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