British Mountain Bike Series, Margam Park - by Cait Elliott

The week leading up to the 4^th round of the British series race in Margam was very wet and Saturday’s pre-ride was grey and miserable with rain, half of the course covered in clouds and extremely slidey, muddy trails. Unbelievably by Sunday morning the sun had come out and with temperatures hitting 31˚C I had my dream race conditions of heat and mud.

We set off straight into a long climb finishing on a tough, off-camber slippery singletrack before hitting a fast muddy descent. By the top cyclocross pro Nikki Harris (Scott Contessa) had already pulled a gap and I’d got up to 3^rd following Mel Spath (Cycleways), with Lee Craigie (Torq performance) just behind me. The course was ‘proper’ mountain biking with several huge long climbs, some short technical climbs, and lots of great singletrack descents with spectacular views out to the coast. The combination of long climbs and technical muddy trails meant riders were very quickly strung out and big gaps developed as the race went on.

The final climb of the lap was a monster, 7-8 minutes with several false summits, a headwind and sweltering heat and on lap 2 Lee jumped in front of me towards the top. I had to dig deep to hold on but eventually into the next lap she pulled away. Although the hills were tough, mud meant there wasn’t much pedalling to be done on the singletrack so there was plenty of time to recover before the next batch of pain. The descents were awesome, mostly narrow rutted trails covered in a thick layer of mud making for lots of fast, fun sliding around. One steep chute through the rhododendron bushes was particularly fun – 20cm deep mud meant brake free ‘bike-surfing’ sideways at high speed was the only option to get down it!

Coming into the last lap I was starting to feel destroyed, I had given up on catching Lee again and could only hope I had enough left to get around without being caught from behind since I knew I didn’t have much energy left for a fight. Then at the bottom of the first decent I passed Lee who had punctured. I gritted my teeth and sprinted to get around the corner out of sight and then somehow found some extra reserves to ride hard for the rest of the lap, not daring to look back, convinced she was seconds behind me. It was only the thought of a medal that dragged me up the last climb and from there it was a long fun descent and a never ending flat grassy field to the finish where I crossed the line in 3rd, delighted with the result. Margam is fantastic course that really separates the ‘mountain bikers’ from the ‘xc racers’.

A great weekend for the team with Carla stylishly breaking into the top 10 for the first time to finish 6th and Jess following closely behind in 7th. Next goal is the National Champs! 

Cait

BMBS Wasing Estate - by Cait Elliott

British MBS at Wasing Estate in Reading, a course I hadn't raced before and having heard it was fairly flat and uninteresting I wasn't expecting to like it. However after a practice lap I was pleasantly surprised, not much climbing but some great singletrack through pretty woodland. Until Thursday I wasn't looking forward to racing, still having problems with super sore calves I knew I would be there making up numbers again which is no fun at all. Then I had 1.5 hours of deep tissue massage on my legs and the effects were miraculous, I still wasn't 100% but only felt slight tightness rather than pain so went into the race with a bit of confidence for the first time in weeks.

On race day my prayers for rain were answered and although it wasn't quite muddy enough to slow the race down as I'd hoped, the singletrack had become nice and slidey making for some fun racing. I got an unusually great start and was soon into 3rd place sitting on Maddie Horton's wheel. WOW, this is racing! I hadn't had that feeling for so long, pain free legs and feeling strong, brilliant! For a couple of laps I was back and forth between 2nd and 3rd place with some great battling on a close course and several other riders hot on our heels. The twisty trails flowed really well with rain making wet roots and corners all the more interesting.

By the end of lap 2 Mel Alexander and Mel Spath had caught me and we rode together for a while. By this stage my calves were beginning to tighten again and I felt like they were reeling me in from then onwards. The two Mels got a gap on me when a junior crashed in front of me and I got stuck behind another one - one your were into a singletrack section it was very difficult to pass and then hard to close a gap. I could see them ahead for the rest of the race but couldn't do enough to get back up there, instead enjoying the increasingly slippery trails and keeping an eye out for other riders close behind.

Under normal circumstances I'd be annoyed for throwing away a couple of positions but 5th is a big step in the right direction and most importantly I got the race buzz back and feel like I can go at some proper training now and get back on track. What a relief.

Good luck to Jessie for her finals and get well soon to Carla, the World Racing team will be back to full strength at Margam in 2 weeks...

Cait

Behind the scenes at the Dalby World Cup

BMBS R2, Dalby Forest Race Report By Carla Haines

BRITISH MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES ROUND 2

DALBY FOREST, PICKERING

RACE REPORT BY CARLA HAINES

ELITE FEMALE

The second round of the national series had come around so quickly. I was looking forward to it; I liked the course and felt confident about the race.

The journey up there was very long, splitting it up Friday evening and Saturday morning seemed a good option to do.

Arriving Saturday afternoon, I pre rode the course a couple of times. The first lap was checking the drops and finding the quickest line to take. The second lap was at a faster pace without stopping. Being a UCI Class 1 Race I knew that this course was technical. I wasn’t worried about it but I had to be aware that it’s very easy to make mistakes. This was a good warm up for the British round of The World cup series nearer the end of May.  It was another strong field including International French Rider Julie Bresset.

Come race day everything was prepared the evening before, so I had no last minute rushes or panics. On the start line I was focussed; slightly nervous but mainly adrenaline pumping through me!

I had one of the best starts I’ve ever done; around the field and into the single track I was easily in the top 10. This was good for me but was quite difficult holding it when coming back up the field again. A few riders passed me but still kept it my own throughout the whole race.

I slowly started picking riders off bit by bit. My aim was top 10 but Top 15 I still would have been happy with.

Myself and Jo Munden were switching places a lot on the last couple of laps; I lead more on the single track and descents and she would pace it up the climbs. On the last lap Munden gained a lot of time on the climbs and slowly dropped me. 

I was lapped by the leading riders Bresset and Last who were absolutely flying!!UCI rules are if anyone is lapped they will be pulled out on the lap they finish on. I managed to do 4 which I was quite happy with as I was gradually tiring.

I ended up 13^th position. I would have like to be in the top 10 but I know exactly what I need to work on to get there.

Team Mate Jessie Roberts unfortunately dropped out and Cait Elliot came 11^th.  Well done to the WXC MTB Team UK riders as well.

Next big race will be the UCI World Cup..again at Dalby 22^nd May.

Thanks to sponsers of WXC World racing for supporting us at the Event.

By Carla Haines

BUCS XC Champs 2011

BUCS Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships 2011

Moelfre, Wales

12-13^th March

My first proper race of the season was a good test to see how my form was-which I thought was pretty good.

The journey up to Moelfre was straight forward and not too long. Arriving Saturday early afternoon, I was able to watch Plymouth Uni guys in the downhill championship. From previously racing here a few years ago, I knew what to expect. It was amazing to watch how fast some of the boys descended down the side of a hill whilst keeping control at the same time!!

It was perfect weather for them all and even pre riding the XC course it was nice not to get dirty kit.

It was a climbers course for definite which in a way made me slightly nervous. I wouldn’t say I’m the greatest climber but I have been working on my hills in training and I know I have improved so I was looking forward to it a lot. I wasn’t worried about the descent as I know I’m a pretty controlled rider on technical courses.

I did 2 practice laps-the first was to check out which lines I would take on the descent and the second was a slightly faster pace but concentrating on my skills descending.

Saturday evening I had a good meal and went to bed early. Having a cold didn’t help but It didn’t stop me from wanting a podium position.

My race was at 1305 Sunday afternoon. It had drizzled/rained throughout the night which dampened the course but the sun dried it out by the time my race was due. I made sure I had a good warm up and drinks all prepared for each lap.

On the start line my heart was beating pretty fast- it was a mixture of nerves and adrenaline! Off went the horn...I had a really good start lead the way for at least 100m or so. 2 riders past me (Roberts and Miller) so I hung on to their wheels as long as possible. Roberts slowly got away-she is an awesome climber, and it was left to me and Miller to work together up the climb. We kept switching positions every lap, Miller lead up the climb and I descended off in front of her.

Lap 3 on top lap 4 Miller was no longer with me..I had gained so much on the descent she was unable to catch me on the climb. As I said I wasn’t a strong climber but todays performance showed that I have improved so much.

Lap 5 I was again on my own and went as hard as I could to the finish. I came 2^nd and was so happy with it!!Last year I was 3^rd so I’ve stepped the game up a lot! Maybe next year a BUCS champ??Who knows!

Not only did I come 2^nd but Jenny Middlehurst, also representing Plymouth Uni, came 7^th which meant we came 1^st University Overall!

Well done to Plymouth University for their performances over the weekend!! And to my fellow team mate Jessie Roberts who is 2x BUCS Champ J

Andalucia Bike Race Summary - by Cait Elliott

After 6 days of hardcore racing covering more than 550km and over 12,000m of climbing the Andalucia Bike Race is complete. Josh and I won the mixed category overall as well as each stage of the race. Spending a week as a pro rider has been a fantastic experience in which I’ve learnt a lot and its made me hungry for more. The importance of preparing for every eventuality in terms of energy, mechanicals and temperatures has become very obvious, especially when riding unsupported in such a long race.

Riding as a pair brings a very different experience to standard racing and it’s something I’ve enjoyed a lot. It gives you a much more accurate understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses, which will be useful for future training. I think we worked very well together as a team and Josh was incredibly patient as it must have been frustrating at times to know that he could go much faster alone.

The mixture of extreme emotions experienced over the 6 days has been amazing and although there were a lot of extremely tough moments it’s the positive things that stand out. We’ve met some great people, ridden some amazing trails, seen some spectacular places, and come away feeling inspired to do more. Now it’s time to recover before the start of the xc season in a few weeks time.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising the race, it’s definitely one for the diary next year. Also to WXC World Racing and the team sponsors – in particular Compressport compression clothing was very useful for recovery between stages and Sportique warm-up oil and chamois cream were essential for staying comfortable during the long days.

Andalucia Bike Race - by Cait Elliott

In a moment of madness a week before the start I agreed to join Josh Ibbett (Torq Performance Team) to race as a mixed pair in a new 6 day mountain bike race in the sunny south of Spain. Based between Córdoba and Jaen, the Andalucía Bike Race covered over 500km and 12,000m of climbing, and attracted a world class field of participants including World Champion Jose Hermida Ramos and Julian Absalon.

Day 1

Today it was important for Josh and I to figure out how best to ride together as a team, where our strengths and weaknesses are and how to manage them. A few pointers from more experienced team riders at breakfast proved very helpful. As the female I quickly had to accept that I was slower and Josh used his extra strength to give me a push on the climbs. If he led on the descents I could push myself to go faster and hold onto his wheel. It didn´t take long to get a good system going and it worked very well.

The race course was absolutely brilliant, a real mixture of terrain and scenery. Tight, twisty singletrack through dusty ground covered in herb plants. Swooping fast trails with fun bombholes and kicker climbs. Tough, technical rocky climbs. Steep, rocky descents with big drops. We went hardish on the climbs but descending was the real place to gain time. The crowds cheering us on were amazing too, I was wearing my Irish national champ jersey so got loads of ´champion, champion´ cheers, and in general they were particularly enthusiastic when a girl went past. 

I enjoyed it all until the last climb which was pretty hellish. Every time you thought it had to be the top it would kick up steeply with loads of technical rocks to negotiate, I was pretty destroyed by the end. We finished the 75km in 4 hours 33 taking first place in the mixed pairs category and beating all but one of the women´s teams. Standing on the podium alongside world champ Jose Hermida was pretty cool and riding in the leaders jersey tomorrow saves washing kit in the sink. Absolutely shattered but very happy!