Southern XC Series R4, Perham Down.

SOUTHERN XC SERIES ROUND 4

PERHAM DOWN, HAMPSHIRE

RACE REPORT BY

CARLA HAINES- ELITE FEMALE

This was a venue I have never raced at and a lot of people were in the same boat to. The land is used by the MOD so I guessed it would be similar to previous rounds that were like this.

I was feeling pretty good about the race; last week was one of the south west rounds and performed well there so I had a positive mind set. With national champs the following weekend it was a good tune up race to do.

The weather was very hot, humid and close, so drinking plenty of fluids pre, during and post race was essential. I had a nice easy pre ride lap and thought the course was great! If they held a national champs there it would be even better!

With the likes of Sally Bingham (6^th World Marathon Champs)! racing, I had a chance of 2^nd or 3^rd podium position.

The Elites had 4 laps to complete. My aim was to keep them as consistent as possible and be able to finish strong on my final lap. My start was good-quite a bumpy and uneven surface to begin with but managed to get in a decent position. The course went into a short section of single track. Bingham was leading followed by Jo Munden, Maxine Filby, Natasha Barry and myself. Bingham came off her bike which gave us a chance to gain some time, but within minutes shed caught up and shot passed us!!

We then started climbing up a grass bumpy ascent which got steeper and then entered some more single track. Filby, Barry and I were riding in a 3 with Emma Bradley close behind, as Munden and Bingham had 

made headway.

On a tricky technical climb Filby had come off which slowed me down but manage to jump back on my bike and carry on. After this I was riding alone, trying hard to chase down Barry.

The course consisted of short sharp power climbs which I liked and some fun single track sections. A couple of challenging technical areas which were easily ride able made it enjoyable to. By lap 3 I was still in 4^th position-I could see 3^rd up ahead and was making and effort to hunt her down!

Although I didn’t manage to catch her I was still very happy with my performance. I finished feeling strong which was my aim and I had a good hard race. 4^th was good but 3^rd would have been even better.

Next weekend the Team and I will be heading up to Aske Estate, Yorkshire for the National Mountain Bike Championships, competing in the U23 category. Fingers Crossed!    

Cait Elliot will also be competing in the Irish National Champs, Kilruddery, Bray. Good Luck to her! 

  

WXC Video episode 2 - Offenburg World Cup & Yorkshire training

Finally put together episode 2 of WXC World Racing's 2011 world cup adventures:

click HERE

Circus of Dirt South West Series R3-Abbeyford Woods, Okehampton

CIRCUS OF DIRT SOUTH WEST SERIES R3

ABEEYFORD WOODS, OKEHAMPTON 3^rd July

RACE REPORT BY

CARLA HAINES-ELITE FEMALE

At 10am this morning the sun was beating down on Abbeyford woods. I volunteered to marshall for the enduro race as they were short. Luckily I had a place in the shade as the sun was quite hot even at that time. There were few competitors for this race but still enough for it to go ahead. I was positioned at the bottom of a small descent and make sure riders got down it safely.

After the enduro had finished, I managed to get a quick lap around the course. It was the same as last year so a lot of it was very familiar.

I decided to go off with the Elite/Expert and Sport men’s category as I didn’t want the hassle of trying to pass riders that were slightly slower. I had a pretty good start. It lead out from a wide tarmac road into single track so made sure I had a good position to pass people.

I crashed into a tree on my first lap-my foot got stuck in my pedal so took a bit of time trying to get it out. Luckily there were only a couple of riders behind me so I didn’t cause a cue!

Due to the fact that I was the only competitor in my category I used the male riders as much as possible to gain time-whether it was on single track or on the climbs.

My legs felt pretty good whilst riding-still on quite a high form last weeks performance too! I felt a lot stronger on the climbs compared to last year when I raced there. As it was hot it was essential to keep hydrated. I used the normal Accelerade for the first 3 laps and for my final lap I tried flat coke. This was new to me so I wasn’t sure how my body would take having the coke, but it was much better than anticipated. I did get a little bloated but I felt a difference in my performance on my final lap.

My main goal for the race was too maintain consistent lap times-previous races this year I have been unable to manage this but today’s race was better.

My third win of the season so was pretty chuffed with that. Next week I will be off to Perham Down for Round 4 of the Southern XC Series.              

British Mountain Bike Series Round 4-Margam Park, Wales

BRITISH MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES ROUND 4

MARGAM PARK, WALES 26^th May

RACE REPORT BY

CARLA HAINES- ELITE FEMALE

I arrived Saturday afternoon on a miserable, gloomy day in South Wales! The weather leading up to race wasn’t great so I had packed my spare wheels with mud tyres on just in case.

It was very misty and murky but also humid as I pre rode the course. On the first lap my front tyre was Kenda Nevegal and my rear was Small Block Eight. It was muddy and slippery but really fun! I love it when courses are boggy, wet conditions, its what mountain bike races are all about!

I changed my rear tyre to a Nevegal as well- I had no grip whatsoever on some of the ascents. Good decision; my second lap I could ride every part of the course no problem.

Raced preparation in the evening after tea was the norm for me-bottles filled, tools out, and kit ready to put on in the morning.

Last year at Margam my mountain bike was stolen. Luckily this year mine was untouched, but still 4 other bikes were taken.

An early morning wake up call for breakfast was at 7am-enough time for my food to digest before the race.

I had a really good warm up on the turbo and was feeling very confident.

On the start line my heart was racing and I was getting a rush of adrenaline through my body. I had the best start ever-easily in the top 5. The course started to slowly climb and my legs felt great. It was like I was floating up the hills!

When it came to the muddy, wet, slippery sections of the course that’s where the fun began! Quite a few riders were all over the place, but I felt strong and was able stay on my bike.

There was a descent that was literally a mud slide. There was no line to choose it was just the case of see who could get down it with out falling off. My first lap I ended in the bushes which was quite amusing but for the 3 laps after I rode down well.

I have always struggled on climbs, but today was a different story. My legs didn’t feel fatigued for once and I was able keep a good cadence all the way up. It was an amazing feeling and my mind was fully focussed.

I held my 7^th position for the whole race and remained untouched by the riders behind. Coming into the finish I was exhausted by so pleased with my result! I ended up in 6^th position as one rider had pulled out and I was over the moon!! This is one of my best results of the season and my very first top 10 in the national series this year. From this result, I have more UCI points so I can race in the final two rounds of the World Cup series!

Thank you to WXC and sponsers for the support and encouragement through out the race and well done to my fellow team mates Cait Elliot who was 2^nd and Jessie Roberts who was 7^th (Elite).

Next weekend I will be competing in Round 3 of the South West Series in Okehampton.

  

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup-Offenburg, Germany

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Round 3

Offenburg, Germany 27^th-29^th May

Race Report By Carla Haines

U23 Female

Watching the sun rise in the beautiful French valleys was so picturesque. Even with a lack of sleep my eyes were kept open by miles and miles of rolling hills. It took over 6 hours to drive from Calais port to Western Germany. The sun was out which made everything seem so perfect as we arrived at our Hotel in Strousberg.

 I had stayed in York with Cait after Dalby World Cup as it would have been difficult for me to get to Dover Port. We then got a train, which was delayed, where our Team manager picked us up to drive down to dover. It was such a long journey I felt exhausted and slightly jet lagged in a way when we arrived at the hotel.

Cait and I went for a spin around the divine City; riding along the Canal and passed the towering cathedral. We had an early night as the next day would be busy for us.

Sign on was at 9am and again a 2 hour wait was not good. I was still tired from the travelling I couldn’t help but yawn alot! It was amazing to get to stand behind some of the professional teams and their managers. Once we had finally signed on, we headed to the arena to park and pre ride. I was stunned. The atmosphere was awesome and I had this huge rush of excitement!

From reading the manual about Offenburg’s course description I couldn’t wait to get on my bike and ride! There were 5 main technical descents on the course; Dual Descent, North Shore, World Class Drop, Wolfs Drop and The Snake Pitt. I had never seen or ridden anything like it!!It was a whole different level that made Dalby so tame! The first lap we rode easily to ‘get to know’ the course. Everything was ride able after a long mental battle with nerves. On all the descents I got this surge of adrenaline and couldn’t believe I was here riding this stuff. In a way I was honoured.      

                                                         

Saturday was another pre ride day. One quick lap with no stopping. The rest of the day we relaxed in the sunshine and watched the Junior and U23 Men’s Race.

Returning to the hotel, race preparation began. An early night was definitely needed from all the travelling and riding done.

Another early morning for us we had breakfast at 7am then made our way to the arena. Again I was in the U23 category and Cait was in Elite. Like last time, U23’s set off a couple minutes after the Elites. The start was very tough; it was much more aggressive than Dalby and started with a steep climb! My legs didn’t feel too great but hung in there as long as I could.

Racing on the course was amazing; I absolutely loved it and had a great time. There was not one part of the course with no one on it!! The crowds were out of this world and so encouraging it gave me a huge rush of determination and excitement.

I did slow down a lot towards the race but just to be able to get the chance to ride one of the best courses was just incredible! I will never forget it.

My position was 35^th- I was ok with that but had a think of what exactly I need to work on- HILLS and CONSITENCY!

I had an amazing time in Germany and very much looking forward to returning there next year!

A huge thank you to WXC World Racing for supporting us at the World Cups and also thank you to Orange Monkey-Cannondale for letting us borrow their turbo trainers.

The next world cups are held in Canada and USA. The team will not be competing in these two but you will find us taking on the world for the final two rounds in Czech Republic (13^th/1th Aug) and Italy (20^th/21^st Aug). 

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup-Dalby Forest, Yorkshire

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Round 2

Dalby Forest, Yorkshire 21st-22^nd May

Race Report By Carla Haines

U23 Female

My very first World Cup ever!!!I had such a mixture of feelings; excitement yet nervous but full of adrenaline and ready to take on the worlds best riders for the first time! This was the beginning of an adventure and a step up to a whole new kind of racing! 

It was great that my first international race was in England but to get up there was very tiring. Accommodation was booked for 3 nights so we had plenty of time to chill out and mentally prepare ourselves for the race. We had the likes on Womens Elite Multi World Champion Gunn Rita Dahle (Merida Mulitvan), Current Mens Elite World Mountain Bike Champion Jose Hermida Romas (Merida Multivan) and a successful U23 rider Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek) all on our doorstep!! To be honest I was speechless when I turned up at the cottages knowing that these athletes were here to. I even got the chance to have my photo taken with Jose Hermida! J

Thursday was quite a chilled day after travelling, although we did pre ride a couple laps of the course to freshen our legs up.

Friday was sign on day. Standing in a queue for over an hour was not good for the legs I must say! But we were at a world cup event and there were LOTS riders.

Arriving at the arena where all the Teams had set up it was just out of this world. All the team mechanics were busying themselves setting up their rider’s bikes while the athletes sat and relaxed it was just great.

In some ways it did feel like one of the British mountain bike events but with triple the amount of trade stands. As I had raced there all ready I knew what the course was like and was confident on my riding ability. It was a technical course which suited me; I just wasn’t sure what my climbing was going to be like.

We headed into Pickering Town Centre where the Pro Sprint Eliminator was held. This is where the Elite athletes sprint around the town against each other. The atmosphere was great-people cheering and shouting the riders as they sprinter past, it was great!

The days that we were there the weather was ok. A little cold and windy but sunny, cloudy also. Team mate Jessie arrived in the evening as she had finals at Uni to do.

Saturday Cait, Jess and I were able to watch the juniors and U23 male races. It was good experience watching them to see how aggressive they all were at the start!! After the races were over we headed back to the cottages to prepare for our race.

Sunday morning was a chilly start. Jessie and I were in the U23 category and Cait was in Elite. We set off a couple minutes after the senior ladies as they had to complete a start loop before they headed out on to the main course.

 

 I didn’t have a very good start at all. A rider in front of me unclipped her pedal and slowed right down so I had to chase down the other competitors. It was very aggressive and different what I raced like but it was a good experience for me.

Technically my riding was superb but climbing my legs felt slow and heavy. I thoroughly enjoyed the race. There were so many people around the course encouraging you it was great.

I ended up 25^th position which I was very happy with for my first international race. I had learnt so much from the race and I now know what it is like to race against the world’s best riders. I have a long way to go but from this experience I am determined to work hard and be the very best I can be.

Next weekend Cait and I will be heading to Offenburg in Germany for Round 3 of the World Cup series!

Thank you to the sponsors of WXC World Racing for supporting us throughout the whole weekend.