Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Monday, 4 August 2008
Bring Me the Mountains
Since I last wrote I have done quite a few races, another up Alp D'Huez where I gained a huge improvement in time over the previous week, 1:09:05 to 1:03:15 which was a personal best! Although it was my aim to get a personal best on this climb, I didn't actually think it was realistic after so much illness this year. 
The series of three hill climbs went really well, I won the first one up the Col d'Ornon in great style, I felt really strong and ended up sprinting over the finish line ahead of a guy I had been racing all the way up to massive applause from the crowd. This finish meant that the next day I got a round of applause just for turning up to the race, which was nice! The next race was over steeper terrain, longer and to a higher finishing point, I felt fine and was leading to about a third of the way up which was when I blew, after that I just rode to the top trying not to completely blow and coming in second. The next day I rode in thunder and lightening through a massive cloud to win the shorter still steeper climb up to Oulles (a village which has nine inhabitants), stand around listening to the presentation for about 45minutes and then almost freeze to death riding back down.
So, four races in a row and I did pretty well, winning the general classification of the series and two of the individual races. I also got to ride up the Galibier to watch the Tour de France, then ride down and watch it go up Alp D'Huez too! Quite inspiring, so even though there wasn't the usual Thursday race up Alp D'Huez because of the Tour I decided to rent a timing chip and race up anyway, astoundingly after a massive week of riding I rode 1:02:00, and this was including having to walk through a market to get to the finish line at the top (they didn't tell me about that when I hired the chip!).
I'm really happy with how my riding is going, I didn't expect anything when I went out to France because the bronchitis and pleurisy which have been hounding my racing season so far, so the success I have had is even more encouraging!
The series of three hill climbs went really well, I won the first one up the Col d'Ornon in great style, I felt really strong and ended up sprinting over the finish line ahead of a guy I had been racing all the way up to massive applause from the crowd. This finish meant that the next day I got a round of applause just for turning up to the race, which was nice! The next race was over steeper terrain, longer and to a higher finishing point, I felt fine and was leading to about a third of the way up which was when I blew, after that I just rode to the top trying not to completely blow and coming in second. The next day I rode in thunder and lightening through a massive cloud to win the shorter still steeper climb up to Oulles (a village which has nine inhabitants), stand around listening to the presentation for about 45minutes and then almost freeze to death riding back down.
So, four races in a row and I did pretty well, winning the general classification of the series and two of the individual races. I also got to ride up the Galibier to watch the Tour de France, then ride down and watch it go up Alp D'Huez too! Quite inspiring, so even though there wasn't the usual Thursday race up Alp D'Huez because of the Tour I decided to rent a timing chip and race up anyway, astoundingly after a massive week of riding I rode 1:02:00, and this was including having to walk through a market to get to the finish line at the top (they didn't tell me about that when I hired the chip!).
I'm really happy with how my riding is going, I didn't expect anything when I went out to France because the bronchitis and pleurisy which have been hounding my racing season so far, so the success I have had is even more encouraging!
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
KeswickBikes.co.uk at the Transalp
KeswickBikes.co.uk has 2 teams at the Transalp mountain bike race for 2008. Representing us at this prestigues international event are regular KMB rider Emily Brooks partnered with guest rider Jane Reedy and the well honed partnership of Chris Hope and Andy "the Hulk" Wrigley. Emily has found time in between the gruelling stages to provide a daily progress report along with some pictures, thanks Emily!
Day1 : Austria now. First day 80km. It was steady away to begin with then a big climb shortly before the finish - 700m in one go. A steady climb but very steep at the top. No rain and not too hot. Even so, we’ve been working on our cyclist tans! KMB men 67th, women 12th. I'm in awe - there are some unbelievably fast women out there! Now off to bed in the sports hall for me. Tomorrow a lot more climbing and more off road.”
Day2 : big climb to start and then lots of singletrack downhill made todays ride take longer – bit more interesting and fun. Boys gained and now 61st and girls placing remains the same. Big event – on tv. Huge prizegiving, slideshow and pasta party at the end of each stage. Great atmosphere, people from all over the world. Us girls got a pro massage today – was very good!
Day 3: Up to almost 3000m where it was only 2 degrees and snowing, then fastdown to the valley where the sun was out and the temperature was 30 degrees! More technical fun and singletrack today. Dinner was at the top of a cablecar. The Swiss food is fab. I've been paying meticulous attention to my recovery: Torq recovery drink straight after, stretching, self massage - all very important. Up at 6 am every race day so far - I've been dreaming of a lie in.
Day1 : Austria now. First day 80km. It was steady away to begin with then a big climb shortly before the finish - 700m in one go. A steady climb but very steep at the top. No rain and not too hot. Even so, we’ve been working on our cyclist tans! KMB men 67th, women 12th. I'm in awe - there are some unbelievably fast women out there! Now off to bed in the sports hall for me. Tomorrow a lot more climbing and more off road.”
Day2 : big climb to start and then lots of singletrack downhill made todays ride take longer – bit more interesting and fun. Boys gained and now 61st and girls placing remains the same. Big event – on tv. Huge prizegiving, slideshow and pasta party at the end of each stage. Great atmosphere, people from all over the world. Us girls got a pro massage today – was very good!
Day 3: Up to almost 3000m where it was only 2 degrees and snowing, then fastdown to the valley where the sun was out and the temperature was 30 degrees! More technical fun and singletrack today. Dinner was at the top of a cablecar. The Swiss food is fab. I've been paying meticulous attention to my recovery: Torq recovery drink straight after, stretching, self massage - all very important. Up at 6 am every race day so far - I've been dreaming of a lie in. Day 4: 25 km of uphill to a beautiful Alpine pass. It was idyllic - cows with bells on were grazing the meadows while we ascended a snake like track winding through the mountains. Then down a steep sided valley and along a narrow and gravelly river bank path, sweeping up and down with a big drop below. Lots of local support, cheering on the riders and sometimes handing out drinks and sweets. Positions - KMB women 12th, KMB men 68th in their class and within top 100 overall.
Well that brings us upto date for now, good luck to the guys and girls for the remainder of the event!
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
National Youth Circuit Race Championship's
This was one of those races in the year where you either do really well, or you don't! unfortunatly for me, I had the latter.
I knew what I had to do the week leading up to the race, and managed to get all my training in to get me to the best form possible in a week. On the day, I felt great! 40 laps of the preston arena, mile long circuit, was just what I needed. The distance was long enough to make people suffer but not long enough to be stupidly hard. After the first 15 laps, I moved up to the front and started to put in some turns and had a few digs off the front, the best being a 5 man group including me, that managed to get away for around 5 laps. We where brought back though, and a counter attack of 4 got away, and stayed away for the rest of the race!
At this point i decided the best thing to do was find who was the strongest and try to get away with them. unfortunatly the un-willingness of other riders in the bunch meant that any attacks where nullified and with 3 laps remaining I was in perfect position.
2 laps and I was in top 10
bell lap, and I was in 7th coming into the second to last corner when suddenly....... CRASHHHHH!!!!!!! the person in 5th went down and at 34mph it was either ride over him and hope for the best, or go into the dyke. I chose, or not so much chose, but was forced into the dyke and watched helplessly as the bunch sailed past. I picked myself up, swore refusely and then rolled in for 44th position.
at least I wasn't injured! but hey, that's racing for you!
I knew what I had to do the week leading up to the race, and managed to get all my training in to get me to the best form possible in a week. On the day, I felt great! 40 laps of the preston arena, mile long circuit, was just what I needed. The distance was long enough to make people suffer but not long enough to be stupidly hard. After the first 15 laps, I moved up to the front and started to put in some turns and had a few digs off the front, the best being a 5 man group including me, that managed to get away for around 5 laps. We where brought back though, and a counter attack of 4 got away, and stayed away for the rest of the race!
At this point i decided the best thing to do was find who was the strongest and try to get away with them. unfortunatly the un-willingness of other riders in the bunch meant that any attacks where nullified and with 3 laps remaining I was in perfect position.
2 laps and I was in top 10
bell lap, and I was in 7th coming into the second to last corner when suddenly....... CRASHHHHH!!!!!!! the person in 5th went down and at 34mph it was either ride over him and hope for the best, or go into the dyke. I chose, or not so much chose, but was forced into the dyke and watched helplessly as the bunch sailed past. I picked myself up, swore refusely and then rolled in for 44th position.
at least I wasn't injured! but hey, that's racing for you!
Friday, 11 July 2008
More Mountains
After my unexpected success in the Vaujany I then did the Prix Des Grand Roussez in which I was 7th and the Grimpee de le Alpe in which I was 5th. The first event was 40km and consisted of a climb to the top of Alp D'Huez, down the top part of Alp D'Huez and then down Villard Reculas before ascending a steepish 5km to Vaujany. I took one gel for some reason, and conseqently completely blew before the top of Alp D'Huez before dragging myself the rest of the way to the finish.
The second event was just (just - haha) a climb up Alp D'Huez, I was going well up the first steep bends, but then I again completely blew and was unable to increase my heart rate at all, I finished about 12minutes behind my pb! Still good placings though, and I am really pleased with how I've done considering how long I had off the bike before I came out here.
I then had a couple of days rest before doing another race up Alp D'Huez, I came 2nd this time, one minute behind first (and her time was 4 minutes slower than my pb), but I felt a lot better than last time and the legs and lungs are improving all the time. Just need to make sure I don't over do it and get to tierd for the next couple of weeks I am here.
The plans are to do a couple more of the races up Alp D'Huez, which are every Monday evening and Thursday morning, there are also some shorter races up to a place called Oz on Wednesday mornings which I hope to investigate. Also, there is a three day series of climbs all starting in the town and finishing at the top of local cols, so that should be really good.
There is loads going on here and always so many cyclists around, tomorrow it is the Mega Avalalanche, the downhill race off the top of Pic Blanc which has a mass start on the glacier - should be worth watching. On Monday it is one of the UCI mountain bike races, 100km of mountains, and on the 23rd the Tour De France is passing by the garden of the house I am living in and finishing at the top of Alp D'Huez!
After I leave France I am going to Belgium for the whole of August to race there, I am being funded for this by the Cycling Time Trials Scholarship, it will be a complete change from here, massive mountain passes where my very little power to very little weight do alright, to pan flat kermesses where the sprinters rule...anyway, it should be an awesome experience and will allow me to race loads against big fields.
Oh, and while Ali was here with me (he is back in Belgium now) we went out in our KMB kit only to hear 'go on Keswick' as we climbed a pass, and then 'alright Keswick' as we were descending another! Obviously the kit is recognisable!
The second event was just (just - haha) a climb up Alp D'Huez, I was going well up the first steep bends, but then I again completely blew and was unable to increase my heart rate at all, I finished about 12minutes behind my pb! Still good placings though, and I am really pleased with how I've done considering how long I had off the bike before I came out here.
I then had a couple of days rest before doing another race up Alp D'Huez, I came 2nd this time, one minute behind first (and her time was 4 minutes slower than my pb), but I felt a lot better than last time and the legs and lungs are improving all the time. Just need to make sure I don't over do it and get to tierd for the next couple of weeks I am here.
The plans are to do a couple more of the races up Alp D'Huez, which are every Monday evening and Thursday morning, there are also some shorter races up to a place called Oz on Wednesday mornings which I hope to investigate. Also, there is a three day series of climbs all starting in the town and finishing at the top of local cols, so that should be really good.
There is loads going on here and always so many cyclists around, tomorrow it is the Mega Avalalanche, the downhill race off the top of Pic Blanc which has a mass start on the glacier - should be worth watching. On Monday it is one of the UCI mountain bike races, 100km of mountains, and on the 23rd the Tour De France is passing by the garden of the house I am living in and finishing at the top of Alp D'Huez!
After I leave France I am going to Belgium for the whole of August to race there, I am being funded for this by the Cycling Time Trials Scholarship, it will be a complete change from here, massive mountain passes where my very little power to very little weight do alright, to pan flat kermesses where the sprinters rule...anyway, it should be an awesome experience and will allow me to race loads against big fields.
Oh, and while Ali was here with me (he is back in Belgium now) we went out in our KMB kit only to hear 'go on Keswick' as we climbed a pass, and then 'alright Keswick' as we were descending another! Obviously the kit is recognisable!
Sunday, 6 July 2008
recently...
lately things havent been going so well. the move from a third to a second cat has left me stuck looking for minor points in races which i suppose is to be expected as the standard of racing has dramatically increased aswell, however a recent backinjury from climbing (rocks not hills) has forced some well needed rest and hopefully ill be back to full form in august preparing for the hillclimb and cyclocross season. my aim this year is a top 5 in the national under 23 cyclocross champs. 11th in the bob swailes memorial trophy due to winning the bunch sprint gave me a few points, however the not so lumpy road race which uses the bashall eaves course i finished 30th, almost half the field pulled out of the hilly 75 mile race. the rest of my season is filled with grass track and road racing so ill make an effort to keep more up to date with progress and results. its off to the north east next weekend to do the mike binks memorial, which has in the past been won by the likes of chris newton and the downing brothers. so a strong field is expected for the hilly 80 mile race.
Results and News
It's happened again, and I've just realised that it's been a while since I posted an update, so here we go...
Firstly, there was the North-West 3day. This consisted of a short opening prologue "time trial" (approx. 1mile), a 36mile circuit race and a 28mile circuit race. I was quite pleased with my 1st stage time of 1min 52secs, which placed me in 15th overall, the winning time being a 1.48 so it shows just how close the times where. The top 20 where seperated by a mere 6seconds, so anything was to play for the following day. Unfortunately for me however, I was caught behind a crash and ended up finishing 30 seconds behind the main bunch after a very hard 26mile chase! This meant that for the next day, I was left to race in the 2nd group (the field was split in half as there was a limit on the course for the sunday's stage). I was still in 15th overall, and knew that thats the best i could do as I was the first rider in the split for the second race. With this in mind I decided to go out and destroy myself to show that I should have been inthe firs race. I was off the front for around 2/3 of the race, before being caught with 6laps to go, so decided to try and get some recovery before the sprint. My early attack hard tired me however, and i could only manage 4th, pushing me down to 16th overall due to time bonuses.
The next race on the calender was the Curborough circuit race, part of the national series. I started the race sensibly and managed to make my way through the bunch after 3 laps for the 75mins + 5lap race. After being at the front for 2 laps, I broke away with another rider to try and pick up a prime sprint and £10. Unfortunatly after our 6lap attempt we where pulled in as the random lap whistle was blown to mark the prime next lap. DAM!!! I returned to to the bunch for some recovery before making my way back the the head of affairs. This time another rider attaked and I bridged across to him, followed by three other riders. We worked well and opened a 20second lead, but where realed back with 10mins remaining. By this time things where getting nervous and riders where crashing on each lap. I avoided the misfortunate and managed to place in the top 15, so all-in-all a pretty good race.
Yesterday (saturday 5th), i was at blackpool for the next round of the national series. I could tell form the very start that I wasn't feeling terribly good, and knew that today was going to be all about limiting my losses. After 4 laps of the race i found myself unhitched from the bunch and spent the remainder of the race chasing with another rider. This paid off in the end as we managed to catch a lot of the other riders who had gone too hard too soon. The bunch wasn't far ahead as we entered the bell lap, but we never managed to rejoin. I finished just behind the second group on the road (3 riders had attacked off the front of the bunch) in 12th. The astonishing thing was that out of the 48riders who started only 16 finished, with all the others either pulling out due to mechanicals or injusry, or being lapped!
I also did the VC Cumbria 30mile time trial 2 weeks ago, and placed 4th witha time of 1.11.53. Another PB and showing somw promissing form for the coming weeks.
Know I will focus on getting in some more base miles before starting to bulid towards the remainder of the Rudy Project time trial series and the British Time Trial Championships. With this month dedicated to road racing, hopefully I will have that little extra speed in my legs to help out.
Oh, and before I forget... At the Fred Whitton presentation night, the Dave Rayner fund organiser where very interestd in me and after a lengthy chat with one of the guys, it looks hopefull that next year I will be racing abroad with the fund for up to 3months! Thay did want me to do the Junior tour of Ireland the following week, but unfortunatly I couldn't as I'm still an under 16 and can't race on open roads! Things are looking good!
The Whitehaven news also rang up about the National 25 the other day, and there will be an article next week in the paper with pictures. PUBLICITY FOR KMB!
Firstly, there was the North-West 3day. This consisted of a short opening prologue "time trial" (approx. 1mile), a 36mile circuit race and a 28mile circuit race. I was quite pleased with my 1st stage time of 1min 52secs, which placed me in 15th overall, the winning time being a 1.48 so it shows just how close the times where. The top 20 where seperated by a mere 6seconds, so anything was to play for the following day. Unfortunately for me however, I was caught behind a crash and ended up finishing 30 seconds behind the main bunch after a very hard 26mile chase! This meant that for the next day, I was left to race in the 2nd group (the field was split in half as there was a limit on the course for the sunday's stage). I was still in 15th overall, and knew that thats the best i could do as I was the first rider in the split for the second race. With this in mind I decided to go out and destroy myself to show that I should have been inthe firs race. I was off the front for around 2/3 of the race, before being caught with 6laps to go, so decided to try and get some recovery before the sprint. My early attack hard tired me however, and i could only manage 4th, pushing me down to 16th overall due to time bonuses.
The next race on the calender was the Curborough circuit race, part of the national series. I started the race sensibly and managed to make my way through the bunch after 3 laps for the 75mins + 5lap race. After being at the front for 2 laps, I broke away with another rider to try and pick up a prime sprint and £10. Unfortunatly after our 6lap attempt we where pulled in as the random lap whistle was blown to mark the prime next lap. DAM!!! I returned to to the bunch for some recovery before making my way back the the head of affairs. This time another rider attaked and I bridged across to him, followed by three other riders. We worked well and opened a 20second lead, but where realed back with 10mins remaining. By this time things where getting nervous and riders where crashing on each lap. I avoided the misfortunate and managed to place in the top 15, so all-in-all a pretty good race.
Yesterday (saturday 5th), i was at blackpool for the next round of the national series. I could tell form the very start that I wasn't feeling terribly good, and knew that today was going to be all about limiting my losses. After 4 laps of the race i found myself unhitched from the bunch and spent the remainder of the race chasing with another rider. This paid off in the end as we managed to catch a lot of the other riders who had gone too hard too soon. The bunch wasn't far ahead as we entered the bell lap, but we never managed to rejoin. I finished just behind the second group on the road (3 riders had attacked off the front of the bunch) in 12th. The astonishing thing was that out of the 48riders who started only 16 finished, with all the others either pulling out due to mechanicals or injusry, or being lapped!
I also did the VC Cumbria 30mile time trial 2 weeks ago, and placed 4th witha time of 1.11.53. Another PB and showing somw promissing form for the coming weeks.
Know I will focus on getting in some more base miles before starting to bulid towards the remainder of the Rudy Project time trial series and the British Time Trial Championships. With this month dedicated to road racing, hopefully I will have that little extra speed in my legs to help out.
Oh, and before I forget... At the Fred Whitton presentation night, the Dave Rayner fund organiser where very interestd in me and after a lengthy chat with one of the guys, it looks hopefull that next year I will be racing abroad with the fund for up to 3months! Thay did want me to do the Junior tour of Ireland the following week, but unfortunatly I couldn't as I'm still an under 16 and can't race on open roads! Things are looking good!
The Whitehaven news also rang up about the National 25 the other day, and there will be an article next week in the paper with pictures. PUBLICITY FOR KMB!
Monday, 30 June 2008
Vaujany
After an uneventful first couple of months to the season due to illness I am pleased to say I've had my first result. I'm out in France at the moment, riding in the the Alps just below Grenoble. After around 2 months pretty much out of training, and with no real racing to speak of, I came out here hoping to be able to actually ride up the hills, because riding here is the reason I ride, its what I am good at.
The day after arriving we decided to ride from Alp D'Huez (where we are staying, 1800metres above sea level) to Vaujany, and then back again to sign on for the next days race...so quite a long ride and lots of climbing, but it was ace to be back on the bike and my lungs weren't feeling all that bad - although staying at altitude is making things like walking around quite difficult! The next day was the Vaujany (a cyclosportif which is the first part of the Trophee de L'Osians we are doing out here). The one I did was 109km, including three cols and lots of climbing! I decided to take it really easy, trying hard to not let my competitive edge show, just get back into riding and enjoy the day. I was really looking forward to the ride on the start line.
I did take it easy, just spinning (as much as I could with the 11/25 I've got out here, forgot to bring the 13/26) and actually stopping to eat at food stops, making sure I drank enough and applied the necessary suncream. When I finished I was just so happy to have completed what is probably the hardest ride I have ever done, 109km in 6hours and lots of hills. I deliriously asked the people at the pasta party for some food and then sat around talking to other riders. We decided to stay for the prize giving to show our support to the winners and watch the many cups being handed out, only for me to hear "Third in the Women's Category, Ware, Victoria". I'd come 3rd!
So, I was really pleased with my ride, so enjoyable and ace to be climbing in proper hills again...and a cup to take home too!
The day after arriving we decided to ride from Alp D'Huez (where we are staying, 1800metres above sea level) to Vaujany, and then back again to sign on for the next days race...so quite a long ride and lots of climbing, but it was ace to be back on the bike and my lungs weren't feeling all that bad - although staying at altitude is making things like walking around quite difficult! The next day was the Vaujany (a cyclosportif which is the first part of the Trophee de L'Osians we are doing out here). The one I did was 109km, including three cols and lots of climbing! I decided to take it really easy, trying hard to not let my competitive edge show, just get back into riding and enjoy the day. I was really looking forward to the ride on the start line.
I did take it easy, just spinning (as much as I could with the 11/25 I've got out here, forgot to bring the 13/26) and actually stopping to eat at food stops, making sure I drank enough and applied the necessary suncream. When I finished I was just so happy to have completed what is probably the hardest ride I have ever done, 109km in 6hours and lots of hills. I deliriously asked the people at the pasta party for some food and then sat around talking to other riders. We decided to stay for the prize giving to show our support to the winners and watch the many cups being handed out, only for me to hear "Third in the Women's Category, Ware, Victoria". I'd come 3rd!
So, I was really pleased with my ride, so enjoyable and ace to be climbing in proper hills again...and a cup to take home too!
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Mountain Mayhem Success for Keswick Bikes Riders
KMB Keswick Mountain Bikes team sucess at the world renowned 24hr Mountain Mayhem mountain bike event last weekend in Herefordshire. The cross country style race started at 2pm on Saturday and involved completing as many laps of the 14km cousre as possible. The Keswick Mens and Womens teams competed in a relay, doubling up for some of the night laps to allow other members to rest. Heavy rain overnight made the course slow and sticky, but luckily by the late morning the couse had dried. In a very hotly contested competition, the KMB womens team won their Catagory by a mere 46 seconds and the Mens team were on the podium with a magnificent 2nd. The team members were: Emily Brooks, Cheryl Frost, Alice Crook and Caroline Flanagan for the women and Andy Wrigley, Chris Hope, Ben Bardsley and Phil Davies for the men.
Friday, 13 June 2008
National 25 Mile Time Trial Championships
Ali and Richard at the National 25 Mile Time Trial Championships.
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Recent (or not-so recent) results
It's been quite some time since I last wrote an update, so I shall try and fill you in as best I can!
Fred Whitton: (it has been a long time since I last posted!)
For my first time doing the Whitton, I was really pleased with my performance. 20th overall was way beyond what I had expected, and my target time of 7hours was well destroyed with the 6.23.40 that i managed. It was a hard day; yes, but I will definately be back next year as long as other racing compitment don't clash, this time with a target of top 15 (fingers crossed).
National 10:
With a round trip of over 12hours, the national 10 was always going to be a tough one. I wasn't expecting much, as I tend to go better over the longer distances, but set off with the intension of a new personal best and a sub. 23min time. The day was excelent. It had rained during the morning, but by the time I started, the roads had dried out and it felt fast. VERY fast! i managed a time of 22.20, which gave me a new pb and a sub 23min time, so my targets where achieved. Job well done. However, it also placed me 2nd fastest 16year old which was a great bonus.
GHS district championship/qualifying:
The start sheet showed that to qualify, all i had to do was be the fastest 16year old, so I had intended on jsut doing that as I had the National 25 the following day. After warming-up and getting to the start line I suddenly realised... "I won this overall last year. I can't give up my title!" So the plan changed. All out, and win. This i achieved, with a time of 18.03 for the 8.5mile course. Another medal and more KMB publicity.
National 25:
The national 25 was held near Peterbrough this year, on a rounderbout infested course (17 in total) covering two laps, with another two short sections added for the start and finish. I was seaded 4th fastest and was off in the 2min seperated group of riders. This made me rather nervous as I'd never been in this position before for a National event! I didn't have the best of days, my legs feeling unable to push as hard as i wanted them too, but I still won the 16year old catagory. The moral was high after yesterday which helped a lot, and I just kept going, crossing the line dissapointed with the time, yet pleased with another win.
Inbetween these bigger races, I've been doing the usual time trials with VC Cumbria. I managed a new PB for 25miles, with a 58.19, knocking another 31 seconds off on a horrible, windy night so things are looking good. Last tuesday, I set another PB for the bass lake circuit with a 38.01 placing me 4th fastest on the night. Overall, I am currently 3rd in the league!
As of tomorrow, I am off to a 3day race near Preston, so I'll try to get my "other" racing legs back into action on the twisy circuits. More of a training race than a goal, but I'll see how I get on and get a report in, Hopefully sooner than this one was!
Fred Whitton: (it has been a long time since I last posted!)
For my first time doing the Whitton, I was really pleased with my performance. 20th overall was way beyond what I had expected, and my target time of 7hours was well destroyed with the 6.23.40 that i managed. It was a hard day; yes, but I will definately be back next year as long as other racing compitment don't clash, this time with a target of top 15 (fingers crossed).
National 10:
With a round trip of over 12hours, the national 10 was always going to be a tough one. I wasn't expecting much, as I tend to go better over the longer distances, but set off with the intension of a new personal best and a sub. 23min time. The day was excelent. It had rained during the morning, but by the time I started, the roads had dried out and it felt fast. VERY fast! i managed a time of 22.20, which gave me a new pb and a sub 23min time, so my targets where achieved. Job well done. However, it also placed me 2nd fastest 16year old which was a great bonus.
GHS district championship/qualifying:
The start sheet showed that to qualify, all i had to do was be the fastest 16year old, so I had intended on jsut doing that as I had the National 25 the following day. After warming-up and getting to the start line I suddenly realised... "I won this overall last year. I can't give up my title!" So the plan changed. All out, and win. This i achieved, with a time of 18.03 for the 8.5mile course. Another medal and more KMB publicity.
National 25:
The national 25 was held near Peterbrough this year, on a rounderbout infested course (17 in total) covering two laps, with another two short sections added for the start and finish. I was seaded 4th fastest and was off in the 2min seperated group of riders. This made me rather nervous as I'd never been in this position before for a National event! I didn't have the best of days, my legs feeling unable to push as hard as i wanted them too, but I still won the 16year old catagory. The moral was high after yesterday which helped a lot, and I just kept going, crossing the line dissapointed with the time, yet pleased with another win.
Inbetween these bigger races, I've been doing the usual time trials with VC Cumbria. I managed a new PB for 25miles, with a 58.19, knocking another 31 seconds off on a horrible, windy night so things are looking good. Last tuesday, I set another PB for the bass lake circuit with a 38.01 placing me 4th fastest on the night. Overall, I am currently 3rd in the league!
As of tomorrow, I am off to a 3day race near Preston, so I'll try to get my "other" racing legs back into action on the twisy circuits. More of a training race than a goal, but I'll see how I get on and get a report in, Hopefully sooner than this one was!
Thursday, 5 June 2008
10 Under the Ben
I haven’t written a report for a while – mainly because there hasn’t been a lot to write about for my last few events. For example:
Fred Whitton – Punctured descending Kirkstone which resulted in a lonely ride!
Keswick National Trailquests – Man flu so had to miss both events.
Ruthin Merida – Broken rear derailleur so had to pull out.
Surely my luck had to change.
The next event on our race schedule was the 10 under the Ben – A fantastic event just outside Fort William where approximately 1000 riders test their endurance by seeing how many laps of a very demanding 10 mile course they can complete in 10 hours. Riders can compete as solo, pairs, trios or quads. Both Andy and I competed in it last year as solo riders, which proved to be one of the hardest events either of us had done. The heat was intense, our pacing strategy was flawed and our bodies were punished. After completing 10 laps we were all for giving up cycling. Strangely enough though, after a good nights sleep and a fry up the next morning there was talk of returning in 2008 for another crack!
Sure enough it was factored into our Trans Alp training and we entered as solo riders again. During the week leading up to the event, for some reason I suddenly decided that riding the event solo was a bad idea. Ten hours of beasting ourselves probably wouldn’t be the best thing for us at this stage and would take a long time to recover from. Perhaps riding as a pair would be better – only 5 hours of pain and it’s just like doing 6 long intervals. Andy wasn’t convinced as he thought it was a soft option (always one to take on the option with most suffering!) but I managed to talk him round and we changed our entry to the pairs category.
The day was reminiscent of 2007 – hot and still but this year even drier. I took the first lap, which involved an extra loop to split the riders up. I got a good start and was with the top 5 as we started the main circuit. Two miles later I ‘burped’ some air out of my tubeless tyre, which shortly after rolled off my rim on a corner. I couldn’t believe it – not more bad luck! I frantically stuck a tube in and tried to make up as much lost time as possible. I completed my lap in a disappointing time and handed over to Andy to start clawing back places. As the laps passed by we rode well and put in consistent laps. Other teams were tiring apart from the leaders who set a blistering pace. By about lap 9 we had moved to second place and were still going strong. However, on lap 10 misfortune passed on to Andy and he was also cursed with a blow out. After sticking a tube in, he then snapped the head off the valve when frantically pumping it up. After much faffing, a typical 52 min lap tuned into a 65 min lap and we had moved to 3rd place. We chased hard but with only 2 laps more we couldn’t reel second place back in and finished in 3rd place. Overall, a pleasing result, and some great training prior to the Trans Alp. Next event – Mountain Mayhem.
Fred Whitton – Punctured descending Kirkstone which resulted in a lonely ride!
Keswick National Trailquests – Man flu so had to miss both events.
Ruthin Merida – Broken rear derailleur so had to pull out.
Surely my luck had to change.
The next event on our race schedule was the 10 under the Ben – A fantastic event just outside Fort William where approximately 1000 riders test their endurance by seeing how many laps of a very demanding 10 mile course they can complete in 10 hours. Riders can compete as solo, pairs, trios or quads. Both Andy and I competed in it last year as solo riders, which proved to be one of the hardest events either of us had done. The heat was intense, our pacing strategy was flawed and our bodies were punished. After completing 10 laps we were all for giving up cycling. Strangely enough though, after a good nights sleep and a fry up the next morning there was talk of returning in 2008 for another crack!
Sure enough it was factored into our Trans Alp training and we entered as solo riders again. During the week leading up to the event, for some reason I suddenly decided that riding the event solo was a bad idea. Ten hours of beasting ourselves probably wouldn’t be the best thing for us at this stage and would take a long time to recover from. Perhaps riding as a pair would be better – only 5 hours of pain and it’s just like doing 6 long intervals. Andy wasn’t convinced as he thought it was a soft option (always one to take on the option with most suffering!) but I managed to talk him round and we changed our entry to the pairs category.
The day was reminiscent of 2007 – hot and still but this year even drier. I took the first lap, which involved an extra loop to split the riders up. I got a good start and was with the top 5 as we started the main circuit. Two miles later I ‘burped’ some air out of my tubeless tyre, which shortly after rolled off my rim on a corner. I couldn’t believe it – not more bad luck! I frantically stuck a tube in and tried to make up as much lost time as possible. I completed my lap in a disappointing time and handed over to Andy to start clawing back places. As the laps passed by we rode well and put in consistent laps. Other teams were tiring apart from the leaders who set a blistering pace. By about lap 9 we had moved to second place and were still going strong. However, on lap 10 misfortune passed on to Andy and he was also cursed with a blow out. After sticking a tube in, he then snapped the head off the valve when frantically pumping it up. After much faffing, a typical 52 min lap tuned into a 65 min lap and we had moved to 3rd place. We chased hard but with only 2 laps more we couldn’t reel second place back in and finished in 3rd place. Overall, a pleasing result, and some great training prior to the Trans Alp. Next event – Mountain Mayhem.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
grass track
bank holiday weekend was spent pursuing another cycling interest, grass track, on sunday the action was at bitts park in carlisle with the womens national 400m championships, and the mens 800m series, with other events. the 800m was a success for me coming second in my heat to former national champion ben elliott although with two going through to the final i was happy with this. the result was repeated in the final with myself and ben elliot riding away from the rest of the field, and i was beat in the sprint. the next event was the 500m scratch race, this proved too short a distance for me to be able to cope with and finished 3rd in my heat failing to make the final. event 3 was the 1500m in which i won my heat by a fair distance, this was repeated in the final, with me winning the heat in a sprint finish. confidence riding high from the win i entered the 5000m a bit too enthusiastically and eventually blew up with 3 laps to go, lesson learned from spending far too much time on the front i decided to sit in on the devil and ended up pushed to the back of the field where i was beaten in a few laps and taken out.
mondays racing at richmond for me didnt involve the 400m as this wasnt really my distance, instead i decided to focus on the national 8000m series, after an incredibly fast and hard race due to the excellent track the group split, with 5 riders breaking away, i was left on my own to ride round, after chasing hard for several laps i realised catching them was impossible and settled to keeping the chasing riders at a safe distance, eventually finishing 6th and leaving me confident about the national championships in a few weeks time, after missing the northwest road champs due to illness/work commitments im itching to get back to road racing, im sick of going round in circles.....
mondays racing at richmond for me didnt involve the 400m as this wasnt really my distance, instead i decided to focus on the national 8000m series, after an incredibly fast and hard race due to the excellent track the group split, with 5 riders breaking away, i was left on my own to ride round, after chasing hard for several laps i realised catching them was impossible and settled to keeping the chasing riders at a safe distance, eventually finishing 6th and leaving me confident about the national championships in a few weeks time, after missing the northwest road champs due to illness/work commitments im itching to get back to road racing, im sick of going round in circles.....
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Wallace Hill Road Race
This weekend I went up to Ayrshire to take part in the Wallace Hill Road Race, one of the Women's National Series events. After my warm up I was coughing so much some of the other competitors were looking slightly worried, and asking me if I was okay...'I'm fine, in fact, a good hard race is going to be the best thing for me', was perhaps not the truth, but what I needed to be telling myself.
The field was pretty small for a National Series event, with the majority of girls not wanting to travel that far north, so just over 20 riders lined up to race. After an extremely long neutralised section due to a road traffic accident where we should have been starting the race got off to a start.
Everything was going well until one of the decents (it was a pretty hilly course), where I shifted into the big ring and my chain came off, and wedged itself nicely so I couldn't pedal in either direction to get it unstuck. With this sorted a long chase ensued to get back onto the bunch, however I was dropped shortly after getting back on. I rode for a while with another rider who had been dropped, then I dropped her and chased onto another rider who I rode with for the rest of the race.
I actually had no idea what was going on during the race, because we ended up being taken off the loop to finish, there wasn't a lap board, and the circuit was pretty long, there were only about four laps (I think), but we kept arriving at the same junctions from different directions. It was fairly enjoyable, once we realised we weren't going to be able to chase back onto the bunch we road steadily the whole way - and the weather was really good!
I ended up with 14th place, some miles in my legs and 9 national points to my name, which is the most I could really have expected with this lurgy have dragged me down for the last month.
The field was pretty small for a National Series event, with the majority of girls not wanting to travel that far north, so just over 20 riders lined up to race. After an extremely long neutralised section due to a road traffic accident where we should have been starting the race got off to a start.
Everything was going well until one of the decents (it was a pretty hilly course), where I shifted into the big ring and my chain came off, and wedged itself nicely so I couldn't pedal in either direction to get it unstuck. With this sorted a long chase ensued to get back onto the bunch, however I was dropped shortly after getting back on. I rode for a while with another rider who had been dropped, then I dropped her and chased onto another rider who I rode with for the rest of the race.
I actually had no idea what was going on during the race, because we ended up being taken off the loop to finish, there wasn't a lap board, and the circuit was pretty long, there were only about four laps (I think), but we kept arriving at the same junctions from different directions. It was fairly enjoyable, once we realised we weren't going to be able to chase back onto the bunch we road steadily the whole way - and the weather was really good!
I ended up with 14th place, some miles in my legs and 9 national points to my name, which is the most I could really have expected with this lurgy have dragged me down for the last month.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Season Off to a Poor Start
Having not posted for a while I thought it was time I gave an update of how things are going this season. After waiting until the end of April for my first road race, I was hit by a cold two days before, but I rode anyway and was pretty pleased with my time trial result, although dissapointed with my result in the road race, having to drop out after four laps, deciding it was better to pull out than tool around in the rain after being dropped.
Since then I have had to dissapointedly turn down rides in the Bedford 2 Day Women's Stage Race, which was gutting, with an awesome field to race against and some really tough looking courses it would have been good, and in the Olveston Road Race, one of the women's national series. Unfortunately my cold turned into a chest infection which has dragged on for the last three weeks, and I'm still not fully over it. I do feel I am getting back to where I was though, time trialling tonight on Bassenthwaite I felt as though I was definately not up to scatch in the lung department, but my legs felt really strong (even if, or perhaps because they resemble the legs of a man...).
My first race back is going to be this weekend, the Wallace Hill Women's National Series event in Ayrshire. Hopefully I'll be back on form by then, and 'the black lung' as I have christened it will have retreated.
Well done to everyone for some awesome results in the Fred Whitton, very impressive!
Since then I have had to dissapointedly turn down rides in the Bedford 2 Day Women's Stage Race, which was gutting, with an awesome field to race against and some really tough looking courses it would have been good, and in the Olveston Road Race, one of the women's national series. Unfortunately my cold turned into a chest infection which has dragged on for the last three weeks, and I'm still not fully over it. I do feel I am getting back to where I was though, time trialling tonight on Bassenthwaite I felt as though I was definately not up to scatch in the lung department, but my legs felt really strong (even if, or perhaps because they resemble the legs of a man...).
My first race back is going to be this weekend, the Wallace Hill Women's National Series event in Ayrshire. Hopefully I'll be back on form by then, and 'the black lung' as I have christened it will have retreated.
Well done to everyone for some awesome results in the Fred Whitton, very impressive!
Fred Whitton Results for Keswick Bikes
3rd. Ben Bardsley - 5:53:55
11th. Andrew Wrigley - 6:12:07
18th. Chris Hope - 6:23:19
20th. Richard Houghton - 6:23:40
181st (3rd Lady). Cheryl Frost - 7:26:09
510th. Philip Malcolm - 8:46:40
11th. Andrew Wrigley - 6:12:07
18th. Chris Hope - 6:23:19
20th. Richard Houghton - 6:23:40
181st (3rd Lady). Cheryl Frost - 7:26:09
510th. Philip Malcolm - 8:46:40
Friday, 9 May 2008
Aughton road race
this weekend i travelled down to aughton near lancaster, my intention was to do the stan robson trophy in the north east but due to not feeling 100% i decided a 3/4 cat race was a better choice.
driving down the weather looked ominous, with thunder and lightning on the m6 and heavy rain at the HQ. it was shaping up to be a pretty good race. after my win the previous weekend i was a marked man and throughout the race any attempt to break away on my own or any break i was involved in seemed to get chased down pretty quickly, after doing this for several laps and being left on my own to chase breaks i decided to leave a break of 2 riders up the road. after which the group seemed to settle and ride steadily towards the finish, the finish line was at the top of a climb and after fighting my way through several lune valley riders desperate to block me i managed to win the bunch sprint taking 3rd overall and the last few points needed to gain my 2nd cat licence.
next weekend its off to do the fred whitton, followed by a well earned week off racing then back to the campaign chasing points again, i think the competition will get a little tougher from now on, i also promised myself i would start time trialling, but it can wait....... for now im hooked on road racing.
driving down the weather looked ominous, with thunder and lightning on the m6 and heavy rain at the HQ. it was shaping up to be a pretty good race. after my win the previous weekend i was a marked man and throughout the race any attempt to break away on my own or any break i was involved in seemed to get chased down pretty quickly, after doing this for several laps and being left on my own to chase breaks i decided to leave a break of 2 riders up the road. after which the group seemed to settle and ride steadily towards the finish, the finish line was at the top of a climb and after fighting my way through several lune valley riders desperate to block me i managed to win the bunch sprint taking 3rd overall and the last few points needed to gain my 2nd cat licence.
next weekend its off to do the fred whitton, followed by a well earned week off racing then back to the campaign chasing points again, i think the competition will get a little tougher from now on, i also promised myself i would start time trialling, but it can wait....... for now im hooked on road racing.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Recent Race Results
It's been a busy few weeks with revision for GCSE's, weekday and weekend races, and the chest infection I managed to picked up around four weeks ago! I decided after 2 weeks of struggling to recover from my training and racing that a trip to the doctors was needed, and of course the doctor put it straight and simple..."Yes, you have a chest infection". Antibiotics where perscribed and after a few days off the bike, I was feeling fit again and ready to train, even if it had taken some of my zip away.
With VC Cumbria holding there weekly club time trials on a tuesday night, I am now managing to get a god few racing miles in my legs. Last Tuesday (not yesterday) the event was the Keswick 10. Still recovering from my chest infection, I managed to do a 24.04 which was quite disaopointing realy but i was happy to be able to race again! Ali managed to clock a superb 21.55, winning the event!
The day after (wednesday), Alii and I headed up to Carlisle to do the 2-up 25 held by bordercity wheelers. After a nice warm-up in cold, windy conditions, we headed to the start. My legs felt terrible on the out leg, so ali was doing long turns to help me recover. After the turn howverer, i was starting to feel much better and started to pull for longer to try and help Ali recover. We clocked a 59.19 over the undulating course. A respectable time considering the conditions and the fact it was out first time racing together!
The weekend was a trip to the isle of man for me, as the isle of man international youth tour was taking place. The friday night was a 1.5km prologue, in which i managed a 1.57mins, placinf me around 27th place. Saturday was off to the hills for the road race. 45km of racing later, and with legs some what numb, i was in 22nd overall. I was extremly pleased today as, alothough I was dropped from the main bunch, I rode strongly and could realy feel my form coming back after my chest infection. Sunday was a circuit race by the sea front. It rained hard, which made racing very skittish and nervous. I had a good race, finishing in the bunch and keeping my 22nd place overall out of 87riders!
with the whitton coming up next sunday, i decided to make the most of the time i had on the island and try and get in a long ride on the monday. This however, had to be cut short as my legs where screaming! what was going to be an 80mie ride was finished at a respectable 60 hilly miles, very tired and very hungry!
Of course this left me feeling abit fatigued for the next VC cumbria club time trial yesterday. a 25mile time trial from Cockermouth-Keswick-Cockermouth. the night was perfect, and with a good 40min warm-up i was ready. Tonight i was going to break the hour. And how i did! crossing the finish line, i had clocked a 58.41. Half dead, I was over the moon! i had managed to knock over 2 mins off my previos best time for 25miles.
lets hope the season just keeps getting better from here on in!
And congratulations to Dave who's form seems to be coming through very well! 2nd cat licence seems only a stones throw away pal!
With VC Cumbria holding there weekly club time trials on a tuesday night, I am now managing to get a god few racing miles in my legs. Last Tuesday (not yesterday) the event was the Keswick 10. Still recovering from my chest infection, I managed to do a 24.04 which was quite disaopointing realy but i was happy to be able to race again! Ali managed to clock a superb 21.55, winning the event!
The day after (wednesday), Alii and I headed up to Carlisle to do the 2-up 25 held by bordercity wheelers. After a nice warm-up in cold, windy conditions, we headed to the start. My legs felt terrible on the out leg, so ali was doing long turns to help me recover. After the turn howverer, i was starting to feel much better and started to pull for longer to try and help Ali recover. We clocked a 59.19 over the undulating course. A respectable time considering the conditions and the fact it was out first time racing together!
The weekend was a trip to the isle of man for me, as the isle of man international youth tour was taking place. The friday night was a 1.5km prologue, in which i managed a 1.57mins, placinf me around 27th place. Saturday was off to the hills for the road race. 45km of racing later, and with legs some what numb, i was in 22nd overall. I was extremly pleased today as, alothough I was dropped from the main bunch, I rode strongly and could realy feel my form coming back after my chest infection. Sunday was a circuit race by the sea front. It rained hard, which made racing very skittish and nervous. I had a good race, finishing in the bunch and keeping my 22nd place overall out of 87riders!
with the whitton coming up next sunday, i decided to make the most of the time i had on the island and try and get in a long ride on the monday. This however, had to be cut short as my legs where screaming! what was going to be an 80mie ride was finished at a respectable 60 hilly miles, very tired and very hungry!
Of course this left me feeling abit fatigued for the next VC cumbria club time trial yesterday. a 25mile time trial from Cockermouth-Keswick-Cockermouth. the night was perfect, and with a good 40min warm-up i was ready. Tonight i was going to break the hour. And how i did! crossing the finish line, i had clocked a 58.41. Half dead, I was over the moon! i had managed to knock over 2 mins off my previos best time for 25miles.
lets hope the season just keeps getting better from here on in!
And congratulations to Dave who's form seems to be coming through very well! 2nd cat licence seems only a stones throw away pal!
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Salt Ayre Round 2 & CDNW Leauge Event 4
on 22nd april me and an old border city mate travelled down to the salt ayre crit in lancaster for round 2 of the league. for me it was the first race of the year without leg warmers so a cause for celebration. the race itself went really well, previously my success in crits has been limited often finishing in the bunch tending to sit out the sketchy sprints on the narrow course. however this one went rather differently, on the second lap of the race, about a minute and a half in a breakaway of ten riders managed to get off the front of the chasing pack, we timetrialled through, everyone seemed willing to work because as long as the breakaway stuck we
were all guaranteed a point. with around 45 minutes gone we lapped the main group. and instead of letting up continued to keep the pressure on increasing our lead to almost a lap and a half. the towards the end everyone gets a bit edgy and an attack to early for the finish led to me being beaten in the sprint, i ended up finishing 5th, 5 more points to add to the tally.
this weekend i was at old hutton, for round 4 of the cdnw race incorporating the westmorland tankard. the course is a hilly one with 2 main climbs and no long flat sections, brilliant. the first three laps of the six lap race were business as usual, working as little as possible, just keeping breaks under control. however with 3 laps to go on the smaller climb of the course 2 strong looking riders got away, i decided this was a break to follow so set off in pursuit, after working as a 3 for a while we were joined by a fourth rider, and all worked together, with 2 laps to go the group was whittled down to 2 riders, me included, after keeping the pressure on for the rest of the lap i finally managed to drop the other rider going up the climb to take the bell, leaving me to time trial round the next lap on my own, taking my first win of the season. and winning the westmorland tankard trophy, more silverware. it also added 15 points to my tally so i only need 2 more now before i move up to a 2nd cat.
this weekend ill be heading over to the north east to do the stan robson memorial trophy, this is a e,1,2,3, race so im expecting a grim 80 miles.
were all guaranteed a point. with around 45 minutes gone we lapped the main group. and instead of letting up continued to keep the pressure on increasing our lead to almost a lap and a half. the towards the end everyone gets a bit edgy and an attack to early for the finish led to me being beaten in the sprint, i ended up finishing 5th, 5 more points to add to the tally.
this weekend i was at old hutton, for round 4 of the cdnw race incorporating the westmorland tankard. the course is a hilly one with 2 main climbs and no long flat sections, brilliant. the first three laps of the six lap race were business as usual, working as little as possible, just keeping breaks under control. however with 3 laps to go on the smaller climb of the course 2 strong looking riders got away, i decided this was a break to follow so set off in pursuit, after working as a 3 for a while we were joined by a fourth rider, and all worked together, with 2 laps to go the group was whittled down to 2 riders, me included, after keeping the pressure on for the rest of the lap i finally managed to drop the other rider going up the climb to take the bell, leaving me to time trial round the next lap on my own, taking my first win of the season. and winning the westmorland tankard trophy, more silverware. it also added 15 points to my tally so i only need 2 more now before i move up to a 2nd cat.
this weekend ill be heading over to the north east to do the stan robson memorial trophy, this is a e,1,2,3, race so im expecting a grim 80 miles.
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