Dalby got it so right . . . . but sadly I got it so wrong!

Last week was just one of those weeks, every hill I encountered was just a little tougher than usual, parked automobiles were playing tricks on me, the wind was always against me (why does that always happen when your tired), my eating was crap and it just generally felt like something was missing/not quite right . . . . . . but could I put my finger on it?? Its always a tough one, I tried not to worry about and instead be positive, relating it to the reduced volume of training and hoping my body was just being a little lethargic in preparation of what lay ahead at the weekend, I was pretty sure it would all return to normal . . . but that didn't really happen! Time for a bit of re-evaluation I think and possibly a little less chocolate this week :)

It took a little longer than I expected to travel down to Dalby, mainly due to the fact once you leave the motorway you have to follow tight, twisty little roads through a number of very busy and slow moving villages. Even when the roads opened up into the country there were so many 40mph drivers cutting about whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???? :( The journey also had a bit of a yukky twist when a pheasant decided it would be a good idea to jump out in front of the van, I thought we had missed it but it did that whole start to fly then sink 2 feet thing that they do . . . . . and oh dear no more Mr pheasant! Chi chi (my van) kind of got splatted with all this horrible yellow stuff . . . seriously what is that? And clear jelly looking stuff . . . yuk! So we had to take a detour to find a car wash! Put me off my food for a good 5 minutes that did!

This was my first trip to the Yorkshire dales and I was not disappointed. They have hills and some of the gradients you had to drive up to get to the race venue were well exciting (I know it's sad when you get excited about hills). The work that has been put in at Dalby is fantastic, it's a real mountain bike course that's for sure! It's hard packed surface makes the course roll fast but you have to be careful of the speed at some sections as it's fairly lumpy and bumpy and I got a little too close to a few trees at some points. Then there is the drop . . . a whole 6 feet that provided enough comedy on the day that will see many fans returning to watch mountain bike racing forever! On practice day it was face plant central and those that escaped luckily did a massive endo that was so out of control it made you feel a little sick! The mass of 30 or so riders gathering around it on the practice lap lead me not to have a shot, thought I would just save that for race day . . . . makes it more interesting ha ha! The climbs were brutal, the granny gear was out and you had to work so hard just to keep the front end on the floor at some sections. I really hope that Dalby is successful with the bid to be a venue for XC racing in the World Cup, I think it would be really sad if the UK did not have an XC round!

For loving the course so much I was a bit disappointed when things just didn't go my way on race day, think I forgot to pack my climbing legs (you always forget something right!). I loved the descents and was riding so smooth through them, even the drop I nailed it. Don't get me wrong it was fun but more of the p.a.i.n kind of fun! I finished in 11Th spot. Katherine O'shea (Torq Australia) took the win in the Elite females. Hannah Ferguson continued her impressive form finishing in third spot and Lewis Kirkwood in 6th - well done guys!

Accommodation for the weekend was the pent house suite at August Guest house near Rosedale! Mary and Michael certainly give a warm welcome. Michael likes to think he is a bit of joker however his jokes about the Scots were a bit poor ha ha! Maybe he will have some better ones for the next time we visit :) Racing brings alot of travelling and that can sometimes be a difficult thing, but when you find a bed and breakfast like what Mary and Michael run it makes it all worth while. The food is also amazing in the morning its just a pity I have to limit myself so much on a race day - Mary did try her best to force feed me mind! Thanks for making me want to come back and spend more time in Yorkshire! Check them out at http://www.augustguesthouse.co.uk/ and be sure to pay them a visit if you are down that way!

Onwards and upwards for Laggan

Les

Throw away the slicks, get some studs on and prepare for Aberfoyle!!!

The SXC series made a very welcome return to a golden oldie this weekend returning to Aberfoyle. This was my first race at Aberfoyle and if all the pre-race hype was anything to go by it was going to be a goodie . . . . . Yaaaaaaa! The course was tough from the onset steep technical climbs with steeper more technical descents . . . it was a dream come true. Hat's off to the course designers at Squadra Porcini (www.squadraporcini.com) you guys know how to put together a MTB course that's for sure! During practice on Saturday the course was stowed out, the craic was good as loads of folk were falling off and screaming as they rode the descents . . . I even did a swan dive a one point (I reckon is scored a 9 and a half!), best to find your limits on practice day . . . . . ha ha!

To the race . . . . . it was a flying start like usual with Hannah Ferguson (fellow Glentress Rider and Youth Female) taking the lead . . . . . . man they are like whippets :) It wasn't too long until Lee Cragie (Square Wheels) took over the lead and did her usual pace setting. As Lap one passed I managed to get on Lee's tail, both being closely stalked by Hannah. Lee continued to dominate the race in front of me for the remaining 3 laps although I kept getting painfully close to her at the bottom of the last descent only for her to scoot off again on the climbs! Lee took the win but I was so chuffed to finish so close behind her . . . looks like that hard winter training is starting to show!

Hannah continued to look impressive for the remainder of the race and took the win over Katy Winton. Lucy Grant continued to dominate in Juvenile field. In the Youth men Lewis Kirkwood finished in 6th and Sam Waterson in 9th . . . good work guys! Last but by no means least Jake Law finished 3rd getting his first podium . . . yee ha looks like the whole team were enjoying the tough technical race!

Accommodation for the weekend was the Braeval Old Mill Bed & Breakfast. Those guys were brilliant, very warm and welcoming and biker friendly too! They even locked our bikes away in the garage over night so they would be nice and safe! Breakfast was great and those guys certainly know how to make fresh bread that's for sure! If you are ever up that way go and give these guys a visit. Check them out at : http://www.trossachs.co.uk/ad-braeval.html

Thanks to Kerry for standing in a rather miserable feed zone for a few hours, The G-man for getting me in shape to do the damage that I did, Emma and Tracy for those shout outs around the course, and all the marshals / organisers and supporters!

The sheer toughness of the course has left me feeling a bit wrecked today that's for sure . . . . but that's what a proper course should do isn't it?

Time for a bit of feet up :)

Yee ha

Les

Slicks were in order at Sherwood.

It was an early start on Saturday morning to head south for the start of the British XC series. Things were going well, the van was all packed up nice and early, the tunes were on and Kerry and I were on the road . . . yippee! I forgot one important factor though . . . . . . Kerry is no TOM TOM and she takes shortcuts like my Dad, on average adding 15+ miles to your journey grrrrrr! (could be worse I suppose the last time we were heading for London).

Sherwood pines played host to the first round, the course was certainly different to what I am use to that's for sure! Really flat and fast, I did have to giggle when I saw that the roots and tree stumps were painted white just in case your eyes failed you and you couldn't see them :) If they plan to paint the roots at Inners someone better start the job now because it will take them a while he he! After the practice lap I changed to slick tyres as there was really no need for anything else! To keep my sanity during the lap I created 3 jumps that gave me a little something to smile at each lap. To be honest I though I was going to hate it out there from start to finish but I didn't, it was just a different kind of challenge. It was a case of putting the bike into a big gear and pedalling until your legs would no longer go round! Where a course like that sits in terms of mountain biking I'm not sure, but maybe we are just spoilt for choice up in Scotland!

So I finished in 15th spot which I am well chuffed with. Last year at this time the big guns were taking a lot more out of me during a race so it feels good to see something coming back after a gruelling winter! Hopefully its a sign of better things to come!

Hannah Ferguson was on form finishing an awesome 5th with Katy Winton finishing in 7th spot. Lewis Kirkwood was also flying round the course at a great pace finishing 11th overall, well done guys!

Its good to be home and in the hills again!

Les

A fast & furious start to 2009

Winter seems to have flown past at an unbelievable rate this year (can't say I'm too gutted about that!) and within the blink of an eye the snow has melted, spring is in the air and the new racing season has commenced- yaaaaa!!!!

The first round was at Kirroughtree, a new venue to the SXC circuit and a brilliant opener to the season. Kirroughtree is not known for hills so I didn't really know what to expect from the course. However it was a physically demanding course that encouraged you to get your bike in to the biggest ring you could push and try and grind it out for as long as possible! The roots started to polish off nicely as the laps progressed which kept you on your toes and oh that stinger climb was a fun one (you know the one I'm talking about!!). Although the climb may have left you starry eyed, it was impossible not to smile during the descent that followed! Job well done to the course designers at the break-pad it was a fun opener!

The race was also the first event that featured all the XC member of Glentress riders . . . . . . check out our cool new logo above! So to the race, man the first lap was tough, my legs were screaming at me the whole way round but somewhere during the second lap I managed to find a better rhythm that kept me going til the end if the race. I finished in third spot behind Lee Cragie (square wheels) and Adela Carter. I'm pretty chuffed with the result, winter has given me a good base and hopefully a few more races will help with speed. Looking forward to the next one already in some sadistic way:)

Lucy Grant put in a blinding performance, smoking me on the first lap to win the juveniles. Katy Winton was equally as impressive winning the youth category, with Hannah Ferguson pulling off an impressive 2nd spot! Lewis Kirwood finished 4th and Sam Waterston 14th in the youth males those guys were flying! Graeme short took a hefty tumble during an epic sprint to the line, which messed him, his bike and the other competitor up pretty badly. In the end up he had to run it in, still finishing in 7th spot . . . .good man Graeme! And last but by no means least Jake had to encounter a gruelling 5 laps, finishing 7th in the masters race - yahoo!

Thanks to Emma and Tracy for their cheering throughout the race, Kerry for feeding me and supporting as always. And everyone else who gave a shout out as I grunted my way through the course. Also job well done to the SXC organisers - great opener!

For anyone heading over to Kirroughtree in the near future the place to stay is conifers leisure park (http://www.conifersleisurepark.co.uk/), check them out! The lodges are awesome, completely biker friendly and just topped off a great weekend!

Not long til the next one, feet up and some easy pedalling this week I think.

Thanks as always to the G - man, everyone at the Hub, Squeezy, Luvians , Polar, Baillie Gifford and Tunnocks.

Yee ha

Les

Some proper XC racing at Inners - ya hoo!

Innerleithen has featured heavily on the downhill race circuits for years now . . . it has taken a while but at long last the XC market is moving to the venue too! For those of you who have not ventured to Inners yet you are missing a trick! The courses are sweet, tough climbs, awesome downhill's and lots of natural stuff along the way! This weekend Inners played host to the Alistair Lees memorial time trial. The course consisted of a 20km loop not set out for the faint hearted, the climbs were brutal, mixed with some awesome descents. God it was like a proper hardcore XC mountain bike race . . . . it does make you ask the question should they not all be like that? Ok so that's a discussion for another day but the short answer to the question is YES!


I loved the race on so many levels because it was a true test of a whole variety of skills. The weather even behaved which was a pleasant surprise! I managed to finish in first position which was awesome, picking up queen of the descent along the way! G fitted me up with a GPS unit before the race and I managed to clock 40.6km/h down Cadonbank - sweet! (not bad on a hard tail eh). I was out on my new racing weapon an Orange Evo 8, which the guys at the Hub sorted out for me the week before - yipee! The bike was sweet it's tres exciting!

The G-man once again was unable to race but fingers crossed he will be back in action ASAP. Jake fellow Glentress rider put in an impressive time while lugging a lot of suspension around the course . . . . . . . . . . his hardtail will be in the huff! Graeme Short also put in an impressive time . . . . . life in those old vet dogs yet :)

And last but by no means least welcome home to Mississippi Forest . . . it was such a nice sight for me after I had finished the race to be presented with a nice white bum and shaved legs! Some people will do anything to go faster ha ha! It's good to have you back Pumpy Pie the chat just hasn't been the same without ya!

Cheers to the organisers and marshals

Les

DOMS they really are not nice!

Day two after the race and things are just getting tougher and tougher. I swear if I stop moving for too long I am going to get stuck in that position! Anyone want a game of musical statues? I would so win at the moment! Oh the joy of DOM's!! Stairs have now become my nemesis - you should see how many I have to tackle at work its not funny (and thats just to get a cup of tea!).

Reports in from Jake yesterday were that he had turned into John Wayne . . . . god help him today!

Oh they joys of racing on the hills.

Going to try and spin the legs out later on the rollers to help remove some of the rubbish!

Here's to tomorrow and hopefully a less painful body.

Les

Fun and Frolics at Glentress

It may have been muddy and slippy under foot but the sun started to shine on Sunday (1st March) at Glentress. It was the last in the series of the Glentress duathlons and Pete and Elspeth made sure they put together a gruelling course! The bike course was tough, enough steep little climbs to keep the legs screaming and a few muddy descents to keep you on your toes and make you smile!!!! I was slightly concerned the whole way round the bike route as I had a little too much play in my headset! Thankfully it held together, but I'm not sure that I would like to ride with it like that again!

With the bike over it was time for the run and again it was a tough one, steep climbs with lots of boggy sections! I was pleased to get round the run unscaved and boy was I glad to get over that finish line! So I finished in first and with it took the series - yee ha!

Jake was on fire on the bike but think the run was a little harder for him! But lets be honest anyone who enjoyed that run is just not right in the head :) Yee ha to the Glentress riders! Unfortunately the G man had to sit this one out, hopefully he will have a speedy recover though I'm missing my training buddy!

Ta to everyone who turned up to support on the day your cheers were much required! Also a big shout out to everyone involved in organising the series it was a cracker!

Not long til the start of the XC season now - yee ha!

Les