Merida Brass Monkeys Round 3 - Deepcut

Doing well in the Brass Monkeys winter series requires stamina and speed on the bike, but also a helping hand from lady luck. The bikes take some serious abuse from the rough trails and the onslaught of torrid winter conditions. Surviving 12-15 hours of racing without a mechanical failure or puncture can't be taken for granted. A cold or illness, which are so prevalent at this time of year, can also wipe out a race result. In 2012 I was gridded first at the final round based on points accumulated, but was so ill during the event I had to call it a day. This year the bike has worked flawlessly at each round, but today I was seriously bunged up and coughing relentlessly. Nevertheless points were on offer and we all know that points mean prizes!

A thick frost covered the carpark in Deepcut for the final round of this years series. The popularity of the races ably demonstrated by the traffic jam to get in! The Deepcut course is one of my all time favourites, but the trail planners had been busy switching things around and adding new sections to mix it up a little. As well as freezing cold, conditions on the ground were also extremely slippery during the opening 6.5 mile lap. Riders fish tailed and drifted through the undulating trails. I was about 10th and enjoying the bursts of power required for the brutal little climbs, followed by the flowing singletrack back down.

If I have a complaint this year, it is the revised start times that send the massive 2hr field off 15 minutes before the 4 hour race gets underway. Particularly on the second lap I spent what felt like an eternity cruising along behind back markers looking for a way past. It is the same for everyone, but it is hugely frustrating and makes it very difficult to escape the clutches of riders behind. Often a serious effort to pull out a gap is wasted when you come up to the next group of slower riders at the bottom of a narrow climb.

The worst example of this was on my second lap. Five riders were seemingly attached to my rear wheel, flowing along in my wake. We caught five back markers from the shorter race and I quickly picked my way past the first four before the others had a chance. With a long fireroad ahead I hoped I might be able to squeeze past the last rider, stretch the gap to those I was racing and slip away. In my eagerness I sneaked down the righthandside of the path to overtake, just clipping the undergrowth. A long sinuous length of twig wrapped itself neatly around my cassette and through my rear mech. I was lucky nothing was damaged, but after stopping to pull the majority of the offending branch free, all 10 riders had passed me and the faster guys I was racing were now infront the backmarkers. I conserved energy and didn't chase wildly but it was over a lap before I had negotiated my way back to the position I had been in before my mishap.

In my mild panic I did however forget to take a drink on the fireroad and with little opportunity to grab a bottle I paid the price on the next lap, as my concentration faltered and leaden legs set in. Luckily I kept eating and a huge swig of water at my next bottle stop helped bring me back to life.

Into the 6th and final lap and the mud had been moved aside by the passage of a thousand tyres and the course was now running grippy and fast. I was racing two guys on Fat bikes. Fat bikes are apparently 'THE' trend of 2015. The huge oversized tyres clearly providing endless grip in the technical sections, but the extra drag and weight began to tell as the race wore on and both riders tired while I forged on. I crossed the line in 7th, which should be good enough for 5th or 6th in the series overall (TBC later this week). Although I was 5th overall last year my results in the individual races this season show a significant improvement. Maybe all that commuting to work finally paying off and its a great start to 2015!

Series Results:

• Round 1: 8th
• Round 2: 11th (I was dressed as Santa!)
• Round 3: 7th

The Brass Monkeys races are particular favourites of mine. They occupy a time of year when there isn't generally a lot of good mountain biking on offer. I enjoy the arduous nature of the events and the often inclement winter weather just provides an added challenge. From the flat mud bath that was round one, to the frozen hills of round three it has been a blast! Like Christmas its sadly all over for another year.