Southern XC Rd 1 - Matterley Basin

I haven't raced the mtb in a while so decided to have a go at the Southern XC events. Matterley Basin is a new course for 2013 designed by UK Biking and is better known as the British Motocross Grand Prix venue. The week before the event was pretty appalling weather-wise and  it should have been a complete wash out but on arrival it was clear to see that the course had held up well judging by the look of the other racers. With the sun out there was also a great risk of racing in shorts and s/s jersey! 

Dipping my toes in - Portsmouth Easter Circuits

Given the weather over the past few months I've been riding the road bike a lot, who knew that when I bought the retro Giant Peloton I'd enjoy it so much. It's been my primary source of training,although not ideal,  for the upcoming mtb races. A friend bought a road bike a few months back and did really well at the Mountbatten Circuits. A closed circuit event - what's not to like?

Merida Brass Monkeys rd 2

It's been a few months since my last race which ended in disappointment due to illness so I wanted to leave 2012 on a racing high. I knew a few people who were racing the Brass Monkey round in Deepcut, Surrey and went for it. I was familiar with the course having races there for the Are You Tough Enough races so knew the course would be fast and fun.

Rowans Hospice - The Ruby Ride

A requirement of my work is to periodically undertake pre-qualification questionnaires in order to get get onto the tender lists for the local Housing Associations. One of the questions was what do we do for charity. We've always given to charity however we decided that this year we would make more of an effort and actually take part. Kenn, the managing director has always given generously to Rowan Hospice and therefore it seemed fitting to take part in one of their events.

Brighton Big Dog 2012

In the week leading up to the event I could feel another cold starting and it was evident on my mid-week commutes that all the energy in my legs had disappeared. All that was left was give my legs a  few days rest and hope for the best. In the opening miles my fears were becoming a reality. Climbs seemed longer and harder than those on the Dyfi Enduro and all I could do was spin my 29tooth chain ring with a low cadence whilst watching the other riders passing me with ease. The first downhill brought a welcome respite although my slow start meant I was in the middle of the bottle necking. The second climb, although short, brought some hope when I managed to overtake a few people again, not exactly strong legs but better than the first few miles. I managed to complete the first lap in quite a respectable time considering being held up on the singletrack sections.

Twentyfour12, Newnham - July 2012

Two weeks ago I wasn't sure if I would be able to compete thanks to a chest infection. Great, several weeks of training could possibly go down the pan. Not wishing to give up so easily I tried a 100mile sportive with a colleague which started slowly and after 40miles we parted ways and I finished in a respectful time. Despite constant coughing and generally feeling a bit rubbish I still had energy in the legs. From this moment I knew it would be game on!

Fully Sussed Round 3 - Newnham

After a slight change of plans I ended up in Plymouth for the weekend, coincidentally the same weekend as a race. With my 30th looming it was a perfect excuse to compete in my last race in the Sport category.

When living in Plymouth I was used to riding the Soggy Bottom winter series which was an enjoyable but muddy blast around the Newnham estate. The Fully Sussed series is run by Jay and Maddie Horton who have created an exciting and challenging xc loop around the park. The course has a mix of terrain from fire roads to rock sections to rooty off camber sections. With a lot of the singletrack sections being new it was going to be a struggle for grip which combined the droves of entrants it was going to make for interesting riding.