6000plus feet of climbing mainly off road and completed in not much over 5 hours. A very successful day and importantly it didn’t rain !!!! (YET)

Of the 3 of us I had only just finished, I think it shows :¬)

Having chatted a little to the other finishers of the long loop I grabbed a burger and headed to the van, felt smug as I jumped inside and the rain came down.

Conclusions

Galloway is excellent for riding offroad assuming the weather holds, I don’t think I would enjoy it half as much in heavy rain or if REALLY windy. Glorious Gravel organise well marked events with good feed stations. My Northroad Gobi CX bike is lovely to ride and I am more than happy on 35mm tyres, I do however need to fit the slightly shorter stem and put the tyre liners in. When something works well you loath making changes but these would be good changes. I got the gels and food right, I am not the biggest fan of solids when going long, goes back to running I guess. Having the ability to tolerate gels means that a 6hr ride can easily be done off a good breakfast and minimal solids. The error, I made the final drinks station with way too much fluid left in my 2nd bottle so I had not drunk enough. In the last hour or so I drank over 750mls of fluid, In the first 3hours I drank around 750mls.

I am surprised that I am content doing events to complete them, doing road sportives never really appealed to me. My belief is that it is making me do the long rides that I need for the British gravel champs. Add to that it’s far nicer than 4 hours on the road and definitely much more specific, might even help with cross season.

Gobi

Social butterfly