2016 Year End Summary

Club and Sponsorship:

For the first time since 2010 I didn’t join the South Downs Bikes club this year. Although I definitely missed the camaraderie at races, team sponsorship was unlikely as I couldn’t commit to a definite schedule of events at the beginning of the year due to the birth of my daughter in February. Instead I obtained sponsorship to cover my entry to the Grand Raid marathon race in Switzerland. As part of the package McMurdo also supplied the distinctive orange Fast Find Ranger PLB branded jersey. I was also appointed a brand ambassador for Absolute Black, riding their oval chainrings throughout the year. Both of these agreements meant I continued to blog and also introduced the Ben Races Bikes Facebook fan page.

General:

I continued to ride the S-Works Stumpjumper. The major upgrades this year were new wheels from Strada and the DT Swiss fork which is a revelation compared to the SID I had previously.

For the 2^nd year running I purchased a British Cycling racing license. This enabled me to enter the National Marathon Championships and obtain a better grid position at the Grand Raid.

Racing:

Training in 2016 started slowly following the birth of my daughter in February. However, the focus of the year was August where I would race 3 marathon events in 3 weeks.

Racing started in May with the Gorrick 100 where I rode well but failed to make the top 20.

There was then a brief foray with the Olympic distance at the Southern Championship, where I missed the Open podium by 1.2 seconds!

By the time we reached August my training had gone well, but I was still concerned about my stamina beyond 4 hours after a few issues on longer rides where I completely hit the wall with a racing heartbeat. The Brighton Big Dog allayed the concerns as I came home 10^th on a challenging course against a high class field, which included the National Champ. The next weekend was the Grand Raid. The target was simply to finish the 125km Alpine course, which I did in 10hrs 30min. Despite the brutal course I completed the ride ‘relatively’ comfortably apart from the loathsome ‘hike-a-bike’ section. The third race of the month was the National Marathon Champs in Wales, which actually proved to be the toughest of the three. In terrible conditions I battled the elements and inner demons to be the 20^th senior rider home.

With the pressure now off it was time to enjoy myself! I entered the Open category at both rounds of the Gorrick Autumn Challenge, where after 13 years of trying I won my first Gorrick race! I was third in the second round, finishing the year on a high.

Social:

In the build up to the Grand Raid I had a number of great social rides. Long days in the saddle with friends, including Winchester and back along the South Downs Way with Ian and Julian.

With two children at home and a school run to complete my total mileage for the 2016 was lower than the past few years. However, I enjoyed another cracking summer of off-road commuting. Regularly passing Stanstead house and looping over Kingley Vale in the morning or on a warm summer's evening. There can be nothing better for relieving the stress!

Highlight:

Riding across the Swiss Alps!

In summary:

Enjoyable, experience laden year!

Looking ahead:

2017 is the dawn of a new career in the cycle trade! The effect this will have on my free time and cycling opportunities is unknown. Therefore my focus will be just continuing to ride, maintaining my fitness and entering events when I can. Watch this space!