2013 National Mountain Bike Championships

Two years ago I won this Title, and I was about to battle for it again. It was a long journey up from Plymouth but I had great company from the guys of Mondraker UK and Juice Lubes.

The course was very similar to Hadleigh Farm where the Olympics were held; bone dry with rock gardens, twisty switch backs and step downs, but it was all good fun.

Sundays race was at 12.45; not what I’m used to so it felt like forever, but was able to watch the mornings races, which included Mondrakers Brendan Murphy competing in the Vet male category. He finished just outside the top 10 in 12^th position.  

As time drew nearer it was my turn to race. Nerves were creeping up on me but I was more relaxed then I usually am before a race. I knew I could achieve a podium position it was just going to be a battle for each place, which in a way I was quite looking forward to!

With the Elite Females and Juniors setting off before the U23s’ it gave me a good target to chase, as well as the girls in my category. The gun went and we went; best start I’ve had in a long time! We all pretty much stayed together around the start loop back through the start/finish line. Beth Crumpton (Hargroves) and Becky Preece (Scott Contessa) slowly drifted away from me. We had the Veteran females chasing us so it pushed me on a lot. For the whole race I held 3^rd position. On the final lap through the rock garden I crashed and flew over my handle bars; the pain was screaming at me but I couldn’t hang around worrying about that so I grabbed my bike rode on. As much as I wanted to stop and take a breath, there was no time for that. I pushed hard for the last part and into the finish. A Bronze medal in my final year as an U23…I was happy with that. Well done to Beth Crumpton (Gold) and Becky Preece (Silver).

The racing was not over yet. Elite men in the afternoon was classy to watch; you see a lot from the feed station!

Mondrakers Dexter Hurlock, Stephen Hodge and Juice Lubes James Porter all had a top race. Dexter; who was gridded 41^st smashed his way up to finish 20^th. Porter gained an excellent 12 places from his starting position finishing 31^st and Stephen finished a very respectable 34^th in a tough race.

Thank you to every one for the support and encouragement over the weekend and to WXC World Racing for being a smashing team.

My main thanks goes to the guys of Mondraker UK for letting me travel up with them and legend James Porter (Juice Lubes) for driving all the way up, racing and driving back! Top Guy!

British Marathon Champs

My main focus for this year was the Marathon Champs. I’d never ridden a marathon before so in preparation I entered the Stilettoes on Wheels event in Sheffield the month before in the 4 hour solo category. This is a great event for getting women involved in the sport and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to give mountain biking a bash without the pressure of seeing too many lycra clad bodies around! I completed 9 laps and won by 11 minutes so I was happy to get the hours in the legs at race pace.

The days leading up to the marathon were all about prepping the bike (with an emergency brake swap with my husband's bike), nutrition and hydration. As this distance was all so new to me, it was mainly about trial and error. I was quite nervous, hoping that I would have done enough. The weather forecast was also set to be the hottest weekend of the year so it was so important to ensure I had the correct amount of fluids.

We travelled up to Scotland the morning of the race in the glorious sunshine as the start wasn’t until 12pm. Once the tent was up, I just tried to relax and stay out of the sun as much as possible. The race began in the beautiful town of Selkirk with a neutralised start. On that start list were big names – Sally Bigham, Jane Nusselli and Catherine Williamson. I recognised some friendly faces of Kerry MacPhee and Mel Alexander from the XC scene.

Once we had completed the 6k neutralised start, the pace quickened up the first fire road climb. I was keen to get a good start and positioning so I sat in 6^th up the first climb keeping Mel and Kerry close in sight. After feed zone 1, Mel unfortunately got a puncture; therefore I moved up to 5^th. By feed zone 2, I was still only 15 seconds behind Kerry in 4^th place. It was somewhere between feed zone 2 and 3, that the energy levels and legs began to go! The hills were never ending! The climb out of Innerleithen was ridiculously steep and long and I was starting to regret running the single chain ring. It was also somewhere within this climb that I took a wrong turning and ended up descending on the downhill run. I had a little banter with a fellow local racer who said ‘this is the last big climb; they are only little ones after this!’ From this point forward my aim was then to maintain my placing and that it was I did. Sally Bigham not only took the jersey but finished 7 minutes behind of the men’s winner Neal Crampton.

 

The course was a brilliant mix of natural single track, forest roads, hand-made single track, trail centre routes and the odd mud route here and there. The climbs were certainly lung and thigh busting with some technical descents which you had to be really careful not to puncture on! The views from the tops were amazing. It reminded me of riding in South Africa with just no civilisation around for miles. Scotland has to be the most beautiful place in the UK.

Overall I was really pleased with my first marathon experience and coming 5^th.  It was a massive learning curve and there are so many areas in preparation and during the race that I would do differently next time. A big thank you to my husband who not only managed to feed me at each station and shout support but also looked after our daughter at the same time - who said men can’t multi task?

 

A very late blog from my travels to South Africa

My name is Amber Southern and this is my first year in elite and my first blog for WXC (a little overdue this one I’m afraid!) It is my second full year of racing and I try to fit it all in being a full time teacher and mum to my 3 year old daughter.

The weekend before we flew out to SA at the end of March, I was racing in minus temperatures and centimetres of snow at the NPS at Sherwood. I’d had a nightmare race with a punctured tyre and a conversation with a tree which required stitches afterwards. Least to say, I couldn’t wait to get on that plane and fly to warmer temperatures to train and race in the SA National round 2, as well as see family. My coach had loaded up my training programme and I couldn’t wait to hit the trails that I’d spent hours You Tubing (I’m the queen of procrastinating when it comes to marking!) and I think you’d all agree that after the weather we’d had recently, the opportunity to ride dusty dry trails would get anyone slightly giddy!

It was safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed! I rode most days on a game reserve called Umgeni Valley where I regularly came across zebra, wildebeest an d giraffe.

 

The mountain bike community in SA is amazing – everybody was so friendly and willing to take me out on guided rides. One of those rides was the most epic I’ve ever been on. It began at 5am in the dark (crazy I know!) with the head lights on, but what a way to see the SA sunrise. We rode the 15k too

and from Karkloof, then rode the 30k route there which was amazing. It’s a natural trail which demanded so much more of the rider – natural rock gardens, tight corners and trails with different textured grounding. From start to finish it was all single track and fire road.  If SA didn’t have its problems, that would have converted me to move!! We spent a few days in the Drakensburg Mountains at a resort we usually stay at which have just recently added in mountain bike trails – heaven. The resort is 2,500m above sea level, so it was tough on the lungs and burning on the legs as there was some epic climbing involved.

We also checked out the World Cup course at Cascades on a number of days.

I gave the Tree House Rock Garden a good bash but it ended up winning and I went over the handle bars and tangled with my chain ring! Seven stitches later (can you see a pattern emerging?), antibiotics and painkillers – I only had four days till race day!

I decided to rest my leg until the Friday when I got in some teeth gritting practice laps on the course with my leg strapped up to the max. I’d come all this way – I was not going to give up! The course was fantastic. The first 1K was being used for the World Champs XCE and it was made up of a super fast fire road start, splitting single track, a rock garden then a real technical section made of rocks, jumps and logs. The rest of the course was climbing, climbing and more climbing. There was little recovery, but the descending single track flowed so well and was so much fun to ride. The course included the Tree House but after the accident a few days earlier, I’d decided to stick to the B line. There was a decent field for elite and U23. I found myself on the start line with Marisske Strauss who told me she had never ridden in snow or felt those kinds of temperatures when she took the win at Sherwood a couple of weeks previous – wow! Anyway, the start was super fast. I went into the first bit of single track 9^th. The technical section caused a rider in front of me to crash, and then the rider behind her crashed on top of her – it’s certainly going to be a crowd pleaser! I managed to stay out of trouble and move to 7^th. I maintained this position throughout the incredibly fast race, overtaking for 6^th place on the final lap.  I’d got so used to racing in mud, wet, sluggy conditions, that this blew my heart rate sky high! I had loads of support from family and friends and this does really help!

 

I came in 4^th elite and 6^th overall and grabbed my first UCI points. I was happy with that. It was a great way to end a fantastic holiday!

 

 

Bristol Bike Fest 2013

There’s a first time for everything and for me it was Bristol Bikefest. I entered the 3 hour solo. During the week the weather had been amazing and was the same for the whole weekend!

Rocking up Saturday early evening with my mum and sister, we set the tent up and watched the final hour of the 12hour event. The atmosphere was great, music pumping and everyone seemed so chilled. The music played on until early hours but I still managed to get my beauty sleep!

Sunday morning was a little cloudy but the sun did decide to make an appearance for the rest of the day. A mass start at 10am was not your usual mountain bike start; it was about a 200m sprint to your bike, grab it jump on and pedal off. It was hectic to say the least and I must say a lot of people nearly got tangled up in bikes but no one seemed that bothered!

The course was good fun; a lot of fast flowing single track with a couple of climbs. The first lap involved a bit of queuing behind riders as there were few places to overtake but you could make a few sneaky passes every now and again. Once everyone spread out it made it easier; I picked each rider off one by one for the whole race which really kept me going hard.

I came in just over 15mins before the 3hour cut off time; if I went out again the lap wouldn’t have counted so I finished there. I managed to complete 5 laps and was 1 lap ahead of 2^nd place so I was pretty happy with that.

The event was well organised and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks to everyone involved it was a great weekend.

British Mountain Bike Series Round 2

When planning my race calendar at the beginning of the year, I had to look twice at where Round 2 was going to be held. Another great course right on my doorstep….bonus!

With the first round of the South West series in Wheal Maid, it was a great opportunity to get a feel for the course before the national took place. The Hortons’ certainly know what riders want and that’s what you get!

Saturdays’ pre ride went well; sun was out, the course was dry and there was a really nice chilled out atmosphere about the place. Living only an hour and a half away we still brought the caravan with us! It’s always nice being on site and close by, especially when the weather is dry and the evenings are clear.

Every race morning is like preparing for battle; breakfast for fuel, kitting out your armour, heart racing in your chest, the adrenaline flushing around the body and taking deep breathes before being released. The pain, the sweat and the emotional rollercoaster lasting only 90mins yet feels like hours….but it’s all for something we love doing and gives us more than satisfaction when crossing the finish line.

5 Laps of sweeping single track, steep descents and rocky lose climbs for the Elite Women. Once the pistol was fired that was it, we were off, like bulls being let out of their pens and raging across the land. With a loop in the arena before hitting the single track, it was a good idea to get in a top position. My start was ok; could have been better but could have been worse. I needed a bit more aggression and to fight my way through a bit, so that’s one thing I need to improve on.

The first 3 laps I was riding with a group of 3 other riders: Joanne Clay (Torq Performance), Genevieve Whitson (Torq Performance) and a Spanish rider, Mercedes Pacios Pujado (Blue Motors).  It was interesting riding with them, finding out their strengths and weaknesses on certain parts of the course and using them to my advantage. I gained on some of the descents but they gained on the climbs so it was a bit like cat and mouse, but good experience. Most races I have been out by myself so it was nice to be able to push as hard as I could to stay with them.

By lap 4 it was just myself and Genevieve together; Joanne and Mercedes managed to get away. Genevieve was pulling away slowly but I managed to real her back in again; by lap 5 I was pretty exhausted and unfortunately managed to let her go so I was by myself. It was the hardest lap but I knew it was my last so did the best I could to get to the finish quickly. My final position was 13^th, just outside the top 10 which is what I was hoping for but it’s not the end of the world. 

A tough race but I learnt a lot about myself and what I need to work on for the future.

Thank you to everyone who supports and supported me in the race. Next race is the 2^nd Round of the South West Series at Newnham Park, Plymouth.

Carla Haines

U23 Elite Female

Off Camber XC: Blandford Forum, Dorset

Rain, Snow, & One Eyed Racing!...

With the first round of the National Series not so far away, it was time for a practice race to get my head in the game.

Driving there was an experience to say the least! Constant changes in weather conditions was unreal..thick snow, rain and a bit of sun all in the space of a couple of hours.

0˚c was the temperature when I arrived; a lot chillier then when I left Plymouth at 6.30am.

Most of my warm up was spent sitting in the car with the heater on full blast; not what I typically do before a race! With 10mins to go I had to get out on the bike to ‘acclimatise’ to the coldness. Was I brave to wear just a skinsuit!?...No! Gillet and arm warmers it was, over the top.

The start was neutralised for the first few minutes before it kicked off..which gave me some more time to warm the legs up! Us ladies only had 2 laps…but it was an epic 2 laps.

I spent atleast ¾ of the race with only one eye open..my poor left eye was bearing the brunt of so much mud flying in it, there was no point in keeping it open! Apart from that it was a great fun race..I even won it, so that put a huge smile on my face.

Thanks to everyone at Off Camber for organising the race, even though it was a very cold and wet day.

Next week, first round of the National Series at Sherwood!!

Carla J

A little something I made....

After browsing through some photos and videos of races etc I thought I would put together a short clip of Val D'Isere; the final round of the World Cup Series. Considering it took about an hour to do I was quite happy with it! So here it is...enjoy :)

If it doesnt play then here is a link to it on vimeo https://vimeo.com/59997944


Carla

Soggy Bottom Round 1

Report by Carla Haines

After a busy year of back to back racing and then a bit of time off from the bike, it was back to training again; and also a few races. The Soggy Bottom series have been around for a while and a great set of winter races to give the lungs a nice blast! Organised by Martyn Salt and course designers Jay and Maddie Horton you are always in for a real treat.

I was actually a little nervous for this one; although I had only just started my block of training I wanted to feel ‘fast and furious’! Even though I didn’t, I enjoyed it so much. The course was designed just right for people starting back in to riding. It was lovely muddy and slidey which is what I like, so had a great laugh.

Legs wise…well I can’t complain. I felt good, but not as good as I felt racing earlier on in the season, but I wasn’t fussed. I was there to enjoy a nice bit of pain on my mountain bike. I rode on my Bianchi or ‘Bella’ as I named her; it felt light and quick and I loved riding every bit of it. We both pushed on together for the 4 laps we had and finished in 2^nd position caked in mud.

Only a short report, but there wasn’t a great deal to write about apart from I had blast racing on my bike. Happy Days.

I would like to add that I have had such amazing support from WXC World Racing this year, along with the backing of some great sponsors too.

As regards to 2013……watch this space J

Silver at National Hill Climb Championships

What a year its been for me!
My first year as an Elite rider, after only one season of racing was pretty daunting, but a podium finish at the first round was just amazing. Then to finish the season with a Silver medal at the National Hill Climb Championships at The Rake in Blackburn made me a very happy girl indeed. Can't say it was easy and i didn't find it hard but i cant wait to see what i can achieve for next season. With two National titles to chase and a top 50 in the world it will certainly keep me busy. Id like to thank Trevor and the team for all the help and support they have given me this year and believe that there is a very successful year ahead of us.

2012 Guiyang International MTB Invitational Tournament- by Zephanie Blasi

My team manager, Trevor Brown and I were selected for an all-expenses paid trip to Guiyang, China for 5 days. I was invited to race in the short-track and cross country mountain bike event they were holding.
Written in the Opening Ceremony brochure was...

"Mountain biking, featuring "freedom", "leap", "green", and "cycle" as its unique sporting spirit, is an emerging sporting event deeply loved by people all over the world and is currently undergoing a vigorous development.
Guizhou is a province with exceptionally good natural ecological environment, and world-class mountain and outdoor sporting resources. The capital city, Guiyang, is China's first national "Forest City". With the dream and passion of "making Guizhou a key province for mountain and outdoor sports",  "2012 Guiyang International Mountain Bike Invitational Tournament" is born.  And the opening ceremony, as a prelude to the tournament, is the starting point to the dream tour of the International Mountain Bike sporting."

I heard the organizing team in China spent in the millions to hold this event. It was amazing.  The hotel, police escorts to and from the venue, the opening and closing ceremony, the race venue and the course they built just in time for the event and the buffet and all the volunteers they had helping us and they event.  Such an honor...

My travel time to Guiyang was 29 hours long from Arizona in the United States. China is 15hrs ahead of my local time zone. Hence, when I arrived at the 5 star, Renaissance Hotel, I was tired. I ended up sleeping that afternoon into the next morning.

Here are a few pics of my room, the hotel and the buffet area where we had all of our meals...



The following morning after our arrival, Trevor and I built my bike after its long travel around the world.  Unfortunately, my bike did not have such a safe trip :0   My shifter cable was bent as well as my derailleur hanger...

Luckily Trevor was able to straighten it enough to make it ridable for the week of training and racing.

Next up was the parade. All the riders rode 19km from the hotel through part of the city with our police escorts on motorcycles while our support staff, Trevor and the others, rode on city buses.  After the 19km we hopped on a bus with our bikes and headed to the hotel for some lunch.

After lunch we rode our bikes to the venue with police escorts and trained on the course.  The course was great. Nice and tacky from the week's previous rain, lots of climbing but most of them were short with recovery sections following,  the weather was in the 70's and the atmosphere was relaxed.

After a couple hours of training time, we were off riding our bikes back to the hotel. The ride to and from the hotel was about 20min or so.  Once at the hotel there was enough time for a shower and dinner before hopping on a bus to the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony felt like an Olympic event. We each lined up outside by nation and walked into the gymnasium.

I have many amazing videos, but I can't seem to upload them. After we walked through the gymnasium by nation, we were seated in the bleachers to watch many beautiful, artistic performances. 
The next day at 3pm was the short track event. The course was less than a mile long and used the same start and lower trails as the cross country course.
We all rode to the venue again before the race. I couldn't believe all the interviews and photos that were requested. I felt like a celebrity. It was great and Trevor was having a fun time with it all.  I was so lucky to have Trevor there to help out with everything and it was nice to see him so stress-free.

 I haven't raced a short track event since last year so I was a little rusty on the tactics that are involved. I did miss them though. They are intense and difficult, but only being 30 minutes long, you are not as drained afterwards.  The race ended up being around 10 laps.
I had a great start off the third row in 21st position.  My coach Rob Kelley from www.trainingbible.com had me practicing starts, intense efforts and has totally changed and improved my training and racing.  I have been with him since June and Trevor was so amazing at the difference. I ended up in 11th place which was great considering all of the talented women that were there from around the world.

After the men finished their short track, we rode back to the hotel, had a quick dinner followed by the team managers meeting where we found out we were racing 5 laps of the course tomorrow at 11am. 
At 9am Maxine Filby, myself and a couple other women were the only women ready to ride to the venue. We missed the note about there being a change to the schedule allowing for a later escorted ride to the venue or a later ride on the bus to the venue... whoops... The other women decided to stay back while Maxine and I each had a motorcycle escort and rode to the venue.  Since there wasn't a pack to hang out in and enjoy the draft, the pace was fast while trying to keep up with the escorts while getting strange looks by civilians wondering why there were two cyclists riding through town on the main roads.  Wish I had a photo of that :)  So, Maxine and I had a good warm up to say the least, with still another hour to go before the race.
Once again, I started the race in the third row, 21st place. This time my start was not so great with everyone bunching up in front of me. But luckily I made my way through the pack during the first and second lap and once again ended up in 11th place :)  Pretty consistent.
After the event I had a couple more interviews and photos and off we were to ride back to the hotel. I missed lunch but got a shower in and headed back to the venue, this time in a bus without my bike, to watch the men's race. Luckily they had noodles for us there at the venue. Here is a great shot of Trevor attempting to use chopsticks... love it!!!

During the men's race they had to get an injured rider off the course.

Once the men's race ended, they had the awards and closing ceremony there at the venue. Another amazing show with more artistic entertainment and fireworks.

After the closing ceremony, we hopped in the bus and headed back to the hotel to enjoy another fine dining experience.  The food was so amazing. I think I gained 5 pounds this week. I had to end my evening short and drag Trevor away as well so he could help me pack the bike up. I had to be ready to leave the hotel at 5am. Trevor wasn't leaving for another day so he was able to be a tourist and enjoy some scenery. 
This time my travel back home was only 25 hours. But the jet-lag experience once I arrived home has taken me weeks to get over. I am still on the wrong sleep pattern :)
I want to thank my team and all of our sponsors, as well as my coach and the organizing committee in China. This experience will last a lifetime and I could not have enjoyed it so much without everyone.