One day one photo - 26

Sunday 5th October

Another weekend, another cyclo cross race. This time it was a bit more of an event for me because it was organised by my cycling club, Manchester Wheelers.

When I did this North west cyclo cross league event last year it was my first cyclo cross race since 2011, my first competitive event in the UK since returning from Milan, and my first race in the North-west.

As my cyclo cross bike was still in London I used the only bike available, my mountain bike. The race took place in Heaton Park, which was not difficult to get to on public transport. It was just a case of taking the train into Manchester Piccadilly and then cycling 5 miles across town to the north of the city. At the time I'd felt a little out of place being there - a woman rocking up for a 'cross race, seemingly the only person on a mountain bike, significantly lacking in fitness and out of practice riding on the rough stuff. "What the hell", I thought. Nobody knows me, so I don't mind if I make a tit of myself! It's just a bit of fun!

In the end, the race didn't go too badly. Since the course wasn't very technical I managed to get round ok. It was probably thanks to the series of hills, where I was able to use my acquired strength from climbing the Lombardy hills.

I say it didn't go too badly - but let's not get carried away. I didn't come last! I had to battled it out for 97th position out of a field of 110! Everything had been looking good for me getting 4th lady out of eight, but a mistake on an adverse camber meant I toppled myself over, wrapping the course tape around myself and the bike. The end result was that all the women overtook me as I slipped down to 7th place! Still, it gave a few people a bit of entertainment!

So this year, I turned up, wanting to close the circle. My faithful old mountain bike was replaced by my cross bike, I was a bit fitter than last year, especially as this was my fourth cyclo cross race of the season. Instead of racing in neutral kit, this time I raced in my newly purchased Manchester Wheelers jersey. Furthermore, I got involved in helping out at the race by being a runner for the judges (obviously not during my race!). All the cycling I did between the finish line and the event HQ doubled as a good warm-up for me.

It was a good day. I met more of my Wheelers club mates, the sun shone, and my race didn't go badly at all. I still didn't win, but I finished 8th woman out of eighteen and I even got some prize money in the vet women's category. It's nice when things come together.

Photo credit: http://www.whiteflyerphotography.com/

One day one photo - 18

Saturday 27th September

This looks a nice place to relax and enjoy the autumn sunshine on a Saturday afternoon - Markeaton Park, near Derby. Apparently there are pretty gardens, a boating late, a new, popular children's playground, donkey rides and even a craft village. Well, I didn't see any of that! I was too busy getting down (though not dirty) in Round 3 of the Notts and Derby Cyclo cross League within the park.

I didn't really notice any particular features since, as usual I arrived with perfect timing to allow me to just sign on, quickly don my kit, go to the loo and arrive on the start line a minute before the commissaire blew the start whistle!

The lack of rain is great in that we are spared from loads of mud, and more importantly we get to ride our bikes for more time than we spend cleaning them! However, when it is this dry it's such a bone-shaker ride. My tyres were pumped up quite high, so the going was even harder.

The great thing about the Notts and Derby League is that the women's category has a good-sized field - bigger than the leagues in the Northwest, Yorkshire or London. In this race there were 23 women. Apparently in the previous week's round there were 40! That is the order of number you get in a national level race. With fields of that size you can actually get involved in a proper duel with other riders. On this day I ended up in a 3-way fight with a woman from Team Empella and another girl from Matlock CC. Unfortunately for me I got a bit carried away and had a rather spectacular crash in the closing lap - typical! No bones broken, just a very grazed elbow from when I slid across the grass and a rather bruised ego since the crash occurred right in the open field where there was maximum viewing potential for the avid spectators!

Anyway, that aside, it was a fun race with a friendly atmosphere. I hope to be back doing one of those league races before long, and would recommend it to anyone starting out in cyclo cross.

One day one photo - 9

Thursday 18th September

13 - the new range of bikes from Halfords - was launched and I went along to the grand unveiling in Central London. The shop is already known for distributing well known brands such as Boardman, Pinarello, Kona, Pendleton and Mongoose. But the special thing about this range is that it is intended to be complimentary to what they already stock, and it is their own Halfords brand at affordable prices.
The essence of the 13 brand (of which the logo is shown upside down, in keeping with cyclist superstition) is, in the words of chief designer, Justin Stephens is to "ignore convention and follow instinct." So that's what they've done by introducing this range of hybrid, mountain and road (including a cyclo cross) bikes. They have brought in various elements from different types of bikes in order for them to be eye-catching and distinguished, notably with the use of UCI stripes in their frame colours, and internal hub gears in the hybrid bikes. It was all very informative and interesting. I guess the proof of the presenting is in the riding, and I look forward to trying out one of their bikes.

 

One day one photo - 3

Friday 12th September

Working in Macclesfield, while having a life down in London means I'm often travelling between the northwest and the southeast. It can be tiring, especially recently as I have been to London on flying visits a number of times over the last 3 or 4 weeks. Thankfully, Virgin Trains operate largely reliably on that very important London-Manchester line which transports the likes of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Manchester United and Manchester City football teams, plus masses of BBC staff, and my good self! Normally I just have light luggage and nothing else. When it comes to cycling I have a road bike in Macclesfield and a mountain bike and road bike in London, so I don't need to carry a bike with me every time I make the journey. However, things are a little more complicated now that the cyclo cross season has started. I only have one cyclo cross bike and I plan to race in the leagues in London, the northwest and the Midlands. So I will need to plan my logistics carefully so that my bike is with me, and not, say, in London when I want to race in Manchester! So this will be a familiar sight for me - as was the case this weekend - loading the bike onto the train at Euston or at Macclesfield and hoping that train staff are there to open the special bike carriage for me, and that they are there more importantly, at the other end to open the carriage door when I arrive at my destination. It has been known to happen that you step off the train and then it pulls away with your bike still on it! Hopefully, it won't happen to me any time soon! 

My Moment of the Week - 1

National Cyclo Cross Championships

Since returning to the UK I have slowly been getting back into competitive cycling. I haven't been particularly prolific about it. I just wanted to do a few races that would be fun and without worrying too much about my result.

The cycling that matches these criteria is cyclo cross! It's always fun - even when the course turns into a mudbath! These were the conditions we were faced with over the weekend at the National Cyclo Cross Championships in Derby.

My race, the female vets, was the first one of the day. Already that was tough enough. At some moments it was like riding through treacle and you had to really push hard to turn the pedals and get the bike moving - and that was just on the flat sections! As well as that there were lots of adverse cambers to ride down and around. Well, they were too slippery for me to ride so I ended up running those sections. I also had to run up the steep banks and through the sandpit. I didn't feel confident that I could ride through the sand, and I didn't want to risk falling and getting a horrible mixture of sand and mud into my chain!

Given the conditions I would have done well to have had an extra bicycle in the pits. I was at a distinct disadvantage to my fellow competitors, most of whom had two bikes and a pit crew. I didn't have the best race. I finished in last position out of 29 women. But hey, I am glad I went and I had a good day. Even though our race was first thing in the morning there was alot of crowd support and lots of folks cheered me on.

As well as this race being memorable for being the first national championships I have ever done, there were other stand-out moments.

Firstly, I only went to these national championships because it was the first time ever that they were holding a separate women vets race. Normally all women race as one big group with the elite/international riders mixed in with vets.

For someone of my ability it would be pointless doing this race as I would be lapped within 15 minutes by the likes of Helen Wyman and that would be my race over. But this year British Cycling agreed to put on a separate "older woman's" race, mirroring what happens with the men. They also said that if they had at least 20 women enter the race this year then they would stage it again next year. I wanted to support the initiative so I entered the race.

In the end we had 30 women sign up for the race, which is great news. I may have come last, but I don't mind that too much as I know I didn't have a great race and I can certainly improve on my performance. And now I know that there will be a women vets race next year so I have something to aim for, and I can get involved in a race that was as exciting as that between the two frontrunners!

The other noteworthy aspect of this event for me was that I spent the rest of the time interviewing the winners of the different races for Cycling Weekly magazine.

I always find interviewing fun, and it's also a great to learn about the different riders. I had been a little anxious about doing the first few interviews because I was going to have to interview the winners of my race immediately after racing myself - barely after getting my breath back, covered in mud and in the cold.

In fact, I was more preoccupied with my strategy for doing a coherent interview while staying warm and looking presentable than I was about my racing!

Things worked out ok in the end and I managed to interview everyone. I particularly enjoyed meeting young Megan James, sister of World Track Cycling Champion Becky James.

I was also very honoured to interview Nick Craig. He won the male vets race on the Saturday and went on to race the elite race the following day, taking 3rd place in a stella field. Impressive bloke, and very pleasant too. So, all in all it wasn't a bad weekend for me. Photos by Aodan Higgins   

Knobblies, Grass, Mud, Dips, Banks, Planks - Cyclo Cross is ON !

It's that time of year when you feel less worked up about your racing. You turn up an hour or less before your race. You enter on the line. You're not that pushed about sizing up or psyching out the opponents. Then your off.

One hour of high intensity racing, over narrow dirt tracks, weaving through the trees, dropping down dips, up over steep banks - sometimes carrying your bike. Then you've gotta leap over planks of wood - the special ones can bunny hop them, while us lesser mortals are compelled to dismount to haul body and bike over them. All done on a "road" style bike with knobblies (even a cyclocross bike !). Sometimes done in thick, sticky mud.

Anything can happen. You might be dropped, but then your opponent may pack in due to a mechanical. You might even get stronger as others blow up. Or your opponent might fall down the banking, never to be seen again - at least for the next 45 minutes ! After an hour you finish. You're all sweaty and salty - fatigued, but with a big smile on your face. knowing that you took up the challenge as best you could. You may not have finished as high up the field as you wanted, but who cares, you had fun and did something to maintain your autumn/winter fitness !
That's Cyclo cross - it's on from now until February, and I love it !


It's the one type of cycling where I have fun regardless of how well or badly I do. I get to make new cycling buddies as we meet up for the weekly battle in school fields, parks and woodlands, of the South East. I don't get pre-race nerves like in road races. I don't worry about how/when I'm gonna get fed like in cyclosportives. I'm not even that bothered about crashing, as you generally fall on something soft. It's pretty care free compared to what I do during the Spring and Summer months, and it's the best way to get me out on my bike when it's cold and dull outside. In fact the purists may argue that it's not cyclo cross unless it's cold, and rainy - or at least full of thick mud !

I've done the first couple of rounds of the London Cyclo Cross League. Both of them took place in glorious sunshine and on dry terrain. That probably explains why I rode relatively well (Two wins in as many weeks.) ! The next one, at Deers Leap Park, East Grinstead may be a different matter. This course is known for being pretty wet and sticky, so it'll be interesting to see how my road racing fitness will fare in these conditions.

It's been great to be the ladies' winner the last couple of weeks. However, I know I will be put in my place when the fast girls turn out at East Grinstead and future rounds ! Either way, I look forward to it and I'm sure it'll be a good craic !


Photos by John Mullineaux (londoncyclesport.com)

Pyrenean Adventure - Intro

I'd had it in mind to do a big ride through a mountain range or other this year. Last year I rode part of the Route des Grandes Alpes. I'd also been a few times to the Dolomites. So with only very limited experience of the Pyrenees (mainly from the Etape du Tour of 2002 and 2003), we decided it would be good to spend time over there.

The aim was to do something as close as we could manage to a trans-pyrenean ride, and be self supported. It was a bit of a daunting task - the gradients in the Pyrenees tend to be more brutal than in the Alps. The weather is also capricious. But our incentive was the beaches that would await us once we reached the Mediterranean, and our weekend in Barcelona.

Stan chose to take his mountain bike because it would be sturdier than his road bike for carrying panniers, and also he would have a good choice of gears. I chose my road bike as it would be lighter, and the brakes would be better if we got into wet conditions. I used the wheels from my cyclo cross bike for better grip, and also switched the carbon fibre seat post for a steel one, so it would cope with the pannier rack. Gearing wise, I believed I would be ok with the compact chain set (34-50) and 12-27 sprocket. Stan wasn't so sure.

The plan would be this :

1. Take the train from central London to Stansted on Fri 24th August, spend the night at a B&B in Takeley, 2 miles from the airport.

2. Ride to Stansted Airport at 3.30am on Sat 25th, put our bikes in bags and get the 6am flight (with Ryanir) to Pau

3. Arrive at Pau airport, set up our bikes, ride to Pau town centre.

4. Find a post office and send our bike bags to the hotel in Barcelona where we would be staying

5. Start our Pyrenean tour Saturday afternoon

6. Reach the Med Coast (St Cyprien Plage) on Thursday 30th August

7. Do the short ride from St Cyprien (France) to Portbou (Spain) on Friday 31st

8. Catch a train to Barcelona, where we would spend the weekend

9. Fly back to London Gatwick (with British Airways) on Sunday 2nd Sept

10. Train from Gatwick to East Croydon, and then ride back home.

I hadn't done any specific training for the ride - I hoped that the usual routine of road racing, track racing, cyclosportives, and the training that goes with it would be enough.
I had already used my panniers on my road bike in the past so I was comfortable with doing that.
However, despite all that preparation you always feel a little anxious about how things will actually turn out. There'd be many stages to go through between leaving London on 24th August, and returning on 2nd September.