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Haglöfs Open5 Series – Church Stretton
This is what Church Stretton looks like
The second in the Open 5 series was a long way south for me. Luckily, it wasn’t far from my mum’s house so I combined it with a birthday weekend visit. Leaving on Thursday also gave me two chances to catch up on some sleep before the race!
We drove over to Shropshire on Saturday. My mum went and shot arrows at a target; I went and rode over the Long Mynd and back. I stopped on the way to digest the mountain biking information board in great detail – which proved useful as it indicated which tracks could be ridden up, and which were only really sensible in a downwards direction!
I was getting nervous before the race but I remembered Andy saying ‘I would be worried if you weren’t …’. I picked up the map nice and early and headed back to the B&B to do some serious planning. I thought the biking would be fast as it wasn’t too technical and the course looked straightforward. This almost made me change my strategy and bike first, but I resisted, and not just because I am scared to change my ways :-). It was also because the run would be committing – you had to get up onto Long Mynd, spend some time on the top and then run back off – no short cuts or easy loops to miss out! On the other hand, although the bike section had many high scoring controls, it also had a number of out-and-backs off the spine of Long Mynd which I could easily omit if I was in a hurry.
I set off only just before the latest start – after a last minute panic when I found I needed to be carrying a windproof! (must have missed that bit of information somewhere). Waterproof hastily jammed in my bum bag I set off running. I made a slight wrong turn after the first control when I nearly went the ‘wrong way round’ my yellow highlighted route. To be honest, my whole running map was covered in yellow – a sign that I couldn’t decide which way to go when I was planning – so it was no wonder I got confused! Luckily, I realised before it was too late and got going up the right bit of hill. One of the controls was quite difficult to get to – I had to clamber over a load of rocks to get to the control box hanging from a tree root by a waterfall. I was glad I had switched back to some grippier shoes!
Looking sprightly as I finish the run
I emerged at the top of the hill somewhere unexpected, but in a better position than I was aiming for – it’s fantastic when random unmarked tracks lead you where you want to go! Now I was on the ridge and remembered my pledge to Andreas (my new secret training weapon). It was time to go fast! So I did, catching up someone in front and trying to hold off the guy behind. Shame my hip pack was too heavy and was really annoying me bouncing up and down. I guzzled the water and ate a banana to reduce the weight. The controls at the top were worth fewer points, so I was trying to balance how long I spent collecting some of these, whilst leaving enough time for the good mountain biking stuff. Heading back down the hill to pick up some more high value controls I lost time finding a tree which was a bit “off piste”. I was starting to feel tired but took advantage of a path leading through the woods that popped out at the site of the previous night’s bonfire – so I knew my way back from there! I got back to transition after 2h15m – a little later than planned.
Dibbing out of transition and starting the bike ride
My transition was slow as I had to swap my coat over to the other bag and I just didn’t seem as focussed as usual. This carried on into the first two bike checkpoints. I rode past the first one, thinking I had seen the control (it was just some other random red and white stuff on a telegraph pole) and with my nose in the map. Then I got tangled up with some other racers who were distracting me from navigating in my own way. I decided at the next checkpoint to leave them, turn around and ride back down to the road, hoping it would be a bit quicker. It felt like a long slow climb after that, but I started to perk up as I got to the grassy drag and started overtaking other racers. With my ‘race head’ back on again, I sped up, pedalled down as well as up the hills, looked the cow in the eye as I crossed its bridge and really felt better when I was finally back on the top of Long Mynd, just popping on and off the ridge until I ran out of time.
I was playing yo-yo with a male pair, which incentivised me to keep up the pace. And despite running out of water with an hour to go (again) I didn’t hit the wall like I did last time. The weather was glorious and the views fantastic. 😀 I sadly had to miss out on the last checkpoint I wanted – if I’d eliminated the odd mistake and little dither over the course of the race, I might just have had time for it. But things are never perfect! As it was, I was racing down a fast grassy descent for the final road run-in to the finish. I was lucky to meet up with another racer here who I drafted as we rode back into the headwind. He was late – I was hanging on at my limit – but I didn’t feel too bad for not doing any turns at the front as I had helped him find the last checkpoint and navigated him through a little village on the way home!
Tired but happy!
Wonders never cease, and I was actually back in time – with a whole 1 minute and 49 seconds to spare. I was very happy with my much improved running – 18km this time compared to 10.5km a month ago and travelling 2 minutes per km quicker! Results time, and it turned out I had got first place with a score that compared well to the general field – only beaten by 1 mixed pair, 11 male solos and 4 male pairs. 140 teams or solos were there altogether, so this was another popular event. The planning was perfectly judged, with the first male solo (Stuart Lynch) just clearing the whole course. It was great having my mum there supporting me, driving me around and taking photos!
Next time we will be back nearer home in Lancashire (these things are all relative). It will be a different experience for me as I’m going to be introducing Marie to the joys of adventure racing. I met Marie at the Big Ben Nevis Triathlon and am looking forward to heading out with someone new and sharing what I’ve learnt and love!
Inspiration
The bike bus. Without this we wouldn't have even got started. Excellent service!
I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for some time – I’d made a booking with the brand new Edinburgh bike bus to take myself and Iain (aged 10) for some fun biking at Glentress!
Having collected him at 8 (I had to ride there with lights and he looked like he had just fallen out of bed), we made the short trip over to the pick up point. I had a moment of panic when the driver, Karl, said “does he need a booster seat?” What?! I don’t drive, I had no idea … luckily, he did, and had put one in just in case – phew! We were soon safely ensconced and on our way.
Good work on a short rocky climb
I wasn’t sure how Iain would cope with the first long climb, so was pleased to find that we got dropped off at the top and picked up at the bottom! 🙂 We set off from the near-deserted car park to ride the blue route. I was immediately impressed with the improvements since last time. He was putting in efforts to get up hills, using his gears properly and not giving up at the first difficult bit. We were at Betty Blue before we knew it and I was delighted that it was declared ‘really fun’ and that the following fast fire road descent was equally exciting; “I’ve never been so fast on my bike before!”
Unfortunately the first tumble followed soon after – it’s heart stopping watching from behind as someone else’s child that you’re responsible for suddenly goes shooting forwards like superman, whilst the bike somersaults away …. Luckily no harm was done and we were soon snacking on a cereal bar and laughing about Iain’s attempts to learn to fly! 😀 Another climb and we were at the top of Blue Velvet – a bit he had been looking forward to all day. We started off at some speed and I was very impressed at how he handled the turns. Until … oops … another ‘flying’ attempt. This time a little more serious, as complaints about a sore wrist were persistent. After some cuddles and words of encouragement we set off again. Luckily Iain wasn’t so traumatised we couldn’t give it another go – slower! And much slower on ‘crash corner’!
Looking like a pro!
Berm Baby Berm came next – now that the sun had come up and everyone else was out of bed, this section was proving popular; kids, teenagers and grown ups alike were queuing to go down. We had a good first run and were soon climbing up for another go. And another one. A slight squeak from me as Iain nearly flew off the edge of one giant berm, but it was well rescued. I had decided that the best general policy was to let him experiment and learn for himself where his limits are – within reason! – whilst picking trails of an appropriate grade. I think it worked and he will soon develop the judgement he needs and become better and better.
One thing I especially noticed was how well Iain responded to instruction. By the end of the ride we were on to standing up, level pedals, knees out and looking ahead. He really looked the part! What an opportunity to help someone young acquire all the skills I wish I haven’t had to battle to learn as an adult. I also realised I was being copied, so I was very careful to have perfect positioning myself!
Given the choices of heading down for cake before we left, or doing more riding and having ice-cream back in Edinburgh, Iain opted for more biking straight away. Must have done something right. The final run down to the bottom was fast and fun. After some hesitation and a discussion of line choice, the steep bridge was conquered (“Did you like it?” “I was scared!” “Never mind, next time it will be less scary and more fun!”) and we did a good job of racing back to the bus to arrive, ahem, just a few minutes late.
Iain’s parents were right when they joked that they should have charged me for the loan of their son – I can’t wait to take him again! I’m already thinking what might make it even more fun – knobbly tires? Less air pressure? New bike?!
Just rewards for hard work and super riding!
ps If you like the look of this ice cream, thick Spanish hot chocloate and churros, then you can find it all at The Chocolate Tree. Very tasty!
Making a habit of night riding?
I started out riding my mountain bike off road in the dark when I decided to do the Strathpuffer some years ago – what an introduction! I’ve been out sporadically since, either training for the occasional race, or just for fun. It is possible to get up into the Pentland Hills outside Edinburgh from work, ride and get back without a car – though it’s always further home than I expect!
This year Andreas, a friend from work and the bike club, has decided he wants to ride his mountain bike more. The only time to do it is after work, when it just happens to be dark. He has a car and needs someone to go with – I am happily obliging 😀
The trails are almost deserted and are more interesting than they are in the daylight. I have been testing out the head light I won at the Trans Wales event – an Exposure Diablo. It’s an awesome light; bright enough to ride with on its own, providing you’re not out for too long. And a good job too, since my handlebar light detached from the bracket and stayed that way (new part ordered)!
Andreas seems keen on animal spotting. This week we got:
- Rabbit – 5 points
- Bats – 10 points
- Squirrel (unverified) – 3 points
- Small amphibian – 7 points
- Large OWL! – 20 points
- Black beetle – 6 points
- 4 other humans – 0 points
Total: 51 points
We’ve already headed off to Glentress twice recently, so it looks like this might become a regular thing. Fits in very well with my plan to ride my mountain bike more, but not so well with my plan to do the club running sessions more, since the evenings keep clashing! Since one is more fun than the other, I can see which might end up winning 🙂
Lynskey + Andreas and his midget-wheeled bike! A cold, misty and moonlit evening.
* Picked up a team jersey from Ronde today. Very exciting!
Haglöfs Open5 series – Staveley
The first event in this series seems to have come around so quickly – it doesn’t seem a year since I stood at the start of my first solo event in Slaidburn feeling a bundle of nerves. I was nervous this time too, but only in a healthy pre-race kind of way.
I’d arrived in Staveley on Saturday in time for a hearty lunch in the sunshine at Wilf’s (definitely recommended) before going for a spin in the afternoon. I was trying to get a feel for the lie of the land and the state of the trails without wearing myself out. What a shame the 3 hour ride turned into more like 5! However, I had taken advantage of the unseasonable sun, topped up my tan and got an extremely hearty meal at the Eagle and Child in the evening, so it felt like a good day.
Sunday was still warm, but damp. I registered and collected my map in good time. Before each of these races I have a look at the map, try and guess where the likely event area will be and then study it hard to fix it in my mind. Familiarity with what you’re looking at on race day is a great help! It doesn’t always work, but this time it did, as I had the bike area almost exactly right. In the comfort of my B&B I planned some routes with options depending on control values and then rolled back down the hill to start.
I came across this control on Saturday's ride, when it wasn't raining and I wasn't in a hurry!
In the last of these events in April there was loads of great biking with lots of points – which I missed out on because I totally over-stretched myself on the run. I was determined not to do the same this time and set off rather conservatively. The first small loop was over rough ground up and down a hill. My knee was complaining slightly. I went over on my weak ankle. Again. My navigating wasn’t quite precise enough… I put all of this down to being totally out of practice – from both running (practically zero since Ben Nevis) and foot orienteering. Added to which, the new shoes didn’t even seem to be gripping on the tarmac!
I reminded myself I was in it for fun, adjusted my route and after a mere 10.6km in 1h39m I happily set off with loads of time for the biking.
The only way is up and over
I whizzed along the roads and tracks to the first few controls. My bike was munching up the kilometres and I had a big smile on my face! I had a slight nagging worry about the funny noises emanating from my bottom bracket and about another, which just turned out to be me breathing … I concentrated on whooping on the fun bits, riding faster than normal on the technical bits and keeping a nice rhythm on the climbing bits. All was going wonderfully. With about 1h40m left to go I had bags of time for an 11km loop back on the hills, so nipped along a road for a low scoring 10-point control. I even started fretting that I had cut the run too short and would be back early.
I had to push up the next short section – which I had anticipated, so it wasn’t a surprise. However, I suddenly I ran out of water, hit some sort of metaphorical wall and with over an hour still to go, my mood had taken a massive swing in the opposite direction. I couldn’t think straight, I started falling off, and I slooooowwwed down. I stopped more than once to debate an extra out and back (total 2km) that I blatantly did not have time for (luckily my fuddled brain did work this out eventually).
I finally started to see a few more people heading back my way and was inspired to find some new source of energy when Dan Halliday from Team Accelerate caught me up. I couldn’t quite keep him in sight, but it did give me a kick start that I needed. Sadly a little too late – I blasted down the last hill to the finish but came in just under 3 minutes late – 6 penalty points for me.
Good enough to get 2nd in the female solos, though it was very close between the top 4. It wasn’t my perfect tactical race, but neither did I make any glaring errors. What did let me down was the running. The race analysis showing your position between any two controls demonstrates the point nicely; out of all competitors, I was in the top 10 for every bike leg that I did, except one. On the run, I managed to clock in at 92nd on one of the legs – ouch! I did speed up as I went along, so maybe there’s hope yet. A trip to the physio on Friday and some determined actual running training and I’m sure I’ll be back on form in no time :D. Meanwhile, there’s always the promise of more night time trail riding later in the week to keep me happy!
The results and the photos.
Making plans
This time last year I decided to do a few things to try and get faster and better at adventure races. After a couple of average events, I had a fantastic time in a truly wild, wet and windswept event in Kirkby Stephen, which also really inspired me and gave me bags of confidence. So, what did I do?
- Lost a bit of weight
- Learnt to run further
- Trimmed down all the unnecessary kit I was carrying
- Consistent race practice
- Lots of map study
I had a brief spell feeling that I could have done better on the run during the Ben Nevis Triathlon a few weeks ago, but then remembered that this time last year I could barely manage 8km, and now I think 20km is about the limit.
Race practice is invaluable – you just can’t get better at strategy and decision making under pressure without actually doing it. Even if it is sometimes a disaster!
With two individual event wins and third in last year’s Open 5 series, plus three podium places out of my four big events this summer, I feel quite happy with how this plan worked out 😀
What next? Well, here are some ideas I have:
- Get super new bike (start lists with something you can already tick off…)
- Ride off-road more often
- Start going to the club running sessions consistently
- Get more recovery
- Eat better
- More map study … well, it’s fun, like curling up with a good book!
It sounds obvious, but it was only at the Trans Wales event that I realised by going mountain biking every day, I was getting better at it. With the new bike there’s no excuse, and anyway, it is such fun to ride that this one isn’t gong to be a chore. Last night I went to Glentress after work with a colleague. We had the trails all to ourselves, the woods echoed to my whoop-de-woops and night riding is great for technique! You’re forced to look round tight corners and I find myself riding trickier stuff because I’m there and going over it before my brain whispers ‘you can’t …’. I’m also finding new people to ride with, like the girls at Hervelo and a fledgling team at Ronde.
As for recovery and eating – in a week’s time I will officially be a part-time employee. Not by much, but every other Monday I will be free to relax after the weekend’s exertions and catch up on everything that currently gets ignored or crammed into the late evenings when I should be going to bed. Things like planning what to eat for the rest of the week and going shopping so I have food in the house. Plus all the boring stuff like ironing and housework, mixed with interesting stuff like writing race reports and doing my Italian homework.
I’m really quite excited by the prospect. My challenge will be to avoid the temptation to fill up the time with new things 😀
Next race: Open 5 at Staveley in the Lake District.
Big wheel convert
I have spent the last 3 years thinking about getting a new mountain bike, but 3 weeks ago I finally collected my shiny new steed from Moonglu in Ripon.
Here’s a picture of it:
The new bike, all shiny and clean - only ever ridden round the block!
The two most important features of this bike are:
- It is a 29er (i.e. it has big wheels!)
- It is made of titanium
Why?
After spending a long time thinking about investing in a full suspension bike (everyone said it would be more comfortable and I would ride technical trails more easily), for some reason I made a sudden switch to insisting that my bike had to be a hardtail, with big wheels and made of titanium.
My logic was that it would be lighter, need less servicing (no rear shock) and that the big wheels would be faster over non-technical trails (like roads (!), fireroads in the forest and some bridleways). A skim through a few forum posts convinced me that those same big wheels combined with a titanium frame would give me a plush ride.
So without having ever ridden a 29er (it’s hard to find demo versions at all, let alone ones in a women’s size), the decision was made. Sometimes you just have to have faith!
Spec
I am not the sort of person who enjoys trawling through Bike Radar and assessing the pros and cons of ever new bit of bike kit that comes out. I really only want my bike to ride well, and not wear out at the merest hint of a bit of mud and water. So with some help from my friends a starting spec was assembled and sent over to Neil Dunkley at Moonglu for him to make sure everything would fit together, source the parts and turn it all into a bike.
If you really want to know what went on it, you can see the full specification here.
First Race
Crossing a deep river - I didn't want to fall off too early in the race!
It took a while for everything to arrive, but I collected it just in time to test it out at the Trans Wales, a week-long mountain bike event riding over just the sort of terrain and distances I often face when adventure racing. I’ve heard there’s some sort of rule that says you shouldn’t use untested kit for the first time in a race. 😉 I ignored that and arrived on the start line fresh and ready to go, having practiced on my new bike all the way home from the station and back again. That’s about 7km, but there were a few potholes to negotiate!
Verdict
First I should say that this bike replaced a much-loved 10-year old Cannondale F500, complete with V-brakes and a Thudbuster suspension seatpost, which saved my posterior on more than one occasion.
But this bike is AMAZING!
One-finger braking!
After a day or two, I found it inspired confidence on the steep downhills (maybe that was the new disc brakes), whizzed down the long straights, was more comfortable than anything I have ever ridden before and was especially good at rocky stuff. I noticed this most when we had to do a whole series of river crossings. On the occasions when I accidentally came to a near-standstill in the river, just a little push on the pedals and I would pop over the rocks and onwards. Much better than falling off and going for a swim!
I think the bike has had an unexpected side benefit to my riding. I started to approach tricky looking sections thinking ‘well, my new bike will be able to ride that!’. I’d then cheerfully set off and clear the obstacle. I put this entirely down to the investment in a new bike 🙂 (though I’ll secretly admit that perhaps the little extra dose of confidence meant I rode things I always should have been able to).
The sealed gear cables did the business – perfect shifting for 7 days through muck and water. I just couldn’t get used to gears that worked! My only small niggle is that they don’t go low enough – I want to spin up those hills! With a 2×10 set-up I might be able to adjust this next time I get a new cassette, but I’ll see how it goes. Maybe I can just learn to ride faster?!
Only a whole load more riding will tell me how well the components stand up; how soon until I need to change the brake pads, replace the headset bearings or get a new chain?!
Testing it in the Trans Wales night stage
Trans Wales 2011
The Trans Wales became one of my ‘3 big events for the summer’ after I was persuaded to enter by fellow adventure racing friend, Elizabeth. We were riding as a female pair, with Rachel Henderson also putting in an appearance in the solo category. And so it was we lined up in Builth Wells last week to start what was to be the last edition of this classic race.
The format was 7 days of mountain biking place to place. Each day consisted of a long ‘linking stage’, which was not a race but had a cut-off time. If you got back on time you were given a ‘race time’ equivalent to the cut off. If you got back late you accrued penalty seconds at the rate of 1 per minute. There were also six short timed race sections which ran at some point out on the course during the day. These ranged from 2 to 8km long, were mostly at trail centres and included a hill climb, a descent, some up and down loops and a night stage. For team pairs, the result was averaged and added to the overall time.
The racing added a bit of spice to the event, but we had gone to enjoy ourselves, ride somewhere different and, in my case, give my shiny new bike (Lynskey titanium 29er hardtail) a proper testing out! I never anticipated how this event would feel – there was a great sense of camaraderie, the food that appeared in the inflatable marquee every night was plentiful and tasted good and everyone had tales to tell at the end of the day. The laidback feel extended to the publicised distances (I learnt that every day was pretty much the same; 60-70km, 5-6 hours in the saddle and the profile would go something like up, up, down, down, up, up ….) and the social events. On one night after we had finished riding it was announced that the band would start at 8pm. This was the first we had heard of a band and was when we were at the most remote camping spot in a field full of midges!
My favourite days riding included one wet drizzly moorland pedal where we got into a fantastic rhythm and it felt just like home, and a ‘big country’ ride, complete with awesome views and a long, speedy, hilly special stage in the middle of it. I had a couple of emotionally fraught moments, but as Rachel so cheerfully put it: “if you don’t have at least one ‘moment’ in the Trans Wales, then you haven’t tried hard enough!”
After a day or two of riding under my belt, I found that the new bike (and disc brakes!) inspired confidence and I was cheerfully cruising down and over stuff I wouldn’t have dreamt of riding before. I also discovered the terrain it was perfectly made for when we rode a rocky byway with many stream crossings. I had been told that big wheels ‘roll better’ – but would I really notice anything different? The answer was a definite ‘Yes’! I could come almost to a standstill on a rocky riverbed, then give a little push on the pedals and suddenly pop over an obstacle and onwards. My body can also vouch for the total comfort of this bike as nothing is now hurting!
As for the racing, we found ourselves in first place in the female pairs category following the initial stage. After dropping to second following the downhill third stage we regained the lead the next day and held it to the end. Longer stages, hilly stages and dark stages all worked to our advantage. We rode well as a team and managed to finish the week still on speaking terms – not bad considering we have only actually ever ridden together (socially or otherwise) once before and had quite different approaches to pitching a tent! Elizabeth did a great job of inspiring confidence and making me relax, enjoy the ride and save my energy on the linking stages or, as she put it, “getting ready to chop my legs off” if I didn’t slow down …
Rachel also made a reputation for herself and climbed onto the podium on the final day to collect a popular special award for being the ‘toughest and most cheerful ever tail-ender’!
All in all, a fantastic event and a great result. Next year they are changing the format, but if the atmosphere and organisation is anything like this one I would highly recommend it.
Me and Elizabeth showing off the leader's jerseys!
Planet Byde 
