hetton lyons cross 27/1/07

This has to be one of the best cross races of the season in my opinion, flat fast and not at all muddy course made it ideal with the technical sections kept to a minimum and flowed very well.
Before the start of the race the perks began with a warm up massage from a lovely geordie lass, ally got one too, i really think the team needs someone to do pre race massage..... (hint hint)
anyway, the race, in total contrast to a normal start ally got a flyer and i was left floundering around at the back of the pack and caught up in lots of other traffic for the first half lap or so, this all changed toward the end of the second lap where i caught ally and neil (andersons racing) and continued to ride away from them. Despite a couple of scary moments taking corners too fast the whole race went well, i worked well throughout the race and ended up finishing 3rd, 30 seconds behind second place and a gentlemanly 3 minutes behind overall winner stuart wearmouth (picarsso pulman). ally finished fifth behind gary wearmouth (picarsso pulman) if my good form in the cross continues to next year i fancy trying some national trophy races. after the race more massages were available so i thought why not and got another one, its a hard life. that concluded the cross season for me so its on to the road now to do some proper racing. and get back on my cervelo which has been untouched in the shed for a few months so deserves a good ride out.

NECCA Round 7, Hetton Lyons Country Park

The final round of the NECCA Cyclo Cross League was battled out at Hetton Lyons this weekend. The weather was actually really good for once, bright skys and not too cold, although it was blowing a gale.

The course was a good one, some really fun sections and no massive hills to run up (or swamps to run through). I discovered before the race that I was actually lying in 2nd place in the mens Sportif League for this series, which I was really pleased with, so today my task was to beat the person in front of me in the league - this I managed. For me, the race was spent working my way up through the riders ahead, giving myself targets of where I was going to pass the next person, and then once that was done, where to pass the next. I finished 1st placed woman.

Although my brakes and my gears were not working today...(who needs them anyway?) I feel as though my bike handling skills have improved since the start of the season, I was still loosing some time to other riders on technical sections, but not half a mile, so less demoralising. I am pleased with my cyclo cross season, I won the majority of races I took part in, and did well in the NECCA league - being 1st woman everytime I rode, even though I missed the start of the season due to road racing. Last year I rode a couple of the end of season Cross races, including the British Universities Sports Association Championships, and my results this year are miles ahead. Last season I was happy if one man finished behind me, whereas this year I have managed to lap some of the men, and never came in last place.

Cyclo Cross Season Overview
1. NECCL Round 3 - 2nd
2. NECCL Round 4 - 1st
3. NECCL Round 5 - 2nd
4. NECCA Round 1 - 1st
5. NECCL Round 6 (TLI National Championships) - 2nd
6. NECCL Round 7 - 3rd
7. NECCA Round 3 - 1st
8. NW League - 1st
9. NECCA Round 6 - 1st
10. NECCA Round 7 - 1st

- In the TLI Cyclo Cross Leauge I was unable to compete in sufficient number of rounds to gain a place in the overall league.

- In the North East Cyclo Cross Association League I was 1st woman overall in the league, coming in first place every time I rode, and 3rd in the Sportif League overall.

- I only rode one round of the North West Cyclo Cross League in which I was 1st woman.

Strathpuffer 2008 - 1st event of 2008 Breaks the Ice

This is my 1st post on the KMB blog site so I'm very pleased to be able to report on a good race resut for the KMB Mountain Bike squad up at the Strathpuffer.

We were very lucky to get to race the event due to the incredibly bad weather in the event run-up, snow and rain had turned over half the circuit into glass ice which was impossible to ride on (as I found out - more later). On the eve of the event high winds flattened the event centre marquee and made camping an impossibility, fortunately one of our team members has an understanding girlfriend in Inverness who put us all up for the night. So it was a nice? surprise when it was decided at 7am on the Saturday morning that the event would take place.

11am came too soon and I lined up on the start line to complete the 'Le Mans' starting sprint to collect the bikes. A good run placed me in the top 20 and severely out of breath (I hate running) and ready to blast up the 1st climb, this is where the reality of the ice struck. The course was unrideable, in fact it was barely walkable, so we slithered and skated our way into the first forest section where the ice petered out. Adrenaline rushing though my veins I worked my way up to 3rd place and was well placed for second at the end of the 1st downhill; where it all went wrong! As I exited the trees at 20mph the singletrack descended into ice pack, and I went down like a pack of cards. Bars twisted, collar bone screaming I clambered back on and limped after the second place rider who had stopped to laugh.

I nailed him up the next climb, serves him right for laughing, and set off after 1st place, closing him in through the singletrack, just as we levelled the trees opened up again and the ice re-commenced for a 5k climb. A chance of 1st place simply evaporated as the rider took to the ice and simply pedalled off. I was amazed, the clever sod had got a set of ice spikes, the control on these tyres on glass ice is simply amazing, in fact over the remainder of the course he stuck a further 5 mins into me and the rest of the field.

As the race progressed the ice broke up and fortunately an ice free line appeared. Subsequent laps got faster and faster. Chris Hope went out on lap number 2, took the lead and we never looked back from there, Chris posting the fastest lap of the event with Ben Bardsley and myself posting 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Team went on to win with a 4 lap advantage.

Obviously an event like this is a team event and without an evenly matched and consistent team you will not succeed. I reckon this is what makes the KMB team the team to beat on this event, so Congratulations to the other Team Members - Chris Hope, Ben Bardsley and temporary (on loan from Wheelbase!) substitute Paul Trott

I can highly recommend this event to anyone looking for a race a little out of the ordinary, the preparation and dedication of the team who put this event on every year, this is the 3rd year, is unsurpassed, and the friendliness and cameraderie of the racers is not seen in events of this type outside of Scotland (no I'm not even Scottish).

Check it out http://strathpuffer.co.uk/strathpuffer/event_strathpuffer.htm

Doncha just love January?

I think I spoke too soon in my first post on here when I said I liked Miss Pendleton's Oakly shoot... Her "my SPorting Life" section in pro cycling has to be without doubt the sourest, most bitter thing i've ever seen a cyclist write.

No matter... For tis January! New year and all that! Although the new year didn't start all that well for me as I missed the training ride due to "sleeping in" ( i think Ali bought it...), since then i've been hammering the Turbo on weeknights, mixed in with that cross training staple American Football, and getting the long rides in at weekends.

The weight loss was greatly aided by the virus i had over xmas and new year which caused me to have 2 days off work last week. 73kg and still falling now... and i've been off the pies for nearly 8 weeks.

Going to start working in some intensity in the next couple of weeks, i've been going out with HOnister 92 on a sunday and have discovered that being able to spin up Whinlatter at a nice heart rate and 85 cadence is all well and good until somebody attacks you and you're left gasping like a dying fish and muttering about it being "only january"... yup, i've become that guy. First race isn't for another 6 weeks though, so it'll all be fine. Although i entered the Paris-Roubiax Sportif, so maybe it wont.

Laters.

Phil


Phil Likes: The Frog emergency backlight

Phil Dislikes: Cold and flu

Red Rose Olympic Scorton Scramble Cyclo Cross

Yesterday Dave, Ali and I went down to Scorton for a round of the North Western League Cyclo Cross. The weather forecast looked promising (heavy rain and strong winds) and turned out to be correct. The turnout was really good, and I don't think I have ever been to a Cross race that has a loud speaker, and a tent for signing on, so it was all rather posh. Unfortunately I had forgotten any money for signing on, and they wouldn't take a cheque, so after running round frantically trying to find enough small change to enter (Thank you to the lady who lent..okay, gave me 50p), I didn't have much time to warm up.

The lap consisted of a really sticky field which we rode down the middle of, a lane with big puddles (which turned out to be useful during the race for attempted cleaning of bike), a cobbled section through a yard, and then mud. Just mud...mud, mud and more mud. Oh, and the section towards the end of the lap that I forgot about...it was like really deep, watery, mud. The practice lap was hilarious, and I didn't really see what merits the winner was going to need...power for getting through the sticky bits? Good technical ability? The foresight to bring a snorkel and flippers? Anyway, it was going to be an interesting ride.

I was pleased with my start, I was well up in the field as we went around the first sticky grass section, and then down the lane. The first muddy section was ride able, although I found myself slipping around as though riding on ice. After this there were some really deep bogs, where everyone was running (reduced to more of a bog jog by the end), so run I did, and carried my bike to try and stop it from getting too covered in mud and clogged up for the clearer bits of the course. There was also the worry that it might completely disappear if I let it go.

All in all there was probably about half a mile of running in each lap, which was sapping towards the end of the race. I was feeling good, and confident through the mud where it was possible to ride, and pleased to hear the commentator say I was in first place by the end of the first lap (I was unsure where the other women were).

I was only lapped twice by Ali and Dave, which for such a short lap was actually quite good going! I maintained my first place for the whole race, so a really good result and a lot of fun. Afterwards the lake next the course turned out to be handy to clean off some of the thick mud which had clagged itself, eerrm, everywhere. My bike also got a dip. Definitely glad I raced, I mean, they charge a fortune for mud masks in some spas don't they? My skin will be glowing...

Ali and Dave also did really well, with a 2nd overall for Dave and a 3rd for Ali, so a really good outing for the team. They will be adding a report of their own to let you know how their race was.

Can training really be this good?

The hollidays are now over and with the extra time i managed to put in some serious miles! it was a routine of getting up at 8am, stocking up on energy and then plowing through wind and rain for hours every day. i worked out that after 18 days i had dun nearly 800miles wich was quite a shock concidering my usual weekly milage is around 200! recovering between each ride got easier and easier and with the racing season now only 2 months away its time the turbo got some real battering! (whilst im on this subject, if anyone is interested VC Cumbria are holding a turbo training session at eaglesfield village hall on a tuesday, 6.45pm START!) hopefully i will have gained a good enough base fitness for the year so lets cross out fingers for some results.

the first team ride on new years day was an excellent affair, all be it that only 4 riders turned up, one of thm being an ex-rider! however this was all made up for after a very nice man at the nickel end cafe decided to give us a free scone (the size of a breeze block) and practically all our money back in change... there was no telling him of his mistakes! i recomend the cafe if ur up that way! Hopefully another meet will be happening soon?

as i write, whitton enrty forms will soon be posted on the web so im perched on the end of my chair ready to download. Everyone says that my target of a sub 7hrs should be easily achieved and if its a good day, maybe the possibilty of a 6.30hrs. looks like i best not dissapoint so its off to the hills of cumbria for some steap ass climbing.

NECCL, round 11, Hetton Lyons

Well my first outing in KMB colours could be described as a success, the final round of the TLI cyclocross series was held at hetton lyons country park, and i came 4th in only my second cross race. the course was a hilly one, with little flat at all, the best bit as far as i was concerned was the few hundred metres of tarmac at the beginning of the race where in true roadie style i gave it the big ring treatment and made the most of the firm ground under my wheels.

the first lap was uneventful, after taking the lead and holding it for over a lap i was passed by wardy of vc azzuri then a couple of laps later by neil withington of andersons racing, i was struggling with the technical sections of the course and eventually was passed by another rider from cowley cycles. who i stuck to for the final 3 laps of the race, how effective is drafting in a cross race? answers please, i ended up behind him going into the final technical section and he eventually beat me by about an inch on the final sprint,

i was pretty pleased with my fourth place finish as it places me firmly in the premier division for the league next year and work on my technical riding would help me greatly, plus i got called marra by a geordie, is that normal?