Well… Here I am in Ingleton on the last Saturday in September, the day before the Three Peaks cyclocross. Normally , this would be the day when I focused intensely on what I ate, how I rested, when I slept, and got my head into the details of the 24 hours ahead. Instead, I’m looking up at Ingleborough and contemplating a nice pint of ale. Oh well…. next year, eh?
The 2007 cyclocross season kicks off at last
I’ve been holding out as usual with no planned cyclocross racing activity whilst I built up my bike carrying and endurance for the Three Peaks – the race that never was. I adjusted my mind to faster, shorter races over the last week and realised that I needed to get some fast racing in before the National Trophy races start.
They don’t come much faster than the course today at Silcoates School in Wakefield. The only race on within driving distance, it was a good job as a race to get my 2007/08 account opened. The field was very strong and I was pleased with my eventual 12th place – it could have been 7th if I’d have had a bit in the bag at the end for a sprint, but it was an odd end to the race and the group I’d been locked in from about ten minutes in fought it out in what was a protracted sprint; I came out on the bad side of it! Never mind – a good work out.
What was very encouraging was to see my team mate Rob (Jebb) whipping the pace up and riding off to win the race easily; a course people would drearily say wasn’t suited to Rob (no mud, no run ups, hardly any climbing), but his strength was never in doubt. Team down sides were the no-show of Lewis – also on blistering form – and Stuart – on an enforced lay-off with tendinitis.
The dry, fast grassy circuit meant the bike didn’t even need the slightest wipe down after the race… I’ll enjoy that while it lasts! The Columbuses (the twins) never missed a beat – just got to focus on getting the legs in the same form!!
Dave – The Home of Witty Banter
I should be a bloody branding consultant.
“TV channel UKTV G2, which shows cult comedy and game shows aimed at young men, is to be rebranded Dave.”
All revved up
In a final installment of moaning about this year’s cancellation of the Three Peaks Cyclocross, I’ve made a little tune based upon some very appropriate words from a certain M. Loaf.
Light relief from the drudgery of life without the Three Peaks
Whole Youtube channel of these here…
I think I’ll spend Sunday the 30th September going through them.
Cancellation of the 2007 Three Peaks Cyclocross.
I’m in a rage.
Three Peaks Cyclocross, the utmost highpoint of my sporting year has been cancelled.
I can’t explain the training, spending, dieting, thinking and analysis that this race spins my life into – particularly in the period from June to September each year. I’m now rudderless and feeling very, very down.
Continue reading “Cancellation of the 2007 Three Peaks Cyclocross.”
Grizedale Mountainbike Challenge 2007
Wow! I’d forgotten how good that felt. Today was my first Mountain Bike event since… erm.. about 1994. I seem to have got so caught up in other things that use up my time (a lot of which is cycling of one sort or another) that I haven’t got a mountain bike any more.
My team mates Lewis and Stuart told me that the Grizedale Mountain bike challenge had to become an essential part of my Three Peaks training, so, always keen to learn from those better than me, I listened. Stuart’s extensive contacts kindly meant that I had loan of a 
Kona Kula 2-9 – £1,500’s worth of hard tail mountain bike with extra big wheels for extra gangly people. It was just beautiful. Having never been paired with this bike, I was naturally a bit worried about tackling the 31 mile loop in drizzly on-and-off rain with what turned out to be 6053 feet of climb and descent (see graph).
The course of the challenge ride itself varies from year to year. The Lake District National Park Authority banned Mountian Bike Racing many years ago, so this is strictly a ‘challenge’ ride, albeit with a timing system and a mass start.
My 37 year old engine takes a while to get going on what turned out to be about 20 minutes of solid climbing, and I wasn’t really into my stride until about half an hour in. I gradually picked off a few people and eventually finished 16th in 2hrs 57. Lewis finished first, waiting a full nine minutes until Barrie Clarke came in behind him. Bodes very well for the three peaks.
I can’t emphasise enough what a great feeling it was to twist and turn on the diving singletrack descents on such a great feeling bike. My legs were missing a few beats from time to time on the steep climbs, but I didn’t panic and kept the bit between my teeth. Almost three hours to complete the course at an average heart rate of 165bpm was great preparation for the three peaks, and I think I’ve left enough time to fine tune the hammering into a bit of form.
Boddingtons – a bit of nostalgia creeping in
I went past the Strangeways brewery on the way into Manchester the other day on the bus and it just felt strange to see that this
… has now turned into this
Lily’s 5th Birthday
Today our little girl reached the grand old age of five. It’s been a busy week for her with starting school and we just decided to have a small party for family and a couple of local friends.
Her new school friends sang her Happy Birthday which I’m sure will have made her feel very special, and we did all the great party things on a lovely warm September day – very memorable.
The best bit (for me) was putting her to bed last night and her asking me how tall she’d be in the morning. Great thinking, Lils. “Just the same size” I told her in a killjoy, tired dad kind of a way. I missed the opportunity this morning to tell her she’d grown… I’ll do it tomorrow.
Piccies here.
First day at school!
The little entertainer is off to Broadway at last. Had she been born a week earlier, Lily would have been at school for a year now, but the oldest girl in the class starts today, and we’re all very excited for her (and a bit choked up at times… pathetic!)
Rubik’s robot
I remember being chuffed to bits when I solved the Rubik’s cube (with help from lots of friends and their varying techniques). It was the nearest thing to being a geek in my day without sitting at a BBC ‘Micro’ [sic] computer and spending all day getting it to print swear words.
Boy, would I have loved one of these.
Lily’s bike fever
We got a trailer bike the other day – a necessity for the school run which starts this week (exciting !! – school starting – not the school run) and have had a great weekend getting used to it. Cycling-dad obviously was trying his best not to pile on the pressure, but in the end, we had to reel her in… she just loves it.
After a six mile eco shopping foray into Ramsbottom yesterday, we expected to go to Gisburn forest today for a great family picnic and bike ride on the gentle trails there. Alas, what the weatherman described as a “band of rain passing over” gripped us from 9am until 8pm, so Lily and I got our aggression out with a brilliant off road rode up onto Holcombe moor. We got filthy and soaked, but it all seemed to make her smile more and more. Bring it on, cycling-daughter.
