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When a Race becomes a Ride.

I've not been racing much at all recently. In fact Mountain Mayhem in June was the last time. The horrific conditions didn't put me off racing again, just that life kept on getting in the way. I trot out the usual excuses - young family and too much work but deep inside it wasn't cutting the mustard.

So with the cyclocross season approaching I was eager to get my race face back on again. Herne Hill of the London X League was the chosen venue to renew my racing anger. Or at least a mild tantrum. Waking to see clear blue skies you'd think that this was signed, sealed and delivered but something was holding me back.

I love racing. I love cross racing even more. So I was puzzled as to why my enthusiasm was waning. I dragged my heals enough in faffing and bike fettling that it was going to be tight to make the one and a half hour drive north in time for the race. I think I did it intentionally. My rides at present rarely go over one hour in duration if I'm lucky and I'd had a plan for a Thee Peaks style cross ride around the Downs for sometime now. I ditched the 3 hrs I'd spend in the van getting through South London and instead converted it to much needed riding time.

There are two hilly cross rides I do, both of which contain three big climbs. I've wanted to link them together to see if I could get to the distance and height climbed in the legendary Three Peaks race.

So, heading uphill out of Brighton (this is one of the many other hills on route which I don't count as such) and onto the Downs near Kingston. Drop down some steep sketchy chalk. Hightail it along the road to the first climb. Bit of an easy one this to get the legs warmed up but nice and quiet. Plus it finishes with THE BEST SIGNPOST IN THE WORLD.

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Drop back down the climb, along the road until you see a vertical line drawn directly up the side of the Downs. Climb Two. And it gets super steep right where the cattle grid is. Nice.

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I did spot another potential two climbs to use in between these two as The Six Peaks is coming in at 1000ft and 3 miles under what the Three Peaks is. One to try out again soon.

After scaling what feels like the North Face of the Eiger, bomb along the tops and then backdown so fast and bumpy doubletrack, bunnyhopping the drainage ditches and praying that the damp chalk doesn't let go of the wheels.

Sharp turn at the bottom then back up and even steeper hill which has the added test of trying to find usable traction. Some routes are smooth but chalky. Not great when damp or wet. Others are full of stones and rocks. Lots of traction but fucking hard going. Still I reach the top. Just.

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The first batch of Six Peaks complete and the legs only marginally giving up it's then fast Download downhill all the way to Sussex Uni. Wiggle through the Uni and up and down some steps with a few kerb feebles thrown in, a la Ride Everything.

After the fun and games it's a long gradual off road climb through Stanmer Park (taking in the singletrack if you have the energy) up to Ditchling Beacon. Nail one of the souths finest road bike downhill tests - let the cars have a MASSIVE headstart as they'll need it. Bomb along the bottom of the downs until the wonderful Half Moon pub in Plumpton.

No time for a pint. You've got another vertical wall to climb complete with ridged cement which dates from World War II when they drove tanks up here before the cement had set. You'll be cursing them and the legs almost give way when you reach the gravel and corroded top section of the climb.

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Across the top once more taking in the breathtaking views of the Weald and then down Streat Bostal. Take note as you'll be coming straight back up here. One of my favourite climbs this one. A private road so traffic free, a glorious hairpin and a 25% finishing gradient. What more do you want?

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And just when you've had enough, it's back down some of the bumpiest singletrack to the bottom of Ditchling Beacon where the last Peak begins. It's a classic and well loved. But probably not by me this ride. I could almost hear the tutting of people in the cars behind the pace was so painful.

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Cresting the climb I pat myself on the back for having completed it but can't resist the trip back into Brighton, to not only get home, but to add one last climb in :-)

So with a few tweaks I reckon I can get this to a Three Peaks level of ride time and climbing and next time I'm wearing gloves.

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Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Mountain Mayhem. View from the (Mud) Pack

You know you're in trouble when cars, vans and caravans are having to be towed INTO an event. Such was the case at this years Wiggle Mountain Mayhem. Lashings of rain was on the cards well beforehand so most people made preparations, both mental and tyre related, for some hard going.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who emptied their entire wardrobe of cycling kit into the boot of the car before they set off. I'd be needing ever bit of it. So I wasn't disappointed when high winds and heavy rain blew through the previously picturesque setting of Eastnor Deer Park. I say previously because now it has a large brown 9 mile stripe going all the way around and a swamp in the middle. As you may have guessed the 2012 edition of the UK largest MTB race was a wet one.

The Kinesis Morvelo Project had entered the mixed team of 5 category. Three of us have been riding and racing together for about 18 years and the other two, Katy and Liam were newer, faster and considerably younger. Not that this in any way helped as I tried to convince them that they should do the lion's share of the laps and our favourite wee Scottish racer, Katy, was subjected to a 24hr assault of "This must be like summer in Scotland" jibes. She coped remarkable well and Liam always had a smile. I think it was a smile but quite often when it looks like someone has shovelled 4 bucket loads of mud onto your face, it could have been a grimace.

Naturally we sent the young lad out to do the run. He made the fatal error of saying he had packed trail running shoes. Well volunteered Liam! He blasted around the course and not a half a lap in he suffered a puncture and couldn't get the pump locked onto the value. The first of many events that made not just the course conditions challenging. Next up Gareth set about treating his new KMP kit to some tough love. He came back pushing what looked like a tank made out of wattle and daub. Turns out his bike was under there. Somewhere.

Our laps times were long and slow but fortunately enough everyone else's where longer and slower so we had a lead! Just. It wasn't a race as such. Conditions meant you just had to get out there and go around, whatever and however you can. Pushing, running, dragging, walking and some occasional riding later you hope to be back dry and warm in the arena once again. Taking it easy on the bike, avoiding mechanicals and riding with perseverance and preservation firmly in mind. 

Once my mindset had switched to viewing it more as a cross race I did find myself enjoying bits of it. Most of the big climbs I liked for no other reason that I could ride my bike and get into a rhythm. It was a nice rest from wrestling the bike which was behaving like an angry child. Strange as it may seem most people were praying for the rain overnight, in the hope that it would loosen "The Clag"! It did. But only on the last half of the course. The first sector was a death march of unfeasibly thick and sticky mud. Seeing groups of people wealding sticks and pocking them in bikes was not uncommon. The grimmer the conditions became the better the camaraderie on the course, with most people I passed happy to joke and laugh about the conditions as well as giving me some much needed encouragement and a quick push when I got stuck! What nice people mountain bikers are.

With dawn breaking we now had a good lead in our category and things were looking up. No sooner had I thought this then 20 minutes after Katy should have been handing over to me, she was nowhere to be seen. We then saw a small speck in the distance running. Katy had had a major mechanical halfway around the course and was forced to run the rest of the lap. This probably wasn't much different to what most people were doing anyway!

Myself and then Liam nursed the bikes around the next couple of laps trying to avoid chainsuck through enforced singlespeeding and ever fading brakes. Just up to Gareth to bring it home. An hour after the midday finish he's nowhere to be seen. This would make his lap about 2hrs! Luckily Phil had spotted him but he'd crashed 3 times in the wood and had sprained his achilles. Shite. Gareth soldiered on and crossed the line just ahead of the 2nd place team meaning we had won our category! It does feel strange to have won a race yet it not feel like a race. It was more everyone fighting the conditions and seeing to could last out the longest. I'm immensely proud of the team, Liam, Katy, Phil and Gareth. We kept each other going and kept our spirits high. Which is exactly what all the other brave finishers did and for that we doff our muddied caps. You're all mental.


Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Gravel road dragstip

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For some reason, despite the hot and dry conditions I can't leave the cross bike alone. Especially now I have to get in shape for this years Mountain Mayhem 24hr MTB race. So this straight line gravel road is getting used as a dusty drag strip to help me get up to speed. Full gas, stones kicking up, dust swirling, eyes streaming, heart pumping. Love it.

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

The Hunt - View from the pack

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To be honest I wasn't planning on racing this one. Tokyo Fixed is one our latest stockists and one where, during lengthy chats about bikes, riding and racing, it was very apparent we had the same point of view. Which is why Morvélo stepped in to sponsor The Hunt {A Fixed gear Crit}. For both Morvélo and Tokyo Fixed, racing and events should be about fun, speed, enthusiasm and throwing something different into the mix. So a fixed gear crit seemed like a great choice to us and one that hasn't happened over in the UK before, but has in some lively races in different parts of the world. I'm a sucker for novelty and change so I signed up along with fellow KMP rider and friend Phil Moore.

Now, the three words Fixed Gear Crit would normally conjure images of a crash fest. A mixed ability of riders thrashing around a circuit with no brakes would probably be many peoples idea of hell and one to avoid. But it would be their loss. Sure, there will be crashes, and there were, but no more so than the road racing I've taken part in. It's a fact of life. If you race road or track bikes chances are you'll be in a crash. So the key is to not think 'If' but to make appropriate plans. You see it and hear it all the time whether it's a 3rd Cat race at Hillingdon or in the Giro, stay near the front. Do that and you'll have a great race and stay safe. Unless you have Roberto Ferrarisprinting in front of you.

So that's what I did. Making the choice that I'd rather lose energy than lose skin. Which is why it looks like I'm giving everyone a race long leadout in this video. Just look for the flash of white in amoungst the sea of black. Oh and some bad ass deep Reynolds Pista wheels! Hear the rumble.

There were two heats and then a final. I was in Heat one. The pace was good, the racing close and The Hunt undoubtedly had the best atmosphere of any road or track race I've taken part in. Large amounts of cheering and heckling (Phil bought his megaphone :-) and a good passionate crowd.

It reminded me a lot of the Singlespeed World Champs (MTB) races and events I've been too. A smallish group of enthusiastic riders, a wide range of abilities, a desire for some fast and fun racing and some great looking and sweetly specced out bikes mixed with some beaters that look like they could tell some good stories. No attitudes and an international flavour with riders from the USA, Holland, Greece and Italy making it over. 

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So Heat 1 and keeping my nose in the wind I played it safe. Which is more than can be said for a few riders. Hearing the mash of metal and tarmac a crash came down mid-pack and sent one rider down and several swerved off into the car park - but into a fence.Thanks must be given to them for narrowly missing my parked car too although I'm not sure you'd notice another dent in it.

The heat was lively with attacks going off every other lap. I tried a few times but the quality of the riders at the business end was high and I was always brought back. I gave it one last big dig on the last pinch but went too soon and was passed to take 2nd in my heat. Happy with that though!
Phil saddled up for Heat 2 and spent most of the race sitting pretty near the front. As misfortune would have it though, the one time he slipped back a bit the bunch got squeezed a Phil took it upon himself to tear some extra ventilation holes in his knee warmers - and knees:

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Game over.

Patched up he returned finely to heckling duties as I lined up for the final. Once again the plan was to stick near the front. Everyone was a bit more cagey in this one, with one big attack going by the eventual winner but he was bought back a few laps later just as we heard that tell tale noise of clashing pedals once more. I looked over to see that it had happened fairly close to the front. Chas from MASH SF signaled to GO GO GO! So the 8 of us just buried it to make sure the split stayed. Now we were in a smaller group and working well to stay away with everyone doing their turn. Last lap and the guy who beat me in the first heat went for a flyer. I'd seen how strong he was so thought this was THE move.

Trouble was, it wasn't. I caught him just before the last rise but had pulled with me two super fast Italians who promptly dispatched me in the last 200 metres. The others were closing fast and I still had a slim gap. With nose on the handlebars pedalling full tilt around the final bend I crossed the line 3rd! Hell yeah! 

All in all one of the most entertaining races and events I've been to and plans are already a foot to hold another. You can be sure that I'll be there again and Morvélo will be supporting.

Check out the full gallery over at Imagehunters
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Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Boating on a cross bike

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I couldn't face not going out although checking through the window at the lashing rain, it was going to be an easy option to cry off. It was one of the days though that I just couldn't be dissuaded. Kitting up in everything waterproof I owned I had a momentary pause as I opened the shed and pulled out the road bike. It was properly hammering down. Like standing in a power shower. Back went the road bike and out came the cross bike. For some reason I thought it would come in handy.

Which was correct. As well as the buckets of rain it was also howling winds so the roads were littered with leaves, branches, bit of fences, smashed cars, stray cats, litter, rocks and very few people. This picture is pretty much typical of what the whole ride was like. The waterproofs did a valiant job but crumbled under the relentless strain after about 50 minutes. So in order to keep off the chill all climbs were done as fast as I could. My route never took my far from home but I couldn't resist throwing in some more hills just to keep the cold off. Downhills the shiver induced speed wobble was, shall we say, entertaining.

Got home full of the smugness that comes from heading out when you know everyone else is indoors. Next thing I know the suns come out and the rest of the day was clear blue sky. Bastards.

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

I would have won . . .

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If there hadn't been 7 other faster riders than me.

If I hadn't spent 2 weeks sat at a desk rather than sat in the saddle.

If I had manned up and braved the rain more.

If I actually trained properly.

If I would stop being so stubborn and embrace rollers, turbo trainers, heart rate monitors, proper diet.

If my legs didn't feel like unset jelly.

If they put more 90 degree corners in the circuit.

If I'd stop being so polite and fight for position more.

If only I'd ridden harder and smarter.

This is just some of the ever growing list of excuses I can come up with after a road race, barring an event as rare as the second coming of the Messiah - me winning one. It's an skill that every bike racer has and develops no matter what the ability. So despite these thoughts running through my head after last Fridays Hove Park Crit, I doubt I'll do anything differently come next time. I'll go out and ride my bike, find some climbs to test the legs and some descents to test the skills. Do a bit of road, bit of MTB, bit of track, bit of 'cross. Mix it up a touch. A race will come round. I'll turn up and have a damn good crack at doing something fun, hard, testing and, no matter what, rewarding. Where I finish who knows.

Next up is The Hunt {A Fixed Gear Crit} this Sunday at Hillingdon. Can't wait...

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Still learning

Easter weekend. The familiar family gathering and a worrying lack of potential for some bike riding, although I had got an entry into a Surrey League race on the Saturday. This was on a recommendation of a friend who, knowing my love of steep sharp punchy climbs, suggested Milland Hill. I blindly took the advice and signed up. This time I did no streetview reconnaissance preferring the element of surprise.

Before that though I had to get myself from Brighton to Basingstoke to meet up with the family. Luckily blessed with sunny weather I opted to ride. 

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It's very rare that I do a ride that doesn't finish where it started. So the 70 miles or so was a welcome change with the pedals seemingly turning by themselves and happily tapping out a decent rhythm. As is becoming more and more customary I did a little bit of off-piste, spotting a great farm track that just had to be explored.

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It didn't exactly lead nicely back on to my route but I love the drift of road tyres on dry and loose dirt. Thankfully no punctures! There were a few sharp pinches on the route that I seemed to just skip up in the big ring (shhh, don't tell anyone it's a compact) so I was looking forward to seeing how the race the next day would pan out.

Saturday and the lovely clear blue skies were replaced by a damp and overcast morning. The legs were a little stiff from the previous days "commute" but nothing like a 60 mile race to loosen them up, right? My plan for today was not to race like a monkey, like last time. So from the off I made sure I was always sitting in about the top 10 or 15, keeping an eye on things and not to miss the break. What was that? The break has already gone? Shit. Two people had made a move right at the start and were nowhere to be seen!

The course was a cracker and lived up to expectations. Some long fast fast fast downhills, turn left into 'The Climb' which was a beauty. Starting off at about 6% it trundles up and gets progressively narrower, forcing you to keep near the front if you didn't want to be caught behind riders mashing the gears under full load. Which is what they, and I, did when we rounded the corner and saw the road ramp up to 25%! Awesome! It was still greasy so the peloton was wheelspinning it's way up. I opened up the taps keeping it in the Big Ring and mashing the pedals. It wasn't pretty but it did mean that I was first over the hill (excluding the two man break) on 4 of the 6 laps.

Legs were feeling good and I tried numerous times to get away, or at least split the bunch. First time was to set and good pace into the climb and then accelerate up. No effect. Next time was to sit in then sprint on the steep part. Good effect. In fact I got a good gap and looked behind and saw the whole peloton strung out behind. That was cool. In my mind I was giving it the Cancellera.

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In reality I wasn't. See the picture above. Just behind me is the winner of the race and the second place guy. See the effort on my face versus the lack of effort on theirs? That says all you need to know and that's when I was feeling fresher. Come the last couple of laps I tried to get away on the downhill but no success. The penultimate climb my legs were paying the price of Big Ringing and I was slipping down the field. Now it was my turn to be strung out as the pace was forced at the front. After the climb the road joined a dual carriageway that just kept on slowly climbing. Deceivingly brutal, especially at full tilt. We caught the break just before the last ascent. I was gutted for them and unfortunately for me my legs were fading too. So the sprint for glory at the finish line atop of the climb, was more a switch into the small ring and grovel over the top. No more "Cancellera" for me. One last ditch sprint past a couple of guys and I crossed the line 13th.

So still getting better but I learned that I shouldn't get carried away whenever I see I steep climb and that I should save some energy for the finish. But where's the fun in that.

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Old & New

Ever since last weeks exploratory trip to work through the city parks and hidden alleys of Brighton, I wanted to do it again. This time it included some old favourites and the dawn mist was burnt away.

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Followed by some new trails I found running at the side of a city park, complete with a tasty selection of berms. 

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I can't say my 'knee down' was intentional but it was a lot of fun trying to get as low as I could on the cross bike. Also found a perfect little trail for some cross bike skills training. Mixture of steps going down, off camber, tricky little singletrack and flight of steps to run up. The whole path is probably no more than half a mile but you're on and off the bike the whole time. It's going to take quite a bit of time to truly nail it though and stay smooth through the whole section. It's not the cross season any more but with challenges like these, it my favourite bike at the moment.

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo 

Loosing the feeling in the legs

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On the way home last night I lost the feeling in my legs. Of comment like this of course, generally would spark some concern, but not if you're a cyclist. As rare as a solar eclipse, for me at least, the time where you can push the pedals as hard as you like and you can't feel a thing. Not in a numb way. In a way that makes you feel turbo charged. I think two races back to back and a hillier route to work could be paying off. It could also be the late evening calm spring air or the first time the whole ride back was done just before the sun slipped beneath the horizon. Whatever it was, I want more of it. Just wish it would happen during a race.

I'm sure normal service will resume soon.

Filed under  //   The DS  
Posted by Morvélo