It's an odd life being a mountain bike event organiser some times, you never quite know what's going to happen next or where you going to end up.
It all started just over a week ago with my second car accident in 3 months. I've decided now that Dalby Forest is jinxed - I've only ever had two car accidents in my life and both of them have been the night before travelling to Dalby for an event. Nothing major, just a three car shunt this time, very frustrating. My jinx continued when I arrived at Dalby for a week of possible riding only to discover I'd forgotten my riding shoes, also something I have never done in 15 years of mountain biking. So this lead to doing half a lap of the Dalby red route in t-shirt, shorts and trainers (and helmet) balancing precariously on spd pedals.
The Dalby event presented its usual carnage with various ambulances and helicopters popping in and out, yet again highlighting the distinct lack of skillful riders in British mountain biking. This added more fuel to the fire that had been ignited last Tuesday when I sent a rather scathing email to British Cycling criticising their recent approach to exploiting what some organisations are starting to see as cash-cow mountain bikers. (See, it really wasn't a good week!)
Leaving all negative thoughts of Dalby behind it was off to the familiar, relaxing and safe environment of Kielder - well usually, just not when there's a crazy gunman running round the area obviously. Plans to ride off into the wilderness were somewhat thwarted by the possibility of running into either the crazed gunman or "the men in black Range Rovers". I don't think I've ever seen so many armed police officers in a day and driving through a small Northumberland town where every other car is a police car is rather an odd sight.
Still, on to the safety of urban life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for lunch with Saddle Skedaddle. Sadly, even this didn't prove straightforward and the local car thieves were taking advantage of the police pre-occupation with crazy gun man by smashing the driver side window and breaking into Paul Davis's van whilst it was parked outside the Gateshead Travelodge overnight. Luckily they were the stupidest car thieves on the planet (sorry, you'd already figured that one out as soon as I said 'Gateshead' right) and, whilst getting away with a lovely little Tom-Tom, a large chain lock and a couple of in-car chargers, they'd somehow missed the laptop, brand new iPad and 800 quids worth of brand new bike parts and prizes, opting to go through the cupboards for food instead.
The 9 day long trip ended with a very windy and cold 6 hour drive home. Today was spent doing the mundane parts of life - washing, cleaning, hoovering and reading the post. Sometimes normality is ace.
Monday, 12 July 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010
And....Relax...
Well as you can see from my last post, I've been fairly busy. Many of you will know what with. And for those of you that don't, it was obviously mountain bike related (the clue is in the name!) Including a couple more rounds of the British Mountain Bike Series, which were pretty wet and miserable in all honesty. Even Margam, and it NEVER rains at Margam. Except when it does rain, and when it rains, boy does it rain!
I was also the Marshal Co-Ordinator on the UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup in Dalby for the first time - or the "UCI XCO MTB WC" as 'they' like to call it. We just called it "Dalby", because that's what it was. It came, it went, it was hard work, but I did get a free week in a swanky hotel in Yorkshire. Can't complain I suppose.
May saw the first running of the 24 Hours of Exposure, the UK Solo 24 Hour Championships and okay, I might be a little biased as this was one of our, SIP Events, events, but it was way more fun and as usual I was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. So excited in fact that I managed to drop another bottle of Single Malt. This seems to be a common theme now, having dropped Deano's bottle of single malt at the Montane Kielder 100 last year, only to have it bounce off the flagstone floor and roll into the middle of the Kielder Castle courtyard totally unscathed. Lady Luck only shines her light on you once though and sadly the 24 hour bottle didn't make it, smashing to smithereens in the centre of Newcastleton at the rider sign on just before the race. So familiar am I with these kind of mishaps and cock ups that as I walked past the start area and the bottle fell out of the box, followed by a loud smash and a very pungent waft of peaty malt, I barely broke my stride and popped the now empty box through the open window of an event vehicle with a small shrug of my shoulders. S*%t happens.
Unfortunately some are now calling this 'Single Malt' event a tradition, even some sort of bizarre sacrifice to the event Gods. So the question now is, do I keep up the tradition of smashing, or attempting to smash a bottle of fine Scotch at every event to bring good luck, or do I chance it as I'm loathed to spend yet more money on excellent alcohol that nobody will get to drink. Discuss.
I was also the Marshal Co-Ordinator on the UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup in Dalby for the first time - or the "UCI XCO MTB WC" as 'they' like to call it. We just called it "Dalby", because that's what it was. It came, it went, it was hard work, but I did get a free week in a swanky hotel in Yorkshire. Can't complain I suppose.
May saw the first running of the 24 Hours of Exposure, the UK Solo 24 Hour Championships and okay, I might be a little biased as this was one of our, SIP Events, events, but it was way more fun and as usual I was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. So excited in fact that I managed to drop another bottle of Single Malt. This seems to be a common theme now, having dropped Deano's bottle of single malt at the Montane Kielder 100 last year, only to have it bounce off the flagstone floor and roll into the middle of the Kielder Castle courtyard totally unscathed. Lady Luck only shines her light on you once though and sadly the 24 hour bottle didn't make it, smashing to smithereens in the centre of Newcastleton at the rider sign on just before the race. So familiar am I with these kind of mishaps and cock ups that as I walked past the start area and the bottle fell out of the box, followed by a loud smash and a very pungent waft of peaty malt, I barely broke my stride and popped the now empty box through the open window of an event vehicle with a small shrug of my shoulders. S*%t happens.
Unfortunately some are now calling this 'Single Malt' event a tradition, even some sort of bizarre sacrifice to the event Gods. So the question now is, do I keep up the tradition of smashing, or attempting to smash a bottle of fine Scotch at every event to bring good luck, or do I chance it as I'm loathed to spend yet more money on excellent alcohol that nobody will get to drink. Discuss.
Friday, 9 April 2010
Fantastic Days!
...are few and far between these days. Those truly magnificent days when everything just drops in to place, the world seems perfect, life is good and you wish the day would never end; you wish that you could somehow spend the rest of your life in that day. Yesterday was such a day.
A long overdue walk with Tony (TalesFromTheRock) and the Gods were smiling upon us. Weatherwise it was by far the best walk I have ever been on with Tony - a bright blue cloudless sky and perfectly still. Up on the Black Mountains the view stretched for miles with the Brecon Beacons, the Malvern Hills and even Clee Hill visible for once.
This was a practice walk for the Big Black Mountain Challenge in May and followed a section of the route that included the toughest ascent. It was also the first time I've been walking with Tony's Bernese Mountain Dogs - when it comes to companion dogs, there's no better breed than this! They barely strayed more than 3ft from us all day and Rocky insisted on a cuddle every time we sat down. (Yes, they really are that soft!)
A few hours in and we were both still revelling in the gorgeousness of the day: the ribbons of snow on the Brecon Beacons, the glistening reservoir, the silent valleys except for playful Skylarks (and 240lbs of panting dogs!) If only I could have cooled off as easily as the Berners (Spot on the left, big Dad Rocky on the right)
As the miles ticked by we circled back to the car and the paths got busier with families on Easter holidays. I enjoyed one last look around and savoured the oh-so-perfect moment and time stood still just a little longer.
And then, as if the day couldn't get any better - an ice cream van in the car park! 16 miles and 6.5 hours of sun bathed mountain walking with great company, a warm, satisfied feeling inside, (no knee pain/rib pain or blisters for once) and an ice cream. If this isn't the definition of a perfect day, then I don't know what is.
A long overdue walk with Tony (TalesFromTheRock) and the Gods were smiling upon us. Weatherwise it was by far the best walk I have ever been on with Tony - a bright blue cloudless sky and perfectly still. Up on the Black Mountains the view stretched for miles with the Brecon Beacons, the Malvern Hills and even Clee Hill visible for once.
This was a practice walk for the Big Black Mountain Challenge in May and followed a section of the route that included the toughest ascent. It was also the first time I've been walking with Tony's Bernese Mountain Dogs - when it comes to companion dogs, there's no better breed than this! They barely strayed more than 3ft from us all day and Rocky insisted on a cuddle every time we sat down. (Yes, they really are that soft!)
A few hours in and we were both still revelling in the gorgeousness of the day: the ribbons of snow on the Brecon Beacons, the glistening reservoir, the silent valleys except for playful Skylarks (and 240lbs of panting dogs!) If only I could have cooled off as easily as the Berners (Spot on the left, big Dad Rocky on the right)
As the miles ticked by we circled back to the car and the paths got busier with families on Easter holidays. I enjoyed one last look around and savoured the oh-so-perfect moment and time stood still just a little longer.
And then, as if the day couldn't get any better - an ice cream van in the car park! 16 miles and 6.5 hours of sun bathed mountain walking with great company, a warm, satisfied feeling inside, (no knee pain/rib pain or blisters for once) and an ice cream. If this isn't the definition of a perfect day, then I don't know what is.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
BMBS Round 1 down...
...4 to go. They say the first one is always the hardest and the first round of the British Mountain Bike Demo and Race Series at Sherwood Pines over the weekend was most definitely the proof of the pudding. There have been some pretty big changes to the race series this year, including adding a whopping great demo weekend to every round. The outcome of which is more work for all involved (and when I say all, I mean just 4 of us).
I've only been working on these particular events for a year now, and although it seems a lot longer I've actually only done 5 weekends, making it still a relatively young working relationship with the head honcho Martyn Salt. And as with all good organisers, there's always an element of trust to be earned before they stop checking everything you do, twice. Can't blame them, it's their event and their reputation on the line (and to be honest I'm the same with my event), but in the end things just get too big and too busy and you have to let go a little and have faith in those around you. I think we're almost there, almost.
The bad weather held off until Monday morning and all in all things went pretty well for a first event with so many new elements added to the mix. And as per usual the post-event aches and pains have appeared. For this kind of work it's not really a lack of fitness, but a lack of general physical activity that's the problem. My day job involves sitting in a chair watching TV, so heading out into the forest doing manual labour for a few days comes as a bit of a shock after 6 months off:
My shoulders and neck ache from hacking down trees and branches, my lower back hurts from standing up for 16 hours a day, my legs ache from running down all the singletrack, my feet hurt from walking and running on rough ground, my hands are cut to shreds and even my fingertips sting from all the zip ties, clips and staple ends. I'm glad I've had two days off to recover from this, even if they did go quickly.
Still, given the choice to race at these events or work on them, I know which I'd pick any day of the week. Can't wait for the next one! Must remember to sharpen my machete though.
I've only been working on these particular events for a year now, and although it seems a lot longer I've actually only done 5 weekends, making it still a relatively young working relationship with the head honcho Martyn Salt. And as with all good organisers, there's always an element of trust to be earned before they stop checking everything you do, twice. Can't blame them, it's their event and their reputation on the line (and to be honest I'm the same with my event), but in the end things just get too big and too busy and you have to let go a little and have faith in those around you. I think we're almost there, almost.
The bad weather held off until Monday morning and all in all things went pretty well for a first event with so many new elements added to the mix. And as per usual the post-event aches and pains have appeared. For this kind of work it's not really a lack of fitness, but a lack of general physical activity that's the problem. My day job involves sitting in a chair watching TV, so heading out into the forest doing manual labour for a few days comes as a bit of a shock after 6 months off:
My shoulders and neck ache from hacking down trees and branches, my lower back hurts from standing up for 16 hours a day, my legs ache from running down all the singletrack, my feet hurt from walking and running on rough ground, my hands are cut to shreds and even my fingertips sting from all the zip ties, clips and staple ends. I'm glad I've had two days off to recover from this, even if they did go quickly.
Still, given the choice to race at these events or work on them, I know which I'd pick any day of the week. Can't wait for the next one! Must remember to sharpen my machete though.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Whinlatter Challenge-ing
First proper event of the season (barring the Glentress Demo) last weekend, the Whinlatter Challenge in the Lake District. Only in it's second year this event is going from strength to strength and with the addition of more purpose built trails, Whinlatter is also improving as a trail centre.
Saturday was set up day and I took the unusual step of marking the course by bike, rather than vehicle. This is something I've been talking about doing for ages, it's so frustrating spending 4 or 5 days at event venues and never actually riding a bike!
So a quick spin around the new blue grade Quercus Trail - lots of swoopy loveliness by the way and some of the biggest berms I've seen on a cross-country trail - a slog up to the top of the red trail and back to the cafe for tea and cake with the south side all marked. Richard Staton and his team had marked all of the north side trail so that was us done for the day. (I do like these quick and easy events.)
Sunday saw quite a mild start and even though I still had a cold, I'd volunteered to ride as Tail End Charlie. I also managed to avoid getting smacked on the head by a loud speaker this year so didn't have a concussion or pounding headache to deal with, always a bonus.
Four hours later the weather had turned and I'd almost completed the first 17 mile lap(!) riding behind one of the most determined 9 year olds I've ever seen. This is not a course for the faint hearted, with plenty of hills and some tricky descents that he'd battled his way through. Sadly he didn't make it to the finish, but it really was a brave effort.
I caught up with the back of the field and continued taking in the course and stuffing empty gel packets into my 'paper boy' bag. (Why do people drop those?!) It may look ridiculous, but those bags are very handy and always attract funny looks and crowd banter.
A quick tear down, a few more miles ridden and we were away before dark. A total of 20 off road miles for me and my longest mountain bike ride of the year. Hopefully get some more in at the first round of the British Mountain Bike Demo and Race Series at Sherwood this weekend - another excellent place for some eco-friendly course setting up.
Saturday was set up day and I took the unusual step of marking the course by bike, rather than vehicle. This is something I've been talking about doing for ages, it's so frustrating spending 4 or 5 days at event venues and never actually riding a bike!
So a quick spin around the new blue grade Quercus Trail - lots of swoopy loveliness by the way and some of the biggest berms I've seen on a cross-country trail - a slog up to the top of the red trail and back to the cafe for tea and cake with the south side all marked. Richard Staton and his team had marked all of the north side trail so that was us done for the day. (I do like these quick and easy events.)
Sunday saw quite a mild start and even though I still had a cold, I'd volunteered to ride as Tail End Charlie. I also managed to avoid getting smacked on the head by a loud speaker this year so didn't have a concussion or pounding headache to deal with, always a bonus.
Four hours later the weather had turned and I'd almost completed the first 17 mile lap(!) riding behind one of the most determined 9 year olds I've ever seen. This is not a course for the faint hearted, with plenty of hills and some tricky descents that he'd battled his way through. Sadly he didn't make it to the finish, but it really was a brave effort.
I caught up with the back of the field and continued taking in the course and stuffing empty gel packets into my 'paper boy' bag. (Why do people drop those?!) It may look ridiculous, but those bags are very handy and always attract funny looks and crowd banter.
A quick tear down, a few more miles ridden and we were away before dark. A total of 20 off road miles for me and my longest mountain bike ride of the year. Hopefully get some more in at the first round of the British Mountain Bike Demo and Race Series at Sherwood this weekend - another excellent place for some eco-friendly course setting up.
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