Web Diary Of Oli Beckingsale

27.8 08

After training and waiting all year for the Olympics, it is a funny feeling to have done the race and for it to be all over.  The whole experience was good, China put in a good games and my experiences of the country were generally positive, the only negative being that anyone in authority is very inflexible, which cracks you after a while.

Having been to 2 games before I was not going for the Olympic experience, not to sound grumpy, as it’s always the same stuff. But the real reason was to race in the biggest MTB race and to try and go really fast, pretty simple really. Competing in the Games is a highlight in any athlete’s career, there is a lot to be won and lost and more people are watching than in any other race and this gives the start line a special atmosphere.

There was a test race on the course back in 2007 and the general opinion was hard physically but not real mountain biking and people were talking about racing cross bikes. The UCI were not going to let that happen and got in the World Cup 4X course designer to spice things up, and he made it vindaloo hot. Every descent was not technical with jumps, logs, rocks and tight loose turns. Combined with the super steep climbs and this was probably the hardest course ever used for a top XC race. At race pace the 3.8km course was taking 15min to race with avg speeds at about 16kph, which is pretty damn slow.  To sum it up it was like a 9km course with all the boring bits taken out.

My race went to plan and I only made a one mistake on the last lap when fighting for 10th place so other than I finished empty and happy. My plan was to ride at my own pace bang out consistent laps and catch people as they popped. After 3 laps of 8 I started to catch the 5th place group and was picking them off. In the end I was only 80secs off 5th and if the race was a little longer I would off caught a few more, but had to settle for 12th. I could not have done anymore and on a course that was not really up my tempo riding street I have to take the place I got,   top 10 place would have been sweet and was my aim but hey what’s 2 places.

Now I am sat in Canberra, Australia as we have a World cup race this Sat. Having been the right side of the world, if the wrong side of the equator, it seemed logical to carry on the trip. This is also the venue for next year’s World Champs, so good for me and the National team to check it out.

12.8.08

I have been in China now for 3 days and have now got my head around the time difference and motivated to write on my laptop rather than just messing around on the internet.

I am currently based on the Northern edge of Beijing in a town called Changping, about 20km from the Great Wall. I am here 8 days to train, acclimatise, and relax before heading into the chaos of the village on Monday. This is also when the course opens for practice.

My initial impressions of China are good. The people are all cool and happy that i’ve met, it is hot, humid and hazy but on the edge of town does not seem polluted. They are really into the Games and the new airport is pretty impressive.

We are based by the Triathlon venue so the hotel has several tri teams in it and the triathlon cycle loop is closed to traffic and non games people for training, which is sweet.

Not really alot going on over the last few days as i have been spending most of my time relaxing and getting over the training i did at home and the travel. But i am out and about on a 4hr ride today so should see a few things and will get some photos.

1.8.08

Its all go now, with only 3 weeks to go to the Games. Since the Nationals I have been at home training hard and getting ready to travel on the 8th. There has been a fair amount of media interest too since the squad was announced and that has taken up a bit of time. The Games take the interest outside of cycling, which is a big benefit of Games selection to the sponsors, from regional newspapers, to sky sports and the BBC.

A bonus of the Games is getting a cool new bike and my sponsors have done proud. I am on a new Giant XTC pre production frame which is 300gr lighter than the current XTC model!! And have some cool bits to hang on it in particular a pair of custom blue hope brakes with Olympic rings and a pair of Beijing special Rock Shox SID forks. This bike will be featuring in MBUKs super bikes after the games and will get a picture up on line too. My current race bike is featured in What MBUK this month so check it out.

Will try and get some reports up when I am out in China but will have to see how much wifi access there is. But if not will do my best and ride it like I stole it.......

23.7.08

Despite the many years of getting bike product sent to me I still get excited to get a new bike or some cool kit, as at the end of the day bike riding is my job but deep down still my hobby.

So I was well chuffed to get a box full of thermal stuff from my new sponsor Vanguard. I like nice clothing but am too tight to ever buy any so a box full of cool kit went down well. There were thermal gloves, knees, arms, under hats and vests for every temperature. Do not know how much use they will get in Boiling Bejing next month, but I will be snug as a bug in a rug this winter.

22.7.08

It was white and stripes jersey time again last weekend with the National Champs. This year the venue was Ringwood in the New Forest, the guys from Pedal On did a great job with the organisation and laid out a fun course. But it was far from ideal for me being mostly flat singletrack, but hey it cannot be hilly every year.

All the regulars were there and Liam Killeen also came out to play so it was going to be a good one. After a hectic first lap I hit the front on lap 2 and pulled myself and Liam off the front, on lap 3 it was Liam’s turn to out on the pressure. We were both able to follow each other without any problems it was going to be a close one.

Then near the end of lap 3 I hit a small tree stump on the track and ripped my tire. The stans latex did its thing and sealed the whole but instead of 35PSI i now had 15 PSI in my rear tire. I was able to follow Liam to the pits and took a new wheel and remounted 30 secs down. It was now going to be a 2 lap Pursuit.

We were both pushing hard but Liam was a bit stronger and the gap grew on lap 5 and was 1min at the finish. The puncture was a shame as I was looking forward to fighting it out and the spectators were enjoying the battle. So after 3 years of being the champ and wearing the Champs jersey I am now back to my Blue and white Giant kit, which could be worse, as at least I like the design

After 3 weeks of hard training and the Champs I am now having a 5 days easy period before starting my next 2 week block of hard work, then its China time.

10.7.08

After the Worlds Champs I had a well earned week off, well almost a week of as I did a 1hr easy ride and an intensive aerobie session down in Devon. The amazing flying disc got caught in a tree and Myself and my mate Longun then spent 15mins throwing a large rock into the tree Geoff Capes style till I hit the jack pot and knocked it out. What with that and carrying a 17kg sleeping infant 2 miles and it was actually a tough cross training weekend and my arms were burning for a couple of days

After a few days at home I was heading off to start my Olympic preparation. First stop was a week of base training on and off road in the South of Spain near Sierra Nevada. The academy guys have been here a few times before and we hooked up with www.freeridespain.com who looked after us and showed us the trails. I had a mix of road and off road on the menu and Si our guide had some mint routes for us, from 1hr climbs, to awesome singletrack and skalectric style roads.

I am writing this on my last night before I transfer up to Madrid to do some race specific training. The Madrid World Cup circuit is the closest we have to Bejing in Europe with the short steep climbs and the heat, so the idea is to recreate a Beijing circuit here and smash it for a few days. It’s also a good time to test some equipment, tires and hydration strategies.

Then its home for the National Champs in the New Forest on the 20th July. With the games around the corner I am training pretty hard around the race so my not be at my best, but I am not going to give up my jersey without a fight. Having been the National Champ for the last 3 years it would mess up my wardrobe for starters.

23.6.08

Currently sat in Venice airport battered and tired after yesterdays World Champs, with a 5 hr wait till my flight at least I can do all my bits and bobs like diary writing, oh that and eat pizza and drink espresso till my eyes pop out.

Ended up 10th in yesterday’s race which was my aim and having finished in the top 10 at the Fort William World Cup I have done exactly what I wanted to. I am happy but thinking what could have been. The last 2 weeks have not gone too smoothly (with a cold, hay fever and a crash) and neither did the race (with some tech probs and another crash) so I am left thinking I could of been higher up, but that’s bike racing.

After crap weather early in the week it was red hot over the weekend and was 30degrees on race down. My race was up and down I had an average start and then moved up well on lap 2, but on lap 3 ended up riding into a hedge at 20mph after a brake mechanical. Was jammed in there good and proper and it took a few spectators to pull me and my bike out, my shorts were in bits but thankfully my old boy was safely tucked away so not probs there. I lost my head for half a lap but then got into a rhythm again and moved back through well.

Ride of the day was from fellow Brit Killeen, who came through 70th on the grid to finish 4th! After suffering for the past 14 months it was some comeback. With two of us in the top 10 it was the best Senior XC since maybe 1993 when Dave Baker took the Bronze.

It was great weekend for the Brits though especially for the DH guys, in particular a 1,2,6 finish in the junior men, Rach Atherton winning the women’s race by 11 secs! then Gee Atherton winning the men’s with Peaty in 2nd.

Over the years I have always got my arse down to the finish of the DH to watch the last dozen or so guys come down. Is good sport, some are friends and it also gets my going for my own race. This year was no different, the living legend Peaty came down to go into the hot seat with 6 to go to the crowds delight. Sam Hill was on it and was 7 secs up coming into the finish then lost the front wheel and decked it, he got up quick sharp and crossed the line 0.5 secs behind peaty. The next few failed and it was down to the Gee. He was up all the way down and crossed the line 2secs up to make it a Brit 1-2. It was an awesome ride but was gutted for the old guy who missed out on the only title that has eluded him.

I have a week off the bike now to give my mind and body a break then it’s all about the Olympic Games on August 23rd.

17.6.08

It is now 4 days to go to my first big target of the year, the World Champs in Val di Sole in Italy and starting to get a bit wound up by it all, which is a good thing as long it does not stop me getting my beauty sleep.

After the Fort William world cup I had a few easy days pencilled in and then travelled over to Italy on the Thurs to have 10 days to prepare here. Bad bit was that I came down with a cold the day I arrived and instead of spending 2 days doing some mint road rides in the Dolomites with my US team mates I was lying in bed being grumpy and thinking it was the end of the world. Luckily things have come round now and i have been able to train for the last few days and feel like i am back to my self of 2 weeks ago.

The course is pretty tough with some super steep climbs and some equally steep drops, which in the dry are not too bad but become pretty sketchy when its wet, which it has been for the last couple of days. Managed to have a couple of'hey you guys' stumbles in practice but nothing major and I like the course so all good.

Now its just of case of been fresh, knowing the lines and giving it some gas on race day.

8.6.08

After a few weeks of training and some road racing it was time to get back to it and put a number plate on again at the 5th round of the world cup at Fort william in Scotland.

To add some power i had grown a bad ass beard, this started on the train camp in France when me and Adam decided to form a pact, he would not cut his hair and i would not shave till Fort William. The result we looked like 2 extras form Brave Heart. Its gone now though as Mrs Beck did not like it and i was starting to look like i should be selling the big issue.

Back to the race, the training had gone really well and i thought the legs were good and it all started well as i moved from my 20's gridding into the front group of 12 after lap 1. The group stayed togther for a few laps then blew apart on lap 4 and i got caught in a bad place and missed the split and was in the second group.

On the next 3 laps the old legs were still good and i moved through a few guys and starting  the last big climb was in 6th and chasing the podium only 20secs away. But it was not to be and on the long flat run in i was caught by 3 guys who then beat me up in the last 500m and i ended up 9th

But this is a personal best in a world cup and equals my best ever 9th at the 2005 worlds, so all good and to do it at my home world cup with all the brit supporters made it even better.

Next up is the World Champs in Italy in 2 weeks time and with good form thing are looking good.

Over the few months i am going to one of the BBCs focused athletes and doing a diary for them for the cycling and olympic sections of the BBC website. To start it off they did an interview, which can be viewed at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/cycling/7431389.stm

1.6.08

After training for the last 2 weeks I needed a bit of low key racing to get back into the flow. What better than a bit of 10speed racing, always good for a bit of pain and some leg speed.

On the thurs evening i headed up to Castle Coombe the local car racing circuit where Chippenham Wheelers run a summer series. I have been racing at castle coombe since i was a junior and enjoy it but always find it hard as its pan flat and fast, not so good for a stickman. We had 30 guys in the E/1/2 field for out 17lap- 30miler and just for giggles it started raining hard 10mins before we started and for the whole race. With no rain in a  few days and some nice car fuel on the track it was slippy as. Everyone gets stuck in for these races and after finding out how hard you could pedal with out sliding it became a laugh. Just approaching the bell i gave it a go and got a gap. this was good but also bad as it meant i had to try really hard for 4 mins and try and actually win. I held off the bunch and too my first ever win in 15 years.

After getting in a sweet MTb ride at Afan with Wilko on Fri i then headed on the Sunday down to Salisbury plain for the 130km South Division road champs. It was a good course and no rain and with some good guys so just the ticket. After lots of trying a move finally went and 5 if us were away on the last lap. Up the last climb i gave it a good shot but could not crack one last man and got done in a sprint for the line. But still was happy that i was riding well and if my form on the road is good normally im real good on the dirt.

21.5.08

Did a bit of the old questions and answers this week for Giants ride life site about training and my current train camp. Thought i would put these on the diary for those of you who are interested.

Q-What’s your training program been like for the last few days? Do you structure it on a day-by-day, a week-by-week, or is it all planned for the whole year in advance (subject to illness etc)?

A- I have a rough plan in advance for the year that is worked out in November, this evolves a bit then through the year. This is broken down into phases of 3-6 weeks with specific training days and goals in there. I work with Louis Passfield a sports scientist who helps me out.

Q-Do you try to train at the moment on different types of terrain, or are you sticking to one type?

A-At The moment i am on a training camp in The vercours region of the alps so most of the riding is hilly, but there is a mix of off road and road with a mix of endurance and short intense days

Q-How much do you use the training camps to test out new equipment-  on this training camp for example?

A-The Training camps are the time to test me out! I generally test equipment in my easy periods on my home trails

Q-Do you stick to a rigourous routine and if so what  - approximately!  - is it?

A-This camp is broken down into 3 blocks of 3 days with a recovery day between. General pattern is Long 5 hr MTB ride with some strength efforts, a 2hr ride with specific intervals and then a 5hr road ride with tempo climbs. After that I need my easy day for sure and after 3 blocks of this i need a few easy days when i am at home.

Q-How has the weather been?

A-Mixed , some sunny days, some cold foggy days but not alot of rain, which is what counts. The higher Mtb trails at 1700m are still snowed up and the higher roads near Bourg de Oisans are still snowed covered. But all the roads on the vercours are snow free now.

Q-Do you know a lot about where you’ve been staying in advance? And the routes you’ll be on? If somebody’s trying a training camp like yours could you recommend a couple of vital dos and don’ts?

A-I have stayed in Villard de Lans before and know a local ride guide Ed Nicol. Who has been on some rides with us and got the maps out. I knew that the weather here would be ok at this altitude in May by speaking with Ed.

I would always get as much info on the area from searching the internet or better speaking to locals. If you are going somewhere to train you need to know that you will be able to achieve what you planned and bad weather, hot weather, traffic, road conditions can effect this.

15.5.08

Having raced for 4 weeks in a row it a great to not be pinning a number on for 2 weeks and get some training in. When you race tough MTB races back to back there is not a lot you can do in the week between other than recover, practice and then race again. The end result being that after a while you actually start losing fitness despite the racing.

It would off been nice to have spent this time at home with my family, caught up with some mates and not lived out of a bag for a while but with the Worlds coming up in 5 weeks time at a medium altitude venue the best thing to do was to come to the same height to train. So I am writing this in a little 1 bed apartment in Villard de Lans on the Vercours plateau near Grenoble. 

Its a great riding spot with epic traffic free road riding and lots of MTB trails. Being away from the big Alps there are more road options and less tourists driving around which is sweet. I am not here on my own but staying with US team mate Adam Craig, who has bitten the bullet and decided to stay in Europe for the 3 weeks between racing, its a commitment to be away for 10 weeks but he will feel the benefit of the no jet lag programme in the next races. Also in the area is Ed Nicol a mate who runs a bike and ski guiding company so he is showing us the loops.

Having banged out 15hrs in the saddle in the last 3 days on I am on a rest day today before starting another 3 days of training. I have timed it well too as its raining today hence the rather long diary entry. Will write again with how its going and try and get some photos up, inc the crazy Gorge roads round here that are cut into the cliffs with 200m drops to the side. Fair play to the guys who cut these roads years ago, i guess that is what people did before the invention of TV, the internet and good films..

12.5.08

Over the weekend i took part in the 2nd round of the British series on Sat at Drumlanrig castle in Scotland and came home with the win. Having raced 3 world cups in a row and been travelling around all over Europe my brain was after a weekend but luckily my body had recovered well and was still in good shape.  

On the technical rocky, rooty circuit my Anthem full susser was spot on and i allowed me to take time on the climbs and then float the descents and on the second of six laps i was out on my own and eventually finished the 6 laps with a 2 min gap to take the top step on the podium and the 30 world ranking points.

After 4 races in 4 weeks i now have some time to train and am off on Tues for 12 days in the Alps with my teammate Adam Craig. I am staying at Villard de Lans in the Vercourse region. Ed Nicol the ex national team manager lives here where he runs a bike/ski holiday company, so he can show us the trails and quiet roads. Check out  www.bikeandski-vercors.com for some photos and details.

5.5.08

The 3 back to back World Cups have finished and its not been a bad run of races and i now sit in 21st overall. 

The 3rd race took place in Madrid, in the Casa de Campo park 2 km from the city centre. the course is fast with small steep hills and been close to the city gets about 30,000 spectators most of whom are loud, crazy spaniards.  

The week since the last race had gone well and i had recovered well and with the Giant US guys backing me up things were sweet come race day.  

The race was mental and started fast and never let up, after 3 laps there was a front group of 25 riders and i was sat happy in there, but knew it was going to kick off. On lap 4 of 7 the big guns fired and it was in bits. I was suffering a bit in the 28degress heat but kept it together despite a high speed 2 wheel wash out crash and hung in there for 19th place.  

Next up is a National series race in Scotland this weekend, then i am off to the alps with team mate Adam Craig for 2 weeks to get ready for the WC in Scotland and the Worlds which are both big aims this year.

2.5.08

Did an interview with British Cycling a week or so ago, check ot out on

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/mtb/News2008/20080418_oli_beckingsale_interview.asp

31.4.08

The World Cup whirl wind continued with the round 2 at Offenburg in Germany.   The course is pretty nuts with loads of rooty singletrack and crazy long steep drops, which the locals love and attracts massive crowds.   After last weeks 18th i was on the 3rd row and looking forward to a decent start but then got a bit of a shocker and dropped to the 40s, like an idiot i panicked, went to hard to try and move up and then suffered big time. Eventually i came round and started going forward again but 30th was as good as it was going to get. But still 23rd overall which will do.   My team mate Adam Craig was having a sweet day and was mixing it with the big guns finishing 8th

Next up is Madrid for round 3 this weekend

24.4.08

Before i came over to Belgium I popped in to Kent Uni where my coaching consultant and all round clever bloke Prof Louis Passfield is based. Did some media stuff with local BBC and Kent TV. Basically Olympic based stuff but came across pretty good, interested then links are

The BBC piece can be viewed at; http://www.bbc.co.uk/southeasttoday/latest_stories/

Click on section marked 'Scientists help pedal power'.

Kent one is  http://www.kenttv.com/programmes.php?PID=1094&Title=Biking+for+Beijing

21.4.08

Writing this in Germany feeling pretty knackered but mentally happy about how last week’s World Cup opener went. The race was in Houfallize in Belgium and with 15 previous World Cup races there going back to 1990 its the closest thing us off roaders has to a classic.

It’s a tough, hilly and well worn technical course and heavy rain on the Saturday made things more even interesting. Thankfully it was dry on race day, which is sound for riders, helpers and spectators. In Houf you always get a lot of nutter Belgies who shout their heads off fuelled on beer, sausages and waffles and the atmosphere is brilliant.

The opening World Cup is always flat out and with this being Olympic year and loads of countries infighting for selection it was going to go up a notch. With my grid of 49th (based on last year’s World Cup) and a bit of missed training i was not too confident but deep down i was feeling ok and with a 2 min steep road climb start that suited stickmen things could of been far worse. I was also on my new XTC advanced SL hardtail prototype with new SID fork so my push bike had lost a pound in the last week which was going to help.

As the 260 man (yes 260!) field hit the climb it kicked off but my legs were good and I moved up into the top 30 before the singletrack. Over the next few laps i moved forward and was feeling comfortable and with 2 laps to go was sitting in 14th but then my missed training started to tell and I stalled a bit and faded to 18th.  Was still happy to make the top 20 and start my season with a solid result from a duff gridding. I feel like I am over my problems of last year, the confidence is back up and that i can ride in the top 10 sometime in the next couple of months.

This weekend we race the 2nd World Cup in Germany so I am hanging out here for the week. I am staying in a sweet apartment in the vineyards and with Adam Craig and the guys from Giant USA. Its great to be with some nice people and getting well looked after with Tom on the bikes and Elke on the legs and management, so life is good.

8.3.08

I took myself off to Ireland on the weekend for the 3rd race in the K capital International series on the weekend. It was another technical circuit but had some real good sections of rocky rooty stuff that was hard to ride smooth. The legs were good in practice but my throat was not the best and I felt on the edge of a cold.

Woke up on Sunday and shit had happened, throat was proper sore now and felt a bit out of it. With loads of important races coming up the only option was not start the race. This is the first time in 11 years as a pro that I have travelled to a race, practiced and then got ill, so i guess it was going to happen someday.

The race was the last session of a hard pre World cup block so it was a pain to miss it but i have been training hard so its not the end of the world. Instead I now need to chill out, feel 100% and then get a couple of hard days in before heading off to the World Cup on the 20th.

This year the UCI have put the opening 3 World Cup races in row. This is super tough and the best option is to get fit and fresh and then hope for the best. All you can do is race and recover. With the 1st National race the week before it is not the best for me to be there and make it 4 races in a row. I made the hard decision to miss it and focus on the big picture, which is riding well at the Worlds and the Games. However I will be at the 2nd race and up for it.

Check out MBUK this month as my Welsh Epic is in there with some real nice photos.

31.2.08

They say a wins a win and yesterday I notched up my second of the year at the 1st round of the Midland series. Having pulled out of the Girvan road race the week before with a cold I needed a replacement race and decided to roll up to Stoke.

It was a great race and felt like the old days. I rolled up on the day with my two girls, signed on, warmed up and raced. No pre ride, no hotels, no stress.. The course was good despite the heavy overnight rain and was starting to flow by the end of the race. Best of all the sun was out for the whole day which made everyone happy, most of all Rach and Zoe who were stuck in the woods for 2 hrs handing out bottles.

With some heavy training in my legs I decided to sit in and take it steady for the first 2 laps and was happy to follow Duncan Jameson around and let him find out how deep the muddy ditches were! Then I wound it up a bit and tried to get faster each lap. Felt pretty good and like the stick legs had some power so think I am on track.

Next week I am off to Ireland for the 3rd round of their series, then a weekend off then its time for the big stuff with the opening World Cup in Belgium.

10.3.08

Just returned from Ireland and my first MTB race of the year, it all went well and have notched up my first win of 2008. It was my first ever visit to Ireland and I like the place and also the Kcapital race series is a good one as well, with good courses, a chilled out atmosphere and a good bunch of locals.

The course was pretty technical, which was to be expected as it was designed and built by Irish champ Robin Seymour, who loves the tech stuff and goes downhill quicker than any XC rider I know. With this series been the Irish Olympic selection the local were also going to be flying and pretty psyched so it was going to be tough.

The race went off fast and my legs were a bit dead but got going after a few mins and starting going round well. I was a bit rusty on the slippy roots and Robin was off and gone. I held the gap but for the next 3 laps it was between 5 and 30secs. Then on lap 4 I made contact and starting the last lap had 5 secs which i extended on the climbs and made 1 min at the end.

So all good and not a bad start to the year. After 5 months out of racing i was a bit slow on speed but that will come. Next up is some road stuff and then back to Ireland for the 3rd round of the Kcapital series on April 6th.

18.2.08

Feb has been a great month for riding so far with cold, sunny days and dry trails. Been getting it loads of off road riding inc a 3 day epic with Nick Craig in Wales. I had an idea to ride all the trails at the 7 trail centres in Wales in 3 days. Stupid as it adds up 160 miles, but I need some hard training. 

After 15hrs of mostly singletrack, a gallon of coffee, 2 curries, a bit of rally driving , a few hrs of night riding we finished the challenge. The weather was great and to be honest if it was bad I would of cracked. Instead it was a riot and loads of fun.

It has been a while since I have ached all over from my neck to my feet as our bodies took a right good kicking. The challenge is going to be a feature in MBUK magazine in a couple of months so check it out.

The time for road trips is soon to be over as the season kicks off soon. Got a week road training in Majorca then off to earn my keep with Giant at their dealer demo week, where i will be taking dealers out in Cannock (so life could be worse). Then the racing starts on March 6th in Ireland.

14.1.08

I am writing this with a smug grin on my face as i am currently sat in a cafe at Palma Majorca airport on my way home from my first training camp of the year. The reason for the smugness being that in the 11 days I have been here I have done 40hrs of quality riding without rain, where as back in the UK its been miserable with high winds and monsoon rain. Its always sweet to be away and watch BBC world and find the weather at home is crap, on the other hand ive been away before in Spain training in the rain while Bristol had sun, so its not always as simple as get on plane get sun.

The GB team have a base in Majorca from Jan through till March for the endurance track squads and I managed to tag along. The mens squad were there and managed to get some rides in with them, although missed there interval blocks out as I am still getting  in my base fitness. Them boys were working hard and going good and also full of confidence, so it was good to be around that a group like that as it is easy to be motivated.

Got a week back home now to sort out my life, do some work type stuff like a MBUK feature and make sure equipment and kit is on its way. Most of my sponsors are staying on from last year but got some new ones too. The main ones being Giant of course, Schwalbe, SRAM, Hope, Race Face, Crank Bros and Oakley.

Then its some MTB riding and then back out to Majorca for another week of road work, where hopefully my luck will continue with the weather, cheers.

18.12.07

Well 2007 is nearly over and good riddance too it and bring on 2008. From the start of this year to the end I have been struggling a bit and it has not been much fun either and at points has defiantly been a job. But I got through in 1 piece, with my head still screwed on and still with some good results in the bag.

At the end of November the training was still relaxed and i was able to do some proper fun things with my weekends. First up was my first experience of enduro MX racing, unfortunately I was not on the bike but spectating as my bro was lining up for his first competitive time out in the South West series. 300 riders in a field revving the arses out of their bikes gave me a buzz just standing there, Joe-boy looked like he was feeling too as he was pale as. Over the next 3 hrs I stomped the course and kept popping up like dungeon master, the boy did good taking 13th out of 60 in sports and ended up walking like a cowboy for a few days.

Then the week after I was off to Belgium for a 2 day raid, with some of the guys from Giant and their mates. On the menu was some bike racing at the Koikjside cyclo cross World cup with chips, mayo and beer and then into Ghent for a night at the Ghent 6 day track race and a few more Duvals. The cross race was wicked, amazing crowds like being at a football match and good close racing. The 6 day was good once we got there and being in the mosh pit in the middle was the way forward. From there we hit the town and finally back home for a quick kip and drive home with some serious TC. For cycling fans who enjoy a beer or two I would recommend it.

But as December began it was time to get reasonably serious and start structured training. Nothing too hard but a good mix of road work, cross rides, MTB loops and Gym stuff, which combined should take me into the new year strong, balanced and fit enough for training camps.

Have a good xmas and new year.

27.11.07

Did some tips for XCracer.com and thought I would add them here too. Hope it helps with the winter, though so far it has not been too bad.

Top winter tips.

1- Get the right gear, bit of no brainer but makes a big difference.

Mudguards like crud catchers front and back, something under your helmet like a buff, layer up with under vest by your skin, and waterproof socks or winter riding shoes for the really crap days

2- Pick the right trails for the conditions

Some trails are year round (most of manmade ones) and some trails are only good for dry periods (like most of the stuff round Bristol where I live) There is no point riding round in really muddy trails all ride, ruins your bike and kills moral.

3- Be flexible

Check the weather and if try and fit in with it. If you a planning a weekend epic ride on Sunday and sat looks like being a good day and Sunday shit, try and switch it round. Likewise if its peeing down in the morning check to see if it is gonna clear up later on.

4- Get oiled up

This is a top racing boys tip. If you are going out in the rain putting some oil (baby oil or bike specific stuff like elite ozone) on your feet, legs, butt and lower back. This will keep the warmth in and the cold wet out.  This is where the shaven legs come in useful

5- Stay keen

The main thing is to stay keen and enthusiastic. if the weather is really bad then stay home and save your juice for another day than thrash around in the mud and get cold and pissed off. If you are looking to race in the spring, it is what you do in Feb and march that counts not November.

10.11.07

Sorry for lack of entries over the past month but in terms of bike riding there has not been a lot going on. After the race in Turkey the bike stayed in the bag and I went off to Majorca for a week with my girls which hit the spot. Other than throwing the nipper round the pool and getting off the couch to get another beer there was no exercise done.

But after holiday there is plenty of deal sorting and the like to be done for next year and sorting out training and racing plans so that keeps me busy. Oh and doing all the DIY stuff I have put off for the last 10months.

But after 3 weeks off its time to get back on the pusher and start some easy riding and also put of the shell suit gear for some run/gym work. For a month I will do roughly 10hrs of exercise a week with some road, MTB, running and gym making up the time. Then at the start of Dec I have a 3 day MTB camp in North Wales with the National team, so need to be kinda fit for that so I do not die on my arse and have to be pushed home.

15.10.07

This year has been a bit of nightmare for GB as a nation in terms of our National ranking and Olympic place allocation. The basic way that it works is that the National rank is the top 3 riders points added together, then depending on the countries rank of 06 and 07 combined the Nation gets 1, 2 or 3 places at the games. Simple hey.

In 06 we had a great year and with Liam Killeen in 10th and myself in 13th we were sitting in 6th overall and only 1 place of 3 spots. But 10 months later and with Liam out of action for most of the year and with myself not riding so high we are sitting in a combined rank of 13th. This is still 2 spots but if we drop to 14th we get only 1 spot and the Czechs are not far behind and having had a good Worlds are even closer.

This has made the last few races of this year very important and to be honest not as much fun as they normally are. So instead of sitting on a beach with a Stella or doing some chilled out races in the UK I packed my bags and headed off for a couple of high ranked Euro Races.

First up was the Hondsrug Classic in Holland. This is a massive 1 day event with 1500 riders starting at once. It is based on a big lap and the elite riders and most others do 2 laps which takes the winner about 1.40hrs. Being Northern Holland its pan flat, super fast and therefore not the most stickman friendly location. Added into the mix were 3 top cross riders on board their cross bikes.

I got a dodgy start and with the cross riders having the edge and attacking I was in a bit of grief when the line broke and I had to close on my own. I got back to the front group but at half way the shit hit the fan and it was too much for me and I got dropped from the front 9. The next group caught me and I tried to sit in and recover but when we started jumping for the finish i was stuffed and rolled in 19th. No points and with Czechs in 10th and 11th they picked up a handful.

Five Days later I was on a plane to Turkey for another end of season classic, the Alanya International Cup. The event is based around the historical castle in Alanya climbing and descending the steep hillsides and is a cool location for a bike race. The steep climbs were more to my liking and with the race clashing with the bigger Roc d Azur race in France the field was not too strong.

On Saturday it was a hot 30degress and dusty. As we warmed up on race day it went black and the taps turned on. It was like a monsoon and the rocks and cobbles on the descents were slick. The roads were like Ice and on the start loop several guys hit the deck by riding like idiots. I got a gap on the main climb and the legs were good but the 2 Ukranian guys got me back on the descent as I stayed safe. I rode away on the climb again but this time a twisted front mech allowed me to be caught as I stopped in the pits. But thankfully after that I was OK and took the win and a valuable 60 Points.

Now I can finally have that Stella on the beach as I put the bike away for a couple of weeks and head off on holiday. We still have a gap on the Czechs and with only races left in South America I hope things are safe, but we will see..

23.9.07

The third MTb race in 3 weeks but this time in the UK, well was abroad really as up in North Wales. The race was the 5th and final round of the National series and was held at the classic trail centre of Coed Y Brenin. The circuit was based on the old trail centre and the Red Bull trail which was pretty cool, as the course had some good climbs and downhills. The only spanner in the works was the 65mm of rain that fell on the area on Friday morning which made some of the trails more suitable for an edition of paddles up than a bike race. There was a visitor too in the shape of the Dane Peter Anderson, who is pretty speedy with  a 14th place finish at the Worlds a couple of weeks before.

Warming up the legs felt good, which a nice surprise as i felt pretty shit all week and from the start i felt comfortable and strong. A group formed on lap 1 with me, Peter and Paul Oldham, who was riding on Dad power and trying to show 4 week old Declan how cool his Dad is. On lap 3 the pace became a bit hot for Paul and he drifted off but me and Peter were pretty even. Going into the last lap and i attacked on the 2 main climbs but no luck and with 2 miles to go I got jumped on the forest road. I could not get on Peters wheel and the gap slowly opened before the big downhill to the finish. I was beaten and did not push the descent as i was worried about punctures crossing the line 20 secs back.

But 2nd on the day was good enough for me too take the Series for the 5th time and go with my National Champs title. That means i have held both titles for the last 3 years which is a record i am proud of.

16.9.07

After 2 days back at home to dry out and do my washing it was travel time again, to the World Cup final in Slovenia. What was supposed to be a easy trip out with some of the National team guys turned into a bit of a hassle as they all missed the plane having got stuck in traffic. After a few quick calls the hire car was in my name and after wrestling with a map of Slovenia in WHsmiths i worked out roughly where i was going (too tight to pay £8.99  for a map i will prob only use once, better to try and remember the way using my photo graphic memory and hope for the best).

I cruised through Slovenia on my own in a nine seater transit and found the road i needed, after climbing up for 14km i was starting to lose faith but came upon a sign for the village i needed. It was worth the drive as the place was pretty stunning, with views over the city. We were at the top of the main hill by the gondola and the course was at the bottom of the hill 900m below.

The rest of team 'hey u guys' turned up at 1am and after a lazy morning we headed out after lunch for some course practice. The ride down the hill was mental, we avoided the freeride tracks as the yanks who arrived early in the week described them as scary steep and went for the forest road. 20mins later and with smoking brakes and arm pump we hit the course. It was a good one with rooty climbs and downhills and a nasty start climb, it was proper riding and as long as it stayed dry would be cool.

I started 57th on the grid and with ok legs moved up on the wider start climb and hit the narrow stuff in the 30's. Got into a good rythem and moved forward a bit and held it all together for a pleasing 27th place. I felt better than the Worlds the week before and was riding technically better too which was bit annoying, although the Anthem fully was helping things no end.

9.9.07

The biggest MTB race of the year has come and gone and it was a great weekend for British Mountain biking as it was a awesome event. The Downhill Brits did well again with 4 medals in all 4 events and David Fletcher did a great ride to win Bronze in XC junior men. However for me it was a steady day and I finished disappointed in 35th.

After the last 2 seasons where I have been riding well and at peak form at the Worlds it was not nice to be there not 100%.  I had some promising signs before the race and a good race 3 weeks ago but also some bad health again so did not know how it was going to go. I rode as fast I could but was not tough enough or fast enough and had to settle for a steady ride.

I am looking forward to the winter and getting back on top of things again but for now I have to focus like Fashanu and look towards the World Cup final and the National final in the next 2 weeks.

7.9.07

The big news up here is obviously the superb ride of junior Dave Fletcher in the Junior men’s race taking a bronze medal. Fletch has been getting stronger all year but raised his game on the day that matters. He was in the mix from the start and rode with his head as well as his legs to take 3rd by a healthy gap and super close to the win.

The GB DH and 4X riders have also qualified really well and if they can handle the pressure will be sure to gain medals, as they normally do at the champs. Great to see Steve Peat back on his bike and riding after his injury and with a few more days rehab he will be running sweet again.

For me its almost race day but today’s lie in was disturbed by the dope testers from the UCI, who came calling at 6am for blood samples. A load of teams were tested yesterday and its good to see, if not a little annoying when you are sound asleep.

6.8.07

The World Champs are now in full swing up here in Fort William with a number of medals won and lost. There are none for the Brits yet but as i write this the junior men are on course so that may change, as GB have 4 talented young ones in there.

As you would expect up in West Scotland it’s raining and has been drizzling pretty much non-stop for the last couple of days. But this has affected the trade area more than the race track, as the course stands up very well to the bad weather. Most of the track is man made and has been designed to be weather proof and also last a number of years so that it can be used for future races and by the public.

As for me things are going well and the days are ticking by without too much trouble or boredom. As that can be a problem before big races as you are sitting around a lot killing time whilst been slightly nervous. It’s a bad combination and thankfully gadgets or a good book normally does the trick.

4/8/07

The final hard training is done and i fly up to Scotland tomorrow (Monday). In the week up to the race my training is all based around the course, a few laps on Tuesday steady and then a couple of laps on Thursday with a bit of hard work mixed in to open myself up. Other than that its easy road rides and plenty of time watching DVDs to fill the time.

The course up at fort William includes a long technical descent so this needs to be practised so that come race day i am as smooth and quick as possible. It’s not scary to ride but the rock and bermed sections need to be taken as fast as possible so it becomes technical in that way.

Tuesday will be a busy day for the GB team in general as well as for me. As well as morning practice there is the team relay in the afternoon and then the opening ceremony in he evening. The team relay is always a good race and one that i have done a few times myself. Basically its a 4 lap race with a senior, under 23 and junior man and a women doing a lap each in any order. So you have a women been chased down in the last lap by a senior man for the win, which gets pretty interesting. As for the result the hot money is on the Swiss.

19.7.07

I was in need of a decent race before the Worlds and also in need of some World ranking points so headed off to Hungary of all places to do the Budapest Cup. Ian Wilko was in the same boat so came out with his girlfriend Jayne which made it a bit of a laugh too.

The race was great, well organised, good atmosphere and some good riders turned up, but the best bit was that I did them all and won! The course was good too, with some fast technical stuff in the first half and then a couple of tough climbs in the second. It was short and we had 8 laps to do which was going to hurt, especially as it was 30degress too.

From lap 1 me and the pole and highest ranked rider in race Galinski were off the front but on lap 2 I got a gap, this 20sec buffer remained for a few laps but then he cracked and by the end I had a healthy 2 mines, to take my third ever International win. Not a bad time to do it either with only 3 weeks to the Worlds

12.7.07

Sorry for the lack of updates during the last month, this is not due to me been slack but a technical problem with the server. The missing diaries are featured below, Cheers

5.7.07

Two weeks after the Nationals it was time to find out whether the training was working as I lined up at the Swiss Cup in Bern. The Swiss cup is a big series and always gets a decent international field and with this round being their higher category registered race the Men’s field looked like a World Cup.

I like Swiss cups races as they always have a good atmosphere, with a good crowd and no frills approach to racing. This venue was one of the best I have been too as it was on the top of a big hill above Bern that was accessed using a mountain train, that took you straight up the side of the hill up to 800m altitude.

The course was a good tough one with some grass start loops and then a hilly 5km lap with fast tech descents inc a near vertical shoot followed by a little ring on the front of your seat climb. With 3 start loops and 7 laps it was going to be a tough one for sure.

I started well and moved up a bit on the last start loop and had a smile on my face as my legs were good. It was going too fast for me at the front but I settled into a descent group that went from 12 to 18. We swapped around between us during the race and going into the last lap I was in a battle for 11th with Frishi and two other guys. On the last climb I was going ok but finding it tough and was in 13th but then Sauser cam past at warp speed and knocked me to 14th (He snapped his chain on the line and came through from a 4min penalty!!). It was a good ride and for the first time in a while I felt like I was riding like I was last year, there is still more to come though.

22.7.07

Six days after the Euros it was time to defend my National title. With dodgy form and a dirty trip to Turkey in my legs I was far from confident and with everyone knowing that I was not at my best a few people fancied their chances of taking my stripy jersey.

The race was at the classic venue of Newnham Park and after the cock up of the Bristol Nationals; Martyn Salt had come to the rescue and combined the Champs with a round of his National Series (Good job fella). The course at Plymouth is not as hard as in the old days staying in the park but there were a few short tough climbs to spilt the race.

Come race day if let like my legs had come round a bit from the kicking they took in Turkey and I started the race a bit happier. From the off Paul Oldham and Wilko took it on and on lap 1 we were off. Poor Oldman was suffering from a cold so dropped back and that left me and Wilko to battle it out. I spent most of the time at the front and attacked every climb, but with a lack of fitness and the climbs being short meant that I could not drop Wilko. However I kept going and on the last lap I finally got a gap that I held to the finish to take my 5th Senior title and my 3rd on the trot.

Was a relief to come good and get it out the way and now I can concentrate on getting into shape for the Worlds

20.7.07

Check out the August edition of Men’s Fitness magazine. It’s a bike special and I am doing my gym workout for them. Look a bit bad though compared to all the buffed geezers in the rest of the magazine though.

16.7.07

After a few weeks out of action and only 10days training the Euro Champs in Turkey were going to be a tough return. But I had to start somewhere so turned up and gave it a go. The Euro Champs have been highlights for me over the last 2 years with a 6th and a 10th but this year I ended up a with very steady 32nd . The first hour was ok and in was in the 20’s and feeling ok but the last hour took its toll and I suffered like a dog and dropped back a bit. But to be honest it was great to be feeling healthy again and riding properly, if not a bit slower than I would like.

The racing sucked but the location of the race was cool. It is the region of Cappadocia in the middle of the country and the main attraction is the houses dug into the rock. It’s a weird rock here and is stable but easy to carve and back in the day they locals made their homes in the rock. Later on the Christians hung out here and hid from the Romans and there are hundreds of churches in the area. Some of the rocks are like cones up to 50metres high and are now 4 storey townhouses. It’s pretty rare to race somewhere interesting and it made the ride to the course and back a bit exciting.

27.6.07

After not doing a lot and generally getting pissed off for 2 weeks I am back on my bike and training again, after my physical collapse at the 3rd World Cup. It looks like it was a build up of fatigue that goes back to when I was really ill in January. There is never a good time to take a break and this was not a good time as I was forced to miss the Giant-T mobile 24hr and have also had to cancel a training camp/Olympic recce to Asia next week.

The 24hr race is a massive event for everyone at Giant and as defending champions and the 10th anniversary it was super important, so to pull out was really disappointing and not good for Giant. Without a Giant World team to pick from it was harder to find a squad especially now we needed 4 guys, but we got a good team together from Europe. We had 2 Norwegians Truls and Martin and two Dutch guys Leo and Nieck. And for their sins they also had me as team manager to show them the ropes.

Having never ridden an event like this before and never raced at night the guys were up against it. They started well but against a well drilled and experienced Scott UK team they started to drop away. 2 broken mechs in the mud knocked us back to third behind the Danish Rivelle squad. But the guys did a great job and made it on to the podium.

Next up for me are the Euro Champs and then the Nationals. Hopefully I can find gain some fitness I the 3 weeks before and ride OK. Then I can keep building to the Worlds.

19.6.07

Well I was hoping that the first half of my season would end in cheers but instead it was tears. After the second World Cup I was feeling a bit rough and missed the third national race to try and be in good shape for the 3rd World Cup race in Switzerland. I trained at home and that went well but in the days coming up to the race something was up. I put these negative feelings to the back of my mind and cracked on till race day.

I was gridded 23rd and with a 3min start loop climb before a long tech descent a good start was essential. The gun went and we were off but even before we started the hill I had lost places and no matter how hard I tried the brakes felt like they were on and people were coming round me. I slipped back into the 70’s by the end of lap 1 and on lap 2 things did not improve and I decided to call it a day. I hate pulling out of races and it makes me feel bad for days. It sucked even more as my family and my parents had come to watch and to see their faces as I rode by slowly was not good skills.

However shit happens and that’s bike racing. I have a small virus which eventually got the best of me and forced me to rest. After a couple of days of sleeping a lot and feeling rough and grumpy I came round a bit and could enjoy my week’s holiday in France. Stayed off the bike for 6 days before jumping on one of my old Scott Strikes that my Dad rides now to pedal round the lanes for a couple of hours. These things can take a while to sort out but when it does I will be back on it.

4.6.07

Unfortunately I missed the 3rd round of the National Series on the weekend through bad health. Since the World cup the previous weekend I have been a bit under the weather and come sat I was still not right so had to make the call to stay at home. With another big World Cup race this weekend I could not risk racing and making myself worse and end up messing up both races.

After racing the first 2 flat races it was a shame to sit out a hilly one, especially as its not far form home to Margam Park, in fact it was at Margam that I won my first National as a Youth way back in 1991!! Just writing that down makes me feel like an old bastard. The race was won by young un Ian Bibby (his 1st NPS win) so well done to Bibbs, the lad has come on a notch this year and looking good. Although looks like he had to work hard, only beating fellow stickman Paul Oldham by 6 secs, having caught him on the last lap. Bet them two legging it across the grassy finish at Margam in full pain mode was a sight, trying to squeeze every last watt out of there little cramping quads.

I did a piece on getting into MTB for Guardian newspaper which was in on Saturday. If you want to check it out it’s on their site at

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2092522,00.html

After the World Cup race this weekend I am popping straight over to France for a week’s break with my folks in France so will not be able to post a report on the race till the following week but check out www.cyclingnews.com for the result.

28.5.07

Just got back from the 2nd World Cup race and feel like I’ve been playing Rugby, not riding my bike. The course combined with the conditions made it one of the most difficult World Cups I have done. The race was in Offenburg, Germany and is described as the most technical circuits in the country and as I went round on Friday I found they were not exaggerating.

Most of the 5km loop was on single-track and had a few nasty climbs and some nasty descents to match, but the thing that Offenburg has is 4 really steep drops. Each one dropping 8 meters or so on what feels almost vertical at the top, but no worries as it was 34 degrees and bone dry.

But on Sunday as we waited in the hotel it started to spit rain and when we left to ride to the course 2 hrs before the race it was throwing it down and we were in our full waterproofs. There was quick change to mud tires and on went the crud catcher in preparation and I hoped for good luck. When the conditions are bad everyone will have some bad luck with crashing and mechanical problems but you have to keep positive and hope that you can stay in the race.

My positivity was tested on only the second corner as some chumps got tangled up and then took me with them. 4 of us hit the deck and with 210 riders behind me I was scared of been trampled but somehow I got up quickly with me and my push bike in one piece. But the result was a few bumps and I was back in the 80s. One good thing is that the legs were going round good and I moved up when I could, but with lots of slippy single-track this was not that easy and of course every time we got to one of the drops it was carnage as chumps were overtaking waiting riders on stupid lines and then decking it. Proper penis of the day award went to the new Swiss champ, I do not know his name but the bloke is a dick as he did this 3 times on lap 1.

As everyone got spread out though life got easier and by lap 4 of 7 I had got up to 25th, but then it was my turn for a big crash as my hands slipped off the bars at the bottom of a drop and I went off the back off the bike, again me and my bike were in 1 piece but more bumps and I lost the plot a bit. Over the last 2 laps I was getting a bit puffed out and struggled as the course got slower and slower and my bike got heavier and heavier. Eventually I crossed the line in 32nd not a great position but in some way I was happy just to get to the finish at all.

21.5.07

After a few days resting and training at home it was time to head up proper North to Scotland and in particular Fort William, the venue for the World Champs in Sept. The course has been re-designed for the champs and the Scots were holding a round of their series on the course, the race was also world registered so a few points and pounds up for grabs but most importantly it was an opportunity to get the feel and some data before the big day.

With the second round of the world cup the following week I had some training to do so Friday involved 3 hr session with some recce work and then 3 tempo laps of the course and then I chilled on the Sat and watched a dismal FA cup final as the rain hammered down. On Sunday though the weather was good (for Fort William) and we did not have to line up in our waterproofs.

The organisers were hoping to attract a few foreign riders but with some big races in Europe and a World cup the following week most stayed away, but the big Austrian Michael Weiss turned up. He is a good rider with some big results so I knew I was going to have a race on my hands, but was hoping it was not too hard as I need to save some gas for next Sunday.

The new course is generally tougher physically and climbs from the gun. Weiss rode hard on lap 1 and the two of us were clear. We then stayed together till the climb on lap 3 where he jumped me at the end and attacked the downhill, I flapped a bit and made a mistake and I started lap 4, 18 secs down. I almost closed him down by the top but again lost a few secs on the downhill. The last time up the climb I could see him slowing and my legs were still good and I caught him and jumped getting a gap which extended top 45 secs at the finish.

It was cool to win on the course and is good for the head, although there is some work to be done by Sept, to be near the front then I will need another gear on the climb and a bit more speed on the drop down.

13.5.07

After a couple of weeks off racing it was time to pin a number on again and start what will be a tough run of 5 races. It’s an important part of the season and includes the second and third World Cup races which are my main aims for the first half of the season.

Starting the racing off was the 2nd round of the National Series. A National is always a race worth trying for but this one was worth trying that bit harder for being Category 1 status (the nice guys at British Cycling had stumped up the extra funding to turn this race from a Category 2 International to a Cat 1, this means double World Points and double £) .

I had two small concerns though, firstly I have been training like a nutter for 2 weeks and after a few recovery days I was not going to feel tip top and secondly I hate riding at Clipstone. I banished a few ghosts last year by winning here but they changed the course again and put in more single-track, more dead turns and less bits where you pedalled. The other problem for all the riders was that with sport, expert and elite men and women on course at once it was going to be a nightmare for everyone with minimal passing places. So basically we were going to be spending all day trying not to crash into or piss off lapped riders and not hit any tree stumps as we went off piste to squeeze past. Anyway as I drove to the race I told myself to stop being grumpy and ride near the front to stay out of trouble.

The race started quick with the usual suspects and also a few foreign extras in the mix. I stayed out the trouble and out the wind and as we came round the first lap there was a group of 10 or so at the front. I gave it burst at the front as did Burry and Wilko but with no great affect. Then at the end of lap 3 Bibby jumped on the forest track and got a gap as everyone looked at each other. I let Burry chase a bit, let Wilko do his team mate blocking job in the single-track and then decided to try and go for it. I put my head down and just went hard, it kind of worked as the group split but still had Wilko on my wheel.

We caught Bibby and he could not hang on, so as we went into the last lap it was down to me and Wilko. For those who do not know him Wilko is MTB rider born and bred but is leading the National Road series at the moment and it is on the tarmac that he spends most of his time these days. He is build like a brick shit house and can sprint so a flat fast course is up his street. This meant my chances in a sprint were nil so I had to get away. On the draggy bits I gave it everything and had him swinging but not enough so we hit the finish together, where I got completely smashed!! Was pissed to lose a race like this but all in all I am pretty happy to come away with a 1st and 2nd from two flat National course. Next up is the World Champs test race in Fort William where we got to race the course where the big one is happening in Sept so should be interesting.

2.5.07

Not a lot going on in the racing department for a couple of weeks, having not started at Rutland road race last week. But plenty of training to be done before the next World Cup races and a few PR days, so I am not exactly sat around all day watching Under the Hammer (the best day time TV programme by far) and Countdown.

Last week went over to London for the day, for the Fort William World Champs media launch which was all pretty cool. Being that most mainstream journalists do not know that a world exists out of the M25 the organisers decided to take mountain biking and Scotland to them. They rented out a cool Scottish bar on Trafalgar Square, had a press conference, launch and then a load of us did a photo shoot on the steps. Peaty, Mosely and the Atherton’s were in attendance as well as the Fort William MP Charles Kennedy, the old Lib Dem leader that resigned due to liking the pop a bit too much. At one point me, Peaty and Charles posed together and all I could think about was this combo would be a messy night on the piss.

The guys did a great job there and to be honest I was pretty excited by it all. It’s going to be an awesome event and with 30,000 odd Brits there it’s going to be good to ride there, just hope I can get it right and be near the front somewhere.

23.4.07

The season finally got going properly yesterday with the first round of the World Cup. Until you have done this race it is always a nervous time as you do not know where you are really at. The race was in Houffalize in Belgium and for us mountain bikers it is the closest thing we have to a road classic. There had been a World Cup here most years since 1990 and the winners list is a who’s who of XC racers. The circuit is great as it is proper riding and combined with a great atmosphere and 30,000 mad Belgians this is where it’s at.

The start lap was 70% of a normal lap and went straight up a 3min 14% road hill before joining the circuit. This was right up my street and my legs were up for it and I got stuck in and went into the single-track in 5th place, I started the 1st lap proper in 9th place and then I realised that today was not going to be great and that the front guys were going to quick for me. I suffered for my fast start for the next 3 laps and my legs wanted to chill for a few minutes and recover, but this was not going to happen. Over the last 2 laps I came round a bit but it was too late to move too far forward and just picked off a few for 25th place. It’s an Ok result and to be honest it’s nice getting the first race out the way and get some points on the board and an ok gridding for the next round in late May

8.4.07

Raced the first National Series race at Thetford yesterday and despite feeling pretty rough all week I turned it on for race day and got the win. It sounds easy when I write it down but it was a tough weekend. After years of racing on the same circuit the venue moved to another part of the forest and even though it was the same type of stuff, a change was as good as a rest. For those of you that do not know Thetford forest it is flat with lots of BMX style single-track through the trees. To be honest it’s not really my bag, I like a few hills and all though the single-track is fun for a lap, to race round it for 40 of 60 km is a bit too intense and causes lots of problems with lapped riders. But the good bit is that the racing is close and more like a good road circuit race where you have to use your brain and not just your legs, if you ride at the front all day you just get knackered.

Being race number 1 there were a lot of pumped up people on the start line which worried me a bit with nearly a km of fast road to the first narrow track.

70 excited racers + too much coffee + first Nps nerves + forest track for 1km = complete chaos and at least 1 big crash because someone will ride like a dick. There was a crash but I was in front of it and got into the narrow stuff in 6th, the man going like a train was the South African champ Barry Stander (he rides for GT and was on his way to Sea Otter) he was pushing hard on the long single-track sections and with his skills and a winter of racing his legs he was strong and got a gap.

We pulled him back and then he went again on lap 2. At the end of the lap there were a few drags so it was here that I gave it some and got across to Barry, taking Bibby and Gareth Montgomery with me. We all worked well and the gap grew over the next few laps. At the end of lap 5 I decided that it was time to break it up and went hard on the drags again and this time only Barry could follow, this was cool but he was starting to worry me. The last lap was full on as me and Barry had to go full gas to make the move stick as the other 2 were chasing. Back to the last km drags and I attacked again with everything I had and did not look round till the forest road. A quick look and I had 15 metres but this was enough as I pushed hard for the line. It was the first time I have won Thetford and I really enjoyed racing like that so I was pretty pumped at the finish and happy to win the opener.

Some photos will follow in the gallery soon, where you check out my pimping white shorts and National top. Bit gay I know but had to be done.

5.4.07

You may have noticed that I have a new home page design. My mate Sean who has created the site (thanks) has been playing around and developed version 2 which is a bit sharper and stylish, well we think so.

2.4.07

On Sunday I finally started the real work and pinned a number on for a MTB race. Not one for an easy life I decided to dive head first into the deep end and do the opening round of the Swisspower Cup. With the World Cup at the end of the month and this race being the biggest in Europe that weekend, the race became a mini World Cup. Luckily the Cape Epic stage race was still on in South Africa otherwise it would have been even harder. On the start line was the World/Olympic champ Juilen Absalon, the under 23 world champ and the 3rd and 5th ranked riders in the world rank, oh and not forgetting me, a stickman from England with white legs and a bit of self doubt having not really tested himself yet and wondering whether he was any good.

The race was going to be tough with 10 laps of a 4km loop that went straight up and then quickly down. The gun went and my legs were good and I got Absalon’s wheel in 4th place, being my first race and with all these boys having done a few, this was probably not a good idea as after 1 lap I was breathing out my arse a bit. The next two laps were no fun as I tried to hang in there and come through the bad patch. On lap 4 things started working again and I settled into a good tempo, working my way through. On lap 9 I was up to 5th place and a podium spot. But this was not too be as the Spaniard Lejeratta came flying by on a charge and took it from me, with me 20secs behind in 6th.

All in all was a good start to the year and I was in the mix with some top guys. With only 3 days road racing and a couple of hard sessions as prep I am sure that I have more to give so I am content and looking forward to the big stuff.

28.3.07

Been a bit crazy the last few weeks and it’s not finished yet. After my road racing I legged it off to Majorca for some hard training, with a group of cycling mates, so it was hard but pretty relaxed and good fun. In team hey u guys were Andy Wadsworth (Trainer and regular contributor to What MTB), Zak Toogood, Phil Spencer, Will Bergfelt and Duncan Jamerson. It all started off nicely on day one when we took a wrong turn and ended up having to do an extra hour on a main road into a block headwind, coming back through Palma Zak cracked and needed a push up every hill. Pure guy was dead after only day 1, but he bounced back to become king of Soller on day 2, it was a recovery that Floyd Landis would have been proud of! After seeing Zak crawling home on day 1 and then giving it out on day 2 I started to believe that maybe the guy was telling the truth? Perhaps Zaks heroic effort can be used in his defence?

After a week of battering myself and only 2 coffee stops I was spent, but then had to go straight up to The Belfry hotel to attend the Giant dealer Conference for 4 days. With mild over training and a shit night’s sleep I was a grumpy monkey on day 1, but a few easy rides, some sleep and a few laughs I came round and actually enjoyed it. Was Impressed by the show Giant put on for all the dealers, and there are a lot of Giant dealers. They have technical talks, business talks, all the product displayed, demo bikes and they all get a night on the piss. Not bad for ordering a few pushers. Was a test of will power to stay out the bar and off the cakes, but when you are racing the Olympic champ on the weekend it’s not too hard.

That’s right, on Sunday I go to Buchs in Switzerland for the first Swiss Cup race. The Swiss series is probably the strongest National series in the World and always gets a top foreign field. The races are always good and fast so I thought I would start my World Cup warm up there. It’s a tough place to go for my first MTB race but I have got to find out some time if I’m good or bad so why not now.

Will let you know how it went…..

11.3.07

Felt like a nice relaxing no pressure start to the year, so that means its road race time. Road racing is by no means easy but I am not expected to win/do great and if you are on a duff day you can blag it and finish in the bunch, whereas in a MTB race if you are bad it shows. The other bonus is that legging it around on the flat in the wind with a load of strong guys with big legs makes my little legs work pretty hard so I get a good training effect that should, hopefully pay off in April

First off was a local classic, the Severn Bridge RR. A good field lined up for the 10 lap/70 miler, only problem was that it was throwing it down and not too warm. But having not pinned a number on for 5 months a bit of rain was not going to dampen my enthusiasm. Was active form the gun (to keep warm) and on the hill on the first lap I dropped my heals and got a gap, over the top the main men came across and we had a sweet little 10 man group. The next 2 hrs then went like this, nice bit of through and off, group split with 4 laps to go, still in front, getting a bit cold and tired, 2 laps to go lots of attacking, me and other lad dropped on windy flat stuff and rolled in. Jobs a good un few tyres for a prize and an Argos re spray for king of the small hill prize, going to get my grans Zimmer sprayed.

This weekend went up a notch and rode the first round of the National Series, the Bikeline 2 day. All looked a bit serious with team cars, turbo warm ups and ear pieces. But tried to keep it real and remember that I was on a low key mission so had a brew and rode around a bit before stage 1 a 1.6km TT (not bad typing it was actually only 1600m). It’s about as nasty as it comes and with a few drags and a block headwind it was going to suck. Tried to push myself and tasted a bit of lung lining at the end so got it out, but bit off the pace of the skin suit boys in 30th place.

Next up later that day was a rolling and windy 60km road race and with 100 men on some narrow roads it was going to be a bit sketchy. The cross winds were savage and at one point everyone was on the wrong side of the road for shelter. That was when some geezer from the SIS team rode into the front of a car that had pulled over. Made a proper car crash sound and ripped the bumper off, his bike was not too pretty either. The look on the poor girls face was a picture.

On lap 2 it kicked off and a 12 man spit went clear, I made it across and with all the big teams in there it was a goer. Got stuck in and was going ok even if near the end I was maxed out a few times in the cross winds. My mate Ian Wilko skipped off the front with Dean Downing near the end to take a few seconds and the leader’s jersey. Was pretty chuffed with my 9th overall.

Sunday was the tough day though with 140km on the menu. Tried to hide for the first third but had to start getting involved in all the jumping around rubbish as it was looking like it was going to snap, and snap it did with 15 riders going clear with 60km to go. Again I made the move so gave myself a pat on the back. Everyone worked well and we hit the long 3km climb out of Ruthin with a nice gap on the bunch. Newton was the first to attack the hill attempting to take the 7 secs back from Wilko. I went over the top of him and then another guy pulled it. A few turns each and 5 of us were clear, the only problem for me was the next 15km. Being 6foot tall and 63kg is not the best combo for riding on the flat at 35mph and to do a turn with these guys was pretty tough, but I painfully got by. On The run in to the finish I gave up and rolled in a few secs behind the other 4, deciding to save digging that deep for a MTB race, a decision I would regret as it cost my 5th overall. But was pretty happy with 6th my best ever National Road result, not a bad start to the year and as a rule if I can road race good I can MTB race really good so fingers crossed.

2.3.07

It’s been quite an interesting couple of weeks since last time I wrote an entry, but here are a few things that have been happening in my World.

Dope raid!! Got the knock at 6.30am and being able to sleep like a bear I did not hear anything, so it was wife, Rachel that looked through the curtains to see a man holding an ID badge. Her first thought was they have come to arrest him, what has he done. She opened the door and he explained he was from UK sport and it all clicked, she returned to bed and woke me up. Then in a daze I made the man a brew, pissed in a pot, signed some forms and then could go back to bed. This is what happens these days as GB elite athletes have to put their details into a system called Whereabouts. Basically it’s for out of competition testing and we have to give 1 hour a day for 5 days a week where we will be. Three missed tests and it’s a 6 month ban, so heavy stuff. It is one of the best anti doping system in the world and out of comp testing is the only way to really catch the cheaters so although it’s annoying it’s a good thing.

Heat testing. The 2008 games are going to be hot and humid and for a discipline like MTB that will be a big factor, as we are pushing hard for a long duration at low speeds. In an attempt to look at the challenge I will face and the best way to combat it I was visited Portsmouth University with BC sports scientist Louis to do a dirty 2 hr turbo session in Beijing conditions, so 31degress and 72% humidity. I had 6 long intervals to do at threshold and after number 4 my core temperature had reached over 40 degrees. This is where it is considered to be unsafe and I had to ride at recovery while my temperature returned and the onsite doctor had to check me out, although all he did was ask if I was ok? And look at me as if was mad.

Big crash!! Was doing a photo shoot with 4X rider Oggy for MBUK magazine at the super technical trails near Stainburn, Harrogate. These are the most gnarly man made trails I have ever ridden and need to be treated with respect. I lost that respect for a few minutes and was following Oggy at speed down a section, he rode a bad line and I followed. The fact that he can probably bench press twice what I can meant he rode it out, where as I am a stickman and as I rode off the ledge I crumpled and was thrown over the bars. It’s been a while since my last big stack and I landed like a sack of shit. I was winded and in a bit of grief but Oggy did his nurse bit and got me on my feet. Took me an hour or so before I felt with it, we banged off some photos to finish off and then it was a long journey home. I am sat here the day after stiff as with 2 fingers strapped together and move like my Nan.

18.2.07

I quite often take myself over to South Wales for a potter around the man made trails at either Afan or Cwncarn. I have great trails around Bristol but when the weather has been bad they are a no go zone, where as the Welsh stuff is kind of weather proof. I normally go during the week when it ’s nice and quiet but today I went to Cwncarn on a Sunday. I could not believe it, I got there at 10am and the car park, which is pretty big was rammed and riding on the trails was a bit like going Saturday shopping at Tesco’s.

I was planning on a hard tempo 3 hrs so instead of doing 3 laps I mixed it up a bit and after my second climb up I climbed for another 10mins to the top of the downhill courses. There is a black run and a red run but the trails share a lot of the same trail, splitting, to take the riders down a hard or easy section. Being a Sunday it was pretty busy and many DH riders have a tendency to hang around in the woods around tough sections riding, watching and chatting. Think they got a bit of a shock when a stickman in tights, normal helmet and over shoes came through on a hard tail, with his seat of his arse and a set of power cranks on. Quite a lot of those extreme guys would normally mutter a few words at the sight of a lyrca clad rider but the fact that I was riding the trails reasonably quick and cleanly kind of confused them and kept them quiet.

I Rode two thirds of the way down and then back up for another run, which a lot better as I knew the trails and this time all the way to the car park for another full XC loop. All in all a good day at the office and great to see so many people from little nippers to old geezers out on the trails, even if it did make it a bit busy.

11.2.07

Back from my road training camp in Spain and it was a good one. After a pretty crap January with illness messing things up, it was great to get in a hard block of work and live life like a pro should. For those of you who are interested what I got up is shown below. Basically trained for 2 weeks at home and then ramped it up for the 10 days that I was away. When I got back home I did not do a lot for 4 days to recover. Then I start another block of a few weeks.

The aim of the camp was to develop my aerobic engine and continue working on my strength with a couple of specific days, hopefully it will do the trick. It helps to be away from home with no distractions where I only need to think about riding and recovering, except I miss my girls, magazines can only be read once and Sky news is not a great channel when it’s the only channel.

W- Travel to Spain
T- 4hr steady with 1hr of high tempo climbing
F- 2.30hr steady with Strength Intervals
S- 6hr Steady in easy gears
S- 4hr steady with 1hr of high tempo climbing
M- 1hr recovery café ride
T- 4hr steady with 1hr of high tempo climbing
W- 2.30hr steady with Strength Intervals
T- 6hr steady in easy gears
F- 4hr steady with 1hr of high tempo climbs
S– Travel home and relax
S- Easy hr and then go out for brunch at nice café with my girls!

5.2.07

Life can get pretty boring on training camp and sometimes it’s the same old stuff, eat, ride, eat, TV, eat; sleep so we need something to take our minds off the monotony of daily life. With everyone sporting winter fur we decided to start the official Feb big hair competition. Of the 4 of us here I, Si Richardson and Ian Field fancied our chances. The forth Ross Creber was out the running with a short straight affair.

The rules were simple, no product and after entry to the dinner hall no hand assistance. It was a close call but the win went to Field with Si in second and my mad professor look in third. The battle is now on for next year’s honours and everyone will be following a scientific phase plan in order to be at their microphone headed best.

1.2.07

Finally made it on training camp and I feel like I am really putting down the base that I can build on later in the year. I am 3 days into a 10 day camp and all going good so far. It’s not that sunny but 16degress and that’s good enough for me. To be honest I do not come here for the sun but get away so that I can be completely selfish and only think of riding and recovering. With home life getting a bit busier since the arrival of baby Zoe, these training camps are even more important and it’s nice to