Reflect on Everything to Improve

Another winter CX season has drawn to a close for me and as all racers do I look back at the races and compare with previous seasons.

Whilst looking through my notes and recollections I have decided to share some of my methodology with regard to reflection.

Mindfulness when training or racing

I have read much on this topic and am a real believer in improving my own mindfulness in as many aspects of my life as I can control.  I find that if I train/race in a mindful state of relaxation/enjoyment then I will perform at my best.  Likewise if I perform well it definitely improves my own state of mindfulness, bringing about a cycle of mental improvement which when allied with good physical training plans really brings about rapid improvements.

In opposition to this if I ride in a highly stressed (physically or mentally) state I often underperform.  This can bring about a downward cycle of mindfulness which increases stress and further lowers physical performance.  It is since I have increased my knowledge of mindfulness that I can recognise this situation quickly and acknowledge what is happening. 

It is the act of acknowledgment that allows me to break a negative cycle before it has a real grip and move myself back to the positive training cycle next session.

How do I acknowledge a problem?

Most people can recognise when there is a problem with their riding.  The difficult part is acknowledging the problem and doing something to improve the situation.

I thought it may be of use to some to share my holistic approach to race reporting and training feedback that I provide myself and my coach, Tom.  I think and hope that some of the extra information that I give will help improve both my future performances and training programmes.

Firstly I do not dwell on bad rides, I simply consider the reasons behind the bad ride and what I can do, if anything to improve next time. I do not ever expect to have a bad ride, but they do happen.

Training feedback

Using power meters, HR etc. means that I do not have to talk about the physical results from a session as these are already recorded.  What I want to get down are my feelings about the session. 

Did I find it hard?  Did I enjoy it?  Was I able to push a bit harder than prescribed?

If it was a tough session, why was that?  Riders usually know why things are not right on the bike.  My common problems have been:

• Incorrect FTP setting, meaning power targets are too easy/too hard.
• Illness.
• Mental fatigue.

I find that stress from work really effects my performance, it can and does quickly transform from a mental condition into physical fatigue when training at the limit.

Race feedback

I really enjoy reflecting on race day.  Sometimes I think I go too far and too detailed, but it is an important clearing process to improve my state of mindfulness.  I write down (type up) most of the following information each race:
How was I feeling mentally on the day - stressed, calm, happy?
Weather conditions
How was the warm up and recce laps?  Did I focus on any particular sections?  What tactics did I decide pre-race?
The start - was I controlled, technically good.
General comments on the race - did I overtake well?  Corners?  Muddy sections?
Key moments in the race?  Falling off, power lap, sprint finish
Lap times- were they consistent?  Was I riding stronger than near competitors as the race went on?

Regardless of performance I always reflect and write down positives from the race before any weaknesses.  A typical example might be

Positives:  Strong start, dismount and remounts good, better in corners than last race

Weaknesses:  Struggled on long muddy climb.  Nothing left for sprint finish.

The last statement that I record always answers the question

"Did I enjoy the race?" 

This is the absolute key question I ask each time that I get on the bike. 

After all it is the only reason that I ride, train and race. 

There is no financial gain, little praise or kudos outside of my cycling friends, it is purely a selfish personal enjoyment. 

If I answer "Yes" then I know that I will strive to improve.

I hope this is of some use to somebody.  Enjoy your ride.

Remember "This is not a Race" Part 2 - The Dirty Reiver

The Dirty Reiver Gravel Ride (NOT a RACE)

I have signed up for some silly things in the past, but this one really takes the biscuit.

200km off-road, on a drop barred bike.  Sounds OK.  Oh, and near 4000m climbing as well.  Still sounds OK.  I know, I will enter.


Time has passed and the event is here.  I have looked at finishing times for last year, it's gonna be a long day in the saddle as 10+ hours does not seem unusual.





I drive up Friday, All the gear I think I may possibly need arranged perfectly in the back of the car.
















get my tent and chair set up at the campsite.  Eat a big tea of rice and chilli.  Yum, yum.  Off to the Anglers Arms then for a quick pint.











Next morning the bike is ready, big tyres are on.  The ground is dry.  Loads of food and compulsory safety bits are in the frame bag, time to go.

7:00 is the start time.

Off you go then.  This is strange. I am quite used to cx starts, chaos, pushing, grunting and HRs to max very quickly.  This gentle clipping in and rolling through a neutral zone to the start timing gate seems odd, HR just ticking over.

What follows is hard to describe.  Time seemed to both stand still and fly by at the same time.  The day became chunks of effort.

Initially it was all about punctures.  I don't think I have ever seen as many people changing tubes in a single km.  Why were they not tubeless?  Why were people trying to overtake through the sharp middle section of gravel?  They soon learnt.

As far as I was concerned, I was going to start easy, getting my head around the different type of gravel here compared to Dalby or the moors.  Much sharper with good race lines following wheel tracks. 

Aims for the day:  Do not fall off.  Do not puncture.  Do not break anything on the bike.

As I got used to the conditions my descending speed picked up, 40mph was approached several times.  As feed stop 1 came into view I was happy, going well and looking good for 8:30 finish - top banana (which is what I ate at the stop).

The distance ticking off strategy

I have my own mental strategy for coping with chunks of time or distance.  I will use it for interval training or any set distance ride.  It is really simple, yet seems to alleviate lots of pain when riding.

As I progress through my allotted distance I break it down into easy fractions, then as I complete each fraction I say to myself "Only (something) times that I have done to go"

For example, after 10km of this ride I said to myself "Only got to do that 19 more times" and after 50km I said "do that another 3 times"

Bringing the future pain into relation with past efforts really makes daunting tasks much less daunting for me.



On to Section 2, I remember some great rocky farm tracks and feed 2 suddenly appeared.  Still on for 8:30, this ain't too bad.  More banana and away we go.

Straight into a hill.  The course took us along a valley one side of a stream, crossed and went back along the other side, climbing and into a headwind for ages.  Then there were some massive climbs, like really massive that seemed to just go on and on.  I was no longer very happy.  It all seemed to start to hurt and my distance ticking off strategy seemed to stop as I was not travelling fast enough.  8:30 was now looking unlikely. On I slogged, it seems that I was running low on fuel as well.  Time for some emergency gels and stuff.  Fuelling strategy down the pan!

Fuelling for a mega ride

I have never ridden past about 6hrs so what I thought a good fuel strategy probably was not.  With hindsight something like this happened:

Each time I ate I topped up my fuel resources, but continued to deplete these resources until I was running on vapours.

The problem is, eating whilst riding on gravel, either crawling up a climb eating my stem or hurtling downhill clinging on to the drops and brakes, eating is quite a challenge.  But accept that challenge we must.

On we go again.  Up another hill and there I see a sign.  The most evil sign I think I have ever seen.  It has 2 arrows, each pointing a different direction and asks the question "200km or 130km?"  Things were hard right there and looking at that sign as I dragged myself up the hill to the choice seemed to take ages.  My body was saying "turn right you fool" whilst my donkey brain was saying "Do not stop now, you can do this"

Without being over-dramatic, I decided to go for the full 200km, turned left and very soon regretted that choice as the hills got bigger and bigger.  8:30 as a target had long gone, 10:00 was the new target. 

Mind over body

I have become a great believer in mental strength strategies, but this one was new to me.  Cramp hit my quad quickly and it hurt.  My reaction was to clear my mind and simply tell the pain to "go away".  Strangely, yes very strangely, the pain did go and not return.



Suddenly feed 3 came into view, and what a view.  This was a real posh affair.  At one end of the row of tables was standard bananas, gels etc.  But as you moved along the row you came across fresh coffee, potatoes and even cheese.  More cultured riders than me were making mini raclettes as they supped very nice coffee.  I scoffed potatoes, butter, bananas and washed down with a great coffee.  There was hope for me.  Onto that saddle we go.

This joy was short lived, more hills combined with coffee vision to make descending tough as well.

Coffee vision

Something I suffer from when tired and over-caffeinated.  My vision blurs a little, although my contact lenses have fallen out.  Each eye is perfect alone, but both open seems to not work very well. To compensate I have to alternately close each eye for a while.


The final section was around Kielder water itself.  How many hills and sharp turns can you incorporate into a path around a flat surface of water?  Well I know, lots.

Now my distance ticking off strategy had started to work again and I was counting down the hundreds of metres to the castle and finish line.  I had completed the ride, I even rode up the road a little to ensure 200km was completed.  All done in 9:42  which apparently makes me an Outlaw.

But as it is not a race, finishing 82nd in a field of over 450 was still very pleasing.  As was finishing 29th in my age group.

The bike and stuff

I was really pleased with my bike setup.  Tubeless tyres, 40mm wide and 32psi meant my hands had no blisters by the end.  Good quality chamois butter and Miltag shorts kept my rear end comfortable on my Fizik Antares saddle.  No problems with these key contact points.

My new frame bag was really useful, easy to access for food and kept my jersey pockets empty which in turn meant no back ache.

Gravel bike on test ride to Robin Hood's Bay

I made use of 44/34 front chainrings and 11-32 rear cassette giving a great range of gears.  Juintech hydraulic cable brakes were really good as well.

Impressions of the Event

There is nothing I can find wrong with this event.  It was well marshalled, well stocked in terms of food, well signed. 

Kielder is a massive area, I doubt there is anywhere in England that is so remote.  It is stunning in beauty as well (and that from a resident of Yorkshire).  There were times when I said to myself:

             "Do not stack it here, you could be missing for days"

which tempered my riding a little.

Overriding all this was the sheer scale and hardness of the event.  I thought I had done hard stuff - 3 Peaks, Ultra marathon etc. but this was really hard both physically and mentally.

I am proud to have completed it, and completed it well.  It was great, I might be back.

Remember "This is not a race" Part 1

What a month April has been.  It has seen two of my target events for the year come and go, both were fantastic rides and experiences.


First up was the Scotton100, organised by YorkCycleworks.  This is (I think) the ninth time that I have ridden his event and I have been wanting a PB time for the last couple of years.  Last year saw me puncture and sealant failure in my tyres brought about by insufficient topping up.

This year I rode off in the second group as always, working hard in the opening miles.  As the route hit the hills around Burnt Yates I struggled a little to keep with the lead group but got back on when we hit off-road sections.  The group worked well for what seemed ages and then I moved forward on a long off-road section near Dishforth.  Working with a rider dropped from group 1 the going was tough in the winds east of the A1 and we were caught by a few other riders.

The good weather and hard work preparing for this ride ensured that I finished under my target time of 3:30, finishing in 3:28.

This will always be one of my favourite events each year.  I have no idea why, it is just fun.

This is not my limit!

The time has come for me to say goodbye to a year of racing and training, reflect on the good and not so good and look forward to future challenges.

Why this post title?

I heard a fantastic quote from Amber Pierce, a US cyclist who said (roughly)

Cycling is about bringing yourself to the limit,
pushing beyond the limit,
realising it was not the limit.
Your limit is beyond what you thought.
It is a beautiful thing.

This sums up where I am at this moment with cycling, I hope I can stay here as I like it.

Final CX races for the winter season

The Yorkshire winter season ended with some proper winter racing.  Cold, wet and very muddy were the order of the day.  Although these are my favourite conditions, and I performed as well as I could, my results were a little disappointing.  But as I have said before, the performance is what really matters and I left the races happy.

Post Novacross

I have to say that it is races like these that really test drivetrains.  Most races have plenty of broken rear mechs, jammed chainsets, chains falling off.

My 1x setup with a front "keeper-onner" has worked faultlessly all year.  I am amazed how well the gear shifting works regardless of muck, grass, panic and the chain keeps spinning.

The only thing that stops my bike is when there is so much muck between rear wheel and frame that the wheel will not turn at all.

Ilkley Muck and the drivetrain kept working!

Racing Target Met

Although I have said before that results are second iun my priorities for racing I did have a target for the winter season.  I wanted to finish in the top 10 for my age cat.  I am happy to report and reflect that I did succeed in this, coming in 9th.  No idea if this puts me in the money, but I am pleased as it shows good consistency across all races.

Reflections of a racing year

Overall I have raced really well over the last year, both in Summer cross and Winter.  I have become more powerful, faster and technically better.

Where I think I went a little wrong is the amount of racing that I did.  I seemed to go through patches of race, rest, train hard, rest, race.  Start again.  There seemed to be missing some of the fun of being on a bike and doing crazy things.  My mtb sessions have reawakened this love again, as have events such as Aggregate100 which is to be repeated this year.

Next Challenges

This year I will:

• race a little less, become better at targeting races to maximise my performance.
• enjoy training as much as I enjoy just riding
• make sure that I make time to just ride
• ride coast to coast in a day for the fun of it
• ride the Dirty Reiver 200km gravel race in Kielder Forest
• ride The Struggle sportive in Yorkshire
• SMASH the Scotton 100
• SMASH 3 Peaks (Marshalling = guaranteed place!)

The Time that I Overtook a World Champion

A couple of great CX races to reflect on, fantastic considering the time of year which always throws up its own challenges.

Can I keep going?

This has been a long year of cx racing for me.  I started way back in May and have been racing pretty much non-stop throughout the summer, autumn and winter.  Whilst I really enjoy racing there are times when I really just want to ride my bike for a few hours at the kind of intensity that I feel up to at that moment.  This is in opposition to cx training sessions which tend to be 1 hour or so in length and very much interval based (no surprises there!). 

I think the quality of my training has started to decline a little and perhaps my maximum power output has declined as well.  Coach Tom has spotted this and adapted training plans accordingly.  He has incorporated some more fartleck type activities, fewer really hard sessions and creeping some more club style rides in as well. 

Only 2 or 3 more races this winter to go at, then next year's challenges need some attention.

Shibden Hall Yorkshire Points race

What a fantastic course!  I have been there before for a Rapha race (I think), but big kudos to the organisers who designed a really testing, yet fun course.  The weather was proper wet and muddy which made the going really tough.  There were lots of falls in the races before us old gaffers got on the course.

My target for this race was to not fall off and ride within myself to ensure that I did not burn all my matches too soon in the deep mud.

Off we went, things started well.  I played to my strengths and struggled on the long, long climb where I lost places each lap.  On the long downhill with added corners I made lots of these back.  As previous races I knew where I wanted to dismount and stuck to the plan.  As before it worked well as there is nothing worse than an emergency jump off the bike.

There was a long slight uphill section that was sooooooo muddy that I had to run the majority of it.  This is where I lost most places as lighter riders did not sink as deeply as me and managed to ride through.

Proper muddy bike

I stayed on the bike, managed to clear mud each lap and finished with a good result that definitely will help me in the overall league.

This race really brought home to me that the difference that power/weight ratio makes in cx is different to road riding.  I was passed by riders that I will usually beat on a dry day.  These riders are lighter than me and (I presume) less powerful.  In deep mud if you are light you float over the top far more and can keep momentum.  Larger and (once again I presume) more powerful riders who often beat me in the dry were passed by me on this day as they struggled even more in the mud than I did.

Target for next winter:  LOOSE SOME MORE TIMBER!

Great Skills Session with coach Tom

Tom put on a cx coaching session at Yorksport which was realy enjoyable for several reasons:

• It is great to train in a group
• He set up a proper mini course with proper taped corners
• We focussed on key areas - Start, corners, dismount and remount
• I could push the limits without compromising a race which I did and fell off quite a few times

North of England CX Championship

York Cycleworks and Yorksport hosted the championship race.  I was lucky enough to pre-ride the course on the day before the race, after helping a little to set it up.  The course seemed quite big, a lovely design with lots and lots of corners that could be taken at speed.  A long slog up a hill would sort the real fast riders from the rest.

Some things will always make me giggle and this number is one of them

Race day was damp under wheel but not proper wet.  Should I go mud tyre or intermediate?  I went mud tyre to ensure that I could keep speed in the many grassy corners.


My race came around so soon, gridded riders to the front, I was mid pack in the "also there" group behind. And they are off!


The start at Yorksport makes use of the tarmac cycle circuit meaning it is a faster start than usual for Yorkshire cx races.  25mph in a close bunch, each looking to gain advantage, is a nervous place to be.

I held my position well and once off road was a lot happier.  I made good ground first lap or so then settled into a rhythm.  Once again my main strategy was to stay on the bike except for planned dismounts.

Ian Taylor with broken bike

Couple laps in and what is this?  I pass the rainbow banded jersey of Ian Taylor, World Champion in my age group.  Wow

OK, I will have to admit that he was carrying his bike in 2 pieces, but I still officially overtook and hence have a lap recorded where I was faster than the current World Champion.

He made it to the pits, got a new bike and flew past me a couple of minutes later.




This is one of the magical things about cyclocross racing.  Very few riders of any other discipline will get the chance to ride in the same race as a World Champion, National Champion or professional riders from big name teams.  I have raced with all of these, been lapped by them and have nothing but admiration for their skills, strength and regard for other riders.

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.

Summer Cross is dead. Long live #WinterCross and #schwalbeXone

Well that's it then, the end of Summer cx season and what a tough one it has been for me.  The weather has been surprisingly dry and warm which has made the courses vary in speed between fast and faster.

Last race was a couple of weeks ago in Scarborough.  In my opinion a boring course that I had targeted to perform well in and score highly in the league. 

Unfortunately the God of "Poor Preparation" sneered at me as I had not fixed my slow puncture from the gravel race the previous Sunday.  I had pumped up the tyre and it had held for several days-

"It'll be OK" are famous last words uttered by me far too often before racing and of course it was not. 

A combination of 5 years of riding and at least 6 discovered holes/splits/torn off nobbles and really poor sealing ability of the sealant I was using (and will not ever use again) led to the tyre deflating to <10psi after 2 laps. 

I chose to continue the race and use it as training effort. 

To do so I had to leave the course, ride to my car, get my track pump, return with the pump, re-join the course.  Now I was a lap down on where I should have been, but could ride again.  Every 2-3 laps I stopped to re-inflate the tyre.  Result out of the window but a good training effect.

Now I am waiting for the overall results for the league, am I in the prize money?

Preparation Starts

There are 3 weeks between Summer and Winter CX in Yorkshire, I chose to rest completely for the first of these.  I have been feeling a little up and down both physically and mentally with my riding and even lost my mojo for a day or two.  I hope that the days recovering will reignite me perfectly for the coming training and races. 

Instead I had a great week with the family camping - no bikes.  An hour pedalo and a 10k run were all I did with regard exercise.

New term, new boots

As I have binned my very old Vittoria xg pro cx tyre I have the opportunity to choose some new boots for my summer cx wheels.  I like to ride intermediates as my second pair as I just feel more prepared for changeable conditions and have decided to try some Schwalbe X One tyres.  I am really impressed with my Pro One tyres on the road bike which hold air really well and were a doddle to fit.

Where the Pro Ones could be eased on to the rim with just fingers, the X Ones have been a bigger challenge.  I had to reach for a single tyre lever to help finish the job. 

Inflation was instant and with some proper Bonty sealant inside I expect them to work well.  The tight bead will ensure that I can run these happily down to about 20psi if I want to although I usually race at about 25psi. 

The size of the tyre looks big enough for some gravel races as well which is another of my targets in the future.

Hit the Training Hard

First session since holiday was last night.  It went well, I put all I could into it and seem to have produced some good output. 

Power and power sustainability are the game for me this year, it is my main area of weakness.  Whilst I can hit pretty good power output figures, I do struggle to hold these for long enough. 

Hence coach Tom has prescribed me plenty of over/under and high power sessions to address these issues.

Power (w) over time

Guest Blogger

My good friends at  York Cycleworks approached me to write a piece for about cyclo-cross racing for their website.  They are very involved in helping riders try new types of activity and looked to me as an average Joe in the sport.  Read what I produced for them here.   

A Busy Week - #Agg100, #YorkCycleworks Elite Road Race, Last Wednesday evening Summer CX race

This is a long blog today, apologies if you fall asleep along the way.

 The last week of a busy few weeks of racing, training and recovering but what a way to finish!

Volunteering at an Elite Road Race

Sunday saw me giving back some time to a sport that gives me great pleasure.  As with all good things in life cycling is organised and run by a few people for lots of participants.  I am guilty of not volunteering enough to help behind the scenes so as the opportunity came up with my girls away for the weekend I was happy to put my name down to help out.  I have done some marshalling before and expected to be donning a bright yellow tabard, perhaps armed with a red flag to point, direct, applaud riders and stop, persuade, explain to members of the public who simply cannot wait for one minute to let 60 riders hurtle past at 40mph.

To my surprise Fraz asked me to drive a support car.  At this level there are 4 or more cars that drive either in front of the race, behind groups or the peloton and at the rear.  The idea is to monitor the race, allowing the race commisaires to have an overall picture and keep the riders safe.  As I had not driven before I was to have the top dog commisaire in my car - now known as comm1.
I was handed a radio, aerial and big magnetic sign for my car roof.  I duly put all the kit on, in and turned the radio on.  After a quick briefing and introductions we were off.

I was positioned behind the main peloton from where comm1 called other cars, neutral service van or medic car to different positions in the race convoy.  The race speed alternated between 10 mph up the climbs and 50mph on the downs through villages and those are the range of speeds I had to drive at.  At certain times I would be asked to move ahead of the peloton to stay with a break away and had to drive past them hand on horn to warn them.

During these races the roads are not actually closed and public can simply drive along as they see fit.  Marshalls do their best to hold cars or other road users in safe positions as the small race convoy go past but sometimes the public exert their rights and continue on regardless.  This race saw a couple of horse riders ignore the pleas of marshals.  I think they may have regretted this as the peloton and cars came hurtling down the hill on the other side of the road.  Although all riders slowed as best they could the horses were not happy and came close to becoming part of the peloton.  The rather pompous riders got the scare of their life as well.

The end of the race with me following

I really enjoyed the day, the riders were truly grateful for the organisation of the race and I feel that I have given a little bit back.

Final Wednesday Evening Race of the Summer CX league

Wednesday saw me driving to Huddersfield for the last evening race this summer.  To be honest I am quite glad, I have found these to be really difficult to perform at my best in as I usually arrive too near the start for a good warm up and start the race in the wrong mind set.  As always I enjoyed the ride, but came away with my worst result this year.  It was a great course that I knew from previous races and I should have done well.  I just made poor tactical choices at key places, but stupidly repeated these mistakes on future laps.  One more race this series, Scarborough on a Saturday, then I can look at my overall position and see if I'm in the money spots.

@aggregate100k gravel race by Kinesis

As I have said before I entered the first edition of this race based in the North Yorkshire Moors. I am taking this opportunity to write about all aspects of the day, I believe this is a way forward for cycling and want to help the organisers who I hope will read this, so sorry about any negative sounding bits.

Firstly this was not a cheap event to enter, in fact it cost in the same league as 3 Peaks and Etape du Dales, both of which contribute much of the takings to charity.  Not so this one, it had better be good.

Furthermore, as the event date closed in the organisers chose to attract more riders by reducing the cost to enter "on the day" to below that of pre-entries.  Hardly seeming fair, why would anyone ever pre-enter again?

So it was with some scepticism that I met up with my fellow mini-team riders on a near perfect morning in a field with a luke-warm coffee making man to prepare for the ride.  I was excited.  This is my perfect type of event.  I wanted to ride well.  I wanted it to be good fun, no I needed it to be brilliant fun.

A small field of riders made themselves ready and we were off.  The format of the day was simply brilliant.  100km of riding in total, mostly sportive riding with 4 timed segments (think enduro racing or rally special stages).  Timed segments would take about 20 mins to compete. The times would be added together to give a total time and hence a winner.


Segment 1 was the wildest with best views as well - climb Rudland Rigg to the top and then descend Monkett House.  The climb is not steep, but plenty enough to hurt if you go too hard and the descent claimed several riders with punctures.  Local knowledge informed me well and I kept myself just out of the red going up and knew to trust my tubeless tyres on the way down.  I also knew some good lines that kept me clear of real nasty bits.  As I rode over the timing mat at the end I felt good.  What a rush, just under 20 mins of effort and a big smile.  I had passed my friend and coach Tom on the way down, he had suffered the first of several punctures through the day.


I waited for the rest of the guys to reassemble and off we went to climb Blakey Bank, a climb I had never cleared before.  Today was different, cleared easily seated all the way.
Some more riding along disused railway to descend over Spaunton Moor and then into Cropton Forest.


Segment 2 was making use of forest roads, gravelly,hardpack and dry these were fast to ride but the uphill nature of the segment made it hard going.  I worked as hard as I could and was pleased to cross the final timing mats with a loud beep.  Food stop was there!  Really well stocked, whisky for those mad enough. A welcome rest and sharing of experiences so far with other riders.  And guess what, I was faster than coach Tom again as he had punctured again.

On we went at a leisurely pace to find segment 3.  After some disorientating signage we finally got to the start and off we went again.  I absolutely buried myself in this one, running through boggy sections and driving hard on the good roads.  A fully stood up sprint finish took me over the timing mats.
But wait.
Something missing here.
No noise.
I jumped on the mat, still no noise.
Nobody else had heard a noise either.
A man turns up, looks at the box of tricks and turns it on. Not happy. 
Tom was even less happy as he had really beasted this segment.

On we go again, we eventually get to where I believe segment 4 will be, but no start mats?  A lone marshal there informs us that this segment has been removed (never put in).  We take the path and are glad it is not a timed segment as it had very little to do with riding and more to do with carrying/pushing.

We complete the ride and semi collapse in the field.  100km is not far, but 100km off-road is pretty far as you use different muscles to absorb shocks as you plummet over the stones.







FEED ME NOW!
Hoping that some post event food is included in my entry fee I go and see the food man.  It is not included....... and whilst good food, not cheap either.












I have put some thought into my overall opinions of the day:  

• Yes it was expensive to enter, some food thrown in at the start/end would have helped.
• The concept for the day was brilliant and in my opinion one way forward for gravel racing in the UK.
• Expensive, important equipment that the day is based upon should be looked after and monitored by humans all day.
• Signage in forests is really important, a bit like proof reading have somebody who does not know the route follow the signs as they are put out.
• The route was great.
• The smiles I had were brill.
• Overall I really enjoyed the day and will look for similar events in the future.

I really wish Emma and Kinesis all the best with this format and event, I do accept first time glitches and hope to see it again, but better.  Thanks for a great day.

Have I said how much fun the riding was?

Oh, and I placed 6th overall - WHOOP WHOOP!

Of I go to search out some bigger gravel tyres...........

A big ride in the Dales, planning and leading a group ride

Last weekend saw me leading group of riders from Selby Cycling Club around 124km of Dales roads.  We took in some of the remotest and most beautiful areas of the area along with over 2000m of famous climbs and descents. 
Such a venture is not without challenge when alone or a pair, but what about when you invite a group along?
I have planned and led several of these rides and this is what I have found out.

Planning a Route

Buttertubs Pass

I always start my ride planning with a few key highlights - good climbs, cracking descents, fabulous views etc.  I use personal experience of rides in the area and books such as Simon Warren's excellent series of "Climbs" books to help.  Then I sit with Ridewithgps.com and plan the route as best I can.  It is usually now that I start to consider the best start/finish point if it is a drive and ride day.  I will endeavour to avoid major roads as much as possible.  The route length and climbing severity will evolve with the planning.  The ride needs a focus.  This latest ride was focussed on my favourite descents in the area and I chose 4 brilliant extended descents that always make me smile.  I just had to join them up.  I wanted to descend fro Birkdale Common to Nateby, from Tan Hill to Keld, Buttertubs heading north and down Whipperdale Bank to Leyburn.

The café stop is really important.  It needs to be between 1/2 and 2/3 way through the route and ideally a good few km from the next hill as you do not want anybody to be seeing their lunch again on a 15% gradient.  I always look for quality, it is after all a highlight of the day.  For this ride I did some extensive searching online and came up with a suitable pub half way around called the Moorcock Inn.

Timing the Route

Whatever time you think the group will accomplish the ride in, add 20% for first 5 riders, then 10% for each extra 5 riders and that will be nearer the truth.  This extra time is generated by waiting to regroup, waiting for food in the café, mechanical problems and general faffing that occurs with groups.  It is always better to over estimate the time for the ride as this keeps fellow riders in the good graces of their families at home.

Announcing the Ride

Different groups will have different vehicle to announce such rides, SCC use Facebook pretty effectively.  I will post an invitation on the Facebook page some 4-5 weeks ahead stating date, length, climbing, area and a link to the planned route so people can make an informed decision about joining the ride.  I will also be clear about the required speeds and abilities that I will expect from participants.  I try to be as fair as possible to all, I do not want riders to be too different in abilities as this is no fun for faster or slower riders.

Ride Rules

When I announce the ride I will always state the ride rules.  These will be repeated in posts nearer the date of the ride.  My rules are simple and, I think, there for clear reasons:
The group climb and descend at their own pace.  The group will regroup at the top and bottom of every hill.
The group try to stay together along valleys riding at an appropriate pace for all.
Safety and enjoyment are paramount, no rider will put others or themselves at unnecessary risk (eg descending on cross bar) as we will probably be out of phone coverage.

Changing the Rules as you go along

Sometimes it becomes clear that the ride rules need to be adjusted.  In the case of my last ride it was clear that stronger riders needed to be sent down the road to ensure their enjoyment whilst other riders needed to be allowed to set their own pace, once again to ensure their enjoyment.  A meet point was set (lunch café) and the break allowed.  Over lunch, adjustments were made to the route for all and suitable decisions were made for the remainder of the day.  These situations are not uncommon, especially when riding with riders for the first time.

Group Ride Mind-set

If you are riding in a group over challenging terrain such as this you have to change your mind-set.  You may be used to riding at a set speed, looking good in 2 nice lines all nicely spaced wheel to wheel.  This is going out of the window as soon as you get to hills.  The bunch explodes as each claw their way up the slope.  Descending is spaced for safety reasons as confident/competent riders exceed 35mph easily.  All riders need to exhibit more tolerance of other riders, smile when waiting again and be willing to spend more time than is usual chatting whilst stood still.  Enjoy the view and encourage others in the group.
As ride leader I will happily ride at the front, middle or back of the group.  On this ride I was the one who waited for others and tried to ensure that all were enjoying their day.

Safety briefings

At certain points in the ride I impart whatever safety knowledge I know to all participants.  On this ride this included a ford to cross, some steep hairpin bends on a descent and in one case I rode ahead to stop and flag a particularly nasty bend coming off Buttertubs which has claimed lives in the past.  It is of course down to individuals to assess personal risk, but it is my responsibility to warn of every known danger to inform personal decisions.

Another Successful Day

The ride was a success.  We had one fall and broken bike which meant one retirement and a volunteer to assist with transport.  I am very grateful to this volunteer as I could not really leave the ride as leader.  We only went off course once and I seamlessly took us back on course.  Lunch was acceptable, though not up my usual standards and the weather played nice. 

Where shall I go next?

The Evolution of MY Gravel Racer for @aggregate100k

Section of Aggregate 100 Route above Rosedale

Following the bitterness I felt after my repeated failed entry into #3peakscxrace (did you know that I have been refused entry two consecutive years now?) I have entered a local gravel race.  Well gravel race in the UK sense of this kind of event.  #Aggregate100 is run by Kinesis Bikes and will involve (surprisingly) 100km of riding, mostly off road, across the North Yorkshire Moors and through forests therein.  It is not going to be to the same scale as Dirty Kanza 200 or others of such grand scale in USA as we are clearly a smaller place with far fewer unmade roads.

Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race

The biggest difference though is that most of the event is run as a sportive and the race part is over 4 timed sections.  I guess this is because of our strict laws on racing bikes on public byways that we have in this country.

My take on a Gravel Bike

I have gone for the simplest option with regard a gravel bike.  I have just taken what I have and made it work.

So I start with a Kinesis Pro6 aluminium cx frame - disc brake only, and as seen in the pictures utilising my own weight saving paint job in key areas.  This frame doubles as my winter bike when mudguards and road wheels are added.

Add to this tubeless clincher wheels.  In my case 29er Stans mtb rims built up by Hope, running Vittoria xg pro tubeless tyres.  A combination that I have used on previous 3 Peaks and Scotten 100 rides.

Drivetrain is 10 speed Sram Rival, 44/34 chainrings with 12-32 cassette give plenty range of gears (Too big a range, but fickle UK weather could dictate the whole ride in small chainring or whole ride in large chainring)

Brakes are Avid BB7 cable pull with added "chicken" levers on the bars.

Bar tape is Zipp Service Course CX - works really well in wet and mud and is bit thicker than usual.

Pedals are Time mtb pedals as normal for cx.

Special touches to make it all work better as a gravel bike

From my experience the two most frustrating aspects of off-road riding on a bike like this are forearm/hand comfort and keeping bottles on the bike.

Arm/hand comfort is best addressed using a variety of positions.  When cx racing I stay continuously on the hoods.  For gravel riding I will ride on hoods for climbing and along fast flat sections.  Descents can be taken on tops, hoods or in drops.  If I am carrying speed I will use the drops as this gives the best braking and also the most bump absorption before the hands.

A bit of grip tape on the drop brake levers ensures my fingers do not loose connection whilst bouncing over rocks on the hoods with wet, muddy hands and levers. 
In the past I have used gel pads on the bars, this bar tape is thick enough ridden with padded gloves and varying hand position.

Bottle cages are "reinforced" with strips of inner tube tied between the two halves and more grip tape stuck on the inside to hold those bottles in.

The addition of second set of brake levers gives another possible safe hand position whilst riding.

Tell us about Tyre Pressure

All cx riders love to talk about tyre pressure, preferably whilst squeezing front tyres with knowledgeable nods or frowns.  It is an entirely personal thing, I ride much lower than many of my fellow riders (perhaps due to mtb heritage rather than road) but it works for me.

During my recent test recce of parts of the course I rode with 40psi front and rear, about 15psi more than I would use cx racing these wheels and tyres.  This gave enough solidity for road riding and good grip over gravel.  I might try a little more as some of the bangs I managed to achieve smacking the rims on rocks were a little alarming.  There is a reason that mtb tyre have such large volumes.

How does it feel?

I love riding off-road.  The course is simply old school mountain biking - from a time before Dalby Forest had a bike park when 1.5inch tyres and steel rigid forks ruled.  It can be ridden fast on this bike, stronger riders could ride it even faster.  I have found this setup to be fast up, fast along and as fast as I dare down.

Ride light

Is a phrase that I was told by a good friend many years ago when I rode mtb and he came out on a cx bike.  He managed to keep up with us over rough ground (who am I kidding - he was loads faster) and did not puncture. 

I asked him how?
He replied that he simply rode light.  (Down towards Sheep Wash Mr. Streeton)

I have tried to do this ever since.  My understanding is to encourage the bike to float over rough sections.  Not a full on bunny hop, just ensure that your feet are not pushing down on the pedals and arms are absorbing as much as possible.  Modern mtbs encourage riders to hit most obstacles as forks and big tyres do the work for you.  Each crash from a wheel hitting a rock full on is a potential disaster, yet speed is still your friend.  At speed a 1m lift of the bike becomes a 2m lift and your ride can become nearly silent as you glide over the terrain.

I do suffer with aching legs though.  All that standing whilst barrelling down through rock gardens takes a real strain on the lower legs no longer used to such abuse.  I have worked hard to protect my hands, little I can do for my legs.

I am looking forward to this new event.  It is undoubtedly part of the future of cycling in this country, how it can be made more competitive for longer distances without going to Kielder or Scotland is the question.

As always, thank you for reading and happy cycling

Sunset over Farndale