Cobble wobble

Looking foward to this!

Just back from holiday.

Drowning in emails, but nice and relaxed. My plan for this summer had, originally, been to head out to the ‘States for the Colorado Trail race. Unfortunately, things stacked up against me and I made the hard decision to stay at home. Sounds like I missed a tough year. My next plan was to ride the Bearded Man Black Mountain 3 Day. Then the event got cancelled...

So what have I been up to? First up was 24/12. As I was planning to be flying to Colorado the following day I hadn’t sorted out a team as the plan was simply to go down for a spin and to hang out. After talking to Griff at Trek I ended up in a pair, filling in for the broken Travis Brown. Spot on. However on turning up at the race site, as seems to be a pattern this summer that, had also fallen through. Thankfully after a chat with KB I found a space on the Bontrager and friends team. As the only “proper racer” I was nominated to ride the first lap. Unlike most 24 hour races 24/12 doesn’t have a Le Mans start, personally I really like starting on the bike as it seems less stressful for me. I was amazed just how quickly some people started, it was immediately clear that they had no idea about pacing themselves as and I re-passed 90% of them in the first mile. I settled in to a nice rhythm and soon found myself riding with solo racers Rich Rothwell and Big Rob Dean. I had a great lap chatting with them and playing on the course. Back at the camp the Trek pit was super sorted and the atmosphere was great chilling out by the BBQ. After a chat with Rory from Exposure I blagged a prototype Six Pack, their new one thousand eight hundred lumen light, for my night lap. Super bright lights are funny- they aren’t really necessary. When I started racing solo I was fine with 5 Watt halogens. The thing is for night racing there is an arms race going on. If the guy behind you has a better light it makes it tough for you to stay in front. Setting of in to the night I was soon reminded of this, riders would literally stop a hundred meters in front of me to let me pass. Needless to say, despite the pouring rain, my night lap was brill
iant fun. I finished totally buzzing and needed a few glasses of Cointreau and lime (classy Jez...) before I was ready for bed. Sometimes I miss racing but this 24/12 was the best ever for me. Great course, great people, great food.

Next on the list was a rather impromptu silly ride. I had a bash at riding the West Highland Way double. Idle hands had me scratching around for something to do, after a very helpful chat with Rob Lee I set a date, 10 days later, to have a bash. There’s been a lot of chat about this challenge but it remains un-ridden. My legs were feeling good and now seemed as good a time as any. I had a bit of a mad panic getting my bike sorted and collecting kit but everything came together. The plan was to leave Milngavie early evening so I would get the harder direction out of the way first, but also the most technical sections I would be ridden in the light. I set of just after 6pm travelling very light. I made very quick progress through the early miles. Even, the notoriously tough, climb over Conic hill was out of the way quickly and I loved the descent- the Top Fuel got me out of trouble just as quickly as it got in to it!
By the time I got to Ptarmigan lodge I had to fire up the Six Pack but I was still feeling strong. By now it was drizzling pretty heavily, so I stopped briefly to put on some waterproof trousers and my ace new Gore Alp-X jacket. The feared portage section along Loch Lomond side was better that I had feared but by the time I reached Rob Roys cave the weather was decidedly bad. The trail was very slimy under foot (or tyre?) and it was really slowing my progress. And that’s not to mention the stiff headwind. At this stage I had a rare thought about my safety. I was carrying some extra warm clothing and a survival bag but to keep it light I didn’t have a sleeping bag or bivy. As I rode past a candle lit bothy I almost stopped rather than risk the exposure on the desolate later sections. I reassured myself that I was still feeling fresh so opted to push on. Push being the operative word. Frustratingly the surface was really limiting the amount I could ride. The trail undulates quite a lot and I’m sure in better weather I’m sure I could have made much better progress. As it stood, it just seemed to be ruining my legs. At about 3 am I passed some guys drunk at a camp fire we looked at each other with confusion but I carried on, resisting the temptation to stop for a beer.

On the descent towards Kingshouse (I think, it’s a bit of a blur...) things took a turn for the worse. Visibility had been low for quite a while but as the trail pointed down cloud seemed to lift. As I railed a fast left hander a sheep threw itself in front of my bike. I couldn’t quite believe it was happening, for some time I had been shouting or singing to scatter sheep, but this one actually turned around and ran in to my path. I glanced of its hind legs and cart wheeled over the bars throwing my bike of the trail. My bike and I landed in the predictable piles of pointy rocks, the sheep hardly broke step. By the time I had picked myself up I was already engulfed in a swarm of midges. The bike was in a pretty bad way; ripped sidewall, bent rotor, front mech spun around the seat tube, stem at a rakish angle and a smashed end to my carbon bars... I straightened out as much as I could and popped an anchovy in the front tyre all the time not to inhale the midges. The whole thing seemed ridiculous. Thankfully it didn’t take me too long to get going again and by now the sun was coming up, which is always a nice psychological boost. Another puncture slowed me down a little but I was really enjoying my own company and having fun on the trail. The Devils Staircase was slow going but the following downhill was very entertaining, gusts of wind came from nowhere as I tried to make it down fast and in one piece.

Unfortunately, by now the weather was really closing in again and this time my legs were really starting to suffer. As I climbed out of Kinlochleven I got the sinking feeling that I wouldn't be getting back here today. The ride in to Fort William was really fun despite it all but I spent the whole time soul searching. Was I giving in too easily? I came to the conclusion that it was going to be dangerous to drag myself back out in to the hills in this condition, in this weather. Packing early is always a hard decision, but as I sit here typing, nearly 3 weeks later, my knees are being iced as I try to get them back in to working order. I know it was the right decision.

A lot of forum chat has been really negative about this route but I enjoyed it. While I'm sure it isn't the best point to point (to point) route Scotland has to offer, it is a great yard stick. I'd like to have another crack at the double at some point. Watch this space.

Rohn

So what news to tell. No doubt you have all been following the race by looking at the latest news page. What a hardcore race it is turning out to be. If you haven't already, have a look at a news article in the Anchorage news, to help to get some sort of perspective of the conditions the racers are having to deal with.

The winner of the 350 mile race has never taken more than 5 days. In fact Pete Basinger did it a couple of years ago in just over 3 days. We have already passed the 5 day mark and none of the racers have yet made it to McGraph, the finish point of the 350 mile race.

From the leaderboard and the latest news from Kathi it looks like John has finally made it to Rohn. After, I should think, a good rest there he has the long barren route to Nikolai which is a painstaking 90 miles from Rohn.

I wonder how many of the 8 1100mile racers will continue on to Nome this year. They have already had the race of of their lives and the shorter race is not yet over.

A big hello to two of John's siblings Kirsty and Ali who have been following his progress from somewhere in the galapagos (is that right Kirsty?) and Australia.
Can't wait to see you guys at the wedding in May.

Fingerlake

John got into Fingerlake in the early hours of Tuesday morning (3.50am). He left at 11.17am for Puntilla and the Rainy Pass Lodge. See the latest news page for more info.

Jeff Oatley is seriously powering along 11 hours ahead of the next group of riders which include James Leavesley and Jay and Tracey Petervary. They are all now heading along Rainy Pass on their way to Rohn.

James took seven hours to get to Puntilla from Fingerlake so I would be expecting John to get into Puntilla late evening on Tuesday, depending on weather conditions.

It's also fantastic news that Jill's frostbite shouldn't require surgery. Rest up and get well soon Jill.

Keep on truckin'

John arrived at Skwentna Roadhouse at 11.50am yesterday and after a good break set off at 5.16pm for Fingerlake. I expect him to arrive there in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (I'm finding it difficult to write in Alaskan time seeing as we are 9 hours ahead here in the UK!).

James is flying along behind the leader Jeff Oatley who has already made it to Fingerlake.

A few riders have scratched including Geoff Roes and Jill Homer I hope they sort out their respective knee injury and frost bite and get well soon.

And they're off...

Got a call yesterday an hour before the racers were due to leave to get a bus to Knik lake from the hotel. John was excited but very nervous. They are now on their way to the first check point at Yentna River 57 miles in. Apparently due to fresh snow fall they are running a few miles behind the normal pace at this time, as they have to push the bikes. (Information and photos from Carl Hutchings...thanks Carl).

John with James Leavesley

Don't forget to check out the podcasts and the other racers blogs for more info. Jill Homer's should be interesting as she is carrying a SPOT.

Final post before the start?

The last week has been really manic and today was horrible. I phoned my credit card company to tell them I was travelling and they told me the card had been canceled because of suspected fraud (probably a surge of payments to hotels and bike shops in Alaska...). I don't have another card that works in the US. It took a long time but it seems to be sorted now! After that stress and too much to finalise at work I got car-doored on the way home. Thankfully the Merc came of worse than me. Phew. Anyway, I'm now packed and I hope everything is done! It's typical that after months of planning I'm still up a couple of hours before I have to leave. Such is life...

On a brighter note, some highlights of the week:

My new, improved Alpkit frame bag and EPIC bivy bag are here.
My pedals no longer freeze up and they have some Power Grips added.
Gore cables have been fitted.
Some lovely Giro glasses have been added to the kit list.

I have a few bits to pick up in Alaska- new tyres, pogies and some food but then I think I’m good to go. The kit list isn’t 100% finalised but it’s just a matter of deciding what I don’t want to carry, rather than finding new things.

I’m a bit nervous now, but I think it’s healthy manner. I just want to get out there!

Speedway Cycles are having a party on Friday so I’m looking forward to meeting all the other racers just in time to join me for a birthday drink.

Quite a few people have asked me about updates. The Iditarod Invitational news page is going to be updated twice daily and (click, click, click) MTBcast (is on the air) is hosting podcasts again.
The MTBR Alaska and Endurance racing forums might be worth checking as well. Mel has the keys to this account so when she hears from me she’ll let you all know.

Finally, a big thanks to everyone who called, emailed or texted me best wishes. It is much appreciated. Also Phil the Horse, Anya, Jon, James and Gareth deserve a big thanks for surprising me with a bottle of Whisky older than me. I look forward to a dram when I get back, hopefully it wont all be gone before I see you all.

Take care, I will :-)

Santa Cruz

Well, its been a long couple of days. Staying at casa Bontrager tonight after the 12 hrs of Canuga Street. 25ish mile laps in the sun and dust, more details soon but a teaser photo...

Twentyfour/12

This seems like a long time ago but it really needs writing about...

24/12 is a Bontrager sponsored 12 and 24 hr race. Due to the 69er Collective's tie in with KB we were all keen to get there and do our bit. Matt and Trippy raced solo 24 while Goon, Woody and I enlisted Phil The Horse to race in the Open 24.

It's been quite a few years since I've raced at Newnham Park but the trails there are awesome and knowing Martyn and Keith had been hard at work I was sure the event was going to be great.

Friday night we arrived at about 7ish to find Trippy "partied out" and Goon drinking a very large Whisky from a plastic cup. It was going to be another one of those nights... We relaxed in to it.

Race day dawned, but all was not well. I couldn't hold any food down. Then I remembered the sandwich I had had the previous night. I remember thinking it was a bit warm, but saying to myself "it'll be ok...". Oops. I stepped down from taking the first lap. Woody put in a scorcher and then I went out. The course was great, all very rideable on a single speed but a little flat in places for it to be really fast for us. As per Martyn's normal courses there was a lot of singletrack- more than enough to make you want to go out again. I settled in to a nice rhythm but my body wasnt happy, the lack of food was making me feel week already. I got round in a respectable time, despite almost going over the bars in the river crossing. The others went out then we moved on to double laps, by then I was really green. I managed a single and then had to make a trip to the toilet and then bed. Very early.

When I awoke it was Sunday morning. The others had soldiered on through the night and we were sitting pretty in 2nd place. I put on my fresh lycra and got on my bike. I still hadn't managed to eat much, but by now I was holding down fluids so I hoped this was enough. I really wanted to get out there and give the others a , much deserved, rest. I forget how many I managed, but I squeezed a few singles in and hopefully this dragged up our average time. As the time ticked down it was clear that we were in a two horse race with the XC racer/Fisher 29er boys, with their ringers from the Colnago team. I headed out on our final lap knowing only a mechanical would let my catch Colnago Monty, but it wasnt to be. I did, however get the pleasure of a beer shower (towards the end of this video). We finished in a solid second place (and as the only singlespeeders), 20mins down on the winners but a whole two laps clear of third place.

Chris did really well for his first solo 24, getting 14 laps in. Unfortunately Matt had to retire early with ongoing issues from dehydrating himself really badly at the Spanish 24/12. Big shout to James "Nine toes" Leavesley, Iditarod rider last year and winner here.

Martyn puts on a great event. It really surprises me more people don't come to them. The courses are great fun and the atmosphere is always really good. Come on people make an effort, we'll be back!

Pic: Phil The Horse, in his Endura "ringer" kit. How pro?! As an aside, I think we first met in that there field about a decade ago at the BUSA mountain bike race. We bonded over Metal Christmas, next year he's being my best man. God help us.

Ten at Kirroughtree

Last weekend was due to be a, much needed, chance to catch up on some chores and sleep. That was until a 10pm decision to head up to Ten at Kirroughtree . We grabbed little more than our tent, sleeping bags, my 69er and our new Alpkit down jackets, and then jumped in Mel’s car. 4:30 am we finally hit the campsite. It was time to get up at 7:30, to attempted to find a race entry. Luckily for me Andy from Alpine had been dropped in it by his partner so I landed a place in pairs.

Andy headed out to ride a double but turned up after an hour having managed to snap his chain in two places simultaneously and being made to walk back down the course. I left him to sort it out as I headed out. The course was great, very singletrack heavy and relentless. The climbing was broken in to small chunks and hardly noticeable but the payback was a long fast decent at the end of the lap. When I got back from my second lap Andy wasn’t in the handover. I headed back to the camp to see where he was. I wasn’t expecting the answer to be "hospital". Apparently he had fixed his chain, then, while riding on the gravel car park, snapped it again and thrown himself over the handlebars. Everyone knows car park injuries are the worst, and it turned out his knee was pretty battered. I headed out again for another couple. The atmosphere was great but by now I was looking forward to a cold beer so I joined dR j0n and Marty from the TSPC as well as Damo (all the way over from Aus) who were "recuperating". As the afternoon drew on some went out for more laps while others joined us for more r&r. Andy got back from hospital but wasn’t up to riding.

As the race ended Phil and Anja took the mixed pairs easily and Jac won Solo. This, along with Phil’s birthday, gave us a good excuse to celebrate. Late in to the night.

The drive home was less pleasant but all in it was a top event and I certainly hope to be back next year.

Pic of Mr The Horse by Trina

A Long Good Saturday

A few months back the the 69er Collective made a trip to the first round of the G2 Revolver series. A good time was had by all. I don’t think there was any way I was going to miss the second round, especially as our friend Ian was designing the course in Brighton.

In the week leading up to the event the forecast was for torrential rain. Matt, an ex-pat Brightonian told me “the course will be fun in the dry”, the lack of information telling me exactly what I didn't want to know. I packed the Mud Xs, left the Dry Xs at home and generally prepared for trench warfare...

Friday night Gooner and Anne joined us and we all crammed ourselves in to Mel’s little car. The drive down was a boring one but thankfully we made it there with just enough time for some Thai food and a few beers.

We woke Saturday morning to a pleasant surprise- bright sunshine. We headed over to the race site and got set up. I kitted up and lined up for the first lap. I had a solid start, out climbing most of the field and settled in to my rhythm a solid 3rd place overall. Unfortunately I missed a marker and didn't realise I was of course until I got to a road. As I pushed back up the hill I stopped Phil The Horse and a few others who made the same mistake. We rode the rest of the lap together, gradually picking of the riders who had slipped past. Goon headed out for his lap and I retired to the shade, in an attempt to protect my pasty skin. It was really noticeable that this race had a very chilled atmosphere and everyone was friendly- the banter in the handover area was top notch. Every lap I had a dilemma- I didn't want to go out and miss the chat but the course was too fun to not ride…

Ah, the course… As expected it was very good. Fast and twisty with a very high percentage of singletrack. Two climbs were tricky, but I managed one clean lap, which was nice. As the race went on the amount of dust grew, and in places it was hard to slow down in to corners, cue much sideways action. All fun. Come 8 hours I didn't want to stop riding, but there was beer to be drunk, so what do you do. Now’s the time for chat!

In the end Phil and Oli Pepper took the Male pairs category, on single speeds naturally. We managed 4th- a few minutes down. Party boy and his girlfriend took the mixed.

To round off the day pretty much all the racers re-convened in a pub in town. Fisher had put money behind the bar and it was good to see that serious racers cant resist a free bar either. Saturday blended in to Sunday but the chat continued. All in: A Long Good Saturday was just that. I'll be back next year.