Saturday 17 February 2024

Taking a break

In my previous post I talked about targeting the 4 hour category at the final round of the Brass Monkeys series. A few days later the reality of my current health sank in. Now isn't the time to be trying to stretch or push myself.  I am currently totally exhausted as I try to recover my health. The stress of a race was actually the last thing I needed to put myself through. In the end the decision to miss the race was actually a really easy one to make. 

After a few weeks of trying, and failing, to get back to a decent training schedule I've stepped back. I'm riding when I feel I have the energy reserves, keeping outings short and local, taking care not to push myself. 

Cycling has always been a form of therapy for me and how I relax. Now more than ever this is the focus of my rides. I've spent some money building the fully rigid hardtail back up. I enjoy the purity of this sort of riding and the rigid fork slows the pace so I just enjoy the countryside and the company. 

After years of pushing myself to hit training targets and riding every day it hasn't always been easy to sit back and let the days go past without getting in the saddle. In the long run I know it is the best route to recovery.




Wednesday 10 January 2024

Brass Monkeys - The New Year Hangover - Race Report


Just making it onto the start line on Sunday was my goal achieved. After being ill in November and taking 4 weeks totally off the bike at the beginning of December, my aspiration during my slow recovery since then had been to get well enough to just attend the ‘Muc-off Brass Monkeys - The New Year Hangover’. I didn’t commit to the full 4 hour race, instead opting for the softer 3 hour Open category. I was extremely pleased I made this decision!  

Conditions on the morning were cold and bright, which made a change from the excessively wet weather we’ve been enduring. It wasn’t just the weather that was different, we also congregated at a new venue - Eelmore Plain. First impressions were positive, with good parking and a nice tarmac area for warming-up.


I rolled up at the very, very back of the large grid of riders. I can honestly say I’ve never started this far back in a Brass Monkeys. By stretching and peering through the gaggle of jostling riders ahead of me, I could just about make out a friend on the front row.


Once the starting horn had blown Jon was long gone by the time I rolled out onto the start loop. The course Gorrick had put together at Eelmore was a mixture of broad, open sandy trails linked by loamy singletrack amongst the trees. Early on there was a water splash crossing and I thought to myself that’s a nice novel feature! Then we met another, and then another and another. It went on and on. The water table was so high that sometimes there were quite long stretches where pedalling meant dipping your feet into the water. 


On the first lap I felt ok despite the conditions. At the very first big braking zone my lever pulled straight to the handlebar, but that wasn’t hugely surprising given the grim conditions. It was just disappointing it happened so early. The flat nature of the course meant it was hard for me to make much impact on those in front. So I sat in the snake of riders, who gradually fell off, ground to a halt in the mud or just faded away. Until I was left following another friend of mine, Ian, over the line to complete lap 1. 


Just 35 minutes into the race and I could already feel the lactic building in my legs. I hadn’t ridden for 3 hours since October so I’d already known that Sunday was going to test me physically. I passed Ian, but with my legs burning and the lack of rear brake, I had little confidence in the slippery conditions. I was honestly just thinking about getting back to the carpark and heading home.


When I got to the end of the 2nd lap I rolled through the line, but I kept going. I’m not sure why. Partly because an old school friend was there and it seemed wrong to call it quits while he was excitedly shouting, “Go on Ben!”


On the next lap I got wetter and more tired. I now had almost no brakes front or rear. It was lucky the course was fairly flat and SO muddy, as this meant there wasn’t much speed involved to require braking! Where I did miss the brakes was when controlling the bike in slides or through technical sections. Instead I just ploughed onwards, crashing through the roots and bomb holes. This time I was definitely going to stop when I got to the line. But as the line drew near I talked myself into doing at least 2 hours to equal (and justify) the hours journey time there and back to Eelmore. So on I went.


I was wet, physically exhausted and the bike was mechanically a mess. It wasn’t just the brakes that the elements had destroyed. Every pedal stroke sounded like stirring gravel with a metal spoon. Truth be told I wasn’t enjoying myself - at all. This is very unlike me, as I usually get a real buzz and a kick from racing. I stopped in the pit area at the end of the next lap and rinsed water from my bottle through the brakes, hoping to breath some life back into them. I teetered on the very verge of packing it in, but in the end I ate a banana, swigged some water, looked around  and set off again. At this point I thought there was technically time for 2 more laps, but I soon realised that I was right on the cusp. So when that 5th lap was finally complete this time I did head for the car, knowing that nobody behind me would be completing another lap either.


In the end I’m pleased with 7th place. I know I wasn’t in the main race with the fast boys, but considering how it had felt at the time I’ll take it. The challenge I’ve set now is to do the 4 hour race in 3 weeks at the final round of the series. I hope I continue to feel better and surely the conditions can’t be as bad as there were at Eelmore.





Friday 1 December 2023

Stolen Goat Climb and Conquer Winter Cycling Gloves Review


I've bought several items of clothing from Stolen Goat that have become some of my favorite bits of kit. For example the winter jersey is outstanding when the temperature takes a dive. So I happily splashed out on their winter gloves.

Cold hands is a real issue for me on the bike. I am well known amongst my friends for my lobster claw gloves on winter rides. These gloves are big and bulky which means dexterity with brakes and gears is restricted. When I saw an ad for the Stolen Goat "Apocalypse proof" gloves I ordered really hoping they would be the holy grail of winter cycling gloves for my cold pinkies. Especially since I've had a lot of success with Stolen Goat before.

The gloves are advertised as waterproof and windproof as well as suitable for colder temperatures. The promised warmth is surprising as there isn't much bulk to the material, little more than a thick woolen glove in appearance. There are silicone dots on the palms for grip and the grey finger tips are for using your mobile phone.

The recent cold weather means I've been able to get a good range of experience with the the Stolen Goat gloves. First up was a road ride with the temperature in the mid to high single digits. It wasn't that cold and the gloves were more than up to the task. On the positive side they didn't get too hot and clammy and the silicone grippers and the touch screen fingers worked a treat.

Next up was an MTB ride, one or two degrees below zero. I didn't take any risks and wore a thin liner inside the Stolen Goats. The ride was bearable. While off-road and when climbing my hands didn't get cold, but they definitely weren't warm and toasty either. On any long descent or on road sections when my speed was higher, my fingers were uncomfortably chilly. Also the gloves now look decidedly second hand. Trail side brambles and twigs have plucked at the woolen type surface, creating bobbles and pulls. Not holes, but the appearance is rather ruined on only their second outing.

Next ride was a classic UK winter ride. Temperatures started around 0 and then rose a degree or three as the ride progressed. Again I used liners and things were about bearable, but when I got home I had the painful wait for the feeling to slowly return to my fingers.

The final ride was at 5 degrees Celcius with showers of rain. Sadly my hands got wet, although luckily the wind proofing did work and stopped my hands getting too cold. The damp seemed to initially soak into the palm and fingers where I was squeezing the gloves against wet grips.

I do like the fit of the gloves, the long cuff allows you to pull them over a jersey sleeve and/or tuck them up inside your jacket. Creating a nice seal against the elements. 

Overall my experiences with the Stolen Goats have been a disappointment. They are sadly not a replacement for my Lobster Claw gloves. They do however provide good grip and control in cool temperatures, so I can see myself using them at the autumn and spring ends of the winter season. I've also worn them under my lobster claws and that is the ultimate cold weather protection. However, there was a lot of material between my hands and the controls, but it was manageable and better than numb digits! I'd also add that the open weave material means these are really just for the road, as they are going to look very tatty very quickly if I keep using them on my MTB. Also there is no nice dedicated nose wiping area, so you end up just using the general glove which isn't ideal or kind on the poor nostrils.

Conclusion: Ok if the apocalypse is dry and the temperature is above 5 degrees!


Thursday 16 November 2023

Is cycling an addiction?

I aim to ride my bike everyday. It makes me happy when I do and it is part of my normal daily routine. Up to the end of October I had ridden 291 out of the 304 days this year. The missed days almost exclusively due to family holidays and travelling overseas for work. Then at the beginning of November I got ill and I've had to address a period of time away from my bikes.

First and foremost I ride, as I said, because I simply enjoy it. Cycling is how I relax and socialise. It is a way to keep fit, with some competitive goal always in my mind for motivation. However, I will admit that there are other pressures at work that lead me to suspect I am addicted to cycling.

The truth is I don't think I could stop. If I miss just a single ride I will start to get quite grouchy. The drive of this addiction is motivated throughout the year by weekly and monthly totals of hours in the saddle and miles ridden. I have a spreadsheet dating back to 1999 and the numbers in there are what drive me. Every week, every month, every year I am always conscious of my own history and I am always trying to beat it.

In my head I have set myself standards I consider acceptable, or in other words, minimum goals. 6000 miles a year is the starting point. That breaks down to 500 miles a month. February is always tough, as is August if we're fortunate enough to have a 2 week family holiday. 100 miles is the least I will accept in any single week. I must spend at least 7 hours covering those miles although I'm targeting ten. Even the rides themselves have goals within them. A weekend isn't a success without a ride ticking over the 3 hour mark. During that 3 hour ride I should cover at least 40 miles with 1000m of climbing. All this is totally irrelevant in terms of a structured training regime, it is based on the past 25 years and what I consider is acceptable.

These self imposed rules dominate my life. If for some reason I don't hit all of the targets in any given week, I can live with that. I work hard to catch-up the following week. However if I start to miss my goals for a couple of weeks the grumpiness builds. Monthly targets are now in jeopardy and therefore also the magical 6000. Unreasonably it will effect how I am with my nearest and dearest. My wife will probably end up sending me out on my bike and telling me not to come home until I've cheered up! To be fair it works.

So I don't cope well with being ill. I'll already not be feeling good and then as the days pass I can sense the rides slipping away one by one. The current period I am in is especially bad as it has been keeping me off the bike for longer than a week and the end isn't clearly in sight. Today marks the two week point since I last turned a pedal. My legs were tingling in bed last night, keeping me awake. I tossed and turned imagining it was the fitness literally seeping out of them.


The logical part of my brain tells me that 2 weeks is neither here nor there for a recreational mountain biker like myself. There is nothing logical about it though. Actually the issue is growing each day, burning and swelling inside me until I will have to give in. Especially as I start to feel better the pressure mounts, stronger and ever stronger to rush things and to get back on the bike. What harm will it do after all? By now in my head my legs have become spindly, wasted beanpoles unable to turn a crank. I must start the recovery right now! Hold on I can barely stand for more than 5 minutes. Never mind that, you are sitting down cycling so you'll be fine....

I daren't look at my spreadsheet, oh no I have! The damage that two fat zeros has done in the mileage and hours columns is a disaster. Boosted by my spring ride across Europe, 8000 miles hadn't been out of the question for 2023. That's gone now.

But hold on.....

As I scan back I can see that my second highest total in a year is 7178.6 miles. That should still be possible, shouldn't it? Doctor when can I get back on the bike please?

Monday 6 November 2023

Time out for illness


In recent weeks I've felt stronger on the bike than I have for some time. I definitely felt the good vibes and muscle memory return during the 2nd and 3rd laps of my race last week. I was buoyant and was looking forward to raising a challenge to the top ten again at the Brass Monkey winter series.

Then I got a cold. I hadn't been anywhere other than the race so I might even have picked it up there. What started as a sore throat has now triggered my asthma and rather than simply slowing me down has taken me off the bike altogether. I'm on steroids for the first time in almost 30 years and climbing the stairs is enough to get me out of breath.

In reality a week off isn't going to make a big difference to my fitness, but I'm laid up frustratingly just when I wanted to push on.


Monday 30 October 2023

Race Report - Gorrick Halloween XC Classic

That race day feeling of butterflies in the pit of my stomach was back! I woke early on Sunday because the clocks had gone back. I therefore had more time for the anxiety and stress levels to rise as I pushed my cereal around the bowl. In the car I switched on the radio for a distraction, but my stomach churned more and more the nearer I got to Frimley Green. Then as soon as I arrived it was like somebody had flicked a switch, all nerves disappeared. Despite a 9 month hiatus I slotted into my pre-race routine, my mind preoccupied with the process of preparing bike and rider for the Gorrick Halloween XC Classic.

It had rained all week, the ground was sodden and grey clouds loomed ominously. However, the sun was shining as I unpacked the bike and checked the tyre pressures. When I started my warm-up and reconnaissance lap I was surprised to quickly encounter two quite large drops or steps. Not scary (it is Halloween) but challenging for a Gorrick course! Lucky I had left my dropper post in, as I had considered removing it given the usual simple nature of these courses. The drops were both rollable, if I hung over the back tyre. From then on it was the usual course at Highlands Farm. Flat, twisting and narrow. It was almost impossible to pass even on the warm-up and I ended up trundling around in a chain of riders. Despite all the local flooding the course was in brilliant condition, the bike wasn't even getting dirty. As we closed back in on the car park though, the first fat drops of rain began to fall. Putting on a spurt I scurried back to the car, where I pushed back the drivers seat and sat munching a banana watching the water droplets have their own race down the windscreen. All the roots in the wood were getting a nice glossy sheen.

Sitting at the start I unzipped my gillet before deciding to leave it on. I'd not forced my way to the front as I would have done once. It had been a while and my confidence wasn't there. I instead settled in on the back row and checked the shaved legs and racing snake physiques of my competitors. Which didn't help my confidence. I hadn't ridden in the wet for months. I hadn't raced for months. Yet here I was about to sprint off into the trees with this crowd, who would probably leave me for dead. With these positive thoughts running through my head the starting horn blew!

The first few corners were a deafening screech of wet disc rotors. Tyres were creating deep ruts in the now wet loamy soil. Mud was flicked up into my face as I followed the wheels ahead and tried hard to stay out of trouble amongst the melee. About a minute into the race I looked up. I'd guess there were about 20 riders ahead, not bad. I glanced behind. There were just three grim faces staring right back at me. Not so good!

We followed the the sinuous flapping lines of striped marker tape. There was nowhere to pass so I couldn't move forward, but equally I couldn't drop back any further either! I heard the horn as the Grand Vets race was released a few minutes after us. Soon I could see the leaders closing in on us as we were repeatedly backed up by conjestion and racing incidents. Some ahead chose to run to avoid the latest hold up of tangled riders, but I managed to stay on the bike and gain a few spots.

I know the leader of the approaching Grand Vets, I used to sponsor him in my previous life as a bike shop owner. "Hi Ben" he shouted, which is a polite way of saying "Get out of the f*#king way slow coach". I let him through and it wasn't long before another friend of mine was also on my wheel. He was fighting for a podium so I almost came to a halt to let him past, but three more riders on his wheel plus annoyingly somebody from my own category all pushed past me as I wasted 10 seconds being the good Samaritan. Where was my race head?

The leaders of the other race coming through had split my race up. I decided to follow the Grand Vets as they picked their way through the Veterans field. After all I should be able to hold the pace of these old boys! Tucking in with them I pulled the same trick that had just been pulled on me, sneaking past a few people without them spotting my Veteran number board.

Following the faster riders got my juices flowing. The back wheel fishtailed as I put down the power out of the bends. The brand new Fast Trak tyres did a great job of inspiring confidence in the slippery conditions. The T7 compound on the back would normally be a front tyre but probably helped provide some grip over those shiny roots.

I was moving forward but on such a fast course it was hard to make up the ground I'd lost at the start. To reel in the next target or pull away, I pushed as hard as I could on any remotely straight section of trail. Sometimes having to be quite cheeky and creative to sneak past.

I'd just got past a couple of riders and they were in hot pursuit as the last lap began. The lactic burn was beginning to build up in my legs and for a moment I worried I'd blow up. I hung on as the lap progressed but didn't shake them off. I was getting held up by a back marker so I desperately lunged to get ahead of them going into the final loop to the finish. I was thankful to get somebody in between myself and my pursuers. Then with less than a minute of racing remaining I saw a rider ahead. I put down every ounce of energy I had left and was lucky to reach him just as the trail briefly widened just enough for me to power straight through. I was now nearly dead in the saddle, but there was no way he could get back past if I just kept a tidy line around the last few bends and thankfully I then had enough for the last kick to the line.

I'm happy with the result of 13th. I might not have been threatening the front runners, but I had a great day and remembered the shear joy and adrenalin of racing.


Monday 16 October 2023

Which cross country race tyres for winter?

It is less than two weeks to my first race since January. I was left really demotivated by my last results, to the extent I haven't bothered racing at all this season. Despite there being some national events really close by, I've put my head in the sand and focused on other cycling related goals. I've missed the buzz however and feel that recently I've been riding into a little bit of form. Time will tell!

Autumn riding hazards. I'm not sure any tyre grips on these!

The long Indian summer in the UK, stretching deep into October has certainly helped. Over the past month, with family holidays and work travel behind me I've been able to get in a consistent 10 hours of training each week. The trails have been beautiful and dry, which has been great for encouraging me to get out on the  bike, but actually might not be representative of what I'm going to face over the winter.  

With mud in mind I've bought some new tyres. I come from an era where we raced 26x1.75in tyres because we thought they were light and fast. They were certainly lightweight, some of the  skinniest dipping well under 500g. That means I really struggle now when I'm tyre shopping. The current crop of xc 2.35in race tyres are frequently over 700g. I've never put that much rubber on any bike, let alone my race bike.

The prices are also hard to come to terms with. £50 for something  that you might tear during the first ride is tough to swallow. I've tried Schwalbe Rocket Rons and Racing Rays, Maxxis and Continental, but the price and the weight have left me searching for something else. Therefore I'm happy to turn to an old favourite of mine, the Specialized Fast Trak. Not a true winter tyre by any stretch, but a good all rounder that will live with winter conditions without such a draggy tread that it will hold me back on race day. For less that £40 too.

The Fast Trak comes in different 'flavours' depending how much grip you are looking for. I've just received a Control T7. The Control casing offers puncture protection without a massive weight penalty. The Gripton T7 is a softer rubber compound that I hope will help when faced with wet roots and soft loamy soil. I already have a Control T5 which is made of slightly harder rubber for less rolling resistance and more speed. The new T7 weighs 715g which is about 25g more than the T5 and as I mentioned makes it hard for me to consider it as a 'race' tyre. So I've also bought an S-Works Fast Trak. This is made with a combination of the fast rolling T5 compound in the center and gripper T7 around the outside. All for a wonderful weight of 630g. The lower weight is due to a thinner 120tpi casing which I hope is nice and supple on the front wheel, offering more grip. The trade off is that it certainly won't be as tough, so comes with the increased risk of punctures.

With these three tyres I should be able to find a combination for whatever the  race day weather gods decide to throw at us.