English
With the days ticking away and Mountain Mayhem approaching I am starting to feel quite nervous but also exited about the event. Preparations are not exactly going to plan, as right now I am feeling under the weather but I always feel a bit rubbish before big races, so I am putting it down to pre-race nerves/stress. Mountain Mayhem is the biggest race of the year for me and I have been waiting for the event to come back around after the problems I had last year. Hardly a day goes past when I don’t think of the event, it really means a lot to me. Of all the big endurance races it is the only one I have not been on the podium at, so I really hope that changes this year.
After Bikeradar we had a great time in the Lake District, we got very lucky with the weather and I did a few walks and fell runs and also a few rides. I had one amazing road ride where I rode Wrynose & Hardknott passes in both directions before going on to ride Kirkstone pass. Plenty of climbing, but not a massive amount of distance. At the end of the week we headed across to Dalby forest for the Singlespeed UK championships. The Saturday night was really relaxed as most singlespeed events are. I had a shot at Rollapaluza, which was fantastic! I did OK, but I didn’t qualify for the last 16 with my time of 24.35sec, which equates to 46.2mph and 186.7 rpm! 30 seconds has never felt like so long!
Luckily the dry weather held out till Sunday and the race got started at the relaxed time of 11am. Race starts at SSUK are a little different to say the least. A 200m run into a wood to retrieve your bike, which may or may not have been moved or hidden. Luckily for me my bike was where I left it and I was out onto the bikes in 2nd place and into the first singletrack in 1st.
The course was great fun and technical in places which suited me well. A group of 3 of us had formed at the start, but after a few kilometres it was just myself and George Budd at the front.
I’d occasionally take to the front and try to push the pace, but before every downhill section George would make a tactical move and nip in front. As a result we rode the whole race together, I made a few attempts to get away but George stuck to me and when we entered the final downhill section before the finish together I knew it would go to a sprint finish. George was in front, so had a slight advantage but I spun the pedals as fast as I could and closed the gap, but it wasn’t quite enough and George took the win by a matter of inches. I was really pleased with how I did though, as I didn’t think I’d be able to stick with George on the climbs, but I felt comfortable throughout the race.
This weekend has also been pretty busy, as on Saturday I entered the Mash-up in the “Technical” category. Perhaps not what people might expect me to enter, but it will all make sense in a month or so. I was in full XC mode, riding the same bike and gear I do in 24hr races with no changes, not even dropping my saddle. The full results are not out yet, but I think I did OK. From here on it is just about trying to relax, keep the legs moving but not pushing them too much. All the work is done and now I just need to wait to see if it will pay off.