Like Marmite, Otterspool seems to divide opinion between love and hate. As a mountain biker, I enjoy the twisty woods and roots and I generally do quite well here. It was a lovely sunny day as well, so this was one race I was going to enjoy.
The start was a bit manic, with someone from the front losing a footing on a pedal and shooting backwards. I ended up not far off the front and started slowly battling my way through. I felt good acceleration out of the corners, so could make up places.
Sean Beswick seems to be having a good season and where as last year I was battling and eventually beating him in races, this year he's ahead of me and every race I've been fighting to reach him. This race was no different and lap after lap I dug into a slight lead he had on me. But halfway through, I realised I just didn't have it today. My heart rate dropped, I started to slow and it became a battle of holding on. Place after place dropped as I just didn't have the strength to battle.
I really enjoyed today, but a lack of fitness really showed. At least we didn't have to clean the bikes afterwards...
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Boggart Hole Clough
First race of the year for me and I knew this was going to hurt. By now everyone else was well into the race season and I was sure they would be flying.
A massive field turned out in lovely, if cold weather. They decided to run the start around the field twice in order to spread things out a bit. The start was manic, it happened so quickly or was that I because I wasn't used to racing? I fought to be fairly high up in the group without going into the red. I was unsure how well I would go today and was off the pace on the tarmac, but held my own in the dirt. I caught sight of Alan rolling around in the dirt looking very dazed, his bike on the opposite side of the track and that was a reminder of what can happen. I must be careful... I got 17 shouted out to me, pretty good for my first race although I was sure I was going to fade. Just see how I am up the long climb....
BANG....! I hit the floor. It took me a bit to work it out, but my pedal had come off, stripping the thread out of the cranks. After working out what had happened, there was nothing else but to walk round the lap and retire. Gutted, although it was fun to actually watch an inspiring win by Nick Craig. Alan was sore but ok, he rolled a tub but would fight another day...
A massive field turned out in lovely, if cold weather. They decided to run the start around the field twice in order to spread things out a bit. The start was manic, it happened so quickly or was that I because I wasn't used to racing? I fought to be fairly high up in the group without going into the red. I was unsure how well I would go today and was off the pace on the tarmac, but held my own in the dirt. I caught sight of Alan rolling around in the dirt looking very dazed, his bike on the opposite side of the track and that was a reminder of what can happen. I must be careful... I got 17 shouted out to me, pretty good for my first race although I was sure I was going to fade. Just see how I am up the long climb....
Weaver valley race
After last weeks mechanical disaster I had spent all week trying to get my bike together. The plan was to take the crankset from the road bike and after swapping over chainrings, put that on the cross bike. With a baby, and limited spare hours in the evening, it was a task which was always going to take several days and it was all going to plan until I discovered that the Bottom bracket in the cross bike was stuck - solid. A big hammer got it shifted, but I've never known one stuck quite so solidly.
So I turned up to the race with a bike which was a bit untested as I didn't have time to try it out before hand. Weaver valley is a place where I traditionally do well and after last week, I was determined just to finish. It's just a small place, but they've made a large course by sending you up and down a field several times. This year they had included a few more switchbacks and it was all the bit tighter, plus there was a lot more mud making it very slippy.
I was about to start my warm up when disaster struck. There is a lot of glass around by the car park and a small piece must penetrated my tyre as I punctured. I quickly swapped the tubes with one Adam lent me (who had also just broken his bike!) but I couldnt' find any glass in the tyre so I was very worried that it would puncture again. All this excitement also meant I hadn't warmed up for the race.
More than 100 riders turned up again and since I wasn't anywhere near the top 10 I wasn't gridded and stuck mid pack. The start was exciting as I worked my way through the crowds and then settled into a pace. I noticed that I missed any sort of feeling of zip that you get from racing, and that I was really slow at running up the hills (I thought I might have been better at this since I now work on the 6th floor). I got lapped on the last lap and I finished around 28th, not contesting a place to a friend.
So I turned up to the race with a bike which was a bit untested as I didn't have time to try it out before hand. Weaver valley is a place where I traditionally do well and after last week, I was determined just to finish. It's just a small place, but they've made a large course by sending you up and down a field several times. This year they had included a few more switchbacks and it was all the bit tighter, plus there was a lot more mud making it very slippy.
I was about to start my warm up when disaster struck. There is a lot of glass around by the car park and a small piece must penetrated my tyre as I punctured. I quickly swapped the tubes with one Adam lent me (who had also just broken his bike!) but I couldnt' find any glass in the tyre so I was very worried that it would puncture again. All this excitement also meant I hadn't warmed up for the race.
More than 100 riders turned up again and since I wasn't anywhere near the top 10 I wasn't gridded and stuck mid pack. The start was exciting as I worked my way through the crowds and then settled into a pace. I noticed that I missed any sort of feeling of zip that you get from racing, and that I was really slow at running up the hills (I thought I might have been better at this since I now work on the 6th floor). I got lapped on the last lap and I finished around 28th, not contesting a place to a friend.
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