You can't always get what you want . . . . .

Sunday the 22nd of January 2012 - the Glentress short duathlon, what was I thinking......

After 8 months off training due to the dodgy knee I was hoping 2012 would see me return with a little more spring in my step. I cut out the alcohol . . . stopped eating a bus load of food and actually started to train. With 2 full weeks in the bag (you have no idea how good that feels) I decided it was time to test out the knee or lack of it. In hind sight I should have remembered the brutality of the GT duathlons, but why would I do anything sensible like that??

It all started so perfectly, I was late getting there, had no pedals on my bike, could still feel my breakfast rumbling around in my stomach and to top it all off when I ran about 100m down the road to the start line I got a stitch - doh! It was good to catch up with a lot of faces that I hadn't seen for a while and get the usual banter. As the race started it didn't take long for me to ask myself why I wasn't still lying in my bed (that's never a good sign). Running has never been my strong point so when you are unfit that feeling is multiplied by a zillion - so I was left with the feeling that I would have rather stuck needles in my eyes - it was brutal. The only positive for me to take away was that although my knee felt a bit unstable it held up.

As I launched my running shoes off, changed in to my bike shoes and put on my helmet I instantly felt more at home. Don't get me wrong my legs were knackered but I just felt so much better. It all started off pretty well, I got into a nice rhythm and manged to pick off a few riders on the ups and downs. As I was passing one weapon on the last section of the descent he managed to quite spectacularly wipe me out . . . . of course the only place I was going to land was on the knee. I jumped back up got on the bike and could instantly feel it- oh oh! I was pretty worried to be honest and instantly thought the worst. After finishing I got home pretty quick - got ice on it and tried to rest it as much as possible.

Today its much better - yeah its had an impact, is swollen and is bruised, but its still in one piece. So although my fitness may have left me, I feel pretty content with the knowledge that I will be able to ride my bike this week. For now that's all I need . . .

So as the rolling stones say . . . . if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need!

See you on the trails

Les

More of a binner than a pinner . . . .

I've just sat down and read the blog I wrote back in May when the injury first happened . . . it pulled on a few more heart strings than I ever imagined it would. I still can't really see my knee in those photos, sitting looking at my knee now I see the scar and feel this disappointment, but its short lived because I'm excited - the butterflies and drive have returned and after way too many months I'm back on my bike (you have no idea how amazing it feels sitting here now writing that).

The past 6 months have been nothing short of testing . . . . but as I sit back and look over that time, think where I was and where I now am I can see the light (the tunnel was just a bit longer than I expected). Its weird how you never really realise how much you miss something until someone/thing swipes it out of your arms - I've missed my bike, I've missed the trails and I've missed having great craic with my mates out there (although they all assure me that the biking has been utterly pitiful over the past 6 months and I truly believe them - ha ha!).

So the journey has been a different one - in the first few months I could do very little with my leg so I took sometime to chill out, catch up with friends and and try and train my puppy (yip that's still trying to happen!!). After that I started intensive physio and things seemed to be going well so I returned to the bike . . . . however the extensive bone bruising I had sustained then started to play up and it wasn't long before I was back off the bike. And the story has really followed that pattern for the last few months. My knee is getting there - it feels so much stronger and things that were troubling me are gradually starting to disappear. Racing aside it just feels so amazing to be back on the bike.

Riding has been great and I've tried out a few new things like BMX'in . . that was fun!

But racing is always there . . . and when your competitive its hard to switch that tap off. Sure I've been through the motions - is this still what I want to do, will me knee survive . . . . . .I can answer the first question with certainty - yes . . . .the second I hope so . . . . .I just need to get fit now!

And whats the best way to do that?? Race Right??

So the weekend just passed I entered the Innerleithen Night/Day Enduro - 2 runs in the day, 2 runs in the night - radical! It was soo hard - I think I went from being on the bike for about an hour and a half to 3 hours for the race . . . so by the time I got half way down the 3rd run I was about crying, the 4th well that was just a hold on and hope. I'm guessing things weren't made any easier by the massive stack I had in run 2 where I attempted to use my chin as a brake (that doesn't work out so well!), but it is pretty scary being chased down by Emma Guy - especially when shes shouting I'm coming to get you ha ha! All in all it was a cracker of an event, super tough and I was happy to take 3rd after being schooled by Emma Guy with Katy Winton being impressive in 2nd!

Big shout out to Gary Forrest who won the event - pinned boy pinned!

4 days on and I still feel like someone ran me over in a dumper truck and then reversed back over me - doh!

2 weeks til the Glentress duathlon - anyone got a spare lung!

Hope to see you out on the hills

Les.

P.s Last weekend of The Hub Cafe this weekend - get your little behinds down there #thereisnosuchthingastoomuchcake!!

These things are sent to try us . . . . .

It's a cruel old world sometimes, you over come the dark Scottish winter and a few hiccups on the way all in preparation for the up coming season. The 2011 season kicks off in March and its a bit of a slow start, but after a few races under the belt and a wealth of training things start to move in the right direction. One thing is for certain when it comes to racing and preparation there is no set formula that you can follow, it differs for all of us and sometimes its appears luck also plays a role in there.

But what is luck? Do you believe in it? I think I do to a certain extent, but I'm not really sure where on when that started. Numerous people in my life have often referred to me a lucky Lesley - but that luck has only ever been applicable to certain circumstances - for example parking spaces and clearing courtyards in petrol stations, but does that open me up to a susceptibility to being unlucky in other areas . . . . . . I don't think so, I just reckon that sometimes bad things happen and no matter how many times you think about how different things could have been you just have to swallow it all up, look forward and start healing.

The 19th of May was the start of the World Cup season for me at Dalby this year. Kerry and I packed up the van and headed down to North Yorkshire - its was all going so well. After the drive down we both felt a bit groggy so we unpacked the road bikes and headed out for a spin - it was an amazing night, the sun was out and it was just was just great to be out on the bike.

Friday arrived I signed on for the race and headed to the course from some practice. The course had altered slightly at the start but was riding great and I just couldn't wait for Sunday to arrive. I was on my new bike an Ibis carbon hard tail sorted out for me by the fab guys at The Hub (www.thehubintheforest.co.uk) supplied speedily from 2pure (www.2pure.co.uk). The bike is amazing, it is really sticks to the ground when you are riding in and the confidence that give you is incredible - happy days.

After practice I headed back to the B&B for a chill before the pro sprint eliminator at night....

It all started so well, I was feeling strong and I was travelling around the course, I pinned it down the stairs and the rest is a bit of a blur, I'm not sure if I caught my wheel in a step or the ramp but I managed to put a ding in the rim - resulting in the tyre exploding off and me hitting the ground pretty fast and hard . . . . .during the process I also managed to roll the front tyre off the rim. But it all happened so fast I still had no idea that any of this had happened, all I knew what that I hit the deck, so I jumped up, picked up the bike and was about to get back on it to continue when I discovered I had no air in my tyres, in fact the tyres weren't even on the rims - it still took me a bit of time to figure that was my race over. I felt a bit stiff and hobbled down to the pit area where I discovered my knee was bleeding.

A trip to the medics tent revealed a large hole in my knee and that was me off to A & E to get stitched up. I was still certain I could race on Sunday and was continually asking in the hospital what the chances were. I could tell they thought the chances were slim but they seemed to humour me and say wait and see what its like in the morning. 7 stitches later I was packed off . . .

When I woke up in the morning my knee was about twice its original size and my movement was so restricted there was no chance I could pedal - at that point I knew it was all over.

I've spent the last few days hobbling about and re going over what happened in my head. But its happened and I probably could have ridden that section 100 more times without a problem . . . sometimes bad things just happen!

In the wise words of Friedrich Nietzsche " What doesn't kill us makes us stronger"

Hopefully it will be a speedy recover I've got a new bike to get out and do some riding on.

So if your about and free over the next few weeks give me a shout, Ive got some spare time on my hands!

Healing time.

Les

Go Fast Eggs!!

Aberfoyle - Yaaassss! Every year when the SXC release their race dates I always get a few butterflies as I sit and pray that Aberfoyle is gonna be there. It was all good for 2011 and a big thanks has to go out to the guys at Squadra Porcini who over came all the barriers set by the forestry to put on another cracking course (I was told that the race was going to go ahead even if it was around a grass field), thankfully it wasn't and the Squadra Porcini guys put on a real MTB race . . . . . . .the future may not be so certain though!

Last week has been cracking weather wise and our often wet and slippy trails have turned into dusty dry ones . . . . . that takes a bit of getting use to ha ha! But Aberfoyle in my eyes is what Scottish mountain biking is all about, rooty, steep and slippy . . . . so sticking with tradition on Saturday morning the heavens opened and the course was transformed - yee ha! Practice is always pretty funny up there as there is normally a stack of bodies somewhere around the course . . . . I pushed my front wheel into what I thought was a moss corner, turns out it was just moss so my wheel went right through and I did a little bit of roley poly action down the hill (reckon I would have beaten any easter egg). After I had finished practicing the sun appeared and it looked like the course was set to dry up alot! Check out the blue sky below as Kerry and I were making some tea!

Sunday arrived and although it was over cast it was still pretty hot . . . you just knew that was going to make heart break hill a little harder :) Luckily enough Andrea was walking about at registration handing out go fast eggs - phew! The race was pretty full on from the start, a massive up hill followed by a big descent that was split into sections - you really had to work hard through out the whole thing. I was pretty chuffed to take the win with Hannah Barnes in 2nd and Rachel Fenton in 3rd - check us out below:
Feeling a bit tired today . . . . nothing an easter egg wont sort out (Kerry bet your gutted you left your egg in my van ha ha!)

Yee ha

Les

Nature starts to reclaim Dalby . . . . . and the course just keeps getting better!

There are always certain courses that you look forward to on the race calender and Dalby is certainly one of those for me. There are defined sections of the course, which I guess helps you compartmentalise the whole thing, and as you set off on your practice lap it doesn't seem that bad . . . . . of course you always get crowds of riders lurking around Worry Gill (the 8ft drop) and Medusa where you line choice can be critical! This year nature has decided that it wants to reclaim Dalby again and the smooth sections that once existed are but a distant memory of the past, Dalby has got rugged and its great! So basically you get a full on battering on the descents, there are numerous tricky corners, awkward braking bumps and tricky dips just waiting to grab your front wheel as you begin to tire throughout the race. . . . . and to really finish you off you are then faced by numerous gut busting climbs- oh yeah bring on the race!

Kerry and I headed down on Saturday morning and set up camp (look to the left). Kerry had bought a new shelter for us, but to be honest the instructions were a bit dodgy so I had an idea . . . . . I think it worked pretty well, thankfully it wasn't very windy ha ha! We were lucky with the weather even though it was a tad chilly at night. . . . in the middle of the night when I woke up I thought I had a mummy lying next to me . . . turns out Kerry had just pulled her sleeping back so tight her face wasn't even visible ha ha!

It was a really nice relaxing night as the sunset over the campsite . . . . . . and the moon started to rise over the race village! Race day arrived the sun was out and it looked like it was going to be a cracker.

Check out the photo below of me on the start line (that's my race face by the way- ha ha!), its brilliant to see so many elite females competing at the moment in all the races.

.

As the race started I got a really good start and was sitting well in the middle of the field for the first lap. It all felt really good, by lap 3 Gabby Day and I were neck and neck and we stayed that way through lap 4 and most of lap 5. I was on the front most of the time doing the work but I felt comfortable there and on the last lap managed to get enough of a gap to get 10th spot. It was a full on tough race out there and it certainly took its toll on my body . . . this morning it felt like Mike Tyson had a few pops at me. . . . . . .

Stunt of the day has to go to Craig Owen who was in front of me on my 4th lap and pulled the biggest endo I have ever seen on a cross country bike off those dodgy little humps after Worry Gill! I still have no idea how he didn't go over the bars! :)

Back to Dalby for the World Cup in May . . . . cant wait!

Les

Time to come out of hibernation

Its easy to get caught up in winter, travelling to and fro work in the dark, training in the dark and just missing out on that much required sunshine. Every year when winter starts it feels long and difficult, but within a week or so you get in to the swing of things, charging lights and such like just fall in to another step towards getting out on your bike. Then something weird happens and you start enjoying it, night riding is pretty special! When you get one of those clear starry nights . . . well you really don't need much else to keep motivated. Once February approaches you can start to see a difference in the day light hours, you feel refreshed and ready to hang up the lights for the summer . . . .

Then March hits . . . the race season begins and everything changes!

This year it all kicked off for me in Innerleithen for the Alistair Lees Time Trial. Its nice to be close to home to race and this race is one of those must do's if you love a technical course. This year was no different, Steve Deas the course designer put together a brutal 25km loop not designed for the faint hearted. It was mega, the descents were tight, twisty very muddy and fun and the climbs were steep technical and tough. There wasn't any chance of getting a breather out on the course as after ever decent a brutal climb followed and that kind of summed up the whole 25km.

There were broken bikes, comedy falls . . . not so comedy falls but so many smiles! It always amazes me that nowadays cross country course designers seem to be listening to the people carrying the red tape, removing challenging sections of courses and in my view not really moving with the times of the sport or bike technology available. However put a tough tough course on like this one and everyone loves it . . . .Why? Because its such a challenge, when the whistle blows and the red mist of racing descends upon us, its amazing what we can achieve . . . .or stumble over!

I really enjoyed the whole event even though my legs were falling off me going up the last climb. The last descent was also timed in order to award a King and Queen of the descent . . . not so easy with all that brutal climbing in your legs! I was really happy to take both the overall win of the TT and the fastest female descent . . . . (5th fastest descent overall) yee ha. Below is a shot of me coming down the last descent from Ian 'Snap Shot' Linton, in the background you can see Inners. Ian is a good friend and a fab photographer, check out his work at http://www.ianlinton.com/

!

The following weekend is was time to pack up the van and set off to Kirroughtree for the first round of the Scottish XC series. This of course was also the first road trip for Kerry and I . . . . ha ha I have actually missed them! Stoked to be back on the road!

The course at Kirroughtree had been changed a little and I was slightly disappointed to see some of the natural sections that I love so much to be absent from the course. Some of the new natural sections that had been cut turned into a bit of a run, I'm never really up for that. The race was a bit if a shock to the system but I was happy to take 3rd and get on the podium, Lee Craigie (Torq) took the win with Elke Schmidt (Squdra Porcini) 2nd. That's not my pink bucket by the way (see below).

This weekend Kerry and I were on our travels once more, heading south to Sherwood Pines just outside Nottingham. While everyone in Scotland kicked back and enjoyed the sun we were down there freezing our little behinds off . . . . can you believe it??

The course was good despite the fact the course was mainly on the flat! Lots of tight twisty singletrack was cut through the trees keeping the amount of firetrack to a minimum. This type of racing is hard! I was racing on the Lapierre Pro 500 hardtail (look left), aint he something else. To make things a little harder for us all the race got moved forward by half an hour and it was the weekend of the clocks changing-oh oh! Kerry and I weren't sure if our phones updated automatically so we had to set alarms half an hour apart . . . thankfully everything went to plan!

There were 19 starters in the Elite Women's field which is so good to see. The photo to the right is of us at the start, that's me front right as you look at it . . . . .to be honest that blur was how most of the race felt. The pace didn't ease at all and it was brutal from start to finish. I finished in 13th, happy with the result! The Podium read as Lene Byberg (Specialized Factory), Annie Last (Boardman Elite) and Lily Mathews (100% Me). There were alot of fellow Scots down for the race and a hec of support from them all during the race . . . Cheers guys!

Next one Dalby

See you there

Les

Time to step it up with a visit to the Big Dog!

I have always had a lot of respect for Graeme Obree. He was definitely a man ahead of his times the way he trained, prepared, altered bikes and never ceased to give up when is so often appeared that ever door was closing on him. I remember reading his book (that was no easy feat), it was very dark in places mainly driven by his illness and I often found it hard to relate to certain parts of it mainly due to the fact that I am very different from him personality wise. As an athlete and more particularly an athlete living in Scotland I got a lot from the words he wrote along the way. One sentence always sticks with me where he states there is no such thing as bad weather . . . . only a poor choice of clothing! That still makes me smile as I think about heading out in the winter for a ride never quite knowing what the weather is going to be like or how many layers to wear . . . . after 5 years it is still very much a work in progress and I often get it wrong but life is all about learning right???

I'm very proud to be Scottish and learning to mountain bike here has definitely provided me with an incredible foundation to build my skills. Where else can you ride in the mud, snow, sunshine and rain all in one simple 2 hour trail ride? Throw into that mixture some of the best varied trails out there and you have the perfect ingredients. Anyway before going off on too much of a tangent I will get back to my earlier point the weather, the beautiful Scottish winter. I think training through a Scottish winter definitely makes you stronger but this year for a week I packed my bags (well actually sat on them to make them shut-mental note to still work on the packing skills) and flitted to Gran Canaria (aka Big Dog) with two trusty accomplices (Emma & Tracy) for some hard graft, quality roads, sunshine and swimming in the sea - total torture.

We hired some bikes out there from a fab shop Free Motion (www.free-motion.net/en) and were off into the hills for a week. It was great, the sun was shining, shorts and t-shirts were on and the temperature was sitting in the mid 20s all week. What was even better was that the day light hours were extended, so it was nice not to be surround by darkness so much. For a day we headed out on the mountain bikes descending from the top of the highest mountain on the island. The trails were amazing, dry, dusty, rocky, twisty and open it had it all . . . even a few technical climbs to round it all off. I think my favourite part of the ride was a section called the jungle trail it was amazing! We had a great guide for the day - Emo - cheers dude!

So although I think that Scotland, more specifically the Tweed Valley is the best place to live, train and just ride in . . . . sometimes its nice to get away.

It makes you appreciate it all the more when you come home.

Roll on the summer

Les

Squirt save the day again!

December proved to be an exceptionally cold month in 2010 hitting the record books as the coldest December in over 100 years and the second coldest calender month on record according to the Met Office - brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Shock horror though it was actually Scotland's 5th driest December ever - most of the time that would put a big smile on my face but the truth was it was still raining, it just fell as snow instead - doh! After the first bit of excitement from the snow wore off . . . getting snowed in, boarding and skiing in Innerleithen and how can I forget the episode of extreme tarping (not for the faint hearted that one) I started to get bored being trapped indoors training. However Scotland's weather wasn't up for becoming predictable and in the same month we experienced more sunshine than normal, this along with an increase in temperature resulted in a speedy thaw . . . mega!

I made the most of the thaw and got out on the mountain and road bike as often as I could. It felt amazing being back outside on the bike you just cant beat it! The mountain bike trails were soaking so the bike was getting a bit of a bashing out there and I don't need to saw anything about the amount of salt on the roads and how it was trying to eat my road bike for breakfast. This was a dilemma and I needed a solution . . . . dun dun dun , then I received a little gift from Squirt. Squirt Devil bike cleaner and Squirt Devil degreaser - goodbye muck and salt hello clean sparkling bikes. Whats even better Squirt have done it again delivered a fab product that is non solvent based, non hazardous and 100% biodegradable. Since I already use Squirt long lasting dry lube on my chain I don't have to spend 3 hours trying to clean it with degreaser as it self cleans - result.

All of the above results in me getting indoors quicker after a ride and that helps aid my recovery. So instead of spending hours out cleaning your bike in the cold winter months, switch to Squirt and get inside and get the kettle on!

Not sure what I would do with out those guys.

Not familiar with the products check them out at http://www.in2dust.co.uk/

or simply visit The Hub in the Forest to buy some produce http://www.thehubintheforest.co.uk/

Happy Winter riding

Stay warm

Les

Snow Angels . . . . .

If the weather looks like this outside . . . . . . .


Don't just head straight for the rollers or turbo . . . . . . it's still possible to get out on the mountain bike and its great fun!

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1CTcmPp7Y

Don't get cabin fever this winter!

Les

Time to dust off the cobwebs and get back on the bike!

It's always good at the end of a long season to have sometime off to recuperate and catch up with friends and family that I have missed during the Summer months. This years off season has been great . . . . although I never actually stopped biking I have spent the last month hanging out with friends on the trails refreshing my memory of what it's all about. . . . it's been amazing!

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year to ride my bike, the colours are awesome in the forest and its just so refreshing with that little nip in the air. So I've dusted off all the cobwebs and returned to training.

It's great to be back out there doing it all again, but don't forget to stop and have a look around sometimes.

Happy Riding

Les

The adventure begins

It feels like I have been waiting forever for this weekend to eventually arrive. Last year after the British championships when I qualified to compete in the world cups I knew I was going to embrace it. Its all been a bit of a whirlwind this year but I am frigging loving it. I have been planning this trip for more months than I can remember and for the last week or so I have suffered extreme brain fry trying to organise everything, but on friday Kerry and I set off on our little summer adventure - woop woop!

Isn't it funny how easy it is to wake upin the morning when you know the reason you are getting up is not work :) there was no need for the snooze button on friday! I literally bounded out of bed, but part of that was panic because I still had a heap of packing to do- eek. It didn't take long for me to get into a rhythm and before I knew it Bob was my uncle, Mary was my aunt and my bags were packed. That proved to be the easy bit . . . . the difficult bit was trying to fit 3 weeks worth of kit, clothes, bikes, camping stuff, food and most of the contents of my flat into the van, oh yeah not to forget all of Kerry's stuff. By we cracked it, check it out below:

I can find anything in there . . . . or maybe just the coke :)

Chi Chi (the van) also got a makeover for going away, check him out below with his show girl Kerry.

Just after midday we were off, what was left behind was left behind (let's face it judging from the picture above it wasn't much) the adventure starts here!

The first leg of the journey was only down to Birmingham but the journey was a bit of a more to be honest - Friday M6 need I say anymore!

On saturday we got upfairly early and tackled the next 3 hour of the journey,again we got caught up in a bit of traffic on the M25-we are so noy use to that. But we made good time and got down just after lunch, unfortunately there was a bit of hanging about though as course practice didn't open until 4pm. But eventually we got there and I was pleasantly surprised 30 minutes south of gatwick there was a hidden gem of mountain biking hidden in East Sussex at Pippingford estate. The course had some really tough climbs but to counter that it had really fast sweeping descents, if they didn't make you smile you are so in the wrong sport! So I left practice on a high, good course now all I required was a good night of rest to prepare.

My race wasn't until 2.30pm on sunday which was really weird, it totally throws you when you are use to racing at 10am, there is a whole other meal invovled - yikes! The temperature was starting to rise and the nice organisers put our race up to 5 laps, there was no way around this is was going to be a slog out there!

As with most races you get to about 2 hours before the event and then the time flys in! So there I was stood on the start line in blistering heat for the 2010 British Champs. We were off . . . the start was a horrible drag up a lumpy bumpy field, my legs were screaming at me on the way up but I knew I just had to get to the top as there was a descent to follow. I was lying in 6th and stayed there for the first lap. On the 2nd lap there was a bit of a confusion at the feed zone and I missed my 2nd bottle - nightmare in the heat but I just had to get on with it . . . . I had now moved into 5th and was closing on 4th. As I approached the 3rd lap I could see 4th place just up ahead, I worked hard and attacked coming out of the feed zone and thats where I finished up. I'm stoked, a few errors in there but it is all starting to come together.

Yee ha

Les

Dam good at Dalby!

The season seems to really be rolling in fast now especially since it was time to return to Dalby for the 4th round of the British XC. I'm starting to get to know the course at Dalby pretty well so I wasn't really expecting any differences for the race. Sadly this year Dixon's hollow was taken out at the end, it's a small 4x stylee track that is just so much more fun and feels like a little reward at the end of each lap so I guess I was pretty sad to see it go. Apart from that the course was pretty much the same old, with a few added braking bumps. There had been a few heavy down pours in the days leading up to the race so some of the berms were slippy as, actually I just fell down the first one - doh! The rain had passed by the friday however as the temperature was starting to rise so I wasn't too concerned.

Saturday morning was another scorcher . . . . . it's not good for us Scotties that are only use to an average of about 14 degrees (well maybe it has been a little higher this year). To the race . . . . . I actually got a really good start leading the field out and being able to dictate the pace at the first 180 degree corner, before the first technical section Rossara Joseph nipped in front of me so I followed her wheel down that. Later Mel spath came past and on the next section of the track my chain came off - doh and fell all the way back behind my cogs. I had to get off during which time the whole field passed me - nooooooooooooooooooooo! Once fixed I was back on track and fought my way back to 7th where I eventually finished. All in all it was a great race, really tough but that's the way it should be. Can't wait til the next one

Les

They know how to mountain bike in Wales!

Bank holiday weekend and another mammoth trip south for some epic racing in Wales! Kerry and I got up in the wee early hours of Friday morning and headed to Cardiff for the big Welsh weekend of racing! The journey down wasn’t so bad, a little slow at the hot spots of Manchester and Birmingham but otherwise it was a relatively good trip. That is mostly due to the fact that we now have a sat nav, so our days of wondering around aimlessly are distant memories at the back of our minds. . . . . . . . .well almost normally we have at least a few recalculating episodes. It has however brought new challenges to the table, it always predicts time of arrival so a currently favourite game at the moment is beat the sat nav – not that I’m competitive or anything :)

Saturday was the XC event and boy was the weather horrible it just poured with rain the whole time! It’s funny because like most when I look out the window in the morning and see horizontal rain coming towards me my initial thought is to jump straight back into bed, but this Saturday I was glad I didn’t. Margam park hosted the racing this weekend and a new track had been cut for the race, mixed with the rain it turned into two and a bit hours of cracking fun! The climbs were not for the faint hearted and the descents ha ha they were just amazing. There were loads of off camber sections where the bike was just drifting the whole way down, other parts of the course turned into massive mud slides where it was a case of get off the brakes and go for it, I had a rather impressive power slide on the go at one point. I finished 9th in the race and was stoked with the result. Rossara Joseph took the win, with Lee Craigie 2nd and Cait Elliot taking 3rd slot!

Lewis Kirkwood continued his impressive form in the juniors finishing 5th, nice work!

Normally the day after a race is a relatively chilled out affair but that was not the case this weekend as on Sunday the marathon events were taking place. I entered the 75km race which consisted of 3 25km loops. I was a bit apprehensive that such a big loop would lead to a rather boring course, but once again I was more than impressive with Margam. The first 5km of the course was a rather brutal climb that was followed but some really tasty climbs and descents. A big thumbs up to the course designers, its one of the best enduro courses I have ever ridden. I really enjoyed the event on Sunday and even though my legs felt a little tired at first it didn’t take long for them to warm up. I managed to win the marathon – yee ha!

Kerry and I stayed with some family friends this weekend – Rob and Ann. They showed us how hospitality was done Welsh styleee and we truly had a fantastic time. Big thanks to you both and all your family, it was so nice to meet everyone. Hope to see you all soon.

Kerry was a star once more having to deal with the pouring rain on sat and like normal not being bothered at all by it.

Cracking weekend, I defiantly want to see more of Wales and what it has to offer mountain biking wise!

Yee ha
Les

At last an actual mountain bike race at Aberfoyle!

For the last few months I have literally been pulling my hair out trying to find my motivation for racing! Granted we didn't endure the best winter for training over here, but it felt like more than that. At the beginning of the season I was content with racing myself fit, but after a puncture at Kirroughtree and a few non-races I was really struggling to find that fire in my belly. I couldn't put my finger on the lack of motivation and panic was starting to set in. Isn't it funny how things workout sometimes? It appears that Aberfoyle was all I was waiting for!

I know I sound like a bit of a broken record sometimes but seriously how good was the course at Aberfoyle?? The climb was a killer, a real heart breaker but I concurred it 4 out of 4 laps - that was a good feeling! And the descent well it was just awesome, natural tracks with more than enough to keep you on your toes - the rain on saturday night certainly made it more sleek. Sadly on sunday I appeared to have forgotten how to descend and had more than my fair share of crashes, it was rather scary to be honest. But on my 4th lap as I crossed that finish line a massive smile appeared, all the panic had gone, I was just waiting for a proper mountain bike course to race on! I finished 3rd on the day - stoked to be honest as it was my first XC podium of the year. Lee Craigie (Torq performance team) was once again on impressive form taking the win, with Elke Schmidt (squadra porcini) finishing in 2nd.

The Glentress Riders were out on form as usual with Hannah Ferguson taking the win in the Youth Females, Lewis Kirkwood winning the male juniors and Jake Law finishing 7th in the masters - gid work guys!

Big thanks to Squadra Porcini for a fab course, great marshals and for being so helpful on saturday practice. SXC two thumbs up for race and venue - smashing!

As always big thanks to the Hub, Squirt and all my other sponsors. Kerry for the bottles and mum and dad for the encouragement.

Yee ha

Les

P.s well done to my sis-in-law Lisa who ran the Edinburgh marathon in 4:10, first one and all that!

10 hours of carnage at Fort Bill!

I'm pretty sure last year as I crossed the finish line at 10 under I turned to Kerry and said - job done . . . . I'm happy with that, stoked at the result but I don't know if I will ever do it again. . . . .

The 15th of May 2010, it's 10 Under the Ben and guess what I'm on that start line!

I have one word for the start - carnage! This year a Le mond style start was adopted where what felt like millions of competitors had to sprint, hobble and drag themselves 100m before getting on the bikes. During the whole thing I remember feeling scared, everyone was trying to push you out the way and snap at your heels . . . . . . I couldn't even see the ground I was suppose to be running on. Somehow I survived and for 9 hours 44 minutes and 13 seconds spent a considerable large amount of time riding my bike!

The guys at No Fuss again had done a great job adding new natural sections to the course, but I will never thank them for putting that little steepy climb in there :) ha ha it was killing me by the end but I did manage to make it up 8 out of 8 attempts -BOOM! The weather decided to remind us that we were in fact in Scotland as we experienced showers / heavy rain and even a little sunshine.

I found the event a lot harder this year, but think the weather played a role in that as the ground got wet the natural sections began to mud up and some sections felt like you were riding through toffee, towards the end of the race it did start to dry up though! I managed to get 9 laps in on the day that included a highland cow falling on top of me (well a lass dressed up as a highland cow) and a close encounter with a tree that left a dent in my helmet and a bruise on my head - doh! I won the female solo category by a lap with Hannah Barnes taking 2nd and Dorota Bamkowska taking 3rd. I'm stoke with the whole result as I actually finished 11th out of 184 solo's yee ha! Graeme Short (Glentress Riders) was also out there finishing 4th in the vets - but I didn't actually see him the whole event - just shows you how many folk are attending these days! Dick, Ali and Scott got 3rd in the vet male trios!

A big thanks has to go to Kerry for supporting me as always, couldn't have done it without ya. G for cleaning my bike between laps and getting me in the shape to do the damage in the first place. A big thanks has to go out to the guys at No Fuss for another gid event. Also to all the marshals for all the support and encouragement the whole way round - they were magic! And for all the nutters up at the event from the Borders who gave me good chat even if I was moaning at times :)

I had never seen so much mud on my bike at the end and after a few washes and a visit to The Hub it is back happily in working order.

Aberfoyle this weekend - I'm only gutted the course has had to be changed because of one lady and her dogs - thing we may have just lost one of the best XC race venues in Scotland.

Onwards and upwards

Yee ha

Les

The stuff dreams are made of!

At the end of last year I was super excited when I realised that I had acquired enough UCI points in order to compete in World Cup events. I still remember waiting for what felt like weeks for the race dates and venues. Sadly Fort William lost the XC World Cup event but I was stoked that Dalby (North Yorkshire) had been successful in their bid. Resulting in the first round of the World Cup travelling there for 2010, which meant that my first ever experience of a world cup would be on home soil - that was pretty exciting!

I didn't really know what to expect from the event to be honest but I knew that it was going to be pretty massive when I started to get butterflies in my stomach the Monday before the race . . . . . in fact I am getting those butterflies once more now just thinking about the whole event!

It had been a bit of a manic week for me at work but Kerry and I eventually set off at 8am on Friday morning. The journey down was relatively simple - partly because we had been down that way before, but we did take a slightly different route this year. Co-pilot Kerry was on top of her game though! It took around 4 hours to get down which gave me plenty of time to register and get a practice lap in. I raced at Dalby last year as part of the British XC series so I knew that it was a good course, the best bit was that they had continued to develop the course cutting in even more technical lines and creating proper chicken routes that added on time! Thank you course designers! It's one of the toughest courses out there to race on, the hills are not massive, instead steep and mostly in quick succession of each other - that certainly starts to wear you down as you get through the laps. Furthermore there is little recovery to be enjoyed on the descents since they are technical - yee ha so concentration levels have to be up there! Its just fab!

After practice it was a quick scoot to the B&B to drop off all my stuff then back into Pickering for the pre-eliminator sprint race. A short 2 minute circuit had been created around the town that encompassed short climbs, a grave-yard, steps and a rather sketchy gravelly section. The format for the race was individual time trials and if you were quick enough you progressed onto a 4cross-esk race in which 4 people raced around the circuit together with the top 2 of each race getting through. The locals got right behind the event, loads of folk came along to watch and cheer all the riders on, bands were on the street playing music. I progressed into the first 4v4 race but didn't get any further - it was amazing! Home to bed to try and sleep :)

Saturday was another early start - up, breakfast and then back down to the course to get some more practice. After 2 laps I was pretty happy with my lines and decided enough was enough. It was pretty cool as Kerry and I then managed to spend a little time wandering around the race village before watching the junior race. Katy Winton cycled to a very impressive 5th place in the junior females, with Kenta Gallagher taking 13th in the junior males and Grant Ferguson 23rd after fixing a broken chain! Saturday night was much more relaxed - a quick bit to eat and then feet up for the rest of the night.

Sunday morning arrived and to be honest I just couldn't wait to get to the race. Everything seemed to go past pretty fast and before I knew it I was away warming up. We got penned 20 minutes before the race before every individual rider was called to the start line . . . . . there were 95 riders in total. I was gridded 2nd last row and was actually struggling to see the start of the riders - ha ha it was wicked. Positioned right in the center of the row I knew the start was going to be a fun one! It wasn't long before 1 minute to go was called out and everyone began to creep forward, by 30s I couldn't actually move anymore as I was surrounded by people. And we were off, it was fast and I mean fast, bikes and riders were flying around the place and the game had well and truly commenced! For an hour and a half after that all I can tell you was that I was beasting myself big style! I ended up finishing 81st - sweet! The crowds out there were amazing, everyone was cheering you on trying to keep you going!

I'm sitting smiling just now writing this piece because it was just so amazing. The podium read as follows: Irina KALENTIEVA, Willow KOERBER, Katerina NASH, Georgia GOULD & Julie BRESSET.

What an event to be a part of!

Yee ha

Les

Nae hill's at Sherwood!

Getting back into racing certainly does pack a punch and already the whirlwind of last weeks race and a 40km TT midweek left me slightly weary! Sherwood pines is about a 4 and a half hour journey for me so I guess its not too bad! However it just seemed to take an age to get down there and I was proper tired by the time we arrived. It was time for a quick kit change and a practice lap. There is one thing that you always know about Sherwood Pines, it's gonna be flat and it's gonna be fast and yep that pretty much sums up the lap. After the lap it was time to get some food and find the travel lodge.



The travel lodge was about half and hour away and did the trick for the night. They even allowed me to take my bike into the room, which actually allowed me to get some sleep during the night . . . . . . not waking up every 5mins to peep through the curtains! All I had to do was remember to switch my clock to go off an hour earlier! :)



Sunday arrived, my phone managed to change the time by itself (it's just amazing living in the 21st century) and everything was going nicely to plan. The race was tough from start to finish 5 laps of flat out effort with very little recovery out there. I finished 13th pretty happy with that result to be honest!

Other Glentress riders were out in force as usual with Katy Winton taking 2nd in the Junior females, Lewis Kirkwood 6th in the Junior males and Hannah Ferguson taking 4th in the Youth females. Nice one guys!

A few weeks off now to train like a beast for Dalby

Yee ha

Les

That's Life!

The racing season has defiantly crept up on me with a bit of a bang this year. I'm not sure if it's to do with the weird winter we have just experienced where lets face it, biking became a little tricky and my skills have been used more in the sports of snowman making and extreme sledging (not for the faint hearted!), but I'm just not really sure where the time has gone. So now its March and the start of the SXC season . . . . . . . . here we go again.

Most of Saturday morning was spent by me running around like a headless chicken, not quite fully remembering what I required to race, blatantly packing way too much stuff and in the end being content that I knew I had a bike, shoes, shorts, top, helmet and gloves and lets face it anything else was just going to be a bonus! Did I mention how sweeet my new race bike is??? Check it out below:

So off Kerry and I set for Kirroughtree and our first road trip of the season. All went according to plan and we arrived around 3pm in the afternoon. I popped off for a quick scoot around the race route and once again was more than happy with what Kirroughtree had to offer, actually it was even a bit better than last year as more sections of fire-track road had been taken out and replaced with natural sections - now we are talking! After a quick lap it was back to the B&B ( http://www.muirfadbedandbreakfast.co.uk) to chill-ax before the race the next day. Muirfad is one of Kerry and I's favourite places to stay when we are travelling around, Sue and Basil always make you feel very welcome in their home, it you are ever over that way you should definitely pop in and see them.

On Sunday morning everything felt good and I was really excited about getting out onto the race to see how everything was going. The race went really well up to the last lap where unfortunately I got a puncture, after a bit of faffing and a dodgy gas canister I eventually finished, coming in 6th, not quite what I was hoping for on the day but just makes me even more hungry for the next SXC! Sue Clarke took the win, with Lee Craigie 2nd and Elke Schmidt 3rd.

Fellow Glentress Riders Hannah Ferguson and Lewis Kirkwood got 3rd in their categories. Graeme Short finished 18th in the Vets.

British XC next week

Yee ha

Les

It just had to snow right!

Lets face it November's weather has challenged the best of us! Part's of the country have experienced almost a years rainfall in 24hr, the Tweed almost doubled in size over night and on more occasions than I really care to remember I have had to contend with soaking wet feet (don't you just hate that!). So it was of no surprise when I woke up on Sunday morning, looked out the window and I saw the rain streaming down the window (first thoughts were this bike is gonna be fun and slippy), but I wasn't prepared for the snow that was about to follow - it defiantly has to be the first of the Glentress Duathlons with weather like that ............ha ha!

For the first time I can remember the first duathlon was completely sold out - it's really nice that the series is seeing the support that it truly deserves. Pete, Elspeth and the rest of the gang had once again set up a flawless race course that only ever guarantees one thing . . . . . . . . its gonna be tough out there but surprisingly fun too (don't be fooled normally the fun part is only sensed when you are actually finished and alot of the time I think it is just relief :) he he!)

At twelve o'clock sharp we were off (thank goodness because it was freezing!), it was as rapid as usual as everyone battle for a position on the firetrack road, the lungs got a bit of a shock with the lack of recent racing and just the sheer coldness of the air. The course was the same as last year but due to the wet weather the descents were a little more interesting - I was loving the slippy-ness! It caught more than a few people out as I watch some rather sore looking face plants in front of me! From there it was up and down, up up and down with a little more up before returning to the transition area. By this stage my hands were pretty numb and the whole task of taking off a pair of biking shoes and attempting to tie up laces on running shoes was providing to be just a little too difficult - after a few to many minutes I was off out on my run. My stomach was going berserk, it kind of sounded like a washing machine - yuk! The whole run was a bit torturous for me as I just really felt that I didn't have a lot of energy, at which point it really started snowing (check out how happy I am in the photo below), it was made slightly worse by the fact that it was an out and back run so I could see the girl leading and the other competitors chasing me down-eek! I managed to hold on to second place after Elke Schmidt who was flying at the front of the field taking a convincing win and finishing in 8th spot over all! The whole race was pretty tough and I never really felt like I had a second gear - must have forgotten to pack my gear box!

Once again a really great tough event!

Thanks to the bike patrol - that half covered digestive biscuit and cup of tea at the end were the best I have ever tasted! The only thing that was missing was a bit of Carl's banter, but you guys did him proud!

Happy to have a rest today!

Les

Something green and shiny to make you smile during the dark winter months!

Another season down . . . . . . .

I don’t think I’m alone in the feeling that the 2009 SXC series was defiantly one of the best yet! There were surprises around ever corner, some great new courses, some great twists to old courses and as always some great folk out there competing and supporting! However the mere mortals among us drew a great sigh of relief as we crossed the finish line at Drumlanrig as that signified the end . . . . . . at last time to put the feet up for a while and recovery.

Don’t get too comfortable thought! Winter is fast approaching and if you get stuck inside too long with you feet up, well it may just become a bit of a habit . . . . a bad habit! As the nights draw in and the nip in the air turns into a bit more than a nip, that bad habit might just become to tough to break- be careful (eeeekkkkk)!

Winter is a funny old time especially in Scotland, the weather is unpredictable to say the least and even with his best efforts Michael Fish has a pretty poor chance of predicting what is actually going to happen! But that kind of adds to the excitement I guess, I enjoy being out on the mountain bike when it is wild and the wind is blowing a hooley around you, it’s pretty cool! Last winter however my patience got tested on more than one occasion after getting frost bite on the road bike, being blown with my bike completely off the track and for more times than I care to remember attempting to cycle in snow that was just silly deep (great for playing the longest skid though!). But my biggest hate of the winter has to be that after every ride you seriously have to strip your bike if you want the components to last even half the winter, and that’s just boring! Especially when it’s freezing outside and I would rather be sat in side with a nice cup of tea and a biscuit!

But this year it’s going to be different . . . . .

With a little help from my buddies at The Hub (the bike guru’s that they are) my eyes were opened to a hidden little treasure . . . . . The Genesis IO-ID. Genesis are pretty smart cookies and at a last somebody has actually designed a bike suited to withstand British winters and all that they can throw at us, plus they are pretty sweet to ride too (always a bonus). The IO-ID is a pretty trusty little stead, it has a really nice geometry, an apple green Reynolds 520 double butted frame (it’s cool check oot the pic’s), Rockshox Recon race forks and Shimano 575 brakes. But that’s not the impressive bit, the rear hub is a Shimano 8 speed Alfine that proves to be a winner on so many accounts – the restricted gear ratio is ideal for improving power over the winter, there is no derailleur so go mad, ride over heather and such like without a care in the world yee hee! The bike is a little heavier than a normal hardtail because of the rear hub but again the weight gain is perfect for winter training. But the genius bit that just makes me smile is the reduced maintenance, no rear cassette or derailleur to clean after ever ride only a simple chain! Thus meaning I will be spending less time cleaning my bike and more time enjoying the nicer things in life – remember the tea and biscuits!

IO-ID’s are extensively used on The Hubs hire fleet, but are only used a maximum of 35 times before retirement, at this point good homes are sought for each and every bike! The only prerequisite is that when you purchase one of these little babies you promise to have fun on it! Each bike is fully serviced after every ride and again before going on sale (many with brand new components) so in many ways it’s as good as new. So if you fancy grabbing yourself a little winter bargain you can pick up an IO-ID for only £499, check them out at http://www.thehubintheforest.co.uk/Bike/Bikes_For_Sale.html or head along and have a chat with the dudes at The Hub (they really do know what they are talking about!). Still not convinced? Hire one of the bikes out for the day and take it for a whizz around the trails, then if you decide to buy the bike you will be refunded the hire charge – spiffing!

So tell me what you would rather be doing this winter . . . . cleaning your bike or drinking tea? It’s a no-brainer for me!

Yee ha

Les