Category: RaceReport

National Series Round 1 Pembrey, 2^nd April and Mud Sweat & Gears Round 3 Henham Park, 9^th April

It was not a good start to the weekend of the first National Series race as I came down with a cold and was certainly not feeling at my best to be racing against some of the best riders in the country.  We decided that we would still make the trip to Wales hoping that I would feel better by the time the race came round on the Sunday afternoon.  We packed the car up on Saturday morning and made the 6 hour journey to Pembrey.  We arrived at Pembrey shortly before 4pm and I signed on and picked up my number board and timing chip and got changed ready to do a couple of practice laps. The course was mostly dry with a few slippery and wet patches around. The course had a few steep climbs which were very tricky due to the sandy surface and difficult line choices available. The course was extremely quick and we quickly got round to the three A lines at the end, the first and the third weren’t too technical but the second one was a steep downhill with a slippery, rooty and rutted downhill.

After practice we went to our hotel, had dinner and settled down for a good night’s sleep.  After breakfast we packed up the car and made the short journey back to the course.  I still wasn’t feeling great but after watching some of the elite women’s race I got changed and warmed up for my race.  I was on the second row of the grid and had a good start to the race where bad luck got the better of me this weekend as I got a mechanical on the first lap and broke my drivetrain, it was my first ever mechanical and I was gutted not to finish and also to have such a long walk back.

My bike was taken to Cycles UK in Leigh to be fixed and a big thanks to all the staff there who fixed it and got it back to me in time for the race at Henham Park.

The following weekend was the next Mud Sweat and Gears race at Henham Park.  The weather was great, plenty of sunshine and clear blue skies.  We made the 2 hour journey to Henham Park arriving at around 1pm, I got changed ready to head out on a practice lap.  After the practice lap I got on my rollers to warm up and then went to the arena ready for gridding. I had an awful start to the race being stone dead last as I couldn’t get my foot into my pedal. I worked hard to catch up to the lead and quickly overtook them to go on the attack up the hill. I took Jake and James with me. This saw the same lead group for three laps which I struggled to stay in as I still had my cold from Wales and was unable to recover after my attacks. So at the end of the third lap I started to struggle and ended up getting dropped from the lead group but managed to hold third to the finish.

Big thanks to Cyclewrap for keeping my bike protected in the worst conditions with the harsh terrain of Pembrey also making it super easy to clean. Additional thanks to Hardnutz helmets and Mitas tyres for your continued support. Also a big thank you to Cycles UK for the quick turn around needed to fix my bike for the next race.

Robert Staines – HMTBC Race Team

Pedalhounds Multistage MTB Enduro Round 1 – Jane Brockman

After an early start Sunday saw me arrive at the Land of Nod, a private estate in Hampshire for the first round of the Pedalhounds Multistage MTB Enduro.  My first ever Enduro I had been planning to do it with a friend who unfortunately broke his hand the week before (heal fast Bradley).  To say I was nervous would be an understatement, I had no idea what to expect and whether it would be beyond my abilities.  The Enduro consisted of 4 timed stages per lap with 3 laps to be completed, you could complete the stages in any order per lap.

I signed on and got my race number and timing chip and headed off for a course walk, I tagged on behind a couple of people who looked like they knew what they were doing, heading for Stage 2.  I walked down stage 2 thinking this isn’t too bad a flat start then some twisting through the trees as it gradually got steeper but nothing too hairy.  The finish of stage 2 was close to the finish of stage 1 so I followed on and walked up stage 1 from the finish to the start, this was where I started to worry, not far from the bottom of the stage was a steep descent into a small dip it was loose loamy soil and it was as much as I could do to walk up it.  Further up some short steep rollers up and round trees, I’m thinking right just keep some speed up and your momentum will get you up and round – hopefully! A bit of winding through trees and the start straight was upon me.  The start of Stage 1 was the furthest from the Race HQ and was a long way back; it was going to make for a fun transition doing it 3 times over.

Stages 3 and 4 started next to each other, I looked at stage 3 first it twisted through newly planted trees with the odd tree stump to avoid before a grassy weedy off camber descent into a steeper down with a left hander into a flat finish. I walked up stage 4 back to HQ, the top section being similar to stage 3 if a bit more rooty and stumpy, the bottom section more loamy and steeper. 

I was feeling better about things after the course walk with only stage 1 giving me concern. I headed back to the car to chill before the race briefing and start, deciding whether to ride with my hydration pack was my next dilemma as many weren’t using them. I decided to go with it for its back protector and I was glad to have a drink after the transition climbs! 

Riders briefed we were off, I decided to head for stage 1 to get it out the way thinking if I couldn’t get down it there was no point bothering with the others! I eventually made it there after the long transition including a push up the majority were walking, if my nerves weren’t already bad enough there was quite a queue. I finally made it to the gate waiting for the off, the guy in front came off on the first corner, the marshals warned quite a few were. I was cautious in the corner and held on OK with a little twitch.  I cleared the 3 up and round the trees and headed for the steep bit, relieved to find it wasn’t as bad as walking it.  Stage 1 done it was actually my favourite stage.

Photo credit: BigMac Photography

On to stage 2 and all went OK as did the first runs on stages 3 and 4.  First lap done I headed back to the timing tent to upload my times and check that all stages had been counted before heading back out for lap 2.  I decided to go for the same order; conditions had changed slightly with the number of riders, near to 250, and the loose loamy soil.  Stage 2 had changed the most with a lot more exposed roots (I have a bit of a root phobia!) in the top section and the steeper bottom half was a lot looser and more rutted.  On to stage 4 as no queue like there was for stage 3, I started well but got put off by the shout of “Rider” behind me and fudged my line closely followed by another “Rider” they must have started together, I’m not that slow! The only stage of the day I got passed on.  Onto the last stage of the lap, stage 3, a bit more root exposure but a good run with a bit of foot out flat on the grassy off camber section.

Photo Credit: Hannah Crossley

Second lap done I was starting to feel it from the transition climbs and was starving, after uploading my lap I stopped for a quick protein bar and drink, before heading off for the last lap with about an 1 1/2hr to go I knew I was going to cut it fine with the stage 1 queue.  Battling on up the climb to stage 1 for the final time I was greeted by the longest queue of the day, a good 1/2hr+ wait, at least I had time for a Ghost Ship Torq gel while I waited.  Finally off with a good start I messed up the first up to get round the tree must have been getting tired, lucky the photographers had gone!  The rest of the stages went well and I got back exhausted to the timing tent with 5 minutes to spare, although I found out they had extended the cut off due to the queues on stage 1.

I was pleased with my times for my first Enduro I was just happy to be able to complete it all, not everyone did.  What did I learn from the day, a lot including, remember you are being timed straight out of the gate and don’t let up until you across the finish post, pedal like mad on the flat bits you don’t need to pace yourself like an XC race the stage will be over before you know it, try and ride in different locations to get experience of different trail types, like loamy, exposed roots, tight turns, and off cambers.  I’m looking forward to my next Enduro.

Battle on the Beach 2017 – Kev Darragh

5 past midnight on January 1^st I entered the Battle on the Beach to mark the end of my Decembeer challenge with the idea of getting a bit fitter by the time I line up on the start. Things were going well I managed to stay off the beer until January 3^rd and rode my bike once and sometimes twice a week, I kept this training regime going until the day before the race. Jake and I set off on the 4 and half hour drive to Wales and arrived at the venue about 2pm on Saturday met a few friends then set off on a sighting lap. The course was similar to last year with a couple of extra technical bits. Preparation went well in the hotel with a large mixed grill, 3 pints of Doombar, 1 pint of cider and in bed by midnight.

Up early on race day 8:30am followed by a fry up at 9 to be at the venue by 10:30am. We signed on, attached our timing chips and number boards and rode about like the pros waving at people. 2 HMTB and 4 Basildon CC members headed to the beach to arrive on the start line about 35 minutes before the start of the race only to find 600 competitors already there. The atmosphere was great cross bikes, fat bikes and MTB’s side by side looking forward to 26 miles of fun.

The start was on soft sand for 100 meters then 5 miles of flat hard pack sand which is superfast ideal for a cross bike. Most of the competitors ran the first bit but as I have short legs I was last one of our group on to the hard packed sand. The course turns right off the beach into another 100 meters of soft sand so off the bike again for another run. The next section fast rolling tractor tracks with bumps and the odd pocket of soft sand was ideal for a 29er. After a short section of fire road we hit the first piece of single track followed by the sand dunes, Fat bike territory, descending and climbing sand dunes on a cross bike is quite fun. On the start of lap 3 I caught up with my old team mate Stuart Clark, the ideal person to sit behind on open, flat hard packed sand. For 8 minutes he kept the speed up above 25mph then he picked the pace which was a bit more than I could manage and he dropped me. I made my way to the finish slower than the other two laps as I was knackered and needed a pork pie.

My conclusion, this race is awesome and must for any off road racer whether cross bike, Fat bike or MTB , my performance was not bad on beer and fried food.

I woke up early so I could get to Phoenix bike park for the 2^nd round of Mud Sweat and Gears on Sunday 19^th March 2017.

By the time we arrived there were already lots of club members in the gazebo (which later nearly blew away because of the wind). I went on a practice lap of the main course with other Hadleigh riders. There were many A and B lines to test our skills. We all took turns in practicing these to make sure we were confident during the race.

First to race were the Youth, Juvenile, Open and Womens categories. I was watching from the middle of the track and I could see a couple of the A lines. The club had some good results including Sue Wood 3^rd in the Vets Womens race and Mark Darley got 4^th and Matt Phillips 7^th in the Open Male, Joe Champness got 8^th in the Youth.

The under 12s course was good – using quite a bit of the adult course. After an ok start, I stuck with a Lee Valley rider, which was helpful on the long straights as it was quite windy. The A lines were not used in my race, but there were some good B lines included. My race also had a little jump which was good fun.  With the wind it was a hard race, but I managed to get past the Lee Valley rider with a sprint to the line, I finished in 14^th.

After getting my breath back I had some lunch and then went off to enjoy the pump track with my friends – which was great, a bit like a BMX track. I came back for 2 o’clock to watch the afternoon races where we had Juniors, Vets and Grand Vets racing. Rob Staines got 4^th in his race and Paul Champness got 10^th in the Grand Vets.

Sunday 19th March saw round 2 of the Mud Sweat and Gears series at Phoenix Bike Park in Kentford. It was about 6:30 when we was packed and ready for the race ahead. When arriving at the venue I signed on at the MSG tent and got ready for a practice lap. After completing the practise lap came the actual race where on the start line the nerves kicked in. Once the commissaire lined us up and blew the whistle we were off. I found the start a bit challenging getting in position but once I had It was easier from there. The course was brilliant from start to finish consisting of 3 A and B lines which were all easily ridable. Towards the end of each lap I found the grassy/muddy part of the track  quiet challenging where it was quiet bumpy, so you just had to try and keep the momentum going.        

After the 10 am race I stayed for the afternoon races where I helped out bringing bottles and encouraging my other team mates.  

There many great efforts throughout the day including Robert staines ( Junior ) in 3rd, Mark darley ( Open Male ) in 4th, Matt Phillips ( open male ) in 7th, Paul Cavalla ( veteran male ) in 16th, Sue wood ( veteran Female ) in 3rd, Joe champness ( Youth male ) in 8th and Adam Cavalla ( youth male ) in 10th.   

Many thanks to the Marshals who helped that day.

Overall it was a great course and I am looking forward to the next race.

Thank you for reading

Matthew Darley

Training has now been stepped up as we are moving into the Mountain Bike season, with the lighter evenings and better weather it has been nice to be able to get out on the bike rather than rely on turbo training sessions.

We arrived at the venue at around midday and had a chat with Paul Coulson and Kevin Darragh and met up with some of my friends from other clubs.  It was great to see Chris from Cyclewrap who checked over my bike after it was wrapped by him a couple of weeks ago.  I then got changed and went out for a practice lap.  Then came race time, I got a really good start and settled into a good rhythm and was able to get my lap times consistent.

Some riders went off very fast but I knew that with a consistent lap time I had a good chance of being able to catch up and overtake some of those riders.  I have learnt through previous experience that keeping up with the fast riders at the start is not always the right approach and that going out too fast can lead to early fatigue and you need to ride your own race.  My lap times were consistent and I had a good battle with Jamed Pickering.  I finished in 4^th place but had the same time as 3^rd place.  We stayed on to see the podiums as my friends finished in the top 3.

Looking forward to my next race which is the first round of the National series in Wales.  Big thanks to Hardnutz helmets, Mitas Tyres and Chris from Cyclewrap.

Rob Staines – 19^th March 2017

Today saw my first race of the 2017 season at the Velopark at Stratford, although it has come early in the season the race will be a good indicator of where I’m at with my training.  We arrived at the Velopark around lunchtime after picking up George on our way.  It was a very cold and blustery day but stayed mostly dry.

After we arrived we changed and got ready for a practice lap after the under 12’s race had finished, we did not arrive in time to take part in the earlier training session before the first race.  I was racing alongside my team mates, Jake Darragh and George Crocombe, it was George’s first Junior race.

The race was over 7 laps but they were not too long, around 10 to 12 minutes per lap.  As I had not been able to attend a previously arranged fact finding training ride earlier in the year due to my exams I decided to ride on Mitas Scylla tyres but also brought the Hyperions with me in case the conditions needed a different tyre.   I got a good start and felt comfortable throughout the race, my lap times were consistent and I finished the race in sixth place which was a good pointer to where my training needs to be tweeked at this early point in the season.

Overall it was a good day and there were some good results by all the Hadleigh riders, in my race Jake came 3^rd, I came 6^th and George 9^th.  Thanks to all our sponsors, Mitas Tyres, Hardnutz Helmets and a big thanks to Chris from Cyclewrap who came along today for his support.

Rob Staines – 26^th February 2017

It’s an early morning, sun is out but still chilly. Car is packed and on our way round to Connor May’s house. (Connor is the team photographer). Now arriving at the venue, with Ben Ogden the nutritionist, parked just behind. Dad, Connor, Ben and I walk up to the team gazebo’s and to where the signing on is.

All signed on and Connor and I go for a course walk, so I can look at the fastest lines and Connor can also look at the best positions for getting good quality photos. After the course walk, I decide to get changed to go for a warm up lap with Rob Staines and George Crocombe, before the Youth race starts.

While doing the warm up lap I was thinking to myself about tyre pressures, Iended up running 35psi in both front and rear. This is what i heard most competitors were running.

After the 10:30am race finished, myself, George and Rob go and change into our race kit and go for another warm up lap. Later on all of the people who were racing at 2:00 get called up for the gridding.

And we are off, I didn’t get the best of starts as the rider in front of me couldn’t get clipped into his pedals! After that, I soon settle in and begin to get into my proper race mode, yes, pain mode too. After about 15 minutes of racing, I was in 2nd with Travis Pell in 3rd who was just behind. Kieran Jarvis was in 1st but to his unfortunate, he got a puncture in the rear tyre. But this then gave myself and Travis a heads up to gain some time over kieran.

Little did I know, James Pickering overtook me and was now sitting in second, which put me in 3rd. I had 4 unfortunate chain drops which put me into that 3rd place. Nothing much happened after this apart from my Dad (the team manager) giving me updates on how far away 2nd and 3rd place is.

Now we’re on our last lap where my legs, back and arms are aching, this was very uncomfortable, but I knew I had to put in that little extra effort to the finish.

I’d like to say a massive well done to all the people who raced, that was one tough course, and and even bigger congratulations to all of the people who got a podium!

Jake Darragh – HMTB Elite Team

Sunday 26th February was the long awaited first race of the 2017 Mud Sweat and Gears season. After what has felt like a long winter of training the summer race series is finally here and all the unanswered questions, such as have I trained hard enough to improve on last year, and how hard have my fellow competitors been training while hidden away in garages and sheds on turbo trainers, would be answered very shortly. I had missed that routine of preparing all my kit on a Saturday evening and loading up the car ready for an early start the next morning, but it didn’t take long to remember which items I needed to pack and prepare. Race day arrived quickly, and after a bit of breakfast and coffee I was in the car at 6:30 for the hour long trip to Lee Valley Velopark where MSG were calling home for the day. Last year we were blessed with blue skies and warm temperatures, but the grey clouds were gathering as the sun came up and it didn’t look like it would be as nice a day for spectators, but the lower temperatures would probably be better for us riders.

I was one of the first riders to arrive and went to help set up the club area but the extremely efficient Mr Crocombe, assisted by one of our resident Commissaires Paul Coulson, already had the gazebos up and the bike racks ready for us, so there was very little to do other than chat to fellow riders as they arrived. It was good to see so many Hadleigh members & families milling around the arena, and it was the first opportunity to catch up with friends from other clubs who we hadn’t seen since the last races of 2016.

Paul Cavalla had kindly collected our new Hardnutz MTB helmets from Chris Hyde the previous day, and he dished them all out to the main team riders when he arrived. The new helmet is much more comfortable than the previous one, and in my opinion it looks a lot better too. After a few moments to make adjustments to the straps on the new lid I headed out for a practice lap with Sue Wood and Paul & Joe Champness and we spent plenty of time looking at the A and B lines as our experience last year told us that some of the B lines could be faster in the race. The course was pretty much the same as last year so it didn’t take long to get the lines and remember where to pre-select gears etc.

Since I had such a poor 2016 with reliability issues and punctures, I wasn’t gridded for the open race, but I managed to loiter near the front of the main group and nab a place on the first line of non-gridded riders alongside fellow Hadleigh riders Michael Millham and Chris Dewson. It was great to have a sea of blue and white Hadleigh jerseys visible in the group of riders around me as the excitement and anticipation started to grow.

After a short speech from one of our other resident Commissaires, Adam March, we were off. I had a good start and the first part of the course was wide and fast so I was able to push a big gear and make up quite a few places before we dropped into the single track sections for the remainder of the lap. There were a lot more riders on course than in 2016 and in no time at all we were catching the back of some of the youth riders. The track at Lee Valley isn’t the best for overtaking and it was hard to see someone you were racing with pulling away from you until you found somewhere that was safe to overtake, but that is racing and everyone had the same issues. It just meant you had to work a little harder to catch that rider again when you got by, and the chances are they would get caught behind someone before too long so it gave you a chance to close back up.

I was racing closely with Lindley Gales from Kings Lynn MTB club and another couple of riders for most of the race, gaining a few places here and sometimes losing them again a short section later. In previous seasons I would fade away towards the end of the race as I simply didn’t have the fitness to keep up the tempo, but the winter training from team manager Kevin Darragh has proved invaluable and I was able to keep the pressure on those in front. I finished the race in 11th place, which although only one place better than last year, I was more than happy with considering the field. It was great to cross the line and find that Mark Darley had finished in 3rd place in my open category, and both Sue Wood and Jane Brockman had got 2nd place in their respective categories too! As usual after a race everyone headed back to the club gazebos to chat about the highlights and get changed ready to watch the under 12 and under 9 races that followed.

I love the track at Lee Valley, but I felt like this year was a victim of its own success and there were just too many riders for a course of this kind. I’m not sure if MSG will be back there again, but if they are I will certainly sign up as you always leave with a smile on your face.