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! 

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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!