Beacon Park Cross

Beacon Park hosted the NW League Final last Sunday - a final fling for part timers and last gasp chance for full time League riders to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory or vica versa........

There was a great course laid out, alternating between fast track and boggy grassland with the odd mudbath section in between to slow things down a bit. Though muddy it was still a fast course and one that didn't favour any particular style of riding. Other than flat out.



Four Belgians contented themselves with personal battles - Rich and Alan, and Dunc and Mark with some close racing in the opening laps.




Jo, resplendent in her new Belgian Supporters Club jacket provided moral support, jacket holding and her best pics yet.




Full flickr pic set here.

Stronger and stronger...

The truth is no news is good news. I haven't become a recluse or given it all up, nope, just working like a beast behind the scenes to get stuff done, kit ordered, new kit styled, training done and racing thrown in for good measure.

In the meantime I'd like to introduce new team member Oliver Wright. Sheffield based, with an eye on a few classic sportives (Cheshire Cat, Lakeland Loop and Fred Whitton) and forays into road racing he looks to ideally complement our growing number.

He also has a hand in organising, with a Peak District Audax to be found here and here.

Surely our numbers will start to resemble a pro squadra, wonder when we'll get a wildcard.

new winter kit

Sunday's loose arrangement for me and Mark to ride turned into a slightly more auspicious affair - contact from Design HQ informed us that the winter kit had arrived. A quick trip to Duncan's on Saturday was never in doubt to pick up said kit and Rich was keen to come over and collect his too, on the Sunday.

So, 3 newly kitted Belgians headed into the somewhat thawed East Lancs wastelands for an offroad tester......



The mixed conditions made for fun, though slow riding - ice, snow, slush and mud were mixed liberally giving a good technical workout and quite tough conditions.



For those of you waiting for your own kit delivery, see pics for a sneak preview - for those that missed it this time, I have seen the design for the summer kit and that is going to be a real head turner...........





The winter tops are surpisingly warm, with the fleece backing working well with just a base layer below. The real winner is the wind jacket - loads of technical features, real presence, lightweight and foldable. For the price, it performs amazingly well. The hat just tops off the 'authentic' Belgian look.

Chapeau to Duncan for the design and ordering of this lot - and as I hinted there is much more to come.

Please look out for announcements about an early March Belgian social ride in the Peak District and a special one-off Ronde van Oost Lancashire with cobbles, flags and Flandrian beer, on April 4 to co-incide with the real Flanders. All welcome!

where do we go from here??

As our season draws to a close and the anticipation of the classics starts to mount, I began to reflect on the season and think about how I approach the 2010/2011 season.
Fitness has been a key factor and something that needs to be improved for the next season, with this in mind I have set a goal for my optimal weight and in the next week will look to create a schedule that fits my work/family commitments.
One glaring aspect when racing was a lack of running fitness - no surprise as I don't run! But in my past I competed at a reasonable level at both cross country and track so its a case of just getting to grips with it and scheduling some running into my program. A problematic knee is my only real concern, but stretching (2 minute stretches really work well) and more off road running should minimise the problem.
The other area of improvement will be in the dismount and remount area, although I think it is not too bad at the moment I know when watching Alan and recently Nick Craig and Paul Oldham, mine is just not dialled in as it could be. This will be worked into my schedule as its all to easy to neglect this aspect of the sport. My aim is to have this etched into my memory so I complete the moves without thinking about it so much.
Last but by no way least is diet - without a well thought eating program all the planning and training will not deliver the results. I eat a good well balanced diet at the moment but I know there is room for improvement and it will need tweaking as I increase my training load.
So hopefully next season will see me lining up with more fitness under my belt and more competitive.

Cabin Fever

It's been a while since I posted a blog, work, an operation on my finger, Christmas, a cold then no racing, the only bike time has been on the turbo.
So Sunday morning Alan and myself headed out like two animals that have been caged too long!
A quick blast up the road then into a snow covered wood onto the cross circuit we use to practice on. The snow here has been pretty deep which combined with temps dropping to -13 the ground was hard and in places very slippy.

Off the cross course and we then dropped down into Townely Hall, fantastic park lands and a great house to visit if you get chance.

Across the football fields and along the side of the river before riding up the fields again to this gate. Alan thought a quick lap around the field on the other side would be good fun!
What was in store was a real treat, where the tractor had been was a hard path that resembled riding on cobbles, it certainly raised the heart rate. Then a quick blast along a path back to the gate.

Its in there somewhere!

Alan heading down the snow gully

From Townley we headed up out of Burnley on the Bacup Road, turning right onto Crown Point high above the town. A mountain biker was the only other cyclist we spotted and he seemed a little bemused by us.

Then we dropped down a great snow covered road towards home.

A great way to spend a Sunday morning

Todmorden Revolution Cross

It was minus 3 as we rolled into Todmorden yesterday. Five miles over the hill, in Burnley, Saturdays big dump of snow was untouched by any thaw and we were expecting a war of attrition through a thick covering. Frozen cleats and clogged cassettes were a distinct possibility

It was somewhat surprising then to find the course with a mere dusting of snow but more worringly, large patches of ice all over it.

Warming up was more a case of finding where the worst of the ice was and working out lines to avoid it but the sun was out (at least over the hills above) and there was a race to be had for Rich, Mark and Alan with Jo bravely there in capacity as official team photographer (all photos from Jo unless stated). A separate Vets race was a novelty too (here in the NW) and welcome for us old timers....

Mark broke his chain before the start, only just mended it to take the start and promptly broke it again on the first climb. He redeemed himself with 'Hups' and 'Come on the Belgians' shouts throughout from the sidelines.



Rich followed his New Year resolution, and was much braver than Alan at the ungridded start on the rutted, sheet ice playing fields and was rewarded with a trouble free ride into 11th. It should be remembered that this is a man who regularly ice climbs in Scotland and Norway and therefore has a severely diminished sense of self preservation.



Alan, remembering his currently incapacitated wife and consequent ongoing domestic duties, opted for a more cautious (snail like?)start and enjoyed picking off riders each lap after the chaos subsided, to get 15th, about 20 or 30 seconds behind Rich.



The course was fun and technical, with conditions changing during the race as frozen patches beneath the immediate surface of snow and grass began making their presence known. Valuable though the experience was for boosting confidence at racing on icy surfaces, I am yet to find a bombproof technique for turning 180 degrees round a stake on a sheet of ice.....


The 2 photos above: Joolze Dymond/British Cycling website

Spare a thought and a great big 'Chapeau' for this guy in his tweeds, wellies and on a 3 speed Sturmey Archer geared shopper with almost bald touring tires!

New Years CX Resolutions

A days winter climbing in the Lakes to finish off the year reminded me that it is a good idea to write down all those things you really mean to do, last February I swore I would always put the Dachsteins in the belay jacket's pockets before I started up the route and get a modern harness that doesn't require double threading the buckle when it's minus three. So here is my list for next cross season

1. Race on tubs next season (well apart from the 3 Peaks) Have I been brainwashed by Crossjunkie?
2. Keep to a training plan and practice skills (big weakness) to prepare for the cx season.
3. Get to the start early and start nearer the front, it is a race after all.
4. Get back into running when all the injuries subside. I've missed a whole year of fell racing now :-(
5. Remember to stretch regularly (see 4 above)
6. Keep having fun!

Happy New Year to all the HCtB crew