Southern XC Round 1 - First Race

Well that was an experience... Brutal and tiring but all I know is that I have to do it again! My first cross country race was amazing, although I'd been thinking about it all week as soon as I turned up at the venue the adrenaline started flowing and any plans went out the window. 

Rocking up at Matterley Basin in the morning made me start wondering what I'd go myself into. You didn't need to get that close to see that the climbs would be killer even though I'd seen photos of the site already. We got my bike down and I couldn't wait to ride the course and actually race. After signing on and picking up my race number I got kitted up and ready to ride.

'I totally know what I'm doing'

'See, the number's the right way up'

We headed over to the start line to ride a lap of the course. My race didn't start until 10:30 so riding the couse at 9 was ideal. The place was swamped with children riding full on XC race bikes (carbon frame, expensive groupsets and choice of tyres ect), I felt somewhat out of place on my £650 Halfords bike (albeit quite a nice one at that, well I think so anyway). Dad wanted to walk as much of the course as possible so we started up the first climb (about 10m after the start line) at walking pace. At the top we entered the first woody section and it felt like proper mountain biking. Dad agreed to meet me later so I found an easy rhythm and found some flow. For about 2 minutes. The first tight corner was off-camber and blind into a rooty section. I had a graceful slide on to my side. Deciding to take it a bit easier (I didn't wan't to crash out before the race) I got to the first climb. Short and reasonably steep (500m and 8% gradient so says Strava), I knew my legs were going burn after the race. The next bit of techy singletrack was great fun - until my glasses steamed up and I was riding blind (more fun than I thought actually). We were spat out of the woods and confronted with the big climb. 20% gradient with 100m of flat halfway. My legs were screaming 'STOP!!!!!!!!' but I carried on. By the time my legs were feeling better we faced a rather nasty bump. Two 1.5m high lumps with a run that was just about the width of your pedals to fit though and some slick mud to mix it up a bit. This was followed by a switchback climb that led to a field and the final section of the course. I did it 35 minutes and although I knew I could go faster on some sections, the number pretty meaningless at the time.


Getting back to the car for a drink and a banana I realised I had a massive grin on my face (like I'd just won the lottery). I was super stoked for the race - 2 laps flat out!

Being by the line made me really nervous. I don't know why, it was some grass with spray painted lines on, nothing scary about that. When the bloke made the call for all the women I was bricking it. Stood on the line made me realise I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I remember the bloke calling names and then reading some rules and then all too soon it was time for the start. 

Sally Bigham (271) of Topeak-Ergon Racing was in the same start...

'OK I have zero idea what I'm doing now'

The gun went and we started up the first climb. I realised had no plan so would just find someone whose pace I could match and follow them for a bit (great plan). I don't really remember much of the actual race, it's kind of a blur however I distinctly remember wanting to throw up after the big climb on lap one. I didn't and just pushed on instead. 

'I think I'm going to throw up'

I finally found some flow

By lap two I realised that I was being overtaken by 12 year olds on their race machines. That did not sit well especially as I crashed ( read: fell off sideways in a particularly ungraceful and unimpressive manner) and ended up pushing my bike up the main climb and the switchbacks. After attempting to get back on my bike and getting nothing but wheelspin before I could clip the other foot in I felt a pain in my leg. In my typical fashion I ignored it and rode on. Seeing the line at the end of lap two was amazing. I realised I'd done it and completed something I'd wanted to do for the last year. I wanted to cry but I was too tired and there wasn't enough water to cry out when I realised how much I was sweating (yuck). I looked down to address the pain in my leg and realised that the pedal had spun round and whacked me in the shin and I had a nice line of blood down my left shin. The sense of accomplishment was huge and all I could think was that I had to do it again. 

(Short of Breath) 'I did it!'

After recharging with the chocolate milkshake I'd been saving (probably the best milkshake I've ever had) we headed over to the start area to see what was going on. We watched that start of the male juniors race (crazy) and had a look at the trade stands - according to my father I did not need some high powered lights for night riding. To get back I bought some bits from Torq and had a nice chat with the guy on the stand. Dad wandered off to find some results and in the process discovered that on the day, the number of laps had been changed to 3 for the female juniors and as I'd only done two this was incredibly frustrating. Still the women's race results were announced and I'd come third in the juniors! OK, it was out of three and I was lap behind but I still came third dammit, for my first ever go I was super chuffed to even be on the podium.

Pride of place on the trophy shelf!

Despite being knackered and finding a huge bruise on my leg I know I'll be back for the next one! A bit more training and some experience will no doubt pay dividends and after an awesome first race the only way is up - hopefully I'll do the right number of laps next time!

See you next time,

Kim



Links
Southern XC
Torq
dhb
Boardman

1 Week To Go!

1 week until my first race. Still not sure what to expect but I have a feeling it's going to hurt afterwards. My training has really paid off - I'm fitter now than I ever was before. Plenty of climbing, especially out of the saddle efforts, and a fair few miles have really pushed my fitness up. Training has been a mix of on and off road; mixing it up meant I always had something to focus on and aim for. Higher intensity training has also been included, being able to recover quickly after the hills will no doubt pay off. 

My focus has now shifted towards metal preparation - a technique I used for sailing last year to good effect. Being able to focus on the right thing at the right time was enormously helpful, as well as being able to switch off and relax. Diet has also played a big part of my preparation - finding good foods to eat around rides as well as fuelling during a ride. I find planning as much as I can really helpful; knowing that I haven't forgotten anything (spares, food and clothes) is somewhat calming.

With my first race fast approaching I'm both excited and nervous. I don't really know what to expect or how I'll perform. All I can say is that I can't wait!

Kim

Gear - Part 2

Beena while but here it is:

Part 2 – The Mountain Bike

We were taking my road frame to the local bike shop to have the bottom bracket taken out and replaced when somewhere along the high street my dad had an idea. He offered me some money towards a mountain bike as an incentive for my exams. Happily I agreed and the very minute we got home I started looking for potential bikes within my expected budget.

As it turns out, my dad and I were thinking different things – come August, I picked up my results and was chuffed to find that the budget I had expected was correct. Dad however, was less chuffed. Suddenly my bike budget was a little larger than he was expecting! Anyway, two days later we were touring round the local bike shops looking for my next bike.

After a many hours of internet research and visits to several different shops I had made my decision. Brand was less important and for the money the bike I had selected gave me the best spec for what I needed. I'd chosen the Boardman HT Comp. Hardtail; 120mm travel SR Suntour Fork, SRAM X5 groupset and Elixir 1 Brakes. Not particularly flash components, in fact somewhat distinctly bottom end but they were the bottom end of very good product lines. The fork was more of a gamble – I really wanted air over coil but getting a half decent groupset on other bikes as well as an air fork was stretching the budget a little too much.

Here she is

White bike looks damn fine in the snow...

Another angle - Budget forks aren't bad!

Still in original spec (apart from pedals) and I'm very happy with how everything has worked and lasted. Only tweaks have been cables bedding in, brakes pads needing adjusting and controls re-ordering. For was easy to set to a good pressure - when I got the bike it was stupidly firm, a quick tap on the valve set it straight to 22% sag - a value I've been pretty happy with so far.

Spec:

Fork: Suntour Epicon LOD, Air, 120mm, damping adjust, lock out

Shifters: SRAM X5

Front Mech: SRAM X5

Rear Mech: SRAM X5

Brakes: Avid Elixir 1

Chainset: FSA Alpha Drive 44x32x22T

Cassette: SRAM PG950

Chain: KMC Z99

Bottom Bracket: FSA Powerdrive

Rims: Alex DP20

Hubs: Formula Disc (Apparently – they're unbranded)

Tyres: Continental MTN King 2.2

Handlebars: cboardman

Stem: cboardman

Headset: FSA integrated

Seatpost: cboardman

Saddle: cboardman

Nothing needs upgrading straight away but I'm considering a double chainset, an inline post and new saddle and new grips. Big upgrades for the future (read: when I can afford them) are obviously the wheels and fork. I'd probably go for 100mm (bit more xc and less bulky, would also lower the from end, racy!) and the wheels will definitely be much stiffer and hopefully lighter. In an ideal world I'd have gone a model or two up but I love the bike I have and love riding it. I’m hoping for a good first race season so I can properly ride the bike to its (my) limits!

Happy riding,

Kim

Links:

Boardman Bikes