Its all about the performance

We are well over half way through the winter CX season up here in Yorkshire and I have had little time to reflect on what has happened so far.  I am going to split this blog entry into two main sections - a racing type report and then some bits of thinking and reflection.

Winter CX in Yorkshire

Firstly the weather has not been very seasonal up here.  Mud tyres have not been used often and full finger gloves have only come out of the bag once.  I have raced in colder summer CX races!

Performances in the Yorkshire Points series have been pretty good.  I have developed my start into a major weapon that usually puts me in a good position after the first lap or two.  I have tried to limit the number of mistakes as I race which is a good idea as well and have mainly stayed on the bike.

Highlights include good performances and results at Northallerton, Temple Newsome and Bingley where it really showed that the hard power training prescribed by coach Tom really has made an impact. 







My best race has been Huddersfield New College which is perhaps my favourite course on the circuit.  It has proper steep bits, a fair slog section and some really fast sections.  This year it was muddy - needing mud tyres.  I recced the course well and decided my strategy in terms of "I will get off the bike here and run" for 5 sections of the lap.  The skill, of course, is not deviating from your plan as I am always tempted by the "go on, you can climb that" devil on my shoulder.  If I listen to him I will of course mess up the climb and fall off.  This time I kept to my plan and produces a good performance and also a good result.

So 6 races down in this league, only 2 more to go!

Wednesday nights have seen me racing in the Vive le Cross mini series at Hull.  Four races in near darkness around some excellent courses that make really good use of the limited terrain available.  The thing about these courses are the lack of recovery time, you are always on full gas!  The series is over and I finished in the prize money!  4th in my age category is a nice result for me.  Made even better by some really close racing against good friends in each round.  Some battles I lost and some I won.

Time for a wash

Reflections

Firstly I have been enjoying my Training plan provided by coach Tom.  It is a joint effort, I tell him how I am performing and he tells me what to do to try and improve.  We have been really successful in terms of CX speed and power and I have worked on technique.  I know that my performance in training is not always reflected in race performance, an area that we will be looking at as time goes on.  As I have written before, it is really important that if you have a coach then you need to build a relationship with that person.  Tom understands me pretty well now, he knows my strengths and weaknesses both physically and mentally.  I do not know for sure, but I think that my own specific set of needs probably throw up more challenges to Tom as a coach than "the average" rider.  I like to think that I have helped develop him as a coach in return for his help.

Up to recent weeks I have been in a really good place on my bike.  I have been very positive and realistic in my goals for each training session or race.  I have seen real progress in both as a result.

I am at the moment going through a dark patch again, many of the indicators that I have seen before are rearing up again and I am trying to avoid descending into the state that I was in a couple of years ago.  Stress and anxiety are nasty in the way that they creep up, but more nasty in the way that they change thought patterns.  In good times I will train hard and be able to push well into the red.  At the moment my legs seem to hurt more and my head is yelling at me "Just stop and give up, you are rubbish at this".  Working with Tom right now is vital, I am very good at self reflection and know when I need to rest or simply play on the bike.  Tom is as always good at listening during these times and guiding me correctly from a physical point of view.

I recently read a fantastic little piece from cxmagazine.com click to read which really summed up how I try to ride and race my bike.  I race as hard as I can, I love the feeling of a good start, overtaking friends and clearing sections that others falter on.  I am not an angel and when going full gas I have been known to question "What are you doing? or "Don't stop there!" to other riders who accidentally get in my way.
My result is not ever going to be at the detriment of other riders.  Recent examples of this that really get on my nerves include:

• Any rider who is racing you on the same lap but makes progress by shouting at you rather than overtaking.  Lapping riders have the right to warn others, racing riders should overtake using skill and strength.
• Riders who push through gridding.  I recently saw a rider who, even not gridded, managed to push through the 3 lines of grid to just behind the front row. 

Is the result so important?
I want to focus on my performance.

Perhaps this is why my training performance does not get the race result?
If I shouted at other riders more often I might gain a couple of places.
I could never take enjoyment from removing somebody else's.

And I want to be the best rider that I can, one that is good enough to overtake properly, so that is what I will try to do.

Summer CX winnings

I have been mixing up some mtb in my riding recently.  This is great training, but also brings some enjoyment back into my riding.  I love riding the road, but nothing puts the smile on my face more than riding off road.  That is where my mojo can always be found

Riding a bike is all about mojo.

Long may it bring smiles.