MSG Round 7 - Langdon Hills

I'm going to get straight to it, I'm writing this blog post with very mixed emotions. I finished fourth at Langdon Hills on Sunday, and now I can see why they say fourth is the worst place to finish. The worst part about it was that I was comfortably in third right up until half way through the third lap.

I didn't give the place up easily though, I didn't simply roll over and let the guy (Matt Briers) pass me, I gave it everything I could. I didn't realise until it was too late that I was being attacked and was immediately on the back foot, much like I was in the previous round. I defended for about half a lap before he finally got me and ended up finishing 20 seconds or so behind him.

I was gutted because I really wanted to get on the podium, there's a photo of the two Fitch riders and Matt on the podium which I think is going to haunt me for a little while. I'll be moving up to sport next year, so it'll be a while before I'm challenging for the podium again. With all that being said, I did say I had mixed emotions about finishing fourth and there were a few positives that came out of it.

And they're off! I didn't get the best of starts, couldn't get clipped in!

I spoke to Richard on the line at the start line about the previous race, and him psyching me out. I told him about this blog and his first question was wether he should read it as he thought I might of taken it pretty badly and vented my frustrations. I told him that there was no hard feelings, he beat me fair and square, and taught me a lesson in the process. I knew that I needed to ride more aggressively in those situations, to shift the pressure onto my opponents. Unfortunately for Richard, I'm a fast learner and I immediately used the lesson he taught me to attack and drop him on the first climb. Riding off into the sunset, never to been seen again. I have to admit it, it felt good. Revenge is a dish best served cold. If you're reading this mate, I just wanna say thanks!

Although Richard was taken care of, I had other problems to worry about. Tony and Darren were both on my wheel. We train together a lot and we all know what each other are capable of. Darren had ridden 70 miles on his road bike the day before, and although that's a lot for some people, that's a warm up to him. Me and Tony were both mindful of his threat, and didn't want to give him the chance to attack us. We started fast, kept the pace up, and dropped him within half a lap.

A baggy jersey and bib shorts is NOT a good look, especially with leg warmers!

Tony and I continued to do battle. We were both passed by Chris from EHF coming into lap two. We both attacked him on the first climb and was able to drop him (it was his first race back, recovering from an injury). I remember looking over my shoulder seeing that Tony was STILL on my wheel and thinking "just go away, get off my wheel!". I thought, right if that's how you wanna play, that's how we'll play and I attacked him on one of the long climbs and was able to pull away. Dropping him was a huge relief, I've said it before, there's not a lot in it between us, and he was definitely a threat.

I spent the next lap or so pushing, trying to make the place stick, it dawned on me that I could potentially finish on the podium. I looked over my shoulder a few times and there was no one in sight, at least until half way through the last lap. The next thing I knew Matt was in my wheel attacking me, and I didn't have the energy to fend him off. So close, yet so far! I crossed the line, gutted that I'd missed out of fourth, but pleased with the result. At least I beat Darren and Tony, bragging rights were mine! It's also worth nothing that Matt and Graham once again done another amazing job. The course was really good. I really enjoyed it! Thanks guys!

Tony was rockin' and hot on my heels!

If you would of told me at the start of the season, that I would be challenging for the podium by round six, I would of laughed at you. To finish in the top ten was my goal, and I achieved that at round five. Getting on the podium would have been nice, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter, I'll go into sport next season, push myself and hopefully I can challenge for the podium again, I'd even take a top ten finish at this moment in time. I've already proved that it can be done (improving over a season). I finished 27th in my first race, and here I am, 20 seconds away from a podium spot. There's no denying I've made a lot of progress! Needless to say, next season is going to be a lot harder, but this time I'm ready for it.

As far as I'm concerned, that's my season more or less done. There's one more round left to do, the Olympic course, Hadleigh. Hadleigh is a very technically and mentally demanding course. The last thing I want to do is push it too hard fighting for the podium and crash and break something. So I'm going to take it easy, just enjoy the ride and not take any risks. Call it a victory lap!

Expansion of the fleet, and MSG Round 6

Once again, this is going to be another post all about cycling. I know I promised to talk about my goals etc in my last post but I haven't found the time to do so yet, it is coming though so stay tuned. For now though, it's all bike stuff!

My lonely Cannondale now has two sisters! I purchased a 2012 Flash Alloy 1, and built a 2014 SuperSix Evo Team. I brought the Alloy 1 as a winter/hack bike, my repair bill for my race bike was astronomical last year, and seen as I'm planning on racing at the winter series I thought a winter hack bike was kind of a must. It's also going to improve my training, as it's essentially just a heavier version of my race bike. Not sure what she weighs yet though. I got pretty lucky with her though, built her up, took a step back as you do, and realised she had a 2013 hybrid lefty. I've been told that this could be because it was one of the last 2012 bikes to be imported, and Cannondale may of ran out 2012 leftys (they start producing he new forks before the new bikes). I don't usually get lucky like this, I was stoked. I paid less than half RRP for it as well! Won't be long before I start pimping her up, I've got a Tindra 2 on her already!

A hack bike has been long overdue!

I have also built a 2014 SuperSix Evo Team. Somehow, Jonat Chelmer Cycles had managed to get his hands on two 2014 SuperSix Evo Team frames. Technically, it's a 2013 frame, with a 2014 colour-way, but it's limited edition, looks pimp and in my size too! "SOLD to the man with the exceptional moutain bike, and his unexceptional credit rating!" Sorry, I watched Django recently and loved it! For the record, my credit rating is actually rather good - if you're interested. Anyways, back on point! I spent the next few weeks deciding on what components to use. After talking to a lot of cyclists, this was the build I went with.

I'm still yet to think of a name for her!

2013 Cannondale SuperSix frame set

2012 SRAM Red group set (green)

Cannondale SiSL2 crankset

Cannondale Spidering chain set

Mavic Carbone 40C

FSA K-Force finishing kit (green)

SpeedPlay Zero (stainless steel)

Fizik Arione (braided rails)

I ran out of money, and had to get cheaper finishing kit, ended up putting the Cannondale C3 stuff on there for now. I'll get the FSA stuff as and when. I thought it was more important to prioritise the frame and wheel-set over everything else. Finishing kit makes very little difference in terms of performance anyways. Never the less, the bike comes in at 14lbs 8oz and is therefore therefore UCI  illegal. It's an exceptionally light bike, I've only ridden her twice, but take it from me, she goes like a rocket!

Legalise my Cannondale? Nah - I'm alright.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank a few people who gave up a lot a lot of their time to help me with this build. I can be very picky, especially when it comes to bikes! I know what I want, which can sometimes be a bad thing, especially when what you want comes in the form of Enve rims. 

First and foremost, Ollie - I know you got pretty frustrated at times, listening to me prattle on, but we got there in the end! Jon at Chelmer Cycles, who has been absolutely first class. I spent a lot of time talking with him about various things, I think I spoke to him everyday for about two weeks or so. John was happy to answer all of my (sometimes stupid) questions, share what appears to be infinite Cannondale wisdom, and then do me a good deal. He didn't hang around either, as soon as he got the green light, he had everything done and ready for the weekend, which I was really impressed with. I would recommend Chelmer Cycles to anyone, they really have been a pleasure to deal with! Now, can't forget my local bike shop Cycle Evolution! Namely Paul, Rich and Steven. It took me ages to decide on a wheel-set. It was painful for me, let alone everyone around me. I think at one point
Paul wanted to slap me across the cheeks but somehow restrained himself and (eventually) got me on a set of Mavic Carbone 40Cs, which at the time I was a little unsure about, but upon reflection I'm really pleased with, and glad I brought. Rich was kind enough to sort me out with a fit, and done another outstanding job. If you haven't yet had a bike fit, go and see Rich. He seriously knows his stuff and will get you bio-mechically efficient in no time at all. No bullshit, no selling you stuff you don't need, just wanting to help you ride smarter and enjoy your bike. As I said before, it's the biggest upgrade you could buy for your bike! And lastly Steven, who spent some time with me applying the finishing touches to my shoddy build, adding that little bit of finess I sorely lacked! Like Chelmer Cycles, Cycle Evolution is absolutely first class. Sometimes it's hard enough to find a decent bike shop, I'm lucky to have two of them on my doorstep. I can't list everyone by name who contributed, but you know who you are. Thanks so much to everyone who have up their time to help, even if it was just answering questions on FaceBook and commenting on my various tweets and status updates. 

Now, finally onto racing! MSG Round 6! This is the furthest race away from us, took us like an hour and a half to get there! My pre-race car nerves still get the better of me, this wasn't helped by Kirsty moaning through the first 3 tracks of Daft Punks new album, which I'd put on to calm me down a bit. Still, nothing a bit of Kanye West couldn't sort out! 

I did my practise lap with Charles and his clan. I usually go off with Paddy or Will, but I fancied just bobbing along with them. His wife Donna is having a bit of a nightmare at the moment. She's had a few falls, and has completely lost all of her coincidence. Which is a shame. I can totally relate to her problem as well! When I got faster, I got slower, because I was hitting everything quicker, panicing and then slamming the brakes on. I'm only just getting over it, but still have a long way to go. To ride over technical terrain, you need to be committed, if you're not - it's not going to end well. I'm confident that Donna will get over it, and be back to her old self soon enough! After a couple of practise laps it became pretty clear that the track wasn't technical (at all) and was pretty flat. I knew that if I could get a good start and then keep up the pace, I could equal or even better my previous result (10th).

Just the start I'd hoped for!

As soon as the whistle went I put my head down and went for it and came out in 3rd behind the two Fitch riders (Dan and Stuart). I then spent the next lap and a half doing battle with Richard Matthews, who was trying his best to psych me out. I was doing my best to keep him at bay, but he was eventually able to get past me, only to immediately crashed in front of me, costing us both a place and valuable time! I lead him through the single track, and was becoming more and more nervous with him breathing down my neck and clipping my back wheel etc. He eventually came past me, and I had no reply. I was knackered from trying to keep him at bay. Now, I've learnt a couple things from this. One - Don't ride so defensively, attack earlier and attempt to drop people, rather than defending and attempting to drop them later. It invites unnecessary pressure onto yourself. Two - when people do pass you, stick on their wheel and return the favour, put the pressure back on them! It is only my first season, and I'm still developing my race craft so to speak! It's funny because Ollie actually said this to me after my last race, I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me out of the track, but now I've experienced it first hand, I won't be forgetting it in a hurry!

Me and Richard doing battle!

I spent the remainder of the race in a micro-battle with two other guys. One of which I had never seen before and was doing a fair bit of talking. In fact the first thing he said to (shouted at) me was "get out the fucking way" after attempting to go up the inside round a hair pin. It doesn't matter how good you are, there was simply no room between me and the tree. This worked to my advantage as it reignited the fire and I decided to put the hammer down on him, absolutely killing him on the straights. He was still with me though, and now wanted to work together. So I let him do some of the work. He was pretty slow and was immediately trying to get back behind me, but I just left him out there for a bit, telling him to go faster. Bit cruel really, but I wanted to break him so he could attack me later on in the lap! I passed him shortly after, we were joined by ferret man, not sure what his name is, but he has a ferret on his lid. I've heard this is so his wife can recognise him to give him bottles etc. Anyway, we got to the last little bit of singletrack and I decided to slow the pack right down, preserving all energy for the final sprint. As soon as the track opened up I went for it, dropping the two guys behind me, had to remember that there was a little rut just before the line so had to back off slightly. It was a hard fought battle, and we all shook hands at the end. I would have been gutted if I had lost it, but I held in there. 

I'd already crossed the line at this point, but didn't want to stop!

I finished 6th in the end, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that didn't get my head down and stay on Richard's wheel. But I have learnt quite a bit from this race and will come back stronger. I guess that's what this season has been about for me! Next stop, Langdon Hills and this time, I'm going for that podium! 

Garmin data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/353293858

Homecoming and MSG Round 5

Apologies - this post is a little late, approximately a week or so. My life's been a bit hectic of late, I simply haven't had time to update my blog. As I've said before, I hate writing retrospectively. I like to write my blog whilst it's all still fresh in my head.

Anyways, first of all, Jay is finally home! Seeing him again was a bit surreal at first, but it wasn't long before we were in front of the TV playing games haha! It's like he had never left. He's got so many stories, which I'm slowly extracting out of him. We haven't had a chance to sit and go through his photos yet, but I'm looking forward to that! We've seen quite a lot of each other lately. He came round the weekend he got back, and again the following weekend to watch the race, which brings me on to my next topic, my race report...

I still get awful pre-race nerves... I felt so sick in the car on the way down. In fact, I think getting me out of the house and into the car is harder than actually racing. Once I'm on the grid I'm fine. I haven't chickened out yet, and I won't either. It's one of my season objectives to race and complete every single round (if possible). The training lap was, interesting... The first thing I noticed was that the course was very treacherous. Lots of little holes in blind spots and loose bits. I'd say it was fairly technical actually, for an MSG race at least. I remember saying to Tony that we'd have to look after each other if we rode together and overtake cleanly. I can imagine it would be all too easy to end up in a pool of toxic sludge if you got carried away! 

The race, the race went really really well for me, except from the very start, and the very end. I had problems clipping in, which I think cost me about 10 places or so, Tom couldny believe his luck when he came past me. Unfortunately for him, it was short lived. Me and Tony had grouped up and were making our way through the pack. By the first climb, Tom was history - never to be seen again. Until the end of the race that is! Tony and I were absolutely smashing it, taking turns on the front and working together. We were putting a lot of pressure on people until they eventually cracked. It felt good to be the one doing the overtaking, rather than being overtaken. It proves the training has been doing something at least. 

To say I didn't get a good start was an understatement!

Tony and I exchanged places a couple of times in the last lap. My "oh so great" plan was to beat him to the last bit of the single track, back off a little bit, and then beat him in the sprint finish. I'm a pretty good sprinter, and rarely lose. It was all going to plan, until the last corner. I was just coming out of the single track and about to start my sprint to find a woman on the racing line, I shouted "on your right" and she kinda panicked and pulled out in front of me. Tony couldn't believe his luck, and just went around the outside with a cheeky grin on his face. I'm pretty sure he paid her off lol! I was a bit disappointed, but this is racing - sometimes things don't go to plan. But, I quickly got over it when I found out that we'd finished 9th and 10th! Not bad at all! I was really pleased! My goal for the season had been smashed (to finish in the top ten), three races ahead of schedule. Now I need to push to get as close to that bottom step as possible, but it won't be easy, especially with the last few rounds being so cramped up! Watch out Dan, I'm coming for you!

On it like Sonic yo!

It was nice having Jay with us, Kirsty's mum and dad even made the trip and came down to watch which was really cool! Unfortunately I couldn't hang around to cheer my team mates on this time, but from what I understand Will got second after beating Liam in a sprint finish, and Darren DNF'd after a mechanical. I have told him several times that he should of brought a Cannondale! 

For those of you who follow this blog, but don't really care about the cycling side of it... with Jay being home, I will be accessing my goals, and seeing how I've gotten on in my next post!

Demo'ing a F29 and the (long awaited) Summer Enduro

After seeing the new 2014 F29 Team bike, I was seriously considering buying one. It's truly a thing of beauty. It comes with the new hybrid Lefty and a set of Enve's, which make it very very temping prospect. Unfortunately, it also ships with a set of Avid XX WC brakes, which would go straight in the bin/on ebay if I brought one. Anyways, Chelmer Cycles were kind enough to source me a demo F29 for me to try....

I was quite pleased with the bike they'd sent me. It was mid-range carbon 29er. It definately looked like it had seen better days. The first thing I noticed was a huge scratch on the top tube, someone somewhere had obviously had a nasty crash by the looks of it haha! I've done about 100 miles on the 29er and after much deliberation decided that I simply don't like them. 

Not bad for a demo bike hey? 

The first thing that gets me is the wider bars, they make it handle like a boat and can't fit through anything, which is more annoying than you might think. It's just so hard to manoeuvre! The second thing I noticed is the thing simply doesn't accelerate. Don't get me wrong, once you're moving its easy to hold speed, but getting up to speed seems to take forever. Which makes sprinting, climbing and blasting out of corners much harder. The idea is you carry more speed into the corners, but due to my overly aggressive (in-efficient) riding style it doesn't really work for me. I also don't like the riding position either. I do realise that some of the problems I listed could potentially be fixed with the right stem/bar/wheel set, but I'd literally have to several thousands for a bike that's only slightly better than what I've already got. 

Gav one of the guys I train with also says the same thing. He has demo'd 5 different 29ers and whilst we both agree that 29ers have their place in the market, they don't suit everyone. It ultimately depends on what kind of rider you are. If I brought a 29er, I'd have to sell my beloved 26 to fund a road bike and a winter hack bike, which I'm simply not prepared to do. Call me sentimental but I'd be heartbroken if I had to sell my 26. I think she's one of those bikes I'll keep forever! The good news is, I'm going to get a road bike instead! 

So, onto The Summer Enduro. I had originally arranged to do it with Will. Unfortunately, he left it till the last minute to organise it, then realised he couldn't make it because it was a Saturday and he was working -_- (I rarely use smileys when I blog, but that smiley sums up exactly how I felt about it. I had to pull out - much to the disappointment of the Sunday Crew. Darren and Gav were desperately trying to help me find a partner -  to no avail. On a whim I dropped Paul "Bad Boy" Thomas a message to see if he was doing it, and if he had a partner. Turns out he hadn't heard from his partner either and was looking for a team mate. A match made in Heaven (sort-of), much to the demise of Gav haha! Paul is a very quick rider, and I knew I'd need to really push myself if I didn't want to let him down...

Paul getting in the zone..

This being my first endurance event, I didn't really know what to expect. As always I asked everyone I knew who had done events like this for hints and tips. We decided that Paul would start, simply because he's a better starter than me. Quicker, stronger and much more experienced - which meant he was a lot less nervy on the line, although he later confessed he was a bit nervous on the grid... The plan was to do two laps each to try and get as high up the field as possible. We were hoping to make up some time whilst people were in transition, it also meant we could do two flying laps right off of the bat (the laps were about 9 miles long) which worked a treat. 

Paul's first lap was extremely quick. He completed his first lap in just over 34 minutes, which was rapid. Before I knew it, he and completed his second lap and I was up. We were in fourth place. Unfortunately the first thing I did was concede a place to New Dales. Liam came into transition right on Paul's wheel and within half a lap, his team mate reeled me in and passed me. I did try and stick on his wheel, but I was very conscious of burning myself out too early and let him go. It was blatant that he was a much quicker rider than me and that I wasn't ever going to catch him. I managed to complete both my first and second laps in about 39 minutes. A bit slower than Paul, but on par with Tony and Gav. It was really strange, going out, doing a lap at full gas and then coming back into the pits to cool down. Your body doesn't really get a chance to recover and deciding what to eat and drink is a nightmare. Luckily for us, we were able to borrow a turbo trainer off of Ollie (thanks Ollie) and that really came in handy. 

Plum Buster isn't as much fun going up it...

By lap four I was really feeling it, I quite literally had given it everything, and I had the consistent lap times to prove it. I wanted to get round as quickly as possible to give Paul as much time to complete his final lap as I could. He was definitely feeling it as well. We had toyed with the idea of Paul doing a second double stint towards the end of the race in an effort to fit an extra lap in but he needed to rest up for his final lap. The best thing about the race was that it was great experience, experience that you can't get anywhere else. I got used to overtaking people in tighter spots and had a series of micro-battles which I really enjoyed! Me and Andrew from New Dales literally had a battle for an entire lap. I was finally able to drop him on the last climb, to my relief! I thought I was never going to shake him at one point! By the time I pulled in and set Paul off on his final lap, I was completely broken. I must of been on the turbo for a good 20 minutes before I got off. I made my way over to transition just in case Paul had another monster lap and we could fit in another lap. Looking back on it though, I'm kinda glad I didn't have to do another lap... Either way it was nice watching Paul bring it home. We'd both given it absolutely everything we had, and we'd earnt a respectable 7th place (out of 40+ teams). Safe to say I definitely slept soundly that night...

The obligatory post-race photo! 

The Summer Enduro was everything I'd hoped it would be, it was a really good day all in all! It was really nice spending the day with all the guys and their families. It was Gav's birthday, which made the day even more special, although he didn't want to celebrate it until the day after! Unfortunately Darren couldn't make it down after a family emergency, he was definitely missed, but Julian made a great substitute and rode well! Lastly, I want to give a mention to Ad, who despite splitting his tire carried on and got a good result in his first ever race! I think he might of even broke a sweat (long running joke). Hope to see you at the MSG races soon mate!

Other CSC results: 

Gav & Bob - 15th

Tony & Julian - 20th

Adam & Liam - 30th

CSC, MSG Round 4, and Test Saddles....

A few people have actually asked me when I'll be posting next, a couple of which I really didn't expect to even know about my blog. Let alone read it and follow it. I've been told off for starting my posts with "I haven't posted in a while" so I'll try and resist the temptation. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. First things first. CSC.

After a couple of weeks of designing, brain storming, more designing, more brain storming, we finally came up with not only a name, but a jersey design which was ordered last week. The final name is CSC (Colchester Sunday Crew). We toyed around with loads of different names, I was very offended when Darren suggested Colchester Strava Crew. I think I might have died a little inside. It's not an official team or anything, the majority of us race for VCR. I guess you could call it a social training group. We just thought it would be cool to have some custom jerseys. 

Behold the CSC jersey in all it's glory!

I'm really enjoying riding with the guys, it's nice to have some more friends to train with who are about the level as me. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and are really starting to push each other. I haven't ridden with Will or Ollie much recently, but that's mainly because they've both had exams and stuff. I rode with Will a couple of times last week which was nice. It was great to catch up! I've missed riding with them both. It's gonna suck when Ollie goes off to University in September. Bloody students!

Now for MSG Round 4. It seems like ages ago, but it was only last weekend. I still get a huge case of pre-race nerves, I'm usually fine by the time I get there though. I done my training lap with Paddy, which was really good fun. Paddy is an absolute monster on a push bike. I'm looking forward to training with him in the future. Darren came down to give me some support which I really appreciated. I know it sounds stupid but it really does make a difference when you've got people around you who are there for you, and want you to do well. I was really touched that he came down four hours before his race to give some support. He was also there as his nephew was racing for the first time, but he did say he'd be coming down earlier after me and Kirsty stayed behind last round to support him! I'm a strong believer in the power of team work! 

Watch out for us on the UCI pro circuit next year!

The start of a race always sneaks up on me, all of a sudden you're all lined up on the grid and listening out for the whistle. You make small talk with the people around you, but as soon as that whistle goes, it's down to business. I didn't have the best of starts, I'm typically quite a fast starter but the grid was quite bunched up and because we started on a hill, I was finding it hard to break away. Once again I had to come up with some pretty creative lines to overtake a few people.

Getting into the zone on the grid...

I forgot to mention in my previous post about a guy (Matt Mantle) riding a retro Cannondale. He came absolutely stonking past me last race at blistering pace. There was no way on earth I was going to catch him. This time however I was able to pass him coming into the second lap on the climb. Not only that but I was gaining on the front pack. I made a few more places up on lap two and was going well, until I lost cable tension on my front mech and couldn't get into my big ring anymore. I had to make split second decision to either try and fix it on the move, or just live with it. I looked behind me and saw it was just me and Matt and decided I to just defend my current position as there wasn't any fire roads where I could have a fiddle with the barrel. The course was great, you were either climbing, or bombing down single track. The guys at MSG done another fantastic job - huge props to them!

I actually quite enjoyed the hill start!

Anyways, me and Matt spent the next couple of laps fighting it out. I was able to drop him a couple of times but ended up getting stuck behind back markers. Every now and then I'd shout "You still with me Cannondale" and he'd reply "Yep!". It was a good little micro battle we had. It goes to show that at this level, what you're riding doesn't make a blind bit of difference! It's all about the rider! There was a really nice hip on the third and final bomb-hole which I was able to whip on laps two and three which got a cheer from the crowd! No one got a photo of me doing it though which was heartbreaking! I remember on the last lap coming down the last decent into the last bomb-hole thinking "you are not going to pass me! I did not tow you round for three laps for you to pip me at the end!". No whips this time (which was met with a collective sigh from the crowd) I just pedalled as fast as I could over the line! I was not going to be beaten on the home stretch, not again. After the race me and Matt exchanged a few words and he agreed to let me have a photo with him for this blog! 

I definitely wouldn't of been smiling as much if I'd lost!

It turns out I was 17th out of nearly 100 riders, which isn't half bad. I'm edging closer and closer to that magic 10th position. I know I can do it! Baby steps are a good thing, but I wanna get on that podium - if it kills me! I am determined. Anyone that knows me will tell you that if I'm determined, it's pretty much a done deal. This is happening!

Me and Kirsty stuck around for the afternoon to offer some support to the guys. Will and a rather unwell Ollie were racing in the junior category, whilst Darren, Tony and Paul were racing in the sport category. I saw Ollie warming up before the race, and he really really didn't look well at all! Me, Paddy and Kirsty went to watch the race on the third bomb-hole. What a mistake that was, we saw some horrific accidents in the the first lap. The first being Jason Bouttell, who came absolutely flying through, cleared the hip entirely and landed into the next lip on his front wheel which then catapulted him off of his bike and straight onto his head! Some how he not only got back onto his bike, but still won the race! That guy's got balls of steel! I was talking to him after the race and he reckons he hurt himself more when he hit his shoulder on a low branch trying to catch up again! 

"I CAN SAVE THIS!!!"

There were a few other crashes, a couple of riders were quite seriously hurt which was really painful to watch. Kirsty and a few others actually went around the corner to the start line to watch because they just couldn't stomach any more. Both me and Paddy were cringing every time someone came in a bit too hot or off balance. It's easy to watch crashes and falls behind a computer screen, but it's not so much fun in real life. One guy went down and didn't get up for a few minutes, and I just remember hearing his daughter screaming! Luckily he was okay, he was injured, but still alive at least! No broken backs or necks which was good! Although, I think a couple of people went home in an ambulance that day....

Back to VCR, sorry I went off at a tangent! It's hard to be concise, without compromising the flow of the writing. Ollie decided to give it ago in the end. Unfortunately he only made it round two laps before throwing in the towel, but he gave it a go at least and I take my hat off to him for trying. Will was having one of those days, he's been struggling for form of late and he couldn't seem to get into the groove. Liam (one of Will's rivals) was on fire, but no one could stop "The American". Who came out of no where and was absolutely rapid, there was no catching him. I would have liked to have seen him and Ollie go toe to toe if Ollie wasn't ill! 

Will wasn't having the best of days, but he held in there for third!

Darren and Tony pretty much stuck together throughout the race and managed to earn themselves respectable 25th and 27th place which isn't half bad considering they weren't seeded! Paul was unfortunately disqualified for receiving outside assistance after a mechanical. That's two in a row now for Paul, he's becoming the bad boy of the cycling world! 

Will, Darren, a bit of Tony and myself after the race.

Now, onto saddles etc. I finally got my seat post! All the way from America! The good news is that it was not only the correct set back (25mm), it's 80grams lighter and it matches my bars perfectly! The bad news was it wasn't quite long enough! It's about 15mm too low. Which to be honest I can live with. I think my leg angle is currently about 31/32 degrees which isn't great but it's not exactly game changing. I like to have my saddle a little lower, it makes it easier to move around the bike! For the record, my saddle is currently 560mm from the nose of the saddle to the stem clamp, and 910mm from the top of the saddle down to the pedals. It currently sits nose up at 3.4 degrees. I'm told not many mountain bikers know their measurements, it's more of a roady thing apparently. I personally think it's important to know this stuff! 

<PHOTO HERE>

I've been trying to get a saddle that supports me properly, which I thought I'd found! I borrowed a Fizik Alliante VS from Cycle Evolution. I supports my bum properly which something the Tundra didn't do. I found it uncomfortable though, I think it might even be slightly too wide for me. One of the good things about it was because it was a relatively tall saddle, the seatpost height issue was negated. I might try a Fizik Gobi next. But I did 40 miles on the Tundra on Sunday and didn't have any issues what so ever, and it comes in green.

That's pretty much it for now. Jay is back from his travels in the next week or so, really looking forward to seeing him again. I've missed my brother! I've got the Summer Enduro coming up on Saturday as well which I'm looking forward to! I'll be posting again over the weekend, probably Sunday. Evaluating whether I've hit my targets that I set when Jay left for Tokyo, and possibly a race report from the Summer Enduro. Thank you to those who follow the blog and have taken the time to read all of my dribble! 

MSG Round 3 - Thetford Forrest

This is a blog post that I've been putting off since yesterday, whilst I make up my mind about what I'm going to say about the race yesterday. I'm going to start by talking about me, like I always do.

I was pretty fired up for MSG Round 3, I had been training reasonably well, was in pretty good shape and my bike was running like a dream (aside from the lock out deciding not to work for no reason). I'm still suffering from pre-race nerves. On the drive down I felt really sick in the car, at the time I thought it was because I'd eaten my beans on toast a little too quickly but upon reflection, it probably was nerves.

All packed up and ready to go! (note Kirsty's chair)

We got all set up and then went off on our practise lap. Practise laps with Paddy, Will and Rua are an "experience" to say the least, especially when Rua stacks it on the first bit of single-track! I think he just got a bit too cocky through a corner and over-cooked it! It was all fun and games though. As per usual MSG had designed an awesome track. Thetford is known for being quite flat and boring and whilst there was nothing technical there, it was really good fun to ride! Lots of fast and flowy bits of single track and minimal fire roads. There were even a couple of little climbs, well - gentle gradients.

We were waiting for Will for what seemed like forever before embarking on our practise lap!

Before I knew it, it was time to line up on the grid. I felt different this time around. I had put the nerves behind me, and was concentrating on getting a good start. Maybe I'm finally starting to develop the race mindset? The whistle went and I was off, to a very very good start! I'm not sure where I was, but I must of gained ten places or so. Unfortunately, my pace only lasted for around three-quaters of a lap and people started catching me up and picking me off. I refused to simply give any places up this time though, if they wanted to over take me, they'd have to work for it, and I didn't care how annoyed they got. I think I probably lost around six places over the course of the race, and I was actually able to take a couple of places back at the end. I ended up in a sprint finish with a guy I'd been exchanging places with for the last lap. I made the move on him on the climb and thought I was home and dry - only for him to attack me on the flat and beat me to the line. Fair play to him, he got his tactics spot on. I went and shook his hand afterwards and had a few laughs. Safe to say I won't be fooling for that again. Next time it will be pedal to the metal until I'm over that line! And if I MUST be over taken, I'm not going to let it happen where everyone can see it haha!

After the race, I went and checked the results. I wasn't really sure where I'd came, but I was really hoping to break into the top 20. Turns out, I was 19th! (out of 96 riders) I know it sounds stupid, but I was really pleased.  I finally knew what Ollie meant when he was talking about baby steps, and he was right - it feels like a victory in itself! The other positive to take away was if I had stayed with the group I was in until half way through lap two, I could have finished close to the top ten. I still have a lot of work to do, but it was encouraging to see that I'm not that far away. I know I said this after round two, but I'm really going to train hard this month, I might even look into getting some lessons. I can't wait until round three! Oh - in case you were wondering. Yes, Paddy won again and is now the Eastern Juvenile Champion! Rua finished in a respectable 3rd.

At least my helmet is on straight in this picture. 

My race finished at around 11, which meant we had a good couple of hours to wait before the Junior race. We spent most of it just sitting around the VCR tent talking about bikes. It was nice just to chill with everyone for a bit. Ollie, Paul and Darren arrived at about one-ish and before we knew it, the guys were all lined up on the grid, waiting for the whistle. One by one the difference races set off, with everyone getting a reasonable start. Paul, Sean, Ollie and Will came blasting through just 17 minutes later. My fastest time was 19 minutes, they were absolutely flying. A couple of minutes later Darren came through too! It was good to see him going well, it was his first race of the year, on his brand new Giant XTC purchased the day before! Brave to race on a brand new bike if you ask me.

Ollie on his way to his first title!

It felt like a really long wait for them to come around again, as we got closer and closer the the final lap, the tension was rising. By lap three, Will had fallen off of the pace, but Ollie and Paul were still going strong. It had came to the final lap, we were all gathered at the line to see who would be crowned the Junior Eastern Champion - and it was Ollie! About 15 seconds later, Sean crossed the line! I initially ran over to give Ollie a big hug or something, but he looked a bit....er... broken, so I decided to give him a bit of space whilst he cooled down. Will crossed the line in 3rd, he had struggled to keep up with Sean and Ollie, but he stuck in there and took his rightful place on the podium. I was very proud of him for not giving up and seeing it through until the end. It won't be long before he's back on the top step.

A very broken, but victorious Junior Eastern Champion and his weary stead.

Now, what happened next was all a bit crazy. I didn't want to write about it, but I can't NOT write about it. As Paul crossed the line for his final lap Sean ran after him and appeared to be pretty unhappy with him. Sean was convinced that Paul had blocked him to enable Ollie to win and reported Paul to the commissionaire. There was a long period of awkward conversation and arguing before Paul crossed the line. Paul confirmed that there had been a bit of contact and all three of them were riding aggressively, but denied he intentionally blocked Sean. It was Paul's word against Sean's and unfortunately Paul was disqualified with the result of the junior race stood. I don't want to say too much about what happened next as I am keeping well out of it, and don't want to throw more wood on the fire. I felt sorry for Sean because he felt like he'd been cheated, I felt sorry for Paul because people were throwing a lot of abuse/accusations his way with very little evidence, but I felt even worse for Ollie. Ollie has trained really really hard the last few months, and really gave his all in that race, which was ultimately discredited. He deserved that win, and he deserved the title. That's not to say that Sean didn't, but you can only have one champion. I guess competitive sport always ends this way for somebody, you only have to go back to the Atletico v Real Madrid game the previous night to see that at the highest level. What's done is done, and we all have to move forward. I'm sure Sean will bounce back, he's a great guy and a quality rider. If you're reading this - there's always next year....

Not much to say... so I'll just talk about bikes!

So, it's been a little while since I last posted. I haven't really had all that much to blog about if I'm entirely honest. My next race is on the 19th and I'm all signed up and ready to go. I did say in my last post that I was going to be eating healthily and following a detailed training plan. Both of those goals have pretty much gone out of the window.  Although, I'm only prepared to take half of the responsibility, and I'll explain why.

Firstly, it's really hard to eat healthily when people keep buying me junk food. I'm the sort of person that if I know it's there, I'll eat it. Especially if it's a convenience food. I don't think I'm going to let Kirsty go shopping on her own anymore, this week she came back with two boxes of ice creams, chocolate, and crisps. Great. On top of that, Kirsty's mum came back form France with some gifts which was very thoughtful. I got a loaf of French bread and 36 Kinder bars. 36! I have mentioned time and time again that I want to cut down on the bread and junk food etc, but no one seems to get the message! It's like the world wants me to be fat! I need to be more strong willed in future!

This is the sort of thing I've been eating of late! 

Training, I've had one or two mechanical problems this month. My bottom bracket bearings well and truly died on me, they were making a horrible creaking noise every time I laid down any power which drove me absolutely mental. I had one or two tantrums over that, much to Ollie/Wills amusement. My headset bearings were shot, and my remote lock out wasn't working. To be fair my remote lock out hasn't worked since before MSG round one, but that's neither here nor there. Unfortunately Thomas' were fully booked out for the next two weeks, so I put my bike in at Chelmer Cycles who were able to fit me in. Credit where credits due, they made a really nice job of my bike and the price was fair. John really knows his stuff and I love the way he pays attention to detail. It's always good to have two or three mechanics, because you never know when you're going to be in situations just like this.

It's a bit like going out with the hottest girl at school - Very high maintenance but; worth it when you're riding her!

I foolishly thought that would be the end of it, but no. My cassette decided that enough was enough and finally after 18 months of service gave up the ghost. Talk about bad timing! To be fair it was 18 months old, and had about five chains on it. After paying out for the work done by Chelmer, I was a bit stuck. Luckily Will had a spare unused XT cassette I could use! It was only a matter of time before a bit of Shimano kit found it's way onto my bike. Whilst it doesn't look anywhere near as pretty as the XX cassette and is a bit heavier, it's functional and affordable which is exactly what I need at the moment, especially given how much I'm riding my bike. The good news is that the bike is now sorted an running sweat, just in time for Round 3. I went out with the Sunday morning crew last weekend, Tony was giving me a bit of stick after he beat me at round two. A little extra motivation never done anyone any harm hah!

Farewell XX cassette, you will be missed :'(

I finally got a bike fit! Something I've desperately needed for a long time. I made an appointment at Cycle Evolution in Colchester and spent a few hours with Rich. Take a look at the before and after measurements below...

Bike Measurement	Starting	Final
Saddle Height	700mm	765mm
Saddle Fore-Aft	32mm	72mm
Reach (to bar centre)	537mm	565mm
Reach (to hoods)	590mm	620mm
Drop	20mm	70mm
Knee Angle	54˚	30˚

As you can see, I was quite cramped up before. If you look at the before and after shots (to follow shortly), it looked like I was on a kids bike. My saddle was way too low, 6.5cm to be precise, my legs used to bow outwards which made pedalling really hard work. I'm also sat too far forward, I need a seat post with a 25mm off set (currently hunting the internet). Interestingly, my arse doesn't seem to like other saddles, I tried a few different saddles and in the end I decided to keep the Tundra 2. It might not be the right saddle for me, but I so used to it now it really doesn't matter anymore.

Where the magic happens... (the little room above the shop floor)

It felt a little weird when I first started riding and my back was aching a little bit, but I've gotten used to it now and it's so much better! So much easier to ride. I'm looking forward to seeing if it makes any difference at round three! I couldn't recommend a bike fit enough, it's far more beneficial than any upgrade you can buy and far better value for money. Not only do you become more bio mechanically efficient but you learn a lot about your own body. I'm pleased to confirm that I have a natural curve to my back, my legs are the same length and my hamstrings are ridiculously tight. The guys down at Cycle Evolution really know their stuff and will look after you properly. You can find details for Cycle Evolution at the bottom of this post.

The next upgrade I'm going to make is to swap to a wider riser bar, this isn't anything to do with the fit as such, it's to make my bike easier to ride as it's twitchy as hell at the moment. The good news is I already have a spare set of risers. I thought it was a bit of a cop out initially, but then Ollie pointed out that when Fontana rides a 26er, he typically uses riser bars. Case closed.

Why do I feel like I'm riding with stabilisers again?

Not a bad post considering I didn't have a lot to say? As per usual, I haven't proof read anything.

Cycle Evolution

Rest Week, MSG Round 2: Cobham 21/04/13 and Training Phase 2.

I've been training my body to be able to exercise on consecutive days recently. After training on both Sunday and Monday, it was safe to say I was definitely experiencing muscle fatigue and decided to take the rest of the week off in preparation for Sunday's race. All of a sudden, I had a little time on my hands. So I decided to use it "constructively" to play FIFA Ultimate Team. Scroll down now to the bit about cycling if you have no interest in computer games! After selling all of my players, I had around 30,000 coins to build a team. Not a lot when you consider that Wayne Rooney is about 80,000 coins. I opted to build a Brazil pace team. The only stats I cared about were pace (cheesy I know) and work rate. This is what I came up with.

Not a bad way to spend 30,000 coins hey?

I did originally have Fulipe Luis in the LB position but my mate Andy was kind enough to buy me a Marcelo. To date, I'm 32wins, 0 draws and 0 loses and am on the way to a second devision one title. I've played all sorts of teams along the way including a couple of teams with team of the year players and better versions of my teams (with Neymar etc). I'm not doing anything special, just playing defensively with counter attack with the odd Tesco goal! Pace abuse works like a charm.

Jay has repeatedly complained that I mentioned in my blog a few posts ago that he was riding around Asia that on a mopped. He isn't riding around Asia on a mopped, he is in fact riding around Asia on a "mans bike" (motor bike). Not only has he complained that I made the initial mistake, he isn't happy that I haven't corrected it. So now I'm making a point out of it complete with photographic evidence just to shut him up!

Here's a photo of Jay with his "Mans Bike" that is absolutely not a mopped

Now onto cycling. Had a very eventful race today. I really wanted to push for a top ten finish and for the first half of the first lap. It was on the cards. I had a really good start and was flying! Unfortunately half way up one of the switch back climbs, someone went into the back of me at knocked me off. For once my pedals didn't unclip and I was basically laying in the middle of the track hoping no one hit me. Eventually I got back up, only for someone else repeat the trick trying to overtake me, I was able to hold on to it this time (just). Very frustrating. The rest of the lap was a write off for me. My confidence was shot, and I was riding badly. On top of that, my stomach felt awful after consuming half a bottle of Nuun, half a bottle of High5, a Torq Sun-Dried Banana energy bar and a Torq Blackcherry Yoghurt gel. Needless to say, I need to work on my pre-race nutrition.

The calm before there storm..

Mid way through the second lap I managed to get my head back into the game, even after having to stop when my Oakleys fell out of my back pocket half way up a climb. On the last lap I had a little micro-battle with a lad who I was eventually able to drop. I was then able to gain another place when a rider crashed in front of me (sustained pressure me thinks). In the end finished 28th out of around 80 riders. My team mate Tony finished 20th, which was a great result. I felt if things had gone my way, I would of been right up there with him. I was disappointed with the way things had panned out, but felt I'd made the best of a bad situation. There would always be other races.

Brining it home

Will had a much better race, he won his race by over 9 minutes! He was lapping at around 20 minutes a lap, which is fast. I've got a lot to do before I catch him. Ollie was absent as he was road racing, he had an awful race after his team mate crashed in front of him causing a bit of a pile up. Should of stuck to your MTB mate. Would have been interesting to see him and Will going at it.

Will was enjoying a quite Sunday afternoon ride with nothing but his thoughts

Round three is coming up in around four weeks or so. I've decided to knuckle down a bit. I'm going to be following a structured training plan and really clamping down on my diet. 100% solid healthy eating for the next month. This isn't going to be easy. Let's see if it helps me break into the top 20 in Thetford! It will be interesting to see Will vs Ollie in the Junior category, both of them are on great form at the moment and will be racing for the Eastern Champion title. Game on!

And now to blog about something other than cycling.... JK! (just kidding)

So I did say that I would be blogging about a variety of subjects, and thus far it's all been all about bikes. So though I'd post an overview as to where I am. But first... Bikes!

I'm really enjoying being apart of VC Revolution, I've made loads of new friends and I know it sounds silly, but I really enjoy wearing the team colours! I've been training really hard for round 2, I can feel myself getting faster and faster. It's funny, a friend of mine said that once I started racing, I'd feel more motivated to train and he was right. I really want to get as close to the top 10 as possible. I think I worked out that I had trained five days out of the last seven, which might be normal for some people, but it's a first for me. A lot of people at work had commented on how much weight I've lost as well, which is really nice, and kinda reassures me that I'm doing something right.

I look pretty fetching in VCR colours don't you think?

I've managed to fix my Egg Beaters which had a horrible amount of play in them, and the one on the drive side was singing like hell. Rather than wasting £20 on a rebuild kit, I just brought two bearings off of ebay for like £5. I'm sooooooo MoneySuperMarket.com, and I know it!

A much happier Egg Beater :)

So, real life goals. I said I wanted to develop as a person and as a man. This is a little bit cheesy, but once you've gotten over that. it's really quite deep. I've been pretty stressed lately, I feel exhausted. Not just because I'm training on the bike a lot, but I seem to be fighting on all fronts at the moment. It's a busy time for me at the moment, but I know if I keep working at it, if I really push myself, I can accomplish my goals.

The first thing I did was send off my provisional driving license to have it updated. Yes, that's right. Provisional. I've also started to study for my theory test which I'm going to book next month. I really need to get my license out of the way, but right now I have slightly more pressing financial commitments.

I've also started to really try and push my career forward. I've spent the last week completely re-writing my CV (thanks to those of you who've helped) that I haven't updated since I joined Monitise nearly three years ago! People always say you should keep it up to date, and always keep your options open, but I've never felt the need to look for another job. I seem to be one of those weird people that actually enjoy their job. That said, I do want to progress my career, so I've applied for the Infrastructure PM role at Monitise. I'm not likely to get it, but I want to show my intent and put my name out there. I'm hearing you say "You shouldn't be blogging about this" I've got nothing to hide, it's no secret that I want to progress. But I want to do it the right way. I do not believe it stabbing people in the back and treading on other peoples corpses to get where you want to be. That might be very naive of me, but I'd rather fail and do things the right way, than be really successful and do things the wrong way. When writing my CV I had to decide whether to put links to my blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts. In the end I thought, why the hell not? Everyone seems to know everyone nowadays, so you might as well be open about who you are. At least people/employers know what they're getting. I'm an avid cyclist who likes to play with Lego, and what? I think I might have just done my first rant...

Diet. My diet is ever improving. I still have the odd wobble from time to time. Easter hasn't helped. My fridge is full of chocolate which me and my misses are slowly working our way through, we have given a lot of it away also. Other than that though, oh and the Dominoes I had last weekend; I've been eating pretty well. Like I said above, a lot of people have commented on how much weight I've lost. That's gotta count for something.

Get better with money. This I think I am doing. Or should I say we? (me and Kirsty). For example, in the old days, I would have just brought new pedals. Instead, I stripped them down, worked out what was wrong and then brought the relevant part and saved myself a bit of money!

Where's my brother? (Jay) The answer is; riding around Vietnam on a mopped. On the day his iPhone was stolen, his Nexus 7 tablet bricked it self for no apparent reason. I asked the Android developers at work if there was anything that could be done, and they all concluded that he would need to perform a full recovery, losing all the data in the process. This is why I hate Android, because it's rubbish and does this! Can't remember the last time my iPad bricked it self, or even crashed for that matter. If only Google would just concentrate on finishing one version of their OS rather than rushing it and moving on to the so called "latest and greatest" one! The lesson you can all take away from this is, if you buy Apple - it will probably get stolen. If you buy Android - it will probably brick it self. So buy a Lumia. On a serious note though, I really am missing my broski, can't wait for him to come home. I just hope I've got something to show for the last 5 months when he does get back. Won't be long before we're geeking off playing games and stuffing our faces with junk food, much more interesting than wasting time running around Asia huh? The good life!

Jay and I back in 2009, I miss my old hair, Kirsty doesn't though!

Also, one final note. I'm aware that both my blog and my Twitter are pretty bare. Am working on some cool designs which I'll hopefully implement soon! I'm also going to add some widgets and stuff also.

Mud, Sweat and Gears Round 1 - 17/03/13

So, following my last race I'd since finished servicing my bike. My mechanic at Thomas' Cycle Revolution was good enough to fit my bike in (to work on it) before he went off on holiday so I could race on the 17th. Winter had well and truly destroyed my bike, but in return it gave me a great foundation to build on for the summer. I've been told that not training during "off season" is like bringing a knife tow gun fight. I made a point of riding in all conditions,, particularly at night in the rain. I've always struggled with night riding, so I've been working really hard to overcome that. Anyways back to the point, over the last couple of months my bike has had; *ehem*

1 replacement Hope Race X2 lever (damaged in the crash)
1 SRAM XX Trigger Shifter Barrel Adjuster (damaged in the crash)
1 ESI bar end (damaged in the crash)
A set of Alligator I-Link cables (Jagwires - damaged in the crash)
Titanium bolts for my Hope Race X2 levers
2 x Swalbe Racing Ralph's
Replacement headset bearings
Replacement Lefty hub bearings
Replacement BB bearings (didn't need these)
Free-hub rebuild
KMC X10SL chain
Alligator Race X2 pads (front and rear)

"What crash?" I hear you ask, I'm going off at a tangent again but it's a funny story. This is before my first race at Gorrick by the way... Whilst on a training ride with Will I decided to hit a kicker at about 20-25mph, this wouldn't usually result in a crash but it was extremely wet, and I landed on the soaking wood decking; the phrase "slippery when wet" comes to mind. Fortunately for me, my brake lever took the brunt of the crash and I was relatively unharmed (not including the huge bruise I had on my right leg). The lever was literally bent at a 90 degree angle. I' amazed that it didn't snap, but thats Hope technology for you! Will (quite rightly) had a good ol' laugh about it, after ensuring I was okay of course. What I hadn't realised at the time was the damage to the right trigger and my Jagwires. All things considered, I still think I got off lightly, as I could have ended up in the River/swamp Colne).

Hope are quite often described as "over engineered" I prefer "well engineered"

Anyways, after spending a small fortune on my bike, it felt the best it's ever felt and was ready for racing, which was more than could be said for me, who was still recovering from food poisoning. I very nearly pulled out, but after my disastrous race at Gorrick, sorry Will's disastrous race at Gorrick. I was determined to enter, and to finish; even if I was last. Unlike Gorrick, I felt relaxed, because I now knew what to expect. I met a guy on the line who told me it was his first race. He then revealed that he hasn't eaten anything since breakfast, so I gave him an energy gel and made a friend in the process.

As soon as the whistle went; I was off. Coming up with some creative lines to gain some places. I started quite far back, so, really had to push on the first lap. I definitely struggled. I realised just how much the food poisoning had taken out of me, but I had to finish. Half way through the second lap I got caught in a little "micro battle" (as Ollie calls them) with a fellow (classic) Cannondale rider which was really good fun. Unfortunately he beat me by a couple of bike lengths, but I wasn't fussed; I was just pleased to finish, plus it was really good fun to ride with him. Will met me at the finish line and took my bike off of me, which was a nice touch, it's always nice to feel the support of your team mates. I was 27th out of 69 riders. Better than half, which was a very positive result for me considering. I know that I can do better, but the result has given me something to build on, and more importantly has definitely motivated me to train harder!

Me coming through at the end of lap two, with my rival me!

I really like the vibe at these events, I found myself chatting away with complete strangers. It's amazing how well people get on when they have something in common. It's almost like a brotherhood, which is something I've missed since I quit skateboarding. Hopefully I made a few friends, we'll see!

I met one of my girlfriend's work colleagues; Charles who I'd previously spoken to however briefly before hand. It was really nice to finally put a face to the name, and more importantly I beat him. That's what you get for making fun of my Lefty! Granted he's a lot older than me - but still! Charles, if you're reading this, next race I'll beat you by 10 places!

Shortly after my race, Ollie, Paul and Tony arrived and we promptly got the team gazebo up. Before we knew it, it was 14:00 and time for them to race. Paul was in the masters, Ollie and Will were in the Junior, and Tony was in the Sport categories. 20 minutes went by and what can only be described as "The VC Revolution Train" came blasting through! However come lap two the VC Revolution Train was no more. Ollie came steaming past, with no sign of Will or Paul. Eventually Paul came past and a few minutes later, Will. I spent the rest of the race waiting for Tony to come past who was struggling, the same way I had. Like me, he didn't give up and finished the race.

Ollie was absolutely flying! He won by an impressive 9 minutes!

Ollie won by a landslide, Will came in a respectable 3rd and Paul was 4th in the masters. I met each of my team mates on the line and checked they we okay in the same way Will had for me. Will was disappointed with the result, but he'll bounce back, with a vengeance. Paul and Tony were hurtin', it was just as well I was there to take their bikes in the end, Tony could barely walk haha! After the race he went off to grab a bacon and egg roll, he came back to the gazebo with a roll almost as big as the ear to ear grin on his face. He'd definitely earnt it!

It was a great day out, I really enjoyed everything about it and feel more motivated than ever. I particularly liked hanging out with the team. Round two is in Braintree and a little over a month away. It's on! I'm aiming for a top 10 finish this time!