News & Features

Thinking back I'm not sure how my preparation for this final round of the Gorrick Spring Series was particularly different. Did a couple of short hill rep sessions. Rather than bomb up and down the same hill, I created a road Crit course around Brighton that takes about 40 minutes and throws in 5 hills of different lengths and gradients. Makes the session more fun and more of a ride, rather than just a lesson in beasting yourself. Saturday went for a gentle family ride in Friston Forest, ate cake, drank coffee. Heart rate barely above that of when I'm asleep I should think. Maybe that was the key.

I've always liked Graeme Obree's approach to cycling. To go by feel rather than technology and science. Learn what your body is telling you. Well, it seems that I don't like to listen to my body as it's rare that come race day, I'm in just the right shape, but I do like not relying on heart rate monitors and the like. Lining up with the other Masters come Sunday, I wasn't sure I was in the right shape this time either. Still, nice and relaxed and wondering what to do with that block of levers by my right hand grip. Still hadn't managed to get the gears to align properly so they still skipped a touch. Ahh, nevermind. The course looked fun and it was dry. What's not to like?

Frazer got off to his usual flyer out of the traps. Boy, does he know how to get the holeshot. I quite happily tucked in somewhere roughly near the business end and let things settle down. There was the occasional scuffle with a few people through the early singletrack but once spat out onto the fireroads I decided to work that shifter good. Click, click, click and I just got faster and faster and faster. This is far more effective than spinning out a singlespeed! Combine that with super lightweight and stiff Kinesis KM810, Reynolds wheels and Manitou R7's and I felt like I was flying! Which was more than just imagination as I hauled my ass past lots of people and set about chasing Frazer.

I caught him on the short very steep climb whereby my singlespeed brain clicked in as did the fork lockout. A quick couple of mashes of a 34:17t gearing (there were another 8 options but this was the most comfortable) and I'd zipped past Frazer and latched onto a group of four that seemed to know what was what. These boys were flying through the singletrack and zipping through the whoopy bombholes, hammering along, diving left, darting right, wheels drift in the loam, all high speed racing fun. I hadn't thought about where I was and my only thought, as I binned it into a tree at the end of lap one, was to get back on a catch up with this great trio of riders.

It dawned on me during lap two that this was the lead group of the Masters race. Get In! I was just happy to be mixing it near the front for once. The strange feeling was that rather than just hanging on I found that I was recovering from the fireroad high speed "trains" really quickly and felt more than comfortable with the climbs. Another strange series of thoughts. I was starting to think where I might be able to make my move. Normally if I've ever made a move off the front in road, mtb or track races, it normally results in me being spat out the back very soon after, so I was wary.

So I sat in a waited to see what happens. Rob (series leader) opened up a sprint about half way round lap three and all of us jumped onto his wheel. Ollie T (second in the series overall) squeezed ahead of me into the next section of singletrack and old skool downhiller Aidan Bishop (who I think I've raced DH against back in the late 90's) was just behind me. No one was fluffing their lines in the singletrack so the pace stayed high. Coming round to the steep gravel climb once more, the familiar sound of geared riders clicking up was heard, and I was one of them now, although I couldn't resist sticking it in 34 : 17 and climbing singlespeed style once more. It worked, as I gained a mall gap by the top of the climb.

Before I could really think about it, my legs just went into overdrive and mashed the pedals as fast as I could. I'd seen the speed the other reacted to Robs sprint and knew they would be right on my wheel very soon. I dared not look back. Just kept focused and kept the speed high. I knew the second half of the course worked in my favour with more short pinches so each time one came around I clicked down the fork lockout, out the saddle and used the singlespeed climbing technique once more. it was doing me favours and I couldn't believe my body was letting me get away with this tomfoolery. I was breathing out so fast I was wondering when I might be able to breath in!

I just had to pedal and pedal hard. The final twisty section of singletrack I tried to compose my mind and not ride it like an arse. On one hand I was begging just to pull over and ease the pain in my legs and lungs. On the other, I seemed to be paying no attention to physical effort and just seemed focused and excited that I might, just might, actually win! I didn't know who was behind me or how far but they seemed to be getting ever closer. Surely I couldn't throw it all away this close to the finish. Eyeballing the section where I crashed on the first lap I tried to think smooth and stay calm whereas on the inside it was a mess of emotions and effort. One last "track sprint" and it was over. I'd only gone and bloody done it! Dumping my bike, myself, my helmet and my glasses unceremoniously on the ground, I looked round to see Aidan Bishop cross the line a mere 2 seconds behind me. Man, that was f*cking close. His smile said it all. Regardless of the result, what a race :-)

Normal mid pack duty back for the next race I'm sure, unless I can get those planets and derailleur to align once more . . .