Selkirk MTB marathon review and thoughts

Went down on the Saturday afternoon and saw a lot of cars with road bikes heading in the opposite direction after the sportive. Event camping was  in Selkirk. After weeks of rain the weather forecast was true and good and after a cold clear night where the temp in the car got down to 1 degree C – the blue skies and May sun woke the riders up and set the tone of the rest of the day.

After the ride got off at ten o’clock with the Championship riders leading the field out it only took a little more than three and a quarter hours till the leading championship riders came back into the event village.

Go rohloff Go

Highlights of the race were the scenery in general and the sections of trail centre singletrack at Innerleithen, part of the renowned 7Stanes network. This part of the Scottish Borders is stunning, with rolling hills as far as the eye can see, gorse in full golden flower, and a superbly remote feeling. I do however have a gripe – being mid field some of the technical single track sections were really bogged down up to 20cm of mud and quite unrideable. Hate to think what the riders 300places back would have thought.

Feel that they could have had multi sections were another option was opened after the first 250 riders passed through … a minor gripe and just that i would have loved to ride it all instead of having to walk 3 sections.

always suspect something when a camera and puddle are this close together …

there was also a section where the 70km (actually 60km if I had another moan) came back to join the 45km lot and there was a hill that i didn’t see anyone ride – up to 22% according to the Garmin … again think the organisers should have picked a gentler route this late in the ride as it is the people on the 45km course that they really should encourage to come back and a 600m walk will not help them do that … Then a lovely descent – most people like me just riding down the side of the heather … a few of the full course 85km guys came flying past as well … then the water pic above – need to buy the Hires version for vanity reasons ….

Lastly the finish and another t-shirt which i said No to. The race must appeal to people that care about the environment and then they give out cheap horrible t-shirts that no-one with any fashion sense would wear out … they should copy the marathon and run events and give out small medals instead …

finished but hot

Must say that the greatest post finish bit was the routine …

1. WASH THE BIKE

2. WASH MYSELF

3. Get a physio

4. Eat … and Eat again. 4300calories leaves a dent.

ride profile

Angus Half Marathon

Angus half marathon later – not feeling the most rested but I am sure I will wake up by the 10:30 start

Take the time to watch this film – great storytelling and a great race

CRITICAL FILM – A documentary about a very special weekend in July of 2010. A weekend of unconventional cyclocross racing. It only took 126 km of dirt, gravel and cobblestones devided in 4 stages between Dresden and Leipzig, 80 racers, 9 hours, 35°C, 600 liters of water, a ton of food, a world cup quarterfinal and many many enthusiastic souls, to make this an unbelievable experience.

They call it “CRITICAL DIRT – A study in crossification”.

e r t z u i ° film has captured this event along the dirt with our very own perspective.

Thanks to 12rec Netlabel, Earstroke Records & Karl-Marx-Stadt for the musical support.

criticaldirt.com
12rec.net
earstroke.com
ertzui.de

Sponsors of Critical Dirt:

Independent Fabrication (Ken Bloomer of Crema Cycles)
ifbikes.com
Fixie Inc.
cycles-for-heroes.com
Dailybread
dailybreadcycles.com
Retrovelo
retrovelo.de
Chris King
chrisking.com
fahrstil
fahrstil-magazin.de
Cosmic Sports
cosmicsports.de
Bike Department Ost Leipzig
bdoleipzig.de

Ayr Duathlon – my first race – what a great day

5km run

28km cycle

5 km run

It hadn’t started out to well – I had pulled my calf last week doing hill repeats and it didn’t seem to clear up – it was niggling and I had avoided running for a whole week … did a slow 5km yesterday just to feel it and it was painful. I had doubts as to whether it might make me pull out of the race so it was weighing on my mind.

Last nights sleep was also pretty awful woke up 3 times with the kids and nightmares then the youngest stomped in a 6am in far from the best mood … so I did what any sensible person would do and I went downstairs for a leisurely porridge and honey breakfast.

Picked up Steven my brother in law at 7:40am then headed down to Ayr for the Duathlon … we arrived pretty early and registered looking out at the clear blue sky and the fact the air temp was only 6 degrees C. there was a fair share of TRI bike – saw at least 3 Cervelo P3′s and other TRI  bikes. Also glad to see another plain ti Racer like mine … (a van nicholas but any ti bride is good)

Duathlon prep - freebie shirt and deep heat applied

I decided to do the whole race wearing running tights (the compression i figured would help my calf) and a long sleeve cycling top. A pretty relaxed briefing then we were off …. a short run around the school where the run was based and then off to the coast road – a dirt track with its fair share of potholes. It is an out and back run so by the half way point the leaders were already 500m ahead.

Run 1

By transition I had my first attempt at doing transitions on my Polar RCX5 (which allows you to change sport in the same workout which is great and it also allows you to export separate gps .gpx files for each part) By the time I had my bike shoes on and was gulping down a gel Steven was also in transition. I left about 20 seconds in front of him and then looked down to see that i hadn’t restarted the watch – so add 30 sec and 300 metres to the time on this leg.

bike route and elevation

The ride was great – although I think the boys and girls on their all carbon TRI  bikes must have queried their decision as the road was pretty tatty and the route was quite hilly. You could definitely hear them as the carbon rattled over every bump and hole … I could see sense in an aero machine on a flat well surfaced road but South Ayrshire obviously hasn’t spent money on resurfacing in years and they must have flt every bump. There were a couple of uphills where I stood to climb as the lack of padding despite the lovely ti frame was very much felt.

There were great views and lovely sweep descents and the car drivers were passing very carefully which was great. At one stage I was getting a bit tired but sucked down another gel and then some water (they sure are gloopy) but then suddenly I was back at transition.

2nd transition was quick although my legs felt like they belonged to someone else.

2nd run

Second run was identical and after exiting I got to see the first person storming down the hill to the finish – so a 18min lead over what I would do. There is a little hill just in the first km and I was struggling … but after that first km I felt steady although my calf was pulling so just kept up with my pace. After the turn around i was heading back and saw Steven again about a km behind me. Had a mid road high 5 that nearly took me off my feet and then was aiming for the guy in front but could make no gain on him.

run comparison

Polar software breakdown

finished feeling good – just really happy that calf felt no worse … chatted briefly to chap in from then just waited for Steven … Watched a guy come in that was at least 60 and looked in better shape than I have ever been in my life and then another man just behind Steven that must have been at least 70 …. really inspiring.

So my first Duathlon finished and i loved it … big shout out to the Marshals who did a great job and the organisers …. I will be be back hopefully with a good calf and a better transition strategy.

Tour of Flanders Race 2012

Yesterday i tuned in in to watch as much of the tour of Flanders as I could – Mr Cancellara bit the dust at a feeding station which is hugely unlucky …

immediately it seemed half the Radioshack team stopped in case he needed pacing back to the front … as it happens 3 or 4 fractures in his collarbone meant he was out and then the escape was away …

also injured after going over the bars very hard was Langeveld who also broke his collarbone … watching the spectator trying to get out of the way puts the speed into perspective

this from the Telegraph article

The 31-year-old – previously a winner in 2005 and 2006 – beat home Italian duo Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro Ballan in a sprint finish to the 255km race.

Boonen admitted that he hadn’t been very confident of winning when he was left with just the two Italians for company.

“However, the wind was my ally. It was very tough to cycle alone in the last 8 kilometres (with the two Italians).

“The victories record is the cherry on the cake, it only adds to my happiness. To have my name alongside names who have entered the history books in this race…

“This season, I knew that I could equal or beat quite a few records. But to win my favourite race three times is special.”

His task had been made easier when Switzerland’s Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara, the winner in 2010, fell 62km from the finish and was later diagnosed to have broken his right collarbone in three places.

Cancellara, who was one of the pre-race favourites for the second one day classic of the season, will be transferred to a hospital in Baszel, Switzerland, where he will undergo an operation.

It brings a premature end to his classics season which had seen him highly favoured for both this race and the Paris-Roubaix next Sunday.

“I saw him fall, he was right beside me, and I all but went with him,” said French champion Sylvain Chavanel.

“There were water bottles all over the road. He flew through the air. He was very unlucky.”

Boonen too was sorry what had befallen his rival.

“It’s a shame. The race would have been different with him in the mix.”

Boonen – who was aided by Chavanel in regulating the pace after the peloton regrouped with 39km to go – was left with just a group of 10 other riders after a crash after 221km had split the peloton.

Ballan made a break for it on the third climb and was joined by Pozzato and Boonen with 17km to go, with the trio gradually extending their lead.

Boonen – who was world road race champion in 2005 and has won the Paris-Roubaix three times – was recording his eighth win of the season and third in 10 days.

Boonen said that a fourth Paris-Roubaix next weekend was not out of the question.

“I have won a fair few races this season and my confidence has returned,” he said.

“Paris-Roubaix? It would be fantastic to win it after having won the GP E3, Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders.

“I am going to try. It is a race that suits me better than the Tour of Flanders.”

UCI Cyclilng Men World Tour, Tour Des Flandres, Oudenaarde, Belgium

Leading final positions after Elite Men (Brugge – Oudenaarde 256.9km): 1. Tom Boonen (Bel) (Team: OPQ) 6hrs 04mins 33secs, 2. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) (FAR) at same time, 3. Alessandro Ballan (Ita) (BMC) at 0.01, 4. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) (BMC) at 0.38, 5. Peter Sagan (Svk) (LIQ) at same time, 6. Niki Terpstra (Ned) (OPQ) at same time, 7. Luca Paolini (Ita) (KAT) at same time, 8. Thomas Voeckler(Fra) (EUC) at same time, 9. Matti Breschel (Den) (RAB) at same time,10. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) (OPQ) at same time

Selected others: 57. Ian Stannard (Gbr) (SKY) at 3mins 26secs DNF:Jeremy Hunt (Gbr) (SKY)

VOR – the hardest most extreme sailing race

Keeping up to date on the volvo ocean race. As I sit her on a Friday evening with the wood fire on and drinking a glass of wine I catch up on the Volvo Ocean Race. For me this is an aspect of yacht racing that I never got into myself but which fascinates me in it’s brutal hardship and unbelievable competitiveness ….. Been rooting for Ken Read and Puma since the beginning (and in fact during the last race). At the moment they are deep in the south pacific with 40+knots and GIANT waves crashing all around …. They are hitting 30knots in speed (and that’s with them throttling back to avoid damaging the boats) which on a monohull is pretty freakish. I expect the 24hr record will be broken in the next few days as these 70ft carbon monsters do their designers proud.

Conditions are so extreme on Leg 5 that teams are taking their foot off the throttle, according to Groupama helmsman Charles Caudrelier, who is mindful of the fact that there is a lot more to be lost than won in the Southern Ocean.

Yann Riou/Groupama Sailing Team/Volvo Ocean Race

“I think there is nothing tougher than sailing through the Southern Ocean on a Volvo Open 70. You’re very badly protected; the boats are very fast and wet. We are in the deep end of the pool” – - Groupama helmsman/trimmer Charles Caudrelier

The boats were averaging around 20 knots boat speed on Friday, and four had notched up 24 hour runs in excess of 500 nautical miles, quick enough but not nearly as fast as they could be going if they were not halfway through a race around the world.

“The only way (to keep the boat in one piece) is to slow down,” Caudrelier said on Friday. “We are far from being as fast as we would if the sea state was good – we could be above 30 knots of speed and we are actually around 20, 25 knots. So we reduce the sail area and nurse the boat.

“I think everyone has slowed down; some more than others. It’s for the guy steering to use his seamanship and it’s strategic too. This surely is the most beautiful leg to win, it’s also the one, which can make you lose the Volvo Ocean Race. If you break the boat here…. Let’s look after her.”

Caudrelier said the waves, some up to five metres, were slamming on deck, and each was colder than the one before. Survival suits, gloves, balaclavas and life-line tethers are no longer optional, they are a necessity in the southern lows.

The 38-year-old Volvo first timer admitted that it was tough going – - the cold combined with the stress of driving blind at night made for extremely testing conditions.

“I think there is nothing tougher than sailing through the Southern Ocean on a Volvo Open 70,” he said. “You’re very badly protected; the boats are very fast and wet. We are in the deep end of the pool.

“At the helm, you’re doing all the work and it’s interesting. You got to play with the waves and the wind, you got to nurse the boat, but it’s not easy. At night you don’t see a thing. It’s stressing too because lots of waves come on the deck. But hey – we are attached and we built a little shield with the sails in front of us: it’s not that bad!”

Alloa Half Marathon – race report

Woke up at 7am and looked out the window to the most glorious weather … Bright sunshine and hardly any wind. Temp slightly fresh at 4 degrees but bound to warm up.
Had my staple breakfast of raw porridge and banana and picked up Findlay at 8am for the drive to Alloa. We arrived early and had too much time on our hands for parking, registration and in findlays case, plenty of time to regret the curry he had the night before.
Temp was still hovering around 5 degrees but I learnt my lesson running the Jedburgh half marathon when my legs were sweating for most of the run, so shorts were donned but realised I only had a vest which might be a bit chilly. Borrowed findlays spare t shirt. Which was two sizes too big but had my vest on top to keep it snug.

Course map – showing long straight where the wind was in our face.

This time I remembered to take plasters to tape over my nipples – one of the problems of being born with nipples which seem to come out under the side of my chest … Maybe I was born to breast feed small animals anchored under my armpit hair.
I have only done one run, 7 miles in the sweaty heat of Baghdad where the seam of the vest chafed away at me and I finished that run in agony. LESSON LEARNED.

Back to the run. Organisation at this event was flawless. Good start zone, electronic chips for the shoes, plenty of changing facilities and loos both on the leisure centre and portaloos near the start.

Start was massive – so many people that it took me about a minute to cross the start line. The first 2 km were spent weaving through slower traffic and over eager athletes that had pushed to front of start line. From 3km there was plenty of space to pass for those overtaking and for those being overtaken. The police did a great job of marshalling and the cars were either kept back or their speed was curtailed by the often passing police motor cycle.

My legs post injury are still not up to speed so I kept my pace quite regular around the 4:30/km. I knew I wasn’t going to get my 1h31 PB in this this race but by the end was very chuffed to get a 1h36m as I was only hoping for sub 1h45

Alloa is a great race and I think I will do it again next year.

Only one slight problem with the race was my polar HR belt had a slight wobble. I don’t use gel on the belt but think that maybe the wicking nature of the shirt meant I dried up on my chest. Suddenly my HR said it was 97 – if only – I only noticed this after 3 km of bad reading – I was only glancing down at monitor every time the watch auto lapped the km to make sure I was doing alright and not flagging too quickly. I can only think the belt was dry as soon as I shifted it it read accurately again.
Still love the RCX5 though …..

Video: A glimpse at why the Classics are ‘classic’

Love the video of Cancellara’s win at Paris Roubaix in 2010

Re-live how the 2010 Paris-Roubaix race was won by the imperious Fabian Cancellara. From the 2011 British Eurosport coverage of Paris-Roubaix.

Then the analysis of the race ….

Friday Bike Poster: Old Race Posters

old race posters

I love these old posters – such class

A Beautiful Run

Training for the Giants Tooth race is going fairly well. My weight is down to 202 lbs and I have already run the route in under 25 minutes, which was my modest target time. It’s pleasantly surprising how quickly fitness can return after almost 25 years of abusing my system, simply with some enjoyable low mileage runs in scenery that inspires. Plodding endlessly and slowly on the roads is not for me.

I thought I’d share my favourite route with you. It comes in at just under 2 miles. As the google earth image is two dimensional, I’ve added a few photographs (taken during the summer) which might give you an idea why running in this landscape is such a pleasure.

http://www.endomondo.com/routes/27829223

That there Ruthin MTB marathon I did

map of the 50km route

A race weekend and I felt ill prepared. I had not bothered with the 100mile Sportive the weekend before due the remnants of the hurricane hitting Scotland’s shores. I did however make the most of it by going kitesurfing and filming it on the GoPro - see last weeks blog post for that bad video ….

I am currently working on a CH5 series which will go out in 6 weeks – I can’t give out any details but suffice to say that some of the subjects are a lesson in taking care of yourself (both in what you eat and exercise) So I was in the edit when ‘he who shall remain nameless aka NICK’ started sneezing away spreading germs by the ton.

I knew then that I would get it being confined in a small room with the sick bastard and true to my prediction come Saturday afternoon as i packed the bike and set off down the road I had a sore throat and the start of a runny nose.

In retrospect had i realised this was a 4+hr drive I might not have bothered to do it by myself. I got down to Ruthin about 9pm as the Exposure Big Night Out race was finishing … amazing to see the guys waltz in after 40km looking as fresh as a daisy.

I went to the table where they were getting tea and begged for a cup of boiling water … it was a lemsip for me then and there and quickly going off to crash. I hadn’t bothered with a tent, instead sleeping in the back of the estate which was remarkably comfortable.

Up at 8am and off to the catering tent for porridge and tea. Prepare the bike – making sure the Racing Ralph was still holding air … I ripped the sidewall out of the last one in Selkirk in August. then set shock and I was ready to race.

Porridge and tea please guv'nor

My race plan due to the cold was this:

Do the 50km race not the 75km

Keep heart rate below 150bpm

Start and better still ... FINISH

10am Start – at 10:06 hit the bottom of the hill that would only go up for the next 30 minutes, quickly wished I hadn’t started at the back as idiots all around stopped pedalling and thought about walking and in a lot of the cases did. My rohloff speedhub goes down to to about 19 gear inches so I can get up most hills as long as I have traction and can keep the nose from rising too much.

nice singletrack through moor

The weather was alright although the rain had made the course very muddy – something I regretted having the Racing Ralph on the back which held the claggy mud and made it pretty sketchy at times. Plodded along the whole way …. cleaned all the technical sections although had two very stupid falls, both times breaking on nearly level grass before a sharp turn to a technical section. A bit of back brake and the RR shot out sideways leaving me feeling rather stupid but completely unhurt.

down to the reservoir - big gaps between riders at this time

I only stopped at the first feed station but had enough to keep going through the rest. The finish was the biggest challenge trying to follow the signs through town and then not seeing the turn in to the park and the finish. Ended up down at the roundabout looking for directions before retracing my steps and eventually seeing another marker.

more mud and shorten course blob of paint for 75km entrants that did 50km

End result 3hr 54min (-2min spent looking for finish) AVE speed (a slow) 13.5 km/h

HR average 145 / 173 max

Nice to be finished – had a quick bike wash, shower for myself then treated myself to leg massage before the 4.5hr drive home.

Bontrager RXL shoes are fantastic fit and really stiff and comfy. Lost a bit of disco white with mud but cleaned right up.

proof on the speedo

OVERALL:

Course not great – pretty boring the Selkirk event was more varied and challenging

Camping and Event site – fine and would have been good if family were along as well.

Entry fee – a bit sharp

strange man and penny farthing - my rohloff'ed ti bride 96'er

Were you there at Ruthin? …. how did your day go?

SIDE NOTE

Was using the Bryton Cardio 30 on the bike as well as the Garmin Edge 305 (which is great and now around £175) and there was quite a large difference in readings.

There was a small section in woodland but not enough for this difference.

Blue=Bryton Green=Garmin

I am still testing the Bryton Cardio 30 and so far I would advise people to hold off buying … their website was playing up and there are various things missing from their functions that should be addressed.

The butte 100 – mtb race

From cycling news

The Butte 100 mountain bike race began with about 40 local racers headed out for little more than a day in the saddle. But even that number is debatable between those in Triple Ring Productions (TRP), the organizing body of the Butte 100 endurance mountain bike race. Back then, record keeping ranked just below figuring out who’s buying the post-race beer. Fast forward five short years and the race has evolved from its Montana-esque, grassroots approach into one of the nation’s newest elite endurance mountain bike races.

This past July, a record 228 racers came from 14 states and Canada to test their endurance at the fifth annual event. The routes, a 50- and 100-mile figure eight course, rambled over frontage roads, technical pitches, sandy doubletracks, and endless miles of smooth Continental Divide Trail singletrack. The draw is seeing over 16,000 feet of climbing recorded on the racer’s GPS; 9,000 feet for the 50-milers. The Butte 100 is one of the most difficult races in the US. At least that’s what mountain biking legend Tinker Juarez says.

In July, Juarez was back for a second year of competing in his favorite race and posted a course record (nine hours and 36 minutes) on his way to winning the 100-mile open class. He was made aware of the race in 2009 through a friend, while racing in Costa Rica. He did some research, called then race director Bob Waggoner, and committed. Juarez saw an opportunity – an opportunity for a race, a town, and a gauge of his own conditioning in the critical weeks leading up to Leadville.

Word of Juarez’s 2010 registration in this little, down-home race somewhere on Montana’s Continental Divide swept through the bike community. Overnight, the 2010 Butte 100 had literally tripled in size.

2010 was a pivotal year for the four who make up TRP: Gina Evans, Guy Vesco, Bob and Gwen Waggoner. It put the race on the map and realized a long-held vision of bringing endurance mountain bike racing to Montana.

The newfound popularity of the event exposed some weaknesses for those who were used to putting on a race for a handful of locals: a poorly marked turn sent racers off course; a late afternoon squall ripped canopies and poles into one congealed mess; handwritten results melted under the rain; and the post-race food were sorely underestimated. Weeks after the event, results were finally posted – skewed at best. The opportunity to showcase itself to the mountain biking world was a failure and the Butte 100′s future was uncertain.

Not long after the race, an employee at The Outdoorsman bike shop was visiting with two of the organizers about the race. A guidebook author and graduate student at Montana Tech saw an opportunity to apply his technical communication thesis to the race and offered his time. The crew agreed to bring him onboard. It turned out to be just what they were looking for. The addition of Jon Wick and his race bible thesis injected life into the veins of the depleted TRP.

In a time of introspection, the TRP members took a long look at what needed to be done to improve the race. A unanimous consensus was reached: if the Butte 100 was going to attract world-class athletes, it needed to be a world-class race. Period. The group recommitted themselves to the vision.

Others such as Ryan Munsen and Phil Dean came onboard to help with volunteer coordination and re-doing the website. A timing company was brought for near instantaneous results.

One short year after the wheels fell off, the 2011 Butte 100 closed registration with 228 racers and over 60 volunteers – both were race records.

That confidence spilled over to race day. The riders hammered under a typical summertime bluebird day. The elite racers relentlessly pressed Juarez throughout the day. Reports surfaced that John Curry surpassed Juarez for nearly 11 miles until cramping ensued. On the notorious climb out of the Basin Creek aid station, Juarez regained the lead and danced along the CDT never looking back. He crossed the finish line 12 minutes ahead of Curry and almost an hour before the next chaser, Bill Martin. An epic race, on all fronts, was happening that day.

Trail scouting is already underway for possible improvements for the next edition on August 4, 2012.

Growing pains are a necessary evil for every race, but the flawless 2011 race proved the Butte 100 has moved beyond infancy and is ready to line up next to the other established 100-milers.

Saturday 5km Race – 151st ESB Farewell

Saturday morning and a 5km race around one of the lakes.

happy before

A group of us decided to run so bleary eyed and registered at 5:30am then a 6am start. It was quite cool this morning around 28-29 degrees so I was thankful for that.

Summary and HR

A great run – I watched as the New Chris streaked off in 3rd place whilst I struggled along in about 13th (unlucky for me). Chris eventually came in 5th with an amazing 18m40 – I came in 13th with a 20m17s

Nick joined us on his 40th Birthday and ran a very good 23m50s which is great as he doesn’t really run much. Pip training for the Great North Run did 25m40s with Jess a little way behind her. Top marks also to Chris F who at over 60 finished in 30m paced by Jules and still beating over half the field.

My lap times were fairly consistent – felt tired towards the end but didn’t bother with any last minute dash as no sprint finish with anyone.

Aaah good day always when you start with a run …..

happy after the race with the lake in background

What have you done this weekend so far?

James Bowthorpe – Ride across America – RAAM

ROAD.cc

Cast your mind back to the London Bike Show in January and you may recall we spoke to everyone’s favourite ginger-bearded long distance specialist James Bowthorpe about his plans to ride the RAAM this year. Well he’s still going to ride but the date’s gone back a year, to 2012. And to mark the year-to-go point in his training he’s going to be riding for 24 hours straight in the window of Look Mum No Hands. And then doing a talk. Assuming he can still talk.

James is aiming to ride 300 miles in 24 hours, starting at 7.30pm on Weds 15 June. To put the challenge of the RAAM into perspective, you’d need to do that ten times in a row, with four hours’ sleep between each ride, to even finish within the time limit of 12 days. The record time is a scarcely believable 8:03:11, set by Rob Kish in 1992. The RAAM seems like madness to most people but James is relishing the challenge, and he reckons he’ll be fresh enough after his window stint to do a presentation on his plans for the year, which include training for the Paris-Brest-Paris, several non-stop MTB rides and a Hudson River adventure. It’s bound to be an interesting evening so worth getting along to if you’re in the area.

James will be riding a Qoroz road bike on a specially adapted Rollapaluza rig, with a giant LED display to show the time and distance elapsed. If you’re passing, get on down and cheer him on. He’ll need all the encouragement he can get!

Look Mum No Hands! 49 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HX

http://www.lookmumnohands.com

What I did Sunday – A race for a change

This morning was a 5km race – a GIRLS on The Run support Race. See their website for more details ……

Our wasnt in the US but rather Baghdad and it was 6:30am and already hot. I had decided to dress up in support so was in frou frou skirt blonde wig crop top and fishnets … had more that a few wary army eyes on me and perhaps unsettling a needy eye from one or two too far into their deployment. Was going to pace a colleague to a 24min/5km time but after 1km was told to run on so I hot footed it and proceeded to try pass everyone I could. From starting to race properly not one person passed me – which I guess is the benefit of starting from the back. Had a good run as well as a last minute dash to the line by a soldier who didn’t want to be beaten by a cross dresser, especially a cross dressing civilian. He not only lost that sprint but also faced the heckle from a spectator who shouted ‘you got beat by a girl….. an old girl’ – there was me thinking I looked alright.

Finish time 20m43 at just over 5km so not bad for me and for drag …..

And after the race I went to the gym and did a 15min spin on the bike to get rid of the lactic acid. My race number had a discount coupon on it for RoadID – something I have been meaning to get for a while – like a subtle dogtag in case something happens on a bike ride or a run (or even a mugging)

So made my profile and ordered one as did my work colleague and occasional run and exercise mate Guy. Will let you know when I get it.

M74 Bike and Hike – Glasgow, Scotland – SUNDAY 22nd MAY

The M74 Project Partners and the Contractor are making the M74 Completion route available on Sunday 22nd May 2011 to allow a one off opportunity to see the route prior to opening by cycling, walking and running along the route.

Prior to the June opening of the motorway a charity event is being held on Sunday 22 May involving walkers, runners and cyclists.

The event will start at the west end of the new motorway, at the Shields Road Car Park, Scotland Street, Glasgow and take participants onto the motorway to do an “out and back” walk, run or cycle to Polmadie Road (4 km round trip) or over the full length to Fullarton Roundabout (14km round trip).

The event is limited to 20,000 participants and will offer an ideal opportunity to raise funds for charities.

You can enter here

 Now finished – see the day from own view HERE

I love these MASH UP races: Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks Main Race: The money was almost mine! well this was the main race for the MASH store opening.. i had crushed the TT part for fixed but Kyle got me at the end for the main. And the 2nd place roadie passed not 1st! Super fun race though!

Big Wheels are winning the races

from Singletrack

New Lapierre Pro Race 929

It seems that big wheels and hardtails are rapidly becoming a recipe for success in cross country racing, with the brand spanking new carbon fibre Lapierre Pro Race 929 taking a victory under Alexis Vuillermoz in it’s first race outing in France last weekend.

A very happy Alexis Vuillermoz…

The Offroad Cassis is the traditional launch of the XC season in France and Lapierre team riders Alexis Vuillermoz and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot decided to compete this race with their new large wheeled bikes. We haven’t seen the 29er version of their Pro Race hardtail series before but it’s a tidy looking thing, the carbon fibre monocoque frame using a tapered headtube.

The Lapierre Pro Race 929

Pauline is reported as saying before the race that “I really feel more confident with it in the downhills, and I don’t have the impression that I’m losing time on other sections”.

After a long and hard race – more than 2h30 – Alexis won the Elite event ahead of all top French XC riders: Tempier, Marotte and Absalon.

Tapered headtube up front…

In her first Elite race, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot finished a solid 4th place, 3rd in U23, despite a crash towards the end of the race. A promising start for the triple junior world champion.

Swoopy monocoque carbon fibre…

Now the 2011 season is underway, Alexis has confirmed hell be keeping the 29er on hand for certain tracks and conditions – his initial plans are to use it for Dalby Forest and the Roc d’Azur.

 

5km Race (Race for the Wounded Soldier)

After pulling my calf muscle 3 days ago I wasn’t so sure about the 8km race I am supposed to do tomorrow morning and if my leg would hold up. Then found out about a smaller 5km race today (a live link to US Race for The Wounded Soldier). Small race about 180 people.

Went in for the race not intending to go very quickly but 1st km was a bit twingy then it seemed alright staying at that pace so kept going. Reeled in a few places until I was in 5th by 2.5km mark and stayed there until finish.

 

yellow line probably better average pace band

 

Average Pace – not really taking into account the 20knot wind – think I was more consistent than this

 

lap time with a rogue HR

T-Shirt for first 100 coming – will put up photo then.

 

Iceboat sailing – fun for winter

 

I’d also been waiting for just the right “visual” event to test it. Then the North American Ice Boating Championship Regatta blew onto the North Shore of Lake Superior as boaters came from places as far as away Germany. Apparently, Thunder Bay, the bay for which the Northwestern Ontario city is named, was the only suitable ice in North America.

The spectacular backdrop in the distance is “The Sleeping Giant” of the Sibely Peninsula, known to the Anishinawbek (a.k.a. Ojibway) as “Nanabiijou”.

Nanaboshoo is one of the part-human, part-spirit beings, (or Manitouak) often featured in the ancient stories. One of four brothers, he was sent by Giitchi-Manidou (the Great Spirit) to experiment with the world and thereby teach the Anishinawbe, “the original people”, how to live in it without causing harm. He defeated the great “Windigo” who threatened all life but has slept ever since (at least that’s one story – there is no single story). Rising 1000′ straight out of Lake Superior (“Giitchi-guumi” – the great waters), it is part of a chain of huge diabase-capped Mesas that surround the region. The rock is 1.8 billion-years-old, with a “b” – so 1800 million.

Shot with: Canon 7D, Canon 70-200mm f2.8L, Canon EX 2x II Extender, Canon 15-85mm, Nikkor 105mm f2.5

Shot in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, March 4th, 2010.