4th Vets!

Team Here Come The Belgians; Richard Allen (89), Alan Dorrington (126), Simon Fox (227) placed fourth vets at the peaks - whoopee!

Three Peaks Sub4 (at last!)

Shivering on the start line in the rain the inclement weather was strangely liberating as the the little voice in my head re iterated "There's no way you're going sub4 on a day like today" With expectations of slidey grass off Ingleborough and slippery slabs off Whernside my expectations were conservative if not pessimistic and yet spirits were high. I put this down to the 'If Carlsberg did school re unions' atmosphere of the 'Peaks. Every year so many friends gathered together for the same race; riders, support crews and supporters. Already I'd met up with Al and Mark, Winkie and Mike, Waggey and John, Nick and Sarah, Greg and Pauline, Jonathan and Nicola, Jason, Dave, Dave, Simon and later on Tim, Heather, Mat and Claire... the list is endless!

The damp ascent of Ingleborough went more easily than expected, I was within a minute of last years time despite the soft going on the rideable sections. I seem to have gotten better at remounting at any reasonable opportunity which I think helps. A steady and uneventful descent and I grabbed a bottle and gels from Jo (@Hanglebad) at Cold Cotes but no photos today as dealing with the whole support crew stress - easily worse than just riding! Hammer down the road to catch a couple of riders to work with and a shared effort to Whernside. A personal target is to drink one bottle on this section and I force myself to do it. A few glances over my shoulder trudging up the steps to see if I could spy Al (@crossjunkie) but no sign as yet and I'm hoping he hasn't had a mechanical/puncture - last year he breezed by me on this ascent. Over the top and its onto my bogey section having punctured and mangled mechs here in the past. Each 'Peaks I think I ride more and more of the descent from Whernside but I still run the first section on the left as it seems both quicker and safer - as Clint says "A man's got to know his limitations" ;-)

Coming off Blea moor a couple of sneaky run/ride lines off the main track take me past the Italian Squadra resplendent in matching white kit, bikes and white tyres 'Forza Italia!" They pass me as I grab another bottle from Jo at Ribblehead and I let them go as I stuff gels and drink down on the first road section - in retrospect I should have put the effort in to hook up and then refuelled. after a couple of miles I join up with another rider and later a few riders coalesce and we share the work. Hitting the Pen-Y-Ghent track I still don't think the sub4 is on. Nicky Craig comes belting down in the drops with a massive lead. At the awkward corner I manage to ride the big rubble for the first time ever without a dab spurred on by a shout from Tim and this little triumph fires me up - it's on! Trying to stride up the final rocky track I catch up to the Italian Squadra but see Dave Haygarth descending with his arm tucked into his jersey - disaster, broken clavicle but he still finishes in 4:10!

Turning for home a stupid line choice leads to a tumble but it's a soft landing and nothing hurt on me or the bike just a bit of grass and mud collected in the lever. "Mustn't puncture, mustn't puncture" I daren't glance at my watch until I reach the road and I barely see Jo and Mark at the bottom. Out onto the road and I check the time - I'm going to make it!

Chatting at the finish I realise I've had a better round than expected and improved on last years time despite the conditions. I'm not sure if I was better prepared, I did put in a few long off road rides on the CX bike in August, but I didn't blow up like last year. Looking at the splits I was actually slower everywhere apart from the 'road' legs! Next year Al I reckon we ride together like the Italians but maybe without the all white kit! Then it was onto the beer and Jo's magnificent cakes...

	2010	2011	Difference
Ingleborough	00:59:59	01:00:05	00:00:06
Cold Cotes	00:15:55	00:17:32	00:01:37
Whernside	00:58:21	00:51:39	-00:06:42
Ribblehead	00:23:24	00:24:01	00:00:37
Pen-y-ghent	01:00:15	00:58:46	-00:01:29
Finish	00:22:50	00:23:38	00:00:48
	04:00:44	03:55:41

Belgians...3 peaks...cyclo cross..eh? what?

Mark Holmes, a photo by Phil Haygarth on Flickr.

I'm visiting the UK from New Zealand with my wife for a few weeks and was press ganged by my fun hungry cousins Phil & Dave Haygarth into putting in an entry for the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross Race this September. As mountain biker by trade I thought the whole drop handle bar thing a bit odd, and when Dave handed me a a "Here come the Belgians" shirt to wear on race day I certainly felt I had alot to learn about this local psych.

After a couple of anxious short off- road practice rides on Phil's second bike I suddenly found my self lining up in the rain at the Helwith Bridge race start. Lovely - this was shaping up to be the classic English damp slog! Before long it was bike to the shoulder as the ground started sticking to the wheels and up over Ingleborough, down the mad messy descent and onto the road. With all the road and carrying sections I was finally understanding why mountain bikes may not be the most useful tool after all.

Onward over peaks 2 and 3 with shockingly awkward descents, clicking cameras, warm sunshine breaking through, cries of "go the Belgians" and so to the finish still in one piece.
With wincing triceps and sore palms I really knew I'd done something different - like Dave said, the off-road section simply isn't suited to cycling!

My huge thanks go out to all that helped me and roll on the Belgians. I think I'll have to join!

Mark Holmes, Nelson, New Zealand - a guest Belgian for a day.

A Happy Belgian

3PeaksCX_CX_209, a photo by britishcycling.org.uk photos on Flickr.The Photo is credited to © Ed Rollason Photography

On Sunday I completed my 10th 3 peaks and my first as a HCTB. I did my second worst time ever, but it was my best yet. Why?

On the 26th June I broke my leg after a spell of Tom-Foolery involving the Dent beer and folk festival and Andrew Talbot's stag do. I was laid up all summer and the forced idelenss meant weight gain and no training. The plaster came off in August and apart from some limped training walks to the supermarket on the family holiday in Spain, I did my first proper bike ride on 1 September. I was shocked at how I had lost it, I actually had to get off the bike when ascending 'normal' road hills, because no fitness, a racing pulse and no power. I felt like I was starting from scratch, lugging my even-larger-than-normal body around. Nonetheless I kept training and managed 16 sessions before the big day (accompanied on two memorable ones by friend Richard 'kick my ass coach' Bardgett), fitted around work trips to China and Ireland.

So on the day I was simply delighted to have started and the pressure was off, having no expectations other than to finish. During the race I used my head like never before, keeping the lid on it, never over cooking on the climbs or the descent. I had to be careful not to blow out because my training was limited and so my racing pulse threshold was lower. Additionally, on the descents I could not risk bashing my still weak and sore leg. And funnily enough the whole strategy worked, I did better than I thought, only 25 minutes slower than last year, a fully contained, resilient ride, using 4 gels and 2 bottles (I think the hot pot, sweet potato and beetroot helped on Saturday, recommended). Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the social experience catching up with folk, not least the joy of my first timer cousins Mark (from New Zealand) and Adrian Holmes, also completing the event for the first time.

Of course the big downer during the race was witnessing my brother Dave, coming down Penyghent clutching his broken collar bone. Hang in there Dave, there is light at the end of the tunnel post fracture. I'm coming back. Phil Haygarth

Garmin stats here

In case you're wondering.....

Always riding, £9, bargain. http://bit.ly/qLROTT

Chapeau!

More 3 Peaks from a Welsh/Belgian perspective

Hello fellow Belgians. It's been a while since I wrote anything on the site, as my fingers have whittled away to tiny stumps after updating the Odoni blog pages. Anyway......after another failed attempt at 4 hours on the Peaks, I thought it would be a cathartic experience to capture it all on an LCD screen. You can find my race report here: http://bit.ly/n3JGMd

The picture on the left was taken by my mother-in-law at last years race. I felt the same this year. Apologies for the green jersey, I'm undercover at the Peaks, but wear my special flanders socks as a secret sign (and my jacket whilst warming up and cooling down).

A few quick special mentions. Well done Rich Allen for a fine effort. He sped past me on the steep bit at Ingleborough. Well done Alan for another solid effort. Very well done Rich for riding a fixie (I do admire a one cog merchant) and many thanks Jo for another king size slab of cake at the finish. Also best wishes to Dave Haygarth for a speedy recovery (look after that collarbone).

It was nice to catch with some Belgians new and old. See you next year at the Ronde.

The Service Crew

Service with a smile.....

Below is a link to a few snap shots telling the story of the true heroes of t’Peaks – the Support Teams.  Attributes include the patience of a saint, the driving skills of Nigel Mansell and the load haling ability a donkey. 

3PCX 2011 Support Teams Photos

Oh, and for future reference, this was the plan:

Google Map

Hill Climb

Whilst the real hard core Belgians were racing an epic Three Peaks at the weekend. (Well done guys!) I was plugging a lonely furrow on the Hill Climb scene. For those not familiar the format is simple. Riders off at one minute intervals on a big hill. (In this case the Cat and Fiddle from Macclesfield - 139 starters and a great event.) You then ride as fast as you can up the hill, usually into the wind/rain/clouds, trying to ride right on the limit. Had a great ride, getting a good consistent effort out. Next stop Monsal Head.

A 3 Peaks Finishers Tale.

Nice to see some of you guys out yesterday.

Here's my story from the day.

http://sometimesridesbikes.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-finished-3-peaks-cyclo-cross-2011.html

Chilli Jam

Just spotted this at the World Curry Festival and thought it rather fitting – what with this being the eve of the race and all.

Crossing Back Over

Sometime mountain biker (http://vimeo.com/12552028), full time designer (http://www.retrofuzz.com), and spare time photographer (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjsrkrqb). I actually have the camera to thank for my renewed interest in Cross after popping down to Boggart Hole Clough last season to try out a new lens and discovering this stylish looking team of fans of all things Belgian. Fast forward to this season, and after a summer of very little riding due to the time constraints of a first born, the fast frantic world of Cross is the bite size adrenaline rush I need.

Given that it's been a solid decade (and more) since hanging up my racing wheels, quite how I'll react to competitive riding remains to be seen. Still, through rose tinted glasses I can't wait for the Glaxo race, the scene of my only ever podium top step visit as a Junior - although this time around mid-table mediocrity will do me fine. If all else fails, I'll be there behind the lens for y'all.

Introducing Greg

{witty introduction} Hi my name is Greg May *waves* {/witty introduction}

Irish born, Irish licence, passport well worn. I've been racing cyclocross for about 5 years now and got introduced to the Here Come the Belgians way of life at Hit the North a few years ago. To much time on Twitter stalking various members of the team has me as part-time furniture in Alan Dorringtons spare room in the attic.

Hopefully I can spread the HCTB ideals to Ireland and try not to get beaten for riding outside my club kit (Team WORC)

Notts & Derbys Round 2 - Southglade Park

After a shocking start to the season at Hilton Fields last week I was hoping that round 2 at Southglade park in Nottingham would be better. It was...but only just. The course was fast flowing with no dismounts required and only a couple of sections of twisty singletrack to slow things down.

For a while I was having a ding dong battle with a group of riders where I would catch them on the technical sections but as soon as the course opened up they would pull away as I didn't have the legs to keep up. Half way through I blew completely and from that point on it was just a matter of riding my own pace and carrying on to the finish.

This week I shall be trying to improve my endurance fitness and then next Saturday it's Round 3 at Thornbridge.

Round 3 Yorkshire Points: Tong

After a somewhat deflating race last weekend Tong proved to be the perfect antidote. Held at Home Farm the course had a great mix of fast grass and technical woodland. Added to this I had new toys to play with as my Major Tom wheelset from Strada Wheels had arrived earlier in the week and a Typhoon/SSC combo had been glued up ready to roll (review to follow after a few more races) but a word to the wise don't use Fabsil Seam Sealant to 'proof' your tub side walls it flakes off like sunburnt skin :-/

After last weeks debacle I wasn't sure where I stood and apparently missed the call up to the gridded start, later being told I was 20th 'last' to be called. A slowish start from about third row was not a huge problem as the course allowed plenty of room to make up places either through fitness or technique. I found I was making time up through the barriers and through the steep wooded section, @greatrock's skills lessons paying off 'chin up'! On the fast grass sections I definitely lacked true CX speed - time for some short sharp intervals after the Three Peaks. A botched dismount with a foot sticking in the pedal coming into the barriers cost places and time especially as I couldn't immediately see the problem jamming the rear wheel (QR had slipped) but other than that it was a trouble free race.

Mr Wagget had a less succesfull time and a couple of dropped chain incidents let Nick E riding in Dirt Wheels colours (splitter! ;-) get ahead of him this time. John P was looking after daughter Izzy and doing sterling supporter duty whilst @Hanglebad and sister Clunis scurried about supporting and getting the photos. Jo apparently heard the event organiser saying "never again" which would be a great shame as it was a great course and event. As we finished we met @FingersK looking resplendent in his new Velocake skinsuit but we had to leave before the senior race and could only imagine the fun that the torrential downpour visited upon them! We experienced it in the warm and dry of the car driving back through Shiply ;-> All photos are now up on Flickr (see sidebar) and I'm just waiting for the results to see if things truely did improve on last week...

Round 2 Yorkshire Points: Northalleton

Another grass crit which should have been fast and fun but turned out rather differently. After a rather odd start with some weird channeled grid compounded by the odd request "Will the top 8 from last weeks race, you know who you are, come to the front"!

The rest of us waited but that was it and those unlucky enough not to have jumped into a channel early were way back:-/ So a desperate start trying to make up places and going well into the red but almost back to a reasonable position as we come through the finish are for the fist time. Unfortunately with such a big field (103 again) a rider stalled just ahead and the ensuing jam led to me tangling with the heavy duty tape (not the stuff you can rip out of). More time lost and another lap of chasing hard. In one way this was good training, lots of overtaking and no places lost until I wiped out. Twice. Both errors caused by just trying to push it too hard on a corner and later a banking. The second one resulted in the rider I recently overtook running me down, not his fault at all as there was nowhere for him to go. So my worst placing in a CX race (33rd) but lessons learned. In contrast Nick W had his best race and beat Nick E by a few places for good measure and rightly so as Mr Elder is defecting to Dirt Wheels before even joining HCtB! I'll lace his wheels up like a set of Osymetric chainrings ;-) John had a good race too creeping up the order on his new tubs.

Gentlemen...

... Start your engines.

The wheels of the 2011 cyclocross season are starting to turn both here, in the U.S. and eventually over in mainland Europe* And with this momentum, our latest kit order brought with it a few new names that will be sporting our colours within a couple of weeks as the fresh produce drops through their letter boxes.

So say a big hello to:

Mark Solomon
Darren Holloway
Ian Parkinson
Paul Goulden
Steve Cooper
Tom Hill
Kenny Christie
Nigel Winsper
Matt Kendall
Greg May

Some of these guys write, ride and run and some of the others I don't know anything about. So in an attempt at a fair approach it'll be up to them to introduce themselves should they so wish.



*whilst the seasons finished in the southern hemisphere which is a bizarre concept.

been a while

Well it has been a while since I blogged so about time I resolved that.

There is a change in the air, Autumn has announced its arrival with heavy rain and high winds and there is a change in the cycling community too.

A noteable scent in the air as glue is applied to rims (and fingers!!) as the cross season approaches with tubs being glued or stretched and smiles appear on faces as the bikes are wheeled out and pointed towards the woods and fields.

The summer (I call it that though this year it failed to appear) road miles seem mearly a warm up for what is the highlight of our cycling year. Now it starts. We have had our first cross session at the club (Cycle Sport Pendle) and Matt and I have ventured into the woods to practice getting mucky, whilst hopping on and off our bikes and throwing in some hill reps. Last night Al and his lad Jack and I were back in the woods just riding new tracks and enjoying a easy session where skills improve without any real thought.

It is great to see Matt and Jack both 10 out enjoying riding their bikes and seeing their confidence grow and skills improve, both want to race again this year which is great to see.

This year has also seen me step up to the plate and organise a cross race for our club, its part of the NW series so I hope we get plenty of HcTB riding the event - 23rd of October. The course Al and I have designed will be very much a European sytle course that should allow the fast boys and girls to ride fast and those new to cross ride at their own pace and enjoy the course. We have a few tweaks still to make but we are hoping that it works well and becomes an annual event on the calender.

Another highlight this year will be the Rapha SuperCross talking to Konrad I really think this will be a fantastic series and set a marker for how a cross race can be run. I am aiming to race the Lakes event and may ride the Huddersfield one if my body allows it. I hope we get a good show from the HcTB - get them in your schedules.

Finally this year I have changed my ride, the Uncle John just felt too big so I have gone for a Specialized CruX and what a difference. last night was the first ride and I was very impressed with the handlig and the speed of the bike so I cannot wait to give it a real test in a race.

So I hope to see some of you at the events over the next few months

Season opener

To the gentlemen contemplating fixed gear choice, having messed about with every permutation of single speed gear choice from 38 to 44, 18 to 16, THE off road gear has to be 40/18. Do however ensure the chain tension is spot on as dropping your chain mid race is a tad annoying. So I found out during this evening's leg loosener at Herne Hill courtesy of VC Londres.

Weirdly good legs - almost no pain, no matter how hard I rode, no lactic at all. Field of around 70, started at the back moved up 20 or so places pretty quickly. Dropped my chain, lost 20 places but then rode back only for my front wheel to become loose. Think Lance on the Alpe d'Huez (wasn't it when the spectator's bag knocked him off?), bit hacked off so sprinted on the drops from that point, with 20 minutes to go, recovered another dozen places and caught another bunch of a dozen riders and felt really rather pleased.

Confidence 1, bike set up 0.

Round 1 Yorkshire Points: Oakbank

First race of the winter and I'm lining up with fellow Belgians Nick W and @crossjunkie nervously wondering if I can remember how to do this CX racing lark. Everyone's favourite perennially faux grumpy Yorkshireman Nick E joined us in a very big field (103) of vets and women. Oakbank is one of those classic school playing field grass crits with a bit of added interest. The lack of technical sections suited my lack of technical ability but also punished any mistakes as you had to ride consistently. I got on a good wheel at the start and after the usual shock to the system managed to settle into a steady ride with just one silly mistake. Taptiming's results system allows geeky post race analysis so ignoring the opening 'spread the field' lap can you spot the lap where I wiped out?
Lap 1 : 00:11:50.8
Lap 2 : 00:06:21.7
Lap 3 : 00:06:22.1
Lap 4 : 00:06:23.7
Lap 5 : 00:06:55.7
Lap 6 : 00:06:28.3
Lap 7 : 00:06:28.2
Now if I can just drop about 25 seconds a lap I might be getting somewhere too ;-)

Prior to the Vets race the youngsters of team crossjunkie were in action with Ella wining herself a nice bottle but Jack unfortunately succumbing to a mechanical which surely can be blamed on dad's spannering, 50X34 chainrings on a CX bike come on dad! The rest of the machine is a beauty so don't be too hard on him Jack. Quote of the day goes to Ella when I suggested that she would be the next Marianne Vos resplendent in orange kit and on an orange bike "What's a Marianne Vos?" Answers on a postcard please.
Thanks to Hanglebad for the photos and Nick, Sarah and Max for the tea and scooter biking. See you all for round two?