South Downs Bikes C C

South Downs Bikes CC Sporting Time Trial

2012-01-27T21:07:00.002Z

4th/5th February 2012

Saturday 4th February starts at 2pm under course number GS/988.

Sunday 5th February starts at 10.00am under course number GS989.

The CTT website currently has no TT details of events for 2012 so download entry forms off this site and forward them to Mr Martin Richardson (promoter) at the Storrington shop. Prize money and prizes anticipated to be in excess of £1500.00 in value.
What are you waiting for?

Entry Form

Gorrick Spring Series

2012-01-24T09:15:00.000Z

Weavers Winter Warmer Adventure Race

2012-01-22T19:51:00.003Z

This was my first multi sport event of the year and it sure was different to a normal Tri. It was a team event, so I did it with a couple of friends that I do Tri's with at Steyning AC (only can enter in teams of 3), where you all have to stay together for the whole event.

The race was at Longmoor Army base and at the start you don't know the race format but just knew it was a XC 10k run, up to 25km mtb and 1k kayak, then a slippery 8 foot wall at the end. 151 teams started, the format ended up being a 2.5km run, 10km mtb (same type of circuit as the Gorricks), 5km run, 1km 3 person Kayak, 2.5km run, 10k mtb then to finish a tiny assault course. After the first run and bike, we climbed to 3rd overall, then were in battle with the Army first team and another team, they over took us on the run but we pulled them back on the bike. Going into the final leg we were the 2nd male team. Just as we started the dam assault course, there was a really annoying stupid wooden plank task (did not know we had to do it until we got there), where all 3 of us had to walk in sync on 2 pieces of wood. Could we do it fast ? NO, and kept falling over like a 1 year old kid... 2 teams passed us and we eventually came in 4th male team overall.

Had to have a laugh after about this last task that cost us a really good position, but still had a lot of fun.... Next event I hope to wear the Southdown Bikes tri kit when it arrives !

Laters !

Gary Brind

PS : Sorry no pics, too tight to pay for them.... spend all my pocket money on bikes :o)

Brass Monkey RD 3 Entries Closed

2012-01-19T18:32:00.001Z

Just to let everyone know! I was planning to enter on the day but this is now not possible

Brass Monkeys Rd3 - Hungry Hill

2012-01-17T14:20:00.000Z

Round 3 on Sunday at Hungry Hill, Aldershot new course with 1000' of climbing.

Stilettos On Wheels

2012-01-07T19:29:00.000Z

Look at the start line of any mtb race and the ratio of male to female riders can easily be 9 to 1. Hoping to address this is StilettosOnWheels, a new two and four-hour MTB race for women only in Stanmer Park, Brighton on September 8th. With the event, the organisers are hoping to create greater focus on women in mountain biking and their ambition for the event is to get more female riders into the sport and give them an opportunity to compete with and against each other.

Brighton Big Dog

2011-12-30T19:13:00.001Z

Brass Monkeys 2

2011-12-23T08:14:00.000Z

Ian

Well done to those who tackled a demanding Brass Monkeys course on Sunday. Unlike the mini heat wave at the first round, this time the puddles remained frozen for most of the morning. It was certainly a tough work out with lots of climbing linked together with technical trails, leaving both legs and arms burning!

My race was blighted by the remnants of a cold, a detour and a puncture. Punctures were quite common with Steve suffering the same fate. So well done to Ian who completed 6 laps (the best part of 50 miles) finishing an excellent 8^th and John who completed 5 laps for 23^rd.

John

Just to get an idea of how steep these courses are.

2011-12-16T18:19:00.000Z

Cycling Explained

2011-12-16T10:58:00.001Z

Danny Hart winning World Champs

2011-12-13T20:55:00.002Z

Still tickets available for the Clubs first social.

2011-12-12T20:25:00.000Z

Hold the Date - For one night only, no bike required!

Christmas Cranked Up - featuring live band Fixed Wheel

Date 15th December

Venue Storrington Social Club

Time Doors open at 7.30pm until late

Food served from 9pm until 9.30pm

Tickets for this event are limited so first come first served. Tickets will be £15 until the 31st October and £17.50 thereafter and available from the shop. We will not be able to offer tickets on the door so pre-booking will be essential. This will be a great night out so don't miss out.

Brass Monkeys Rd 1 - Porridgepot Hill

2011-11-29T19:53:00.000Z

Last year saw a frozen course and blue skies, same again this year? Blue skies yeah but 20 degrees warmer than last year and once again a tough hilly course. As usual the event was a sell out and both formats were full of some of the best riders in the south east. 1030 and the 4hr riders were off with elite rider Tim Dunford leading from start to finish. Ben was in the mix for first half of the race, completing 6 laps to finish an excellent 15th. Alex Davey was also at the sharp end but a problem with his cassette on lap 2 put paid to his race a lot earlier than he hoped, better luck next round.

Ben Connor

Myself and Damian rode in the 4hr vets cat, in which the seasoned endurance rider Ant White took the honours with 6 laps, lapping me just before the finish. With the unfortunate Damian riding with a cold deciding enough was enough after 3 laps.
Fay Cripps was our only competitor in the 2hr format, she decided to ride a gentle lap after not recovering from a bad fall at the Autumn Classic.
Well done to all see you at the next round at Tunnel Hill, Mychett on 17th December, make sure you sign up early.

The Welsh Wobble

2011-11-28T20:17:00.000Z

If anyone is interested in a beer festival masquerading as a mountain bike ride, then go to Llanwrtyd Wells next year, as you've just missed this year's. Long fire road uphills with mucky twisty downhills in the countryside over the far side of Brecon. It's the village that holds the Man v Horse, bogsnorkelling, etc, championships. I joined a group of Welsh friends and you basically ride as far as you want on saturday and sunday with real ale checkpoints to keep you fortified. Saturday night in the marquee there are 40 types of beer available. Chili plum ale and winter spice and many others were knew to me. One was even 10o alcohol! Needless to say, some folks didn't ride as far on Sunday.

Good end-of-season fun in a well organised and relaxed manner.

Cheers,

Stephen.

Alex Daveys Autumn

2011-11-18T08:47:00.000Z

Hi All

A quick update to tell you what I,ve been up to since getting a 4th in the maxx Exposure night race on 24th Sep
Autumn Gorrick 1 on the 16th of Oct was well documented by our friend Ben Conner on the blog but it was not a good one for me. Racing in the open category I got off to a slow start held back in the early single-track but pulled up to 3rd or 4th overtaking on the fire road section. Just after the Steep bomb hole half way through the 1st lap my back brake failed and was soon forced to retire,gutted as I felt an opportunity go.
After the D.N.F that we all hate I needed to find another race to attend that came in the shape of "Night of the Knobbly tires" held at Black Park near slough on 16th Oct,this sounded great 5 laps of flat and fast single-track probably only lasting just over the hour mark. Kindly picked up by Beyond rider Jon Pierce who lives close by we were soon under the Exposure tent start line for a dry and dusty battle,for which i chose the carbon epic. After 4 laps Jon was in 4th position in the vets and me in 3rd in the masters... was this to be a result to overshadow the brake failed at the gorrick!!!......... sadly no as i went to overtake Jon on the last 50yds we tangled bars and he sustained a nasty fall,as he did,nt move from the bike on the floor with racers bearing down a finish was not possible for either of us,only a 3hr A&E visit.
Autumn Gorrick 2 on the 13th Nov needed to be a finish and after a good start held on to 3rd till a dropped chain put me back into the main pack in lap 2. Feeling good I managed to take 5 riders or so to come in 5th in the open, pleased to have finished!!!
Next Brass Monkeys.

Cheers

Alex D

Southern XC Dates

2011-11-06T14:05:00.000Z

Southern XC 2012

Rd1 - 18th Mar - Checkendon
Rd2 - 15th Apr - Pippingford
Rd3 - 13th May - Wasing(Southern Champs)
Rd4 - 3rd June - Crow Hill
Rd5 - 1st July - Perham Down

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series Races

2011-11-04T21:22:00.000Z

Date	Event Information	Venue / Map
05 Feb 12	2012 Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series 1	Tunnel Hill - West » Mytchett, Mytchett Place Road, Surrey
26 Feb 12	2012 Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series 2	Tunnel Hill - East » Mytchett, Mytchett Place Road, Surrey
11 Mar 12	2012 Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series 3	Crowthorne Wood » Bracknell Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire
01 Apr 12	2012 Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series 4	Frith Hill » Deepcut Bridge Road, Deepcut, Surrey
22 Apr 12	2012 Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series 5	Windmill Hill, Deepcut Sports Ground » Cyprus Road, Deepcut, Surre

2012 Mountain Bike Events

2011-10-24T19:28:00.003+01:00

Thanks for the many comments on Facebook on which events to ride in 2012. I've broken the events down into XC and enduro categories.

XC Events
Gorrick XC's
Southern XC's
Whiteways mid week XC's if they happen
Nat XC Champs (Good luck Steve!)

Comments:

Business as usual with the addition of the Whiteways XC's if they happen

We intend to ride at most or all of the above events in 2012 as they're all fairly local

Enduro Events
May. Gorrick 100 (Bracknell), Erlstoke 12 (Salisbuty), National 12 & 24 hour champs (Newcastleton, Scotland)

June. Bristol Bike Fest

July. Are You Tough Enough? (Aldershot), 24/12, Black Mtn 3 day (Wales)

Aug. Brighton Big Dog, Torq 12:12 (near Fleet)

Sept. Maxx Enduro, K100 (Kielder Forest - Borders)

Oct. D2D (Thetford)

Comments:

Nobody voted for Mountain Mayhem or SITS

We did have a few request to ride a 24 hour event

24/12 did come up and there's the 12 option too. Therefore I suggest that we make an effort to ride at 24/12 in 2012. It has by far the best circuit of the 24 hour races as it's held at the old Plymout World Cup circuit

A few takers for the K100. Start training for that one around now..

Can I have names for the enduros please? Especially the team or distant events. Those are:

Bristol Bikefest teams & riders
24/12 Teams & riders
K100 riders
D2D teams & riders

I'd like to start putting teams together for these so we can sort out transport to the events. Let me know if I've forgotton any events. I can answer questions over event formats, etc.

Regards,

James

Gorrick Autumn Classic - Tunnel Hill

2011-10-17T09:23:00.002+01:00

Are you Chicken?

The car temperature gauge read a chilly 3 degrees as I rolled up for the first Gorrick Autumn Classic. I set off for the warm-up lap wrapped up like it was winter. As usual for Gorrick there was lots of rooty singletrack, dry and dusty after the recent warm, sunny weather. There were a couple of steep little climbs and a bomb hole…

I stopped and looked into the bomb hole. The entrance was loose and almost vertical. I couldn’t even see the bottom and the other side looked like a ski jump. I decided to take the longer chicken run.

The sun was starting to warm the fingers as the race got underway. The front three soon disappeared but I grabbed the back wheel of the second group as we picked our way through the Super Vets on the first lap.

I realised that the rider in front looked familiar. It was a guy called Matt who had just piped me to the win at my last race. Battled resumed!!

I’d jumped ahead of Matt as we approached the bomb hole- two conflicting thoughts raged in my brain – “He who dares wins,” but, “Discretion is the better part of valour”. I’d lost my chance to beat Matt at the last race when I ended up laying on my back in the dirt, so I dived down the safety of the chicken run. As we streamed out of the singletrack on the other side Matt was about 10-15 meters ahead. Over the rest of the lap I pulled him back and passed him again on the same hill just before the dreaded bomb hole. Same dilemma but this time I had a slightly bigger lead on him. However, as I came out of the Chicken run he swept pass my front wheel and took the hard earned place back.

I passed him on the next hill but on every technical section I could hear the tell tale sound of chain slap and squealing disc brakes that let me know he wasn’t far behind.

Final lap and the course was so full on I still had a full water bottle; there was no time for drinking. We approached the bomb hole a final time and I glanced over my shoulder. There he was just 2 or 3 meters back, did I let him through and hope I could chase him down again? No way!

My stomach went weightless as I tried to get my weight as far back as possible. Tyres just skimming the surface as we plummeted. Then the G force as the bike reached the bottom and swept me up over the other side. I’d survived!

From then on, I pushed hard and managed to maintain a small gap, actually passing another rider just before the line to finish 6^th.

A few other South Downs representatives today. Well done Fay for winning the ladies masters and Ian 6^th in Grand Vets. Although I missed them Damien and Mark were also out representing the club.

Ben

2012 MTB Program

2011-10-16T12:59:00.004+01:00

Hi all,

I'm working on our 2012 MTB race program at the moment. I saw John had posted a similar topic recently also. We need your feedback as to which races the team should support in 2012. The Gorricks and Southern XC's are a given as is the new Whiteways series if that comes off. I'm looking at events further away, such as 12/24 hour events and enduros. I think we may focus on some new and different events to mix things up a bit. If we coordinate our thoughts now, we should be able to help with travel arrangements, sue of the van, etc to keep our travel costs down. So far I have:

SPAM Winter challenge
Gorrick 100
Are you tough enough?
Enduro 6
National Marathon Champs (if they happen in 2012)
Bristol Bikefest
Mountain Mayem
SITS
24/12
BB Dog
Isle of Man enduro
Kielder 100
Maxx Enduro
D2D

Let me know what you think please.

Squirrels on the road

2011-10-14T10:30:00.000+01:00

Beware of these the lady involved in this incident spent a week in hospital the squirrel wasn't so lucky.

Racing update from Ian

2011-10-11T19:09:00.001+01:00

Well this has been an odd season with far too many punctures and retirements. The MTB race season goes a bit quite midsummer so I’ve enjoyed a couple of family holidays and a short cycling break to the Alps with French Dave.

The autumn season is now upon us.

Brighton Big dog 6 hour - 20th August

I’ve not ridden the Brighton Big Dog before but I remember the venue from the 90s when both the NPS and Southern Area Mountainbike Series (SAMS) raced there. I also remember it’s great if it’s dry – horrible if it’s wet. Luckily the race day was dry, the course was excellent and the marshalling the best I’ve ever known. Full marks to the event organizers.
I had entered as a solo and apart from a small mechanical issue on the first climb of the first lap (a broken cassette with 2 lost ratios) and a quite bit of cramp I really enjoyed the event and rolled in a very pleasing 8th in the vets class (40+) AND NO PUNCTURES.

Gorrick Torq In Your Sleep 12 hour – 28th August

The Gorrick team always put on a great event and the Torq In Your Sleep is very popular with Solo, Pairs and Team classes. Last year I entered as a pair with the Postie. This year I entered as a pair (all one age group) with French Dave. Pairs racing is probably the hardest discipline as the laps are 40 to 50 minutes long and it’s a sprint with a short time to recover, eat, drink, get cold, and off again at full speed. With sun, rain and wind it was very changeable. All went well for the whole race apart from one puncture, which I couldn’t fix apart from having a foam canister, 2 air cartridges and 2 tubes, so a bit of running was involved, this made Dave laugh as I ran into the arena waving a tube. A spare tire had me ready for Dave’s return 40 odd minutes later.
We hadn’t been paying much attention the our position but after about 7 hours we realized we were 5th and decided to get a move on and at one point working our way up to 3rd, slipping to 4th at the end. 15 laps in total, more than many teams of 4 riders. Two tired old men – combined age 107!

XTM MTB Enduro 4 hour - 8th October

This is a new event for me; I thought I’d see what the weather was like before committing, so I entered on the day.
The race is 4 hours, not 4 hour + the lap your on.
The race route was a 10K lap with no real technical challenges; it was marked out with 1k boards so you always knew where you were. There were only 4 categories male, female, mail pairs, and female pairs so I had to race against the youngsters.
I lined up on the start line and we were off. As many or you know I often have trouble with cramp and not wanting to risk dehydration and mineral deficiency I planned to change my drink bottle every 2 laps. This worked well and every 2 laps (about 59 minutes) I refueled.
I was quite enjoying this event and with nobody passing me I knew I was near the front, I had a plan to try for 8 laps. I was just keeping under the 30minute / lap + refueling and entered the last lap with 30 minutes to go, I gave it my all but with tired legs came in just over 1 minute past the 4 hour shut off time. So I completed 8 laps and 80K in 4 hours and 1 minute. 6th place in male (I actually came in 5th but the positions roll back to the lap you finished before the 4 hour deadline), and beating all the pairs teams except 2!
Both bike and rider worked perfectly.

Next events:

Gorrick Autumn Classic XC 1 - 16th October
WDMBC – Black Park night race - 22nd October
Gorrick Autumn Classic XC 2 - 13th November
Gorrick Brass Monkey 1 – 27th November
Gorrick Brass Monkey 2 – 18th December

Following on from John below; Ben Conner and I (+ a couple of others) maybe having a MTB holiday somewhere warm in the spring, maybe taking in an enduro event, there’s an event in Gran Canaria in March we are considering, otherwise it maybe Spain – I will keep you posted.

2012 Events

2011-10-07T20:05:00.000+01:00

We are thinking of trying some new events next year mixed in with some social weekends away. Afan, Forest of Dean,Coed Yr Brenin are a few great off-road venues, perhaps even a trip to sunnier climes for some warm weather training on the road or even off-road?

Race wise we are trying to mix it up a bit and try some different venues. Perhaps Sleepless in the Saddle, Bonty 24/12, Black Mountains 3 Day or anything else that brings some new challenges.

Any ideas welcome.

Italy trip 2011

2011-10-07T19:38:00.000+01:00

Heaven, mountains and sheep what else could a Welshman ask for?

And we thought our roads were bad?

Passo Stelvio (north side)

Passo Stelvio (south side)

Exposure Lights

2011-10-07T19:16:00.000+01:00

Any for sale?

Brass Monkeys Returns for 3rd Year

2011-10-06T21:15:00.003+01:00

Rd 1 - 27th November 2011 - Porridgepot Hill, Pirbright
The series starts at Porridge Pot Hill at Pirbright again this for this years Round 1 as it was so popular last year. We are pleased to say that we will have full use of the venue area again, including the canal side whoops and drops, collective bomb holes and single track much enjoyed at the summer Army mountain bike event held there. We will also have the benefit of the massive arena area at Deepcut Green, with plenty of space for parking and the full arena. This area also gives us ample opportunity to spread riders out before arriving at the delightful flowing single track and twisty drops and climbs which always richly reward the effort of any climb with a scintillating decent. You can expect a full Enduro length lap similar to Are You Tough Enough which can be ridden regardless of the weather conditions.

Rd 2 - 18th December 2011 - Ash Ranges, Ash
Back to Ash Ranges again this year with a tweaked course from last year as the revamped course was so well received. Ash was introduced as a brand new venue to Enduro racing in the area last series on what is normally a live military firing range, except for a short period over Christmas when there is totally open access. So if you wish to ride here in future just a word of caution - don't enter the Ranges when the RED FLAGS are flying or you'll get shot! Our thanks go to the Army for giving us exclusive access.

Rd 3 - 22nd January 2012 - Hungry Hill, Aldershot
The series finishes off with a slightly changed arena and start point to use different areas and trails on Caeser's Camp. The 7-8 mile lap will again nearly 1000ft of total ascent encouraging 'granny ring racing' but it will all be worth it for the great flowing descents to follow.

Maxx Enduro Report

2011-09-28T10:46:00.006+01:00

The Maxx is a unique point to point night time enduro. It starts at dusk at Beachy Head and ends 80 miles later at QE Park, near Petersfeld. It’s a pretty tough event in terms of distance and the night time factor. However the course is simple, just follow the South Downs Way!

I’ve managed to ride this event every other year since its inception in 2005. Work commitments have kept me away too many times, but needs must. Last time I rode in 2009 the weather was perfect and I had a good ride, although the badger I hit en route might not agree. This year things looked promising weather wise and I’d sent an advanced warning to the badger population to stay off the course. As usual at the start there was a mixture of full on 24 hour and endure racers, trail riders and weekend warriors. Alex Davey was there along with two previous winners, Rob Dean and Charlie Esutace. There were a few other handy looking riders including team riders from OnOne and Wiggle, so I knew the pace from the start was going to be fast. Actually it was similar to the start of an XC race, so we were down from 80 starters to a group of four within a few miles. By the first check point, it was down to Charlie and me, with some chasers a minute back. That was the last time I actually rode with anyone. I dropped Charlie on the tough hill directly over the A27 from CP1 at Falmer. After that, all I could see were lights in the distance behind me form chasing riders. Knowing how quickly my luck could change, I didn’t let up and gradually pulled time out on the chasers. Luckily they’d splintered into single riders so there was no organised chase group. I kept with my tactic of super careful descending to avoid flint punctures, which seemed to pay off. It also kept me from hitting any of the roaming wildlife. At some points the visibility was about 30ft. I nearly hit a sleeping cow at some speed in a fog bank, but saw it just in time. It was great to meet Tim, Martin, Andy et al at CP3 at Springhead. By then I had a reasonable lead, so all I had to do was ride safely into my home patch at Cocking and then onto the finish. In the end it took 6’28”. The next rider in, James Braid from Wiggle, came in 17 minutes after me. Alex finished a strong 4th, so a good night all round for the team.

Thanks to Tim for driving me to the start and then cheering Alex and I on at intervals all the way to CP3. Also thanks to everyone at CP3 for staying up all night and some of the morning. It’s a great lift to all the riders to see cheerful faces and get encouragement. I finished before 1 AM. I think CP3 was manned until 4AM!

James D'Arcy

The Bear 100 August 23, 2011 Utah to Idaho. USA

2011-09-27T09:59:00.001+01:00

THE BEAR 100
A Cool, Autumn Loop Through the Pines, Golden Aspen

and Red Maples of the Wasatch/Bear River Range

100 Miles • 21,986' of climb • Maximum Elevation 9060'

Minimum Elevation 4860'• Average Elevation 7350'

The Bear has sunk in its claws. I suppose I need to answer a common question I've received: "So you couldn't find a nice, flat 100-miler for your first?" I've had guarded interest in racing longer than 50 miles, and had never experienced a run longer than nine hours. Descriptions of this epic course with its beautiful fall colors which I heard from Errol "Rocket" Jones and others, along with an urge for a new challenge, sucked me in. The Bear is remote and rugged, is the only race to start in one state (Utah) and finish in another (Idaho), and has a very intimidating elevation profile with 22,000 feet of climbing over 11 successive mountain passes.

I knew well to expect something totally unlike the 50 milers which are still relatively new to me. Many experienced ultrarunner friends of mine offered great advice and knew that it would be inevitable I would attempt to carry over the speed I have in shorter distances. "This is not a race of the fittest, but a race of adapting the best to the conditions" someone would tell me.

The biggest preoccupation leading up to the race was determining what to bring - what items I'd need in drop bags, logistics of where and when I'd need them, and how to fit all that crap in to two small carry-on bags. In retrospect, it was better to worry about these things than to focus too much on the horror stories of the Mile 70 breakdowns of runners more talented than me.

My initial plan for a race pace was to settle in to a comfortable heart rate of 155 (out of 206 for this hummingbird heart of mine). As fate would have it, the first ten or so runners would hit the initial 3300 ft monster climb faster than expected. Damned if I would let the mountain goat with hiking poles in front of me disappear up the mountain. So I gave it a little bit of gas and passed through the mile 20 aid station in first place with eventual winner Nick Pedatella hot on my heels. Nick, from Boulder, Colorado, is a super talent and was four weeks earlier one of the top finishers in the grueling Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc race in the French Alps. Nick is a space physicist and looks more that part than the beast of an endurance athlete that he is.

As in any ultramarathon distance, you eventually settle in to your all day pace. It may have taken me a little too long to get there, but I was thankfully joined at mile 40 by Ben Lewis, another 100 mile rookie, but very solid competitor at shorter distances. Nick was gone, but Ben and I became inseparable partners, sharing 2nd place for the next 43 miles. We settled in to a comfortable effort and the time passed quickly, a lot of it with frequent reports from me on our current altitude, number of miles to the next aid station, predicted pace, etc. Ben is a resident medical doctor in psychiatry, but politely made no attempts at analyzing any psychosis I might have.

The Bear has only recently exploded in popularity and still retains its low-key atmosphere. The organization is first-rate, but the one old-school element which I would like to see evolve is the course marking. Fortunately, I had rounded up enough Garmin gps wrist watches to last the whole race and loaded the course map on to each. This saved me on more than one occasion where flagging was missing or difficult to locate. The majority of finishers found their way, but many made wrong turns, and some were too far astray to finish within the 36 hour limit.

Mile 70 came and progress to that point was terrific. The sun was just about to set and a sub-20 hour finish was a yawning 6-1/2 hours away - no worries. After all, how long could it possibly take to run, or just jog and hike, 30 miles? My good friend Mike Topper, a successful veteran of many ultramarathon races, came out to crew for me and pace from Mile 76. Mike's company for the last 24 miles proved to be invaluable. I had been carefully eating and drinking all day and consumed all the special snacks I had sent ahead. The sun went down, and soon thereafter the fire in my engine room was flickering. The key to a good split time for the end of a 100 mile race seems to be the ability to run the runnable sections of trail and to spend a minimal amount of time at the last 4 to 5 aid stations. This is baffingly easier in concept than practice. At first, complacency took over. Then fatigue crept in to my legs to the point where inflammation prevented me from running down hill at all. Then adrenaline masked the need for caffeine which ultimately led to a very slow and somewhat scary shuffle for over a mile to the Mile 92 aid station. Somehow things turn around after these rough patches and it took some long stops at aid stations to be revived.

Fortunately, my feet were in good shape, my digestion was working well, and the clear night sky was incredible. Unfortunately, there was a maddeningly steep and rough, 7 mile descent from mile 93 to the finish. The ibuprofen I took was no match for the soreness in my right leg, so it was a very long walk off the mountain. The city lights of Fish Haven Idaho, population 201, were over 3000 feet below and drew closer at an alarmingly slow rate. I had parted ways with Ben at mile 83, and from mile 91 on, I watched one runner after another sail by. Miraculously, I slipped only to 7th place, having taken just under 5 hours to cover the last 15 miles with a finish time of 22:46. The last runner to pass me by was Nikki Kimball. Getting beat by a champion of her stature is okay by me.

Ben Lewis unknowingly took the lead at mile 85 when Nick Pedatella went off course for a solid hour! Nick put his UTMB legs to good use by retaking the lead at mile 92 and flew to the finish, while Ben finished with a comfortable cushion for second place.

Along with 18 others, my sub-24 hour time earned the coveted wolverine belt buckle. The wolverine is a powerful predator in the weasel family, but looks like a bear - something else I've learned from running 100 miles.

The memories will last for a long time. The spirit of community amongst the participants, volunteers, and crews is truly unique and will inevitably draw me back to this distance again.

Equipment used:

Inov-8 X-Talon 212 (8 oz) shoes

Go-Lite double bottle waist pack

Fenix LD20 handheld light and Petzl headlamp for backup

Garmin Forerunner 305

Honey Stinger gels and waffles

Nuun electrolyte

Good old cheese sandwiches and salty V-8 juice

by Gary Gellin

Beijing World Triathlon Age Group race

2011-09-16T18:51:00.014+01:00

D Day, my biggest race for 2011 was to represent Great Britain in the age group (35-39) Triathlon at the World Championships in Beijing. There were around 2200 athletes from 16 - 80 years, both men and women, abled and various degrees of disabilities. (To watch the Paratriathetes in their wheelchairs was amazing to see, and also the speed those guys get. I thought my TT bikes was fairly bling but in a practise session I was behind a guy doing around 27mph on the flat, he had dual Zipp Sub 9 disc wheels, and a sweet looking custom carbon wheel chair. VERY nice to see. Later that day, a friend and I cycled (sneaked in) with the pros as the police had closed off the roads just for them to check the course out, so that was fun (lots of people taking pics of us thinking we were pros ha ha).

The event was constructed for the 2008 Olympics thus the Chinese had not been tight in building a first class course, the road was like a race track and super smooth (however even though the 10km loop had barriers all the way around it still did

not stop stray dogs running out onto the course as a top under 23 woman who was leading her race, hit a dog and went flying....).

The event started with an opening ceremony 2 days before the race which was cool.

My race started at 6:50am in rainy, 10'C, 10mph winds and dam was it cold hanging around in our tri suits waiting for our wave to start (It was typical British April weather which the Ausi's and Brazilians did not like..). I made an amateur error and did not fix my google correct, thus after 2 swim strokes they filled up with water which is not good, thus I had to stop twice to clear the lenses and resulted in my worst timed swim all year. I looked forward to the TT part as it my stronger point and managed to over take a few guys (working off the anger of my poor swim). Going around the corners was super scary due to the slick surface and especially over the white lines in the road (a few twitchy moments). Some people were not so lucky and kissed the ground....

The run went well and as such posted my best run time ever, with no one over taking me. I finished 5th in my age group (around 35 starters from 8 different nations). Next year is New Zealand which would be cool, but as you need to self fund it yourself (although a lot of athletes were sponsored) I may give it a swerve and wait for London the year after.... I was very happy with my result and feel with a normal swim there was even a good chance to grab Bronze (but as with all races there is always the "could, would, should" debate after).

After the race, the pros showed us how to race. Their race is a little different in that the bike section is draft legal, thus they race like the guys on the Tour D' France i.e in a pack.. Ours we are not allowed to draft thus have TT bikes. GBR pros did well (best season ever) and as it was the final race in the Triathlon series, the GBR men were crowned overall 1 & 2 (Brownlee brothers) and the GBR woman (Helen Jenkins) crowned number 1. What put the cherry in my cake, was after the pro awards, World No2 walked towards me and I asked for a pic and he was joking that the award & bottle of Champagne was too heavy, so I offered to hold it. I nearly dropped his trophy, thus in the pic he looks worried...

Overall a great experience, but I am sure looking forward to ending this years race season after a little half Ironman next weekend, then hit the beers and come out on more shop Wednesday MTB rides!

Rd 5 Southern XC

2011-09-07T21:04:00.001+01:00

Alex Taylor completed the 5th and final round of the series Sunday at Pippingford Park with his best result of the series coming 4th and rounded of a great 6th 0verall.

What a great result coming 7th in every other round apart from the first which he missed.
Podium next year Alex, must be most improved rider this season.

Tour du Sella Ronda

2011-09-07T09:19:00.000+01:00

If anyone desires great riding, superb scenery, breathtaking mountains, fantastic Italian food and thirst-quenching radler (local beer with bitter lemon) then check out the 58k Tour du Sella Ronda. A week ago I took my wife on a last minute holiday to the village of Selva, the cleanest, prettiest, smartest resort I've ever been to, in Val Gardena in the Dolomites. The objective was to hike in the mountains but at booking time I'd forgotten (ahem) it was also the start of the Sella Ronda.

In wintertime it is a ski tour. In summer, it is one of the classic bike routes. Several options are open: a road bike tour...they close the roads on specific days (just like in England, not), or mountain biking eg

- join a group with a guide coordinated by the Selva Tourist Office (Eur25), take the uphills via chairlift/cable car and zoom the descents. Takes about 8 hours including a lazy lunch stop. I joined about 30 mainly Germans and were split into three groups with a guide each. (Necessary to route find and also for accident cover)

- ride the ascents as well as the descents - very tough

- go race the course....the sellarondahero event is in July.

The course is very technical with loose conditions undertyre everywhere. Even the few 100 metres of jeep tracks are covered in marbles. I rode on a sunny, dry day and it was tough. I would have been less keen in the wet. Rougher than Les Gets or Morzine and most wore knee pads.

Squeasyjet took us to Verona, then a two hour transfer, so not a short journey, but well worth it. It's in the Sudtirol, so you get the benefit of German efficiency with the bonus of Italian style and food.

I'd recommend it for a family holiday with a sneaky day off biking, or a dedicated bike holiday. Oh, did I say, it's also the Scott European test centre. Rock up and borrow a bike. Alternately, hire a Scott Genius 50 for the day for Eur30. Beware - the brake levers are the reverse of what you find in the UK. Well, I needed an excuse for my tumble over the bars.

Stephen Turner

Christmas Cranked Up

2011-09-07T09:09:00.001+01:00

Hold the Date - For one night only, no bike required!

Christmas Cranked Up - featuring live band Fixed Wheel

Date 15th December

Venue Storrington Social Club

Time Doors open at 7.30pm until late

Food served from 9pm until 9.30pm

Torq in your sleep 28/08/11

2011-08-29T10:38:00.007+01:00

Ian and Dave Cleale aka French Dave put in a terrific performance yesterday coming 4th in the male pairs completing 15 laps in twelve hours and only missing out on 3rd by 5 minutes ! this highlights Dave's potential that we all know he has ! and remember this is a category where they would have competing against people half their ages , hopefully when they have had a well earned rest a few words of their own will follow :-) Also i didn't realise Steve & Simon were in a mixed club male team and came in an impressive 6th , shows how out of touch i'am at the moment :-(

2011-08-27T22:01:00.000+01:00

This is awesome.

Val Di Sole World Cup Downhill.

Parham Kermesse 2011

2011-08-27T20:19:00.002+01:00

Steve Calland wins 2nd cat race for 2nd year whilst young gun James Bailey finishes 2nd in 2nd/3rd cat race.

Marshalls Required for Parham Kermesse

2011-08-21T20:34:00.000+01:00

We are looking for Marshalls for this club sponsored race if interested in giving up a morning, afternoon or both let Tim or Martin know.

BIG DOG Results

2011-08-20T21:20:00.002+01:00

Steve and Mark came 4th in really tough Male Pairs and Emma and Simon 6th in a competitive Mixed Pairs cat. Steve Turner and Matt rode in the Male Team cat but I don't know their result.

Ian Pethebridge and James D'Arcy also rode in the Male Solo Vet, Ian coming in 8th with a few minor mechanicals and James only rode 2 laps so I think he may have had a problem somewhere but well done to all on a great days racing.

2011-08-18T10:01:00.001+01:00

Stephen Turner's pairs partner for the Big Dog has fallen ill, so he is looking for someone to fill the spot on Saturday. Any takers?
We have also got 2 6hr entries going as well.

Fittleworth Flyer 5 Mile Road Race

2011-08-18T09:35:00.000+01:00

Stephen Turner is organising this event on 4th September all welcome.

Check realtime weather

2011-08-03T13:17:00.005+01:00

Slightly geeky ! But my weather station located between the 2 SDBikes shops, in Angmering Park Estate reports live weather conditions should you want to check before you ride out.

http://www.weatherlink.com/user/chrislamb/

There is also an iPhone Davis Weather app you can add this to as well as antoher station located in Sullington even closer to Storrington.

Thanks for looking!

Podium places at Are You Tough Enough

2011-08-03T09:46:00.000+01:00

Ben 2nd and Alex 3rd

Emma 2nd

Kielder 100

2011-07-18T15:23:00.003+01:00

Article below from XCracer.com The question is, can you go under 8 hours......

In just three years the Montane Kielder 100 has become one of the most iconic British mountain bike races, capturing the imagination of hundreds of riders willing to push themselves to new limits in this unique event.
Each year more and more riders attempt the grueling 100 mile lap starting from Kielder Castle in England, crossing over the border into Scotland using the Newcastleton 7Stanes trails before heading back to England. Those that do manage to complete the lap will be in for a treat this year with Forestry Commission England working hard throughout the summer to finish off the last few miles of trails making it a descent you’ll want to go back and ride again!

Over 700 riders have already signed up, with many of them just hoping to get through each of the checkpoints within the allotted time and finish the course, but the talented few will be hoping to join the exclusive sub-9 hour club, currently consisting of only 20 riders. With the course record set last year at just under 8 hours it will take something very special to go sub-7 hours and win the £1,000 prize money on offer for the first rider to do so.

James on the podium where he belongs

2011-07-06T16:36:00.003+01:00

Sorry James mislaid your image briefly :-)

Mountain Mayhem 2011

2011-06-25T10:16:00.002+01:00

I’ll admit to being nervous in the week leading up to the Mountain Mayhem 24hr race. However, this wasn’t because of the racing, it was the weather! After months of dry, dusty trails the forecast was for wind and rain.

I drove down with Ian on Friday afternoon and the first thing to hit me (after the drizzle) was just how big this event is – it’s HUGE! We drove past tent after tent before Ian identified the biggest marquee of all as the hub of the South Downs Bikes tented village.

Tim provided a warm welcome and Jayne a slap up pasta dinner. As the rain fell outside the mood was dampened further by news that Roger had fallen on a reconnaissance lap and broken his collar bone. This did mean slight reshuffling of the teams but we went to bed with full stomachs and eager to get started.

The race started at Midday with a 2.5km run which it seemed everyone was keen to avoid! Alex ran for our Vets team – mainly on the basis that he had trainers! Anyway he made a cracking start and we were soon up and running. The run gave us an opportunity to see the huge entry this race attracts from the Olympic athletes at the sharp end through to the guys dressed in Sumo outfits!

Showers came and went through the afternoon with the course changing dramatically every lap. Slippery decents, the blue-tac mud in the woods and the never ending slimey grass climb improved and then worsened again with every lap. Soon we headed into darkness but by then the rain had largely stopped. The handover area was filled with shouting as riders tried to identify their team mate in the dark. My fourth lap started at 3.30am so I raced into the hills to the sound of the dawn chorus and the welcome sunrise to warm the limbs as well as the spirits. The trails also began to dry and were almost bone dry by the end of the race.

In order to complete 6 laps each or 24 laps total we needed to keep lapping under the hour. We’d slipped during the night to almost half an hour outside this. However, in the morning lap times improved and Gary (Doddy) put in a brilliant lap that got us back within a minute or two of the hour. I knew then we had a chance and I gave everything on my next lap thinking it might be my last. When I crossed the line we were back under the hour by less than 60 seconds and I handed over to Alex with suitable incoherent screaming and encouragement!

I then had to sit in the marquee to see if I would have a chance to ride again. It seemed at this point that every returning rider from the other teams was getting back with an injury or story of a narrow escape. The mixed team unfortunately lost their lead but Alex and Ian (fuelled on fresh coffee and 2 caffeine gels) had kept us within reach of the 24th lap. I went down to the bike corral uncertain if I would ride again. The lurkers had massed along the sides of the trail waiting for the 24 hours to elapse before crossing the line when suddenly I heard Ian scream “Get ready Ben, he’s coming!” and sure enough Gary was pounding through the arena with the crowd cheering him on! I was the last rider to start a lap and our last minute push had brought us up to third overall!

The grassy climb was agony, the slippery singletrack had been a nightmare not to mention the lack of sleep, but the podium finish made it all worthwhile. It was a proper team effort and I’d like to thank Alex, Ian and Gary for the team spirit that pulled us through with no major incidents - well apart from Gary’s early morning slide in the arena!

The Mixed team missed out on the victory but a third podium in three years is a superb result.

Massive thanks to Tim and Jayne for providing such an excellent support service all weekend. Also I’d like to thank the entire team for pulling together and making the event so enjoyable. I for one am already looking forward to next year.

Ben

Mountain Mayhem 2011

2011-06-22T21:14:00.000+01:00

Sounds like an eventful Mayhem with injuries before and during the race.

Results

Mixed Sport
SDB 1st Team 2nd - 24 laps
SDB 2nd Team 34th - 18 laps

Male Vets
SDB Vets - 3rd - 24 laps

Well done, any reports welcome.

Hope all the injured riders heal quickly.

Mountain Mayhem 2011

2011-06-15T22:04:00.001+01:00

Mountain Mayhem is upon us again with a strong mixed team from Southdowns Bikes returning to defend their title. Also competing will be a 2nd mixed team and a vet team under the charge of Team Manager Tim Bishop. Good luck to all the teams and lets hope the weather improves.

The Wight Stuff

2011-06-14T20:23:00.001+01:00

21 August · 07:30 - 20:00

The Wight stuff is an anti-clockwise circular route around The Isle of Wight. It is not a race but it will be a challenging all day road bike event with the emphasis on fun, social riding.
We anticipate the ride to be approx 70 miles and there will be plenty fop regular stops for refreshements.
If you are interested in taking part then please let us know and more details will follow.
To register your place on the ride we will ask for a £5 deposit (which can be handed in at the shop) in order to block book ferry tickets at a group rate.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177866178937540

Southern XC Rd3 - Crow Hill

2011-06-14T19:47:00.001+01:00

Alex

Crow Hill near Ringwood was the venue for round 3 of the Southern Area XC MTB Series (SAMS). A full days racing for all categories was on offer, with the elite men last off at 2pm.That lack of rain this spring had left the course rock hard, producing some fast racing that kicked up plenty of dust. Ironically the rain started to fall as the day wore on but it was not enough to dampen the trails.
2 club riders attended with Alex Taylor coming a great 7th in the Male Open and Ian Petherbridge in the Grand Vets who unfortunately had a mechanical on the first lap spoiling his hopes of a series podium place. Alex is going from strenght to strenght and is also hoping for a good showing in the series points and possibly a top 5 finish in the next round, keep up the good work Alex.

Smithfield Nocturne

2011-06-14T19:18:00.000+01:00

Steve

Three team riders were competing in the Smithfield Nocturne on Saturday with great rides by all. Steve Calland won the support race of the evening with Simon McNamara coming in 21st and Emma Craddock came a creditable 27th in the ladies race.

Simon

Emma

Red Kites

2011-06-08T20:52:00.000+01:00

Last week on the Bank Holiday pub ride we witnessed a Red Kite soaring effortlessly on the drop down to the waterworks at Coombe Lane, Burpham, this evening we saw 7. Quite a remarkable sight as they were only re-introduced in the UK in 1989 in the Chilterns. Just 20 years later we are seeing more and more of them in our area and while sitting down admiring these graceful birds you realise how lucky we are to live and be able to ride in this area. Long may it continue.

Erlestoke 12

2011-05-31T21:30:00.000+01:00

Erlestoke 12

6hr Male
6th Matt Knight - 9 laps

8th James Bailey - 9 laps

18th John Davies - 7 laps

19th Andy Goodyer - 7 laps

12hr Male
9th Damian Redmond - 13 laps

This was without doubt the best course of the enduro season so far, flowing, rideable and with enough technical sections to keep you on your toes. Good turn out for club with 5 riders, well done to Damian who finished the 12hrs in 9th place, Matt and James 6th and 8th in 6hrs and the old gits John and Andy coming in in 18th and 19th. Weather was a bit changeable with bouts of rain and a strong wind. Some top class riders there with Ant White(Cannondale/XC Racer) winning the 12hr and Jon Pybus(GT UK) the 6hr.

St George/Moab Trip April 2011

2011-05-29T07:29:00.000+01:00

Day One:- Hurricane Cliffs Trail System
This ride was fairly non-technical, a few long, gradual climbs make it challenging and there are a few surprises on the section plus some of the corners are super fast, but if you over cook ‘em, you can fly right off the trail in a hurry(as I did destroying my camera). This is a 21 mile loop incorporating the Jem Trail and Hurricane Rim, we also did an out and back above a river which was a little nervy descending as you are pretty close to the edge(photo below).
This was a great day to break me in for what was to come.

Day Two:- Gooseberry Mesa

I thought I was good with heights until I hit the trails here, it took me a couple of miles before I had the confidence to follow the guys around some tight bends just a couple of feet from a 600'+ drop. This trail was spectacular, riding the north and then the south rim with a little bit of slickrock thrown in for good measure in the interior.

The slickrock here was great only small climbs and some nice technical trails popping in, out and over the formation.

Day Three:- Slickrock Trail, Moab
The promised land, this is the ride that made Moab I had already ridden slickrock at Gooseberry and wasn't to worried about what to expect. On the practice loop I soon became a little concerned this was much more difficult, some of the climbs were over 30ft at 45 degree + gradients and the drops well my butt spent alot of time mm's from the rear wheel.

On the slickrock above the Colorado River

3 hours in this playground was quite a tough workout at this altitude you spend alot of time in oxygen debt at the constant interval sessions you are doing.

Day Four:- Amasa Back
An out and back trail with an insanely steep initial descent followed technical climb up steps and ledges for 3 miles before you reach the top of Buzzards Bluff an easier section high above the desert floor for a couple of miles after which it was time to explore. Retracing the route was a fast paced rocky adrenalin rush.

Day Five:- Porcupine Rim
Next to the slickrock this is one of Moab's most notorious trails. There is a nasty 4 mile climb up from the parking lot to 6800' and then its all downhill but first you have take in the view from the rim which is absolutely breathtaking. The descent is very technical but it induces a perma-grin when riding over the ledges off boulders and towards the bottom you are swooping down boulder strewn singletrack 3ft from a couple of hundred ft drop into the Colorado river dicing with a certain visit to the A&E if you make any mistake even death. My advice don't admire the view.

Can't wait to go back, looking for some volunteers for the next trip. Must take a full sus though as I was battered, and riding the slickrock would be much more fun.

Great Britain Triathlon Team Member :o)

2011-05-25T04:40:00.006+01:00

As some of you may know I have had a goal during the last year to get into the Great Britain Triathlon Age Group squad (not pro...). Upon qualifying, successful entrants would compete in the World Championships in Beijing for Sept 2011.

In order to get into the squad there is some pre nominated races where if you come in the top 4 in your age group and do it within 15% of the winners time you get a place. The race was held at Eton last Sunday (22nd May), the swim part started off with a mass lake swim start, with the usual kicks and punches to the head / legs (about 45 people started at once in my wave), so as you are all so close in the swim at the start, it is impossible to see where you are going, so a little hazard to deal with i.e people swimming into you / over you.... The bike section was on a flat closed road circuit around Dorney Lake and boy was it exposed to the super strong winds, which at one point my speedo went down so low I am embarrased to publish the speed I was doing (not fast..). Anyway I managed to come in 2nd, 25 secs behind the winner. Therefore I now need to order my GBR team kit (wont take it off when I get it) and sort some flights out to China to kick some ass. So to say I am happy is an understatement, cant wait to wear the flag and represent!

PS : As Mr Postie likes to see photos of me at work, here is a pic from a ride the week before. Sadly not the Tri race, but a sponsored Steyning Strikers (football) kids 9.5 mile bike ride with my 5yr old son, which Southdown Bikes kindly co sponsored...

South East Road Race Champs

2011-05-23T21:29:00.001+01:00

Congratulations Emma on your 3rd place in the Ladies 43 mile road race in Kirdford.

Also congratulations to regular shop night rider Chris McNamara on winning the Men's 142km race at Lamberhurst,Kent.

2011-05-16T19:54:00.004+01:00

Gorrick 100 Enduro 1st May

With another day of fantastic weather the Gorrick 100 attracted a huge field in
all classes. The lap was actually about 11.3 miles long which made for nearly an
80 mile race for the 7 lappers! There was so much singletrack that it made my
arms tired!
I had planned to enter the 5 lap event but at the signing on Ben, Alex (Davey)
and Rory (Hitchens) persuaded me to enter the full event of 7 laps – thanks
chaps. So at the start Ben, Alex and I rode off together at a nice steady pace,
all was going well until about 1/3 into the 1st lay I had a sidewall puncture.
Messing about trying the let the Stans seal the hole and then a foam canister
and an air cartridge saw me at the back of the field, and then on lap 2 the tire
needed a tube, thanks to someone unknown for the loan of a pump. Then I had a
race on my hands to try and catch Ben and Alex. The final results were a very
good 14th for Ben, 21st for Ian and 25th for Alex, 26th for James Bailey and
51st for Damian Redman.
The Gorrick 100 attracted a large Southdowns Bike team with the following
entrant:
4 laps – Steve Calland, Marc Clothier and Stephen Turner
5 laps – Roger Smith, Matt Knight, Andy Goodyer and John Davies
Sorry if I’ve missed anyone.

Southern XC round 2 and Southern Championship – Wasing Estate 15th May.

More fine weather attracted what must be a record number of entrants for the
Southern XC championships.
The course was much improved from last year and being dry and dusty it was
considerably safer with a mix of tight and open singletrack, lot of roots, open
fast sections and still including the same big drop off (which seemed easier
this year).
Southdowns Bikes was supported by just 3 riders Ian in Grand Vet, Ben in Masters
and Alex (Taylor) in Open. For my part I was a disappointed 6th being out
sprinted to the line by 1 second, Alex continues to improve and was 7th and Ben
was 23rd Alex now needs to move up to the Masters class with Ben.

Ian P

Gorrick 100

2011-05-07T11:59:00.004+01:00

Results

1 Lap Ladies

1st Cliodhna Duggan

4 Lap Male

4th Steve Calland

10th - Marc Clothier

59th - Stephen Turner

5 Lap Male

7th - Roger Smith

8th - Matt Knight

47th - Andy Goodyer

79th - John Davies

7 Lap Male

14th - Ben Connor

21st - Ian Petherbridge

25th - Alex Davey

26th - James Bailey

51st - Damian Redmond

Cliodhna leading the way.

Great ride by all in hard and dusty conditions.

Moab Slickrock

2011-04-30T21:23:00.002+01:00

Slickrock at Moab, its surprising what you can climb if you commit but that's easier said than done. Yet 30 mins into the ride you realise your back wheel isn't going to spin out, the next problem is keeping your front wheel on the deck.

Porcupine Rim, Moab

2011-04-30T21:16:00.003+01:00

A 1000ft drop to the right. Just a tad scary as was most of the trip. A fear of heights is not good as you ride as close as 3ft to the edge. I am not to ashamed to say I pushed around a few of the bends when an abundance of sky was all I could see, this was more so at Gooseberry Mesa in Hurricane, Utah.

Ben Stiller on Night Riding

2011-04-30T20:52:00.000+01:00

Gorrick Exposure 100

2011-04-29T11:40:00.002+01:00

Not long to go now until the Gorrick 100! The title is linked to Gorrick's web page for all the info regarding the race.

2011-04-27T09:34:00.000+01:00

For Sale
I’ve got a front and rear set of Magura Marta SL brakes for sale, and I’m sure I’ve also got some spare pads and Magura blood somewhere. Cost me a fortune, Chain reaction have them on offer at £149.99 a wheel (reduced from £220/Wheel) they have very nice carbon levers.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9453

Open to offers but would like £120 for complete set with spare pads and fluid.
Call Ian 07760471785

2011-04-27T09:06:00.003+01:00

For Sale - Specialized Epic S Works 2009

This is my custom built XC race bike and comes with a new rear shock and brain (February 2011).
It weighs 21lb (without pedals).
This fantastic bike is a genuine all-rounder, at home on the race track and the downs.
£2000 - Call Ian on 07760471785.

Frame - Specialized Epic S Works carbon – large (19 inch)
Fork - Rockshox Sid world cup (with poploc)
Headset - Cane Creak / Specialized
Stem - Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Stem 90mm 6 Deg Black 1.1/8" 31.8 Clamp
Stem - Spacers - Carbon - 3 x 5mm
Handlebar - Easton EC90 MonkeyLite CNT SL Riser - MTB Carbon Black 1" Lo Rise x 31.8 clamp
Grips - foam
Shift levers - Sram attack (twistgrip)
Brakes - Avid juicy ultimate carbon levers with elixir calipers (custom for Specialized) with 160 Hope Pro rotor
Wheels - Magura Pro S (DT Swiss 240) hubs, Stans Podium rims (288g) / DT revolution spokes incl. tape and tubeless valves – under 1300 grms.
Quick releases - Magura
Tubes - Tubeless Stans latex
Tires - rear Schwalbe Rocket Ron evo 2.1
- front Schwalbe Rocket Ron evo 2.25
Crankset - Shimano XTR with TA 42T and Extralite 30T chainrings (can also supply very good condition standard XTR triple ring set at small extra cost)
BB - Specialized direct fit bearings with shim to XTR
Chain - XTR
Cassette - XTR 11-34 ti
F. Derailleur - XTR direct mount
R. Derailleur - XTR shadow
Seatpost - Thompson Elite (trimmed to 390 long)
Seatpost - Clamp Specialized
Saddle - Flite ti

MK's Old Steed(s) - For Sale

2011-04-18T21:07:00.007+01:00

With the arrival of the new steed I need to make some space in the garage and in this case two spaces!

Here are some pics and details of my large (19 inch) 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Hardtail. The bike has been upgraded with a USE Atom flat bar, SRAM XO Gripshift, and a Hope BB. It's a fun all rounder and a great race bike. It weighs in at 24.2 pounds.

The bike has been used and raced for about 9 months and has some chips and scratches but is otherwise in good condition.

It's for sale for £1100.

If you're interested or know someone who is please email me at matt_knight21@hotmail.com

MK

Coming soon 2009 Anthem X frame and Rock Shox SID Team fork

The headline spec is:

Frame : M5 manipulated alloy frame, curved TT, SS w/ disc brake mount
Fork : Fox Float F90 RL, 90mm travel,
Brakes : Custom Avid Elixir R SL, alloy backed organic pads, S/M: 160mm rotor
Front Derailleur : Shimano M660 SLX, 34.9mm clamp, top swing, top pull
Rear Derailleur : SRAM X-9, 9-speed, mid cage
Crank Set : Custom Shimano FC-M542, 15.5: 170mm, others: 175mm
Rims : Custom DT Swiss X420SL, 24mm w/ eyelets, 28h/32h
Front Hub : Specialized Hi Lo disc, CNC flange, sealed cartridge bearing, 9mm DT RWS, alloy QR, 28h
Rear Hub : Custom Shimano M525 SL, alloy QR, 32h
Spokes : DT Swiss 1.8mm stainless
Front Tyre : S-Works The Captain, 26x2.0", 120 TPI, tubeless ready Kevlar bead, dual compound
Rear Tyre : S-Works Fast Trak LK, 26x2.0", 120 TPI, tubeless ready Kevlar bead, dual compound

Stephen’s view from the back of the pack

2011-04-18T20:54:00.000+01:00

Gorrick Frith Hill – last is the new first!

Matt greeted me in his usual friendly manner with an assertion that left me with a puzzled expression. It was resolved when Matt explained his own statement: ‘I can tell you are an experienced mountain bike racer!’

How? By my technical skills? My strength up climbs? My designer race shirt? Nope, I was carrying a Sainsbury’s bag concealing a toilet roll. Ahh, that early morning whiff of chemical portaloos, bacon sandwiches and GT85. It must be a Gorrick.

Sweat trickled into my eyes in the 24oC on the startline prior to the twisty and technical singletrack course on offer in the fast dry and dusty forest of Frith Hill. Encouraging everyone beforehand to wear a heart rate monitor, I am caught faffing with my watch on the grid when the starter sounds the hooter. I’m not clipped in properly and prompted crush myself on the cross tube. Experienced bike rider? Much nibbling of humble pie.

The sun and eagerness for the series final to start overheated brains with a crash between four riders after 50 yards. Followed by 3 more body-over-bars 300 yards later. In avoidance I was now near the back of the pack, when on the first bumpy downhill I am in an argument with a guy over the same patch of dirt - and lose. Five days later and I am still picking grit and bits of fir leaf out of my arms and knees. Experienced bike rider? Lots more munching of humble pie.

So now I am well and truly last and spend the rest of the race head down overtaking people. Yes, all 14 of them. I felt like I’d won my own battle. It’s really tough, aiming for a target rider and busting a gut to overtake but then, when everyone is spread out on the final lap, it’s difficult to pace oneself. I had been playing leapfrog with a guy in a Hope shirt. Great fun, till a lap from the end he overtook me again prior to a short incline over some roots. Whereupon he missed his gears and broke his chain. Oooops. Must have been due to my race pressure, of course. Ahem.

Another great turn-out by 9 SD riders. Hats off to Emma in third and especially Steve C for second on the day and second overall in the series.

Alex T beat Alex D this week. Must have been his baby cheering him home. Bit of a panic near the start-time as he picked up a puncture on the practice lap but a new tube saw him fixed OK. Otherwise Alex D was 15 minutes before race start indulging in a bowl of porridge mixed with rice this week for ultra power?! Unfortunately, a minor detour ‘off-piste’ saw him lose time and places.

Heart rate notes (only ones received from folks):

Resting HR Theoretical Max Av. in race Max in race

Matt 40 188 158 169

Stephen 57 164 143 163

Alex D 48 192 184 198

Stephen.

MK's New Steed

2011-04-17T17:50:00.005+01:00

Here are some pictures of my new Epic Marathon Carbon. Most of the kit is as it would be out of the box but I have changed the stem and seat pin to KCNC offerings and the rotors to Alligator Aries to save weight. It tips the scales at 23 pounds.

This morning it got a proper trail shake down on the North Downs to see how well it handles gnarly trails... So far I have raced it once and hit the trails at Whiteways which it handled smoothly. I was not disappointed, the performance was super smooth and plush over the rough stuff. I'm really impressed, loads better than the last Epic I had. Still smiling about the ride now.

Any Thoughts?

2011-04-16T20:55:00.000+01:00

Race Organier vs Marshall cartoon

2011-04-16T15:01:00.002+01:00

Some of the issues race organisers face translated into cartoon form. Very funny but contains strong language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5CJXvWXkK8

Ciclisti Vecchi Road Race, 10th April 2011

2011-04-15T19:50:00.002+01:00

The first road race of the year is always a shock to the system. I thought entering a vets only race wouldn’t be too hard until I turned up to the stat of the Ciclisti Vecchi RR near Basingstoke yesterday. I was the fattest guy there. Oh dear. Quite a few are still racing as 1st cats and some of the 50+ guys are really fast. The 50 mile event for 40 -55 year olds was well run, quite fast, 2 hours on a good, safe, undulating course near Alton. It was a war of attrition on the two climbs on the circuit. In the end I was 13th overall and 5th in my age group which wasn’t too bad as I’ve only ridden my road bike a few times this year. I would say the standard is 2-3 in BCF terms. All over 40’s are welcome to LVRC races. The age groups are in five year groupings. Races are cheap at £8 an entry.

Brass Monkeys Report

2011-04-15T19:39:00.002+01:00

Brass Monkeys Winter Series 2010/11 I rode two rounds of the Gorrick Winter Series of four hour enduros in the 2010 series. I DNF’d in one at Ash Ranges whilst leading at about halfway. Broken glass doesn’t mix too well with tyres! Three of us went out at the same spot within ten seconds.Fortunately I managed to keep my tyres up for the last round, run off in freezing conditions (snowing on the start line) to take a comfortable win. Having the opportunity to do all three rounds this year was too good an opportunity to miss, so hoping for good weather, I entered the series…. Round One Porridgepot Hill It was bright and cold at the start, with the course rock solid. I got a good start in the top five riders overall. At the start of the second lap, I was feeling really good and in the lead of the vets field. Pride goes before a fall…I crashed in a very easy corner. As it turned out I was very lucky. I’d punctured my front tyre and the sealant wasn’t holding in the freezing conditions just before a large bomb hole. Crashing there would not have been good. As I fixed the flat I watched about 100 riders go past me. Not quite last but not too far from it. I chased for the next three hours or so and finally got second. Not bad, but not quite to plan. Round Two Ash Ranges Back to the course I DNF’d on last year. The organisers had done a good job of clearing 4 inches of melting snow off the course. I got a reasonable start and focused on going round carefully, not wishing to DNF again. The course thawed on the first lap and then turned into a bog. I started in about 4th place in the vets category, then picked my competition off as they slowed or had mechanicals. I’ve rarely seen so many mechanicals in a 4 hour race. In the end I managed to win by staying on my bike and not breaking it, even though I did the last 90 minutes with no brakes. The guy who beat me in Rd1 snapped his rear mech off at about 2 hours. Instead of singlespeeding his bike, he retired. Round Three Parkhurst Hill So, leading the series overall by quite a margin due to my second and first, it would be pretty easy to win the series overall right? Wrong. Things were going wrong even before the start. In a hurry to pull of my warm up kit, I tugged a glove off with my teeth and shattered a front tooth. Great start! On the line I thought things would be fine. Wrong. The klaxon sounded and someone started their race by falling into me and bending my rear mech. The next 4 hours were spent in damage limitation. My gears slipped every time I tried to apply some power, which was frustrating to say the least. Persistence pays off! I only felt good in round one. In the others, I was average, but managed to get a reasonable result in the last round and the series win.

2012 XT Groupset

2011-04-14T21:06:00.003+01:00

2012 XT groupset, sweet!!! http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/new-shimano-deore-xt-groupset-for-2012-29882

Damian's New Steed

2011-04-14T19:55:00.002+01:00

Scott Scale 29er

The first 29er, Damo has been leading the way, Ian P and Ben C have now picked up their Spec Stumpy's. Photo's please.

Damo's view.

Heres my new Scott 29er, Frame and forks are from original bike, had a new wheelset built up and the rest off my old cube.. Was blown away when i rode the Scott Pro 29er so ordered one and got one of the few spare going in the UK. Will definitely ride this in the Gorrick Enduro but not sure the back will take a 12 hr solo on it as its still quite a stiff ride.

Weighs in a large with pedals at 20.4lbs

Gorrick Spring Series Rd 5, Frith Hill

2011-04-12T22:32:00.006+01:00

On Sunday Frith Hill, Deepcut played host to the final round of this years Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series. The conditions were bright, breezey and perfect for bike racing.

Everyone was hoping that the previous weeks rain had not stuck around on the course and were not disappointed. Out on the practice lap we found the course to be dry, fast and surprisingly short (only 4 miles). As with most Gorrick courses it was very technical offered little respite but everyone loved it!

South Downs involvement started in the Masters with Steve, Marc, Simon and I joined on the line by Ben Connor on his bling new S-Works 29er. Steve was in with a remote chance of taking the series win if results went his way. The track was a bit soft in places which caused a few crashes. Marc managed to twist his bars and unfortunately Mac hit a tree which forced him to retire with a damaged knee. At the line Steve finished in second place securing second overall in the series. Marc was 7th and I was close behind in 8th. Unfortuantely, Ben punctured on the first lap and after going back to his car to fix didn't get a result which is a shame as thats two races on the spin he's had bad luck. However, I'm looking forward to hearing how the big wheeler handled on the twisty course.

Ian was next off and in his own words had a nice uneventful race! A small off cost him about 20 seconds but came in to finish 4th in the Grand Vets.

Emma did have an eventful race...Afer having a competitive start with the lead constantly changing during the first lap a big stack on the second left her a little dazed. Showing her grit she charged on to take third only seven seconds adrift of second.

The late off was the battle of the Alexes, a finely poised contest with a higher placed finish each. Alex T had a big group of family there to spur him on but it looked like Alex D was going to steal the show until a wrong turn on the final lap cost him vital seconds and one very important place. Well done too to Stephen Turner for a solid race.

All in all a good day for SDB scoring two podiums and a hat full of top tens. A big thanks to Tim for his support and driving, Steve Atkinson for the loan of his van, Sharon for photos and support and Cliodhna, Sarah and Olivia for their support.

Goodwood Duathlon 10th April 2011

2011-04-11T08:29:00.004+01:00

Not a 100% bike race, but a bike is still used...

The race was at the Goodwood Race track (well run race by Portsmouth Triathletes) and consisted of a 4k run 24k bike then another 4k run (Duathlon). I was really looking forward to this race, as it meant I could get on my TT bike around the flat and perfect surface race track (surely it can't get any better on a TT bike). 90 people set off for a run around the track which I came in 3rd (I was a little surprised, as I am not normally a good runner). Overtook the first 2 guys in transition and headed onto the bike, which managed to pull away from the other guys. It gave me a nice gap to not panic in the final run and claimed 1st. Thus a happy Chap :o)

Gary

Scientific comparative report for SD riders

2011-04-04T13:42:00.000+01:00

To: All SD bikers competing in 10th April Gorrick

Please wear a heart rate monitor for the duration of your race. Download the results and send the graphs to me at stephen.j.turner@btinternet..com and I will endeavour to construct an unscientific comparative report for a bit of fun.

We'll see who's warmed up, who died and who got their second wind towards the finish.

Thanks for your help.

Stephen.

Not my new steed but these are what I would be considering!!!

2011-04-03T17:05:00.001+01:00

Funk Bikes

Alchemy Bikes

DeSalvo Bikes

Be Good To See Pictures Of Your New Steeds Lads & lasses

2011-04-03T13:02:00.001+01:00

Goodwood Spring Challenge 17th April

2011-03-31T20:19:00.000+01:00

This popular event has been cancelled this year.

Giant XTC 29er Out For A Spin

2011-03-31T19:03:00.001+01:00

29 ers Whats All The Hype

2011-03-30T21:17:00.008+01:00

Well what with myself talking about 29ers for so long and druelling over websites(very unhealthy) and club members now riding there new big wheeled steeds i realized i had'nt ridden one ! So a request to Martin in the shop found John and myself setting out onto our familier trails with John on his trusty maxlight and me on the Giant xtc 29er test bike in a small size (had been a bit worried about that). Off we rode turning onto the climb just off the start of Chantry Hill before the first waterfall , so far so good , but boy those bars are wide , must be 720 mm at least . Gears working flawlessly as only they do on a new bike we climbed Sullington on a gloriuos spring afternoon. That was easier than i expected we were soon up and heading down towards the school and up onto the single track along the hedge opposite the Gun Club , this is where the big wheels came into there forte eating up small hits with ease , she just rolled quicker and quicker , didn't even notice any harsh feedback for the rear as i did when i owned an small wheeled cousin of this xtc before. We climbed back up to Chantry and down Greyfriars buy this time i was grinning from ear to ear , yes i want one ! And as for the sizing be very carefull i know im not the tallest but a small was perfect . And as i write this the news is the Carbon models are out there ! even better .

Stephen’s view from the back of the pack

2011-03-28T19:30:00.000+01:00

Q: Who ate all the porridge?

A: Alex!

Porridgepot Hill was the venue for Gorrick’s latest mountain bike race. A sinuous, flowing singletrack course on firm ground with a cool and sunny spring day made for fast and furious racing. But who is fastest: Alex or Alex?

Post-race I was chilling on my car’s tailgate with Margot when the two smiling Alexs (Alexes? Alexs’?) arrived to show their trophies. This time, Alex had beaten Alex, whereas at the last Gorrick at Warren Heath Alex had edged it ahead of Alex (are you keeping up?).

Alex T

The start of the Open race was delayed to allow two crashed riders to be scraped off the track and bundled into the ambulance. The delay prompted Alex to enquire of the organiser if there was sufficient time to grab a quick cup of tea. Whereupon at the re-start, after the ambulance had trundled past the start melee with its broken contents, John the organiser checked to see if Alex had returned form his cuppa so that he could get the race under way.

Race preparation is key, we are told. Alex was explaining to Alex and my wife that he had been working a late shift the previous night (we think he’d been out on the piss, but whatever) and brought some porridge to eat before the race. This is obviously the food of champions and far superior to slimy energy gels, because as I said earlier, Alex had beaten Alex this time.

Alex D

Moral of the story for us wannabees: no more excuses that a race course is too hill or muddy, that the gears don’t work or the brakes are sticky, or that the tyre are the wrong type or too old (eek…mine are 6 years old). You just need a bowl of Alex’s porridge* to get a great result at a Gorrick. Porridge power works at Porridgepot hill!

NB Good results by South Downs riders, topped by a superb second place by Steve Calland in the Masters.

On a separate note, many years ago Gorrick organised a day/night race at this venue in the days before super LED lights. One race in the afternoon, and another one at night with combined results to count. Strangely, I was faster in the dark than the daylight.

*being mountain bikers we need more specific details, of course. Was it Tesco’s finest, Sainsbury’s organic or Shimano jumbo oat flakes?

(with apologies to Alex D and Alex T)

Stephen Turner

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series Rd 3 - 6th Mar 2011

2011-03-22T20:37:00.000Z

Results

Male Masters 6th    Matt Knight         1.06.50   3 laps
                   44th Steve Calland        53.56    2 laps(mechanical)

Male Open        9th Alex Taylor      1.11.45   3 laps
                      10th    Alex Davey    1.11.55   3 laps
                        52nd   Damian Redman 1.23.21   3 laps
                      70th    Stephen Turner   1.30.19   3 laps

Grand Vet Male 7th    Ian Petherbridge 1.13.22 3 laps

Gorrick 100 2011

2011-03-18T19:54:00.001Z

Started riding more now so penciled in the above for my return , tough event last year as you can see by Rory's face ! last 2 laps without brakes comes to mind . Sadly no Emma this year who did so well last year in the poor conditions but a few of us hope to slog out the 7 laps of Swinley forest .

Brass Monkeys Overall Series Results

2011-03-01T18:37:00.002Z

2hr Male 40+
8th Andy Goodyer   63 points

4hr Male
7th Ben Connor       67 points

4hr Male 40+
1st James D'Arcy 141 points
6th John Davies       68 points

And the next series dates already.

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series Rd 3 - 6th Mar 2011

2011-03-01T11:46:00.000Z

Round 3 this weekend at Heath Warren Wood, Eversley, Hants.

Steve Calland lies joint 1st in the series with 57 points, Matt Knight is joint 8th along with Ben Connor with 15 points in the Masters cat. Alex Taylor is 10th with 15 points in the Open cat and Ian Petherbridge is 7th with 15 points in the Grand Vet cat.

Good luck to those who are riding.

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - 16th Feb 2011

2011-03-01T11:23:00.000Z

Alex D & Alex T

Results from Round 3:-

Master Male
2nd - Steve Calland - 1hr 03mins 47secs - 3 laps
6th - Matt Knight - 1hr 07mins 45secs - 3 laps
7th - Ben Connor    - 1hr 07mins 54secs - 3 laps

Open Male
6th - Alex Taylor    - 1hr 10mins 41secs - 3 laps
57th - Stephen Turner - 1hr 29mins 33secs - 3 laps

Steve C & Matt K

Erlestoke 12 Entries Open

2011-02-23T21:40:00.001Z

Thats all ;-)

TT Weekend - 5th Feb(18km) and 6th Feb (34km)

2011-02-16T20:37:00.005Z

Saturday 5 February & Sunday 6 February 2011

Timed by Mrs S Balcombe & Mr M Kilby, to whom we extend our thanks.

OVERALL RESULTS

1st Wouter Sybrandy Sigma Sport 1.11.47
2nd Chris McNamara Team Corley 1.18.05
3rd Matt Green VL Technics 1.18.08

4th Dave Dent Whitelink 1.19.16

5th Simon Earnest AW Cycles 1.20.34

6th David Shepherd GS Stella 1.22.02

7th Simon McNamara SDBikes 1.22.11

8th Gary Brind SDBikes 1.24.34

9th Mark Clothier SDBikes 1.24.38

10th Paul Mellen Horsham CC 1.25.54

Veterans on Standard Veterans

Fastest Dave Dent +9.26 Fastest Dave Dent 1.19.16

Second Geoff Smith +8.30 Second D.Shepherd 1.22.02

Third David Shepherd +8.02 Third Paul Mellen 1.25.54

Team of Three

1st Southdowns Bikes(Gary Brind,Marc Clothier,Simon McNamara) 4.11.23

2nd Worthing Excelsior(Mark Bernhardt,Mel Robrtson,Stuart Jago) 4.40.07

Ladies

Fastest Emma Craddock SDBikes 1.35.34

Second Sarah Farmer Team Axiom 1.42.34

Lanterne Rouge

Elaine Scott Brighton Excelsior 2.05.08

Wouter Sybrandy

Wouter beat his course records from last year

in both the 18km (24.31) and 34km (47.16).Quite outstanding considering the wet and blustery conditions this must stand him in good stead for the forthcoming season. Chris McNamara took second with a 2nd and 4th finish and Matt Green third place with a 3rd and 2nd.

Emma Craddock

Our own Emma Craddock retained the ladies event in 1hr 35mins 34secs a full 3 minutes 4secs faster than last year.

The team event was also retained by the club with great efforts from Gary Brind,Marc Clothier and Simon McNamara.

Chapeau to all those that rode......

A big thank you to all who made the event possible. It couldn't have been run without the help from many others, the timekeepers,pusher offs,all the marshalls,caterers,sign placers and collectors. Special thanks to GS Stella and Crawley Wheelers.

Thank you to all the sponsors of the weekend races who enabled the club to provide a very attractive prize list commensurate with the quality of the field.

Reade

Set2Rise now Erlestoke 12

2011-02-16T10:20:00.002Z

Just been looking the Spam Biking website for Set2Rise entries and found they have changed the event slightly for 2011.

Spam have been listening to rider feedback and decided to start the event at Midday rather than sunset, meaning you get to hit the highly rated course in daylight (mostly) rather than darkness.

Entries are not open yet but keep an eye out as they will be soon.

MK

Stephen’s view from the Back of the Pack

2011-02-14T10:04:00.001Z

Q. Why do I race?

Last Sunday I competed in the Gorrick race at Crowthorne, the venue where it all began for them. The organisers will be holding their 20^th anniversary race in November 2011. I calculated this is my 19^th year with them, racing approx 5 times every year. On my racing CV I can count Grundig races, Nationals, Southern XC in all its guises, Bontrager, Big Dog, Dusk to Dawn, numerous enduros, Midlands XC, Thetford, SAMBROA (anybody remember them….my neighbour’s son won the junior title), Land of Nod, Cheddar, Houffalaize, Sea Otter and god knows how many more that I’ve long forgotten.

The key driver that keeps me coming back for more is the physical intensity that racing does to the body. I don’t do practice laps beforehand nowadays. Just make sure that my bike is in tip-top condition as I can’t abide mechanicals. Having reached a high of sixth place finishes, I know I’m not going to win, so am more relaxed at the start nowadays. I do have a good warm-up though, and this is the point, the first lap melee gives you such a rush that is addictive. The instant heart rate climb, lactic build-up, eye-brain-body rapid terrain assessment mixing pedal power with efficient gear selection and minimal braking. Checking for dry lines, grippier off-camber soil, rising over knarly roots (OK then, bumping into and slipping over roots; smoothly rolling (ahem) over drop-offs and powering up climbs (ahem ahem). All these factors brain-process faster than computer speed and whilst seeking advantages over fellow racers. Second lap, and you try to nail those lines, knowing what is coming up. Not too heavy on the brakes, keeping momentum speed to crest the obstacles. Third lap, and you know you are going to get round but how much slower than the previous laps? Urgency to go faster plays on your mind but keeping a smooth flow is key. Intensity increases on the last climb as you focus on spinning the lactic from your calves, leaving a trail on the dirt behind.

The weather plays a part too. Dry summer Plymouth Grundig races with dust hanging in the hot air, seeking the cooling water crossings, compared to the snow and slush and cold of a Brass Monkey around Ash ranges. All add to the challenge of courses, twisty and technical, fast and furious….yet vulnerable to the weather gods.

And the camaraderie. After the Gorrick, just by the finish line I meet a friend I’ve not seen for five years, and pick up a conversation as if it was yesterday. We used to rock climb with a mutual friend who’s now middle aged, married and several pounds heavier and no longer rides. Good job etc but without a smile on his face anymore. Or the SAMBROA winner, no longer a junior, shouts ‘ello Steve’ at another event as we coincidentally arrive to register together. Now a grown man with a rock star girlfriend in California, the clock rolls back in time as we swap notes. A good friend I see every three months on the local bike shop ride. Quick email: are we entering the Big Dog again this year? Immediate response - yes. That’s racing.

Yeah, bike centres are great. Yeah, leisure rides are great. But nothing beats the physical intensity of a race, apart from the emotional intensity of happy relationships formed by a race

Why do you race?

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series Rd - 6th Feb 2011

2011-02-14T09:44:00.000Z

Matt catching some air.

South Downs Bikes CC Sporting Time Trial Weekend

2011-01-29T10:28:00.002Z

Let's hope this doesn't happen

2011-01-29T10:18:00.005Z

Something is wrong?

No mountain biker on a classic piece of forest track, as in the photo above. Is this the future?
I'll keep this short. Never sent an email out like this to our subscribers - so please take it that this is an important one.

Out having fun?

Defra the people looking after this have said public footpaths & bridleways will not be affected. The thing is if you have been on any Forestry Commission land you most likely would not have been on one of these. Most of England forestry areas comes under what is known as "Open Access" - if sold owners will have a legal right to challenge this, and even under this mountain bikes don't have a right to use tracks this is something the Forestry Commission has allowed independently of any law.
The Lakes District has already had a taste of this, with one area on the side of Coniston sold off and the local car park fenced off and shut. Not pretty.

Competing in an event?

For us the worry is areas we typically used in the past, we won't get permission (and we do need permission in England). An example is the recent Sutton Bank Open5 where we tried to contact the owners (2nd largest to FC) about a local piece of forest with tracks through it and they just would not reply. You see there is little in it for them - they see it as easier just not to allow access - multiply this across the country and it's a scary picture.

Facts

OK let's get to some facts here...

Access: unless willing the new owners of any forest can prevent access to their forest. It is not the case that Open Access rights on foot will be retained or the Forestry Commissions concession to allow Mountain Bikes on their land will pass over.
Saving Money: it has been suggested that the government can make some serious dosh by selling off the forest. In reality it will cost them more - private owners will be able to avoid a number of taxes as woodlands are exempt from inheritance and capital gains tax. The upshot is it will cost the government considerably more money than it will make.

What to do?

All seems bonkers really and the worry is the decisions are being made by people who don't use or appreciate the forests.

There is a petition on 38 degrees which has gained some momentum, sign this - it's making people take notice.
Write an email to your MP asking him or her what their thoughts are? and their take on the facts about access and money highlighted above. You can contact your MP using this link

Right here ends Open Adventure's political broadcast. Hope to see you running and cycling in forests in years to come.

Let's hope this doesn't happen.

John Davies

Brass Monkeys Round 3

2011-01-25T22:47:00.004Z

On arrival at Parkhurst Hill the skies were overcast threatening rain with a stiff breeze making for a chilly start.

The Course:
A course billed with a 1000ft of climbing per lap was always going to be tough but add in boggy, claggy soil and it became a race of attrition.
Many of the racers suffered cramp including a race ending bout for Alex Davey. Aside from the pain Gorrick and the ACU had put together an excellent course with a great mix of singletrack and open trail with a bomb hole stream crossing near the finish for a bit of fun. Due to the recent spell of inclement weather the course was sodden in places and the weight of riders caused a couple of sections to be re-routed.

Matt hitting the bridge just right

The Race:
With the weather being chilly I started with plenty of layers which I thought would be discarded during the race, however, with the breeze only the gilet came off. The turnout was excellent with over 100 riders on the line for the 4 hour race and 240 for 2 hours including 14 Southdowns riders.

French Dave and Ben at the start

Out of the blocks! The usual sprint off the line into the first hill and the inevitable bunch into the single track. Even this early it was clear that the course would suffer. After the rush I settled into a steady rhythm and focused on picking off the laps.

Amanda

However, when I hit the fourth lap the course started to hit me! As the clag took its toll on my legs I found myself contemplating the passion/obsession question Ben posted in his report from round 2. I also contemplated running the course, chain suck was a major issue in the second half of the race. One guy was running a Shimano Alfine gear system. Definitely a good call for the conditions. Given My final 2 lap times I was pleased to find I had finished 15th.

The post race chat focused on the conditions but also on Goodness Shakes flavours. Vanilla won 2-1 on the line, what's your favourite flavour?

Congratulations to James, 3rd on the day (despite gear problems from the first lap following a collision) and overall series winner! Great start to
2011 season. Congratulations to Dave and Ian Finishing 9th and 11th in their respective categories, and well done to everyone else for getting through it

Brass Monkeys Rd3 - Parkhurst Hill

2011-01-23T19:49:00.000Z

Great turnout today for final round of the Merida Brass Monkeys

James 3rd in Male 4hrs 40+

James wraps up overall win

Ladies 4hrs 40+    Amanda D`Arcy 4th

Men 4hrs              Matt Knight         15th
                           Ben Connor         16th

Men 4hrs 40+       James D'Arcy    3rd
                           Dave Cleall            9th
                         John Davies           19th
   Damian Redman 36th

Men 2hrs     Gary Brind    22nd
   Billy Turrell         36th
                       Paddy Blake       42nd

                       Alex Davey          69th

Men 2hrs 40+ Ian Petherbridge 11th

                          Andy Goodyer       26th

                          Stephen Turner      51st

Alex Taylor's View of the Gorrick

2011-01-17T19:15:00.012Z

Going into round 1 of the Gorrick Spring Series I was prepared and ready, Then like most people I was hit with man flu (what a blow). With this in mind, mentally I was not in the best place but I got all my stuff ready and set off for round 1.When I got there Steve Calland had just cruised thought to win the masters.I had put Bonty Mud X's on and after my pre ride lap I soon realised this was not the best choice, so when I got back to the car I had about 20 mins to change then to my Geax Mezcal's I put them on grip direction and I think this was a good move in the end. Going into the first corner it was quite busy, being a field of 65. We all soon found out our speed and I was with a group of 5 and kept with them. Then 2 of us broke away and stayed away, it stayed like that for the rest of the race. We past 2 more but we were caught by someone who crashed previously (he was going well). I was so pleased with how the race went I finished 20th with consistent lap times only dropping 1 min each lap. Now I can look forward to round 2 on the 6th Feb at Heath Warren Woods with a bit more confidence. I'll blog again then to let you all know how things are going.

Alex Taylor.
Looking at your photo mate you were going so fast the trees were catching on fire !!!!!!!!!!!

Gorrick Spring Series Rd 1 Crowthorne Woods

2011-01-16T18:14:00.042Z

Great results from Crowthorne Woods , Steve so pleased for you on your masters win !!!!!!!

Also in the same category as Steve was Ben Connor , new to the fold but known to many of us , put in an excellent 13th and Alex Davey back racing after weeks of sickness was just behind him in 17th , many battles to come with you two I think !.

Ian I haven't spoke to yet but rumors of a strange big wheeled beast you rode was a tad heavy for your liking ? but still gave him a 6th place in the Grand Vets.

A a very big welcome back to Alex Taylor who placed an excellent 20th in a large open field with impressive times ! good to see you racing again mate .

Hopefully one of you can post a more detailed post when you can and were try and find some photos.

Open Male - Alex Taylor 20th 1hr 36mins 08secs

Master Male - Steve Calland 1st 1hr 21mins 29secs
                     Ben Connor 13th 1hr 29mins 46secs
                      Alex Davey 17th 1hr 33mins 36secs

Grand Vet -     Ian Petherbridge 6th 1hr 35mins 02secs

All completing 3 laps.

Well Done Guys

Steve Calland

Alex Davey

Ben Connor

Ian Petherbridge

Shop Ride - 5th Jan 2011

2011-01-13T20:03:00.001Z

A little different from the last shop ride but the thought of a Jayne Bishop ruby murry saw a good turn out of 13 riders to grind through the South Downs gloop. Parham Park beckoned to start the proceedings and a little excursion into Rackham wood to shelter form the wind and rain before heading over to Amberley and up onto the Downs via North Stoke. Once on top the going got a little messy so we tried to keep to the drier trails to no avail and just put our heads down and battle our way to the SDW from Burpham up the long drag that resembled a stream. A quick drop to Springhead car park up Kithurst Hill past the burial grounds to Chantry Hill and then a zig zagging descent in the fog ending at Greyfriars road and back to the shop. One of the worst nights in shop ride history, looking forward to February.

Thanks to Jayne, Tim and Martin

Brass Monkeys Rd2 -Ash Ranges 28th Dec 2010

2010-12-31T22:35:00.000Z

There are times when I wonder if what I think is a passion for cycling is actually an insane obsession. Tuesday morning was one of those moments. It was 8.30am and I was driving up a snow lined A3 in a thick, grey drizzle. Plus it was only 3 days after Christmas and like half the people I know, I wasn’t feeling that great.

Postie

It was the second round of the Brass Monkeys series at Ash Vale Ranges. The light rain was still trying to wash away the last of the snow as we set off for the 4 hour Enduro. (French) Dave, Ian and I started together as we splashed across the ranges at the start of the first lap. Only a few minutes in I heard the tell tale ‘pop’ of a bursting tyre just ahead. At the next corner I saw Ian examining a badly split tyre. Sadly that was the end of his day and he spent the rest of the day nursing his cold and offering encouragement (at least I think it was) as the rest of us circulated.

French Dave

Dave soon disappeared into the distance as I struggled on in the mud. After the first lap my rear brake pads had gone and the downhills were becoming as challenging as the tough climbs.

The course was a combination of muddy fire-road, slippery singletrack and a few stretches of icy slush! As the 2 hour racers joined us and more tyres churned the mud, the going got harder and harder.

John D

I several times considered quitting on this insane obsession but I still found myself racing towards the line with the 4 hour deadline looming, desperately trying to extend the agony for another lap! I made it with a minute to spare and started a final leg-aching battle with cramp and the elements. Finally, after nearly 5 hours I found myself shoulder to shoulder with another 4 hour straggler and sprinting for the finishing line.

Gary

Dave had already got some groupie cleaning his bike and Ian packing the car for him, having finished a brilliant 6^th, a suitable reward after the disappointment of his DNF at the first round. I was amazed to find I had finished 12^th which made the day very worth while.

Billy

There were plenty of other muddy smiling faces in the car park. Well done to James for a brilliant win and everyone else (Billy, Gary, Andy, Stephen and John) who dragged themselves out on a miserable day between Christmas and New Year.

James

Now safely back home I’m already looking forward to round 3 in January! Passion or madness?

Ben

Happy New Year

Ben Connor

Brass Monkeys Rd2 -Ash Ranges

2010-12-28T19:26:00.009Z

Just back, pure sweet hell, some pretty serious drop-offs and a lot of climbing.

Results.

2hr Male:- Billy Turrell 26th    2hrs 29min 25secs 3 laps
                  Gary Brind         43rd    1hr 28mins 57secs 2 laps (mechanical)

2hr Male 40+   Andy Goodyer        18th    2hrs 27mins 58secs   3 laps
                    Stephen Turner        39th    1hr   58mins 16secs   2 laps

4hr Male          Ben Connor           12th    4hrs 50mins 12secs    6 laps

4hr Male 40+   James D'Arcy           1st    4hrs 09mins 09secs    6 laps
                       Dave Cleall              6th    4hrs 36mins 32secs    6 laps
   John Davies            15th 4hrs 14mins 28secs    5 laps

James up 1 place on the podium

Report to follow.

Xmas Ride 22nd Dec 2010

2010-12-23T09:45:00.000Z

South Downs Bikes C C

South Downs Bikes CC Sporting Time Trial

Gorrick Spring Series

Weavers Winter Warmer Adventure Race

Brass Monkey RD 3 Entries Closed

Brass Monkeys Rd3 - Hungry Hill

Stilettos On Wheels

Brighton Big Dog

Brass Monkeys 2

Just to get an idea of how steep these courses are.

Cycling Explained

Danny Hart winning World Champs

Still tickets available for the Clubs first social.

Brass Monkeys Rd 1 - Porridgepot Hill

The Welsh Wobble

Alex Daveys Autumn

Southern XC Dates

Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series Races

2012 Mountain Bike Events

Gorrick Autumn Classic - Tunnel Hill

2012 MTB Program

Squirrels on the road

Racing update from Ian

2012 Events

Italy trip 2011

Exposure Lights

Brass Monkeys Returns for 3rd Year

Maxx Enduro Report

The Bear 100 August 23, 2011 Utah to Idaho. USA

THE BEAR 100A Cool, Autumn Loop Through the Pines, Golden Aspen

and Red Maples of the Wasatch/Bear River Range

100 Miles • 21,986' of climb • Maximum Elevation 9060'

Minimum Elevation 4860'• Average Elevation 7350'

Beijing World Triathlon Age Group race

Rd 5 Southern XC

Tour du Sella Ronda

Christmas Cranked Up

Torq in your sleep 28/08/11

Parham Kermesse 2011

Marshalls Required for Parham Kermesse

BIG DOG Results

Fittleworth Flyer 5 Mile Road Race

Check realtime weather

Podium places at Are You Tough Enough

Kielder 100

James on the podium where he belongs

Mountain Mayhem 2011

Mountain Mayhem 2011

Mountain Mayhem 2011

The Wight Stuff

Southern XC Rd3 - Crow Hill

Smithfield Nocturne

Red Kites

Erlestoke 12

St George/Moab Trip April 2011

Great Britain Triathlon Team Member :o)

South East Road Race Champs

Gorrick 100

Moab Slickrock

Porcupine Rim, Moab

Ben Stiller on Night Riding

Gorrick Exposure 100

MK's Old Steed(s) - For Sale

Stephen’s view from the back of the pack

MK's New Steed

Any Thoughts?

Race Organier vs Marshall cartoon

Ciclisti Vecchi Road Race, 10th April 2011

Brass Monkeys Report

2012 XT Groupset

Damian's New Steed

Gorrick Spring Series Rd 5, Frith Hill

Goodwood Duathlon 10th April 2011

Scientific comparative report for SD riders

Not my new steed but these are what I would be considering!!!

Be Good To See Pictures Of Your New Steeds Lads & lasses

Goodwood Spring Challenge 17th April

Giant XTC 29er Out For A Spin

29 ers Whats All The Hype

Stephen’s view from the back of the pack

THE BEAR 100
A Cool, Autumn Loop Through the Pines, Golden Aspen