On Sunday I headed to Eirias park, for the welsh CX championship, it was a wet day and the course was muddy and wet and was being ripped up even in practise, being ankle deep in mud and was starting to get unrideable each lap I went round.
I warmed up and headed to the start for the race in my new junior catergory, racing with the men, I was gridded on the front row which helped allowing me to avoid the mass bottle neck into the tight right hand corner up a running section, Joe Barnwell (MTRT) quickly opened up a gap that would stick for the whole race with me and Tyler Brennan (The Bulls) trying to chase back through the thick gloopy mud, I held Tyler for two laps and we kept the gap to Joe tight but as the course got worse I didn't have the power to push through the mud and keep with him, Joe then continued to open up the gap while I kept Tyler within 20seconds, towards the end of the race was when two bikes came in really handy as the course deteriated and the bikes began to clog up( massive thanks to Mark Baker for letting me borrow his bike as a spare).
I continued to plod through the ever thickening mud hoping to close the gap to Tyler but it was just to big and I had to settle for 3rd in what was probably the most demanding and gruelling race I had ever done.
Thanks to my dad for being my pit crew for the race and graham weigh cycles for the support.
pictures to follow soon...
simon
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Thursday 1 October 2015
Great Orme Road Race 2015
Last weekend I headed to Llandudno for the race around the great orme, this race is very hilly and has a fast descent back down to the foot of the climb, the youth race would do 3 complete laps of the orme and after signing on at 8 o clock we were all ready on the start line at 9 o clock, we were set off and the first mile of the race was neutralised, but after that the attacks started coming thick and fast with many riders going out the back on the first part of the climb, a fairly big group still made it to the top of the orme together and all descended hitting speeds of up to 43MPH in some places on the climb , after the descent it was a short piece of road through the streets of Llandudno before we hit the foot of the climb again, this time not so many attacks came and we all road through and off up to the final 800m when the attacks started to come on the steeper slopes, I did have a go myself but like all the other attacks the were swiftly brought back in, this time the group had whittled down to around 25 of us again descending of speeds of 40MPH +, we came through the start finish straight and the bell rang loud, and again not many attacks came and everyone was trying to save themselves for the last part of the climb to make an attack, and everyone had the same plan, as we came round the to see the summit it ramps up and many attacks came one after another with myself having ago too, the grouped whittled down again to around 20 and we all raced down the back of the orme as quick as we could go on our restricted gears, when we hit the flat it turned into a track sprint that would very slowly increase and we came closer to the line , we came round the final corner at around 15MPH and I decided to go early passed the grand hotel on the slight slopes of the orme, I held them off but we hit the last corner and they were on my wheel and I ended up getting swarmed by the sprinting group with 50m to go, I came across the line 11th which was a good result but I could have been higher if I had waited for the sprint finish. this is a really great event and look forward to it next year as a junior.
Thanks to Marsh Tracks for all the support this year and a massive thanks to my parents who have given up their time travelling me round the country this MTB and road season as it would not be possible to do what I do with out them.
Thanks to Marsh Tracks for all the support this year and a massive thanks to my parents who have given up their time travelling me round the country this MTB and road season as it would not be possible to do what I do with out them.
Inter Regionals 2015
last weekend I was representing wales in the inter regional MTB event 2015.
I woke up early morning on Friday to be picked up by our coach to take us down to Essex, Hadleigh farm where the event was.
on the Friday we had a skills competition which involved doing many different skills including bunny hops, wheelies and side hops under pressure and against the clock, I finished 5th overall and only picking up 1 time penalty for hitting a post.
on Saturday we had the handicap race in the morning which was done on the number of time penalties you had accumulated from yesterday and each one being 10seconds, this meant I started 10seconds behind the 3 people that managed to clear the course,
I had a good start and was working well in a group but I had been ill for a few days before and it was affecting me abit, people were coming past me and I just wasn't able to attack ad stay with them, in the end I came through 10th
in the afternoon we had dirt crits which involved a series of heats of races that lasted around 2minutes in duration, my first heat went well and I managed to qualify coming through 2nd, my next heat didn't go as well and just missed out on qualifying after missing my pedal at the start and coming in 8th while only the top 7 go through to the next round, this meant I went through to the B final, I had a good start and went through into the bottle neck in 5th, I struggled to get past on the descent and had to try and move up on the flat, after a sprint finish I managed to claim 3rd in my final heat
the Sunday was our final day and it kicked off with a team relay in the morning which team wales won last year and we would hope to do the same again this year, I had the first leg of the relay and I had a good start coming through 2nd on the short 5minute course handing over to Megan James to take on the second leg of the race, Megan came through 3rd and first girl before then handing over to Katie hesdon who would take the third leg of the tea relay for us she came through 4th and then handed over to Solomon kerfoot robson for the 4th and final leg of the race, sol managed to make up some ground after some teams had decided to use their 2 boys first, he and harry yates came through together and after a hard battle harry sprinted past sol and he couldn't react, we held on to 2nd and we all did a great team effort
in the afternoon it was the main event which was the XCO race, after a good warm up and feeling abit better I was ready for the final event, I had a good start sitting within the top 5 and already 8 of us had managed to get away from the rest o the filed on lap 1 which was very unusual to have a big group like this all still together after one lap, we all stayed together for the next lap tackling all the Olympic descents and climb and I was feeling comfortable and strong, however, on lap 3 disaster struck on the oak tree drop with my chain dropping, I quickly stopped and tried to get it back on as quickly as possible, but the leading group had gone and 2 others had past me, over the next lap I managed to work my way back to the duo that had past me while I had dropped my chain and try to chase back on the lead group, but again on the 4th my chain dropped again on Deane's drop and I had to stop and put it back on again, while I was doing this another big group past me and I couldn't get back onto them for the next 2 remaining laps, I started to blow up after having to constantly chase for the majority of the race due to my own silly mistakes, after dropping my chain twice and bonking I came across the line 18th which was not the result I had hoped for in my final MTB race as an U16 but it was still an amazing weekend and a big thanks to welsh cycling for allowing me the chance to represent my country. I now look forward to next years MTB season and cant wait to get racing again on the MTB
I woke up early morning on Friday to be picked up by our coach to take us down to Essex, Hadleigh farm where the event was.
on the Friday we had a skills competition which involved doing many different skills including bunny hops, wheelies and side hops under pressure and against the clock, I finished 5th overall and only picking up 1 time penalty for hitting a post.
on Saturday we had the handicap race in the morning which was done on the number of time penalties you had accumulated from yesterday and each one being 10seconds, this meant I started 10seconds behind the 3 people that managed to clear the course,
I had a good start and was working well in a group but I had been ill for a few days before and it was affecting me abit, people were coming past me and I just wasn't able to attack ad stay with them, in the end I came through 10th
the Sunday was our final day and it kicked off with a team relay in the morning which team wales won last year and we would hope to do the same again this year, I had the first leg of the relay and I had a good start coming through 2nd on the short 5minute course handing over to Megan James to take on the second leg of the race, Megan came through 3rd and first girl before then handing over to Katie hesdon who would take the third leg of the tea relay for us she came through 4th and then handed over to Solomon kerfoot robson for the 4th and final leg of the race, sol managed to make up some ground after some teams had decided to use their 2 boys first, he and harry yates came through together and after a hard battle harry sprinted past sol and he couldn't react, we held on to 2nd and we all did a great team effort
Wednesday 30 September 2015
Ruthin MTB Marathon
a couple of weeks ago I did the local MTB marathon I ruthin just down the road from where I live on the all natural trails around the clwydian range, we rolled out at 10 o clock through the streets of ruthin before hitting the Blwch Penbarres which is a very steep and long hill up to the car park of moel famau, a group went off the front and I was just off the back of them, once we had reached the top of the blwch we then headed onto the fire road which would take us into the Clwyd's and around moel famau, we then continued to climb and descend along the fire road before going onto the banks of moel famau on many fast flowing grass descents that were really fun. once we had done the loop around moel famau we ten went onto a short section of road and then because I was doing the 75km we did a loop around moel Arthur before stopping at the first feed station, my bottle topped up of torq and we were off again onto the next part of the course which took us in and out of cilcain before climbing back to moel famau on a steep hill again, but was totally worth it for the really fun technical descent and then heading over to loggerheads and stopping at the 2 feed and going on our way back into ruthin, at this point I was starting to feel the pace I had gone off at and was struggling to keep it, so I made the decision to miss the second part of the 75km loop and follow the 50km loop back home, there was one final climb up to the Clwyd gate before having almost all descent for the final 7km. it was a really great event and look forward to doing it again next year!
Belgium trip 2015
a few weeks ago I embarked on a journey for 2 weeks away from home.
my first 3 days were on a MTB camp working on my fitness and skills, with other riders from all over wales, the next 10 days would be in Belgium courtesy of welsh cycling.
the first day we spent travelling to Belgium via the euro tunnel, we got in late and it was straight to bed as we had our first race in the morning.
Race 1
the first race was in a small Belgium town in west flanders, I was very nervous as I didn't know what to expect, the whistle went and we were off, it wasn't as fast a start as I though it would have been and people were quite relaxed, attacks went and I was one of them, I dint get chased down and I held the gap for half a lap before being swamped again by the peloton, for the next 2 laps I payed for my efforts and struggled to hold on to the bunch, but while I was struggling 3 of my teammates, rhys britton, sam tillet and james tillet were off the front and for the rest of the race I would experience what it is like to be a domestique helping the team by holding off the peloton from the lead group, on the last lap once we knew the breakaway had enough of a gap, we were allowed to push on and attack for ourelves on the last lap, rhys won with sam 2nd and james 10th, I amanged to come through comfortably in the bunch in 29th position
Race 2
the 2nd race was again in a small town in the west of flanders, this one involed cobbled sections and a slight rise with some short punchy climbs,at the start we were gearchecked after our last race dominance, once we were gear checked, we were sent to the line, the start wasn't as fast and allowed us to continue to send attacks from team wales, traking it in turns and letting the Belgians chase us down, finally 3 laps in of the 7 a break went with Rhys and sam, we again sat up after this letting the Belgians chase them down, once they had a big enough gap we then carried on between me, james, tomos owens and Matthew Burke throwing the attacks at the Belgians making them chase hard, Rhys managed to take the win, sam bonked massively and ended up getting swarmed by the main peloton on the final lap,i manged to finish 14th in the sprint finish
Race 3
race 3 was again based in a small Belgian town in the west of flanders and this would be my first encounter of the true Belgian cobbles, we rode strong as a team and james managed to pull away with another rider on lap 2,later on in the race the other rider dropped back and we knew james was out there by himself holding a comfortable gap, I sdaly punctured on the 4th lap and if you are so far behind the main peloton on the next lap you get pulled out, which sadly happended to me, james managed to take a great win, doing 60k solo ride by himself and rhys taking the b unch sprint to take 2nd
Race 4
the final race was probably the hardest being in east flanders and very lumpy and very hot, after the commissares sending 3 of our riders back to the car due to the depth of their deep section wheels and having to get them changed just before we started. we rolled out behind the neutralised car and about a mile later the race was on, a number of attacks went but non of them stuck, it was only with 3 laps to go did a break go including rhys, we held the bunch comfortably before the last lap when the attacks strted coming, Daniel coombe was the first to have a go up one of the short sharp climbs then folowd by sam who counter attacked and opened up a gap, I then had a go with 2k to go over one of the climbs and tried to push all the way to the line but was sadly swamped by the peloton with less than 50metres to go from the line and finished around 11th
days on the cobbles
on the Tuesday we headed over to flanders to ride the famous burges including the oude kwaremont,kreis burg and hotonberg aswell as many others, it was really wet but this didn't dampen our spirits as we rolled out for a fun but demanding day, we did 60 miles around the roads of flanders and was a really great experience, on the Thursday we headed into france to ride the cobbles of Roubaix, in Roubaix we went especially to the arenberg which was my favourite cobbled section of the week but also le Carrefour de l'abre and gruson, this again was another great day and we all loved it so much we even went back and rode some sectors again
Id like to say a massive thank you to welsh cycling for the opportunity to race abroad and train over the 10 days, also thanks to my team mates for making the experience even better
Rhys Britton
Matthew Burke
Daniel Coombe
Tomos Owens
James Tillet
Sam Tillet
and hopefully I will race and train abroad again sometime in the future
my first 3 days were on a MTB camp working on my fitness and skills, with other riders from all over wales, the next 10 days would be in Belgium courtesy of welsh cycling.
the first day we spent travelling to Belgium via the euro tunnel, we got in late and it was straight to bed as we had our first race in the morning.
Race 1
the first race was in a small Belgium town in west flanders, I was very nervous as I didn't know what to expect, the whistle went and we were off, it wasn't as fast a start as I though it would have been and people were quite relaxed, attacks went and I was one of them, I dint get chased down and I held the gap for half a lap before being swamped again by the peloton, for the next 2 laps I payed for my efforts and struggled to hold on to the bunch, but while I was struggling 3 of my teammates, rhys britton, sam tillet and james tillet were off the front and for the rest of the race I would experience what it is like to be a domestique helping the team by holding off the peloton from the lead group, on the last lap once we knew the breakaway had enough of a gap, we were allowed to push on and attack for ourelves on the last lap, rhys won with sam 2nd and james 10th, I amanged to come through comfortably in the bunch in 29th position
Race 2
the 2nd race was again in a small town in the west of flanders, this one involed cobbled sections and a slight rise with some short punchy climbs,at the start we were gearchecked after our last race dominance, once we were gear checked, we were sent to the line, the start wasn't as fast and allowed us to continue to send attacks from team wales, traking it in turns and letting the Belgians chase us down, finally 3 laps in of the 7 a break went with Rhys and sam, we again sat up after this letting the Belgians chase them down, once they had a big enough gap we then carried on between me, james, tomos owens and Matthew Burke throwing the attacks at the Belgians making them chase hard, Rhys managed to take the win, sam bonked massively and ended up getting swarmed by the main peloton on the final lap,i manged to finish 14th in the sprint finish
Race 3
race 3 was again based in a small Belgian town in the west of flanders and this would be my first encounter of the true Belgian cobbles, we rode strong as a team and james managed to pull away with another rider on lap 2,later on in the race the other rider dropped back and we knew james was out there by himself holding a comfortable gap, I sdaly punctured on the 4th lap and if you are so far behind the main peloton on the next lap you get pulled out, which sadly happended to me, james managed to take a great win, doing 60k solo ride by himself and rhys taking the b unch sprint to take 2nd
Race 4
the final race was probably the hardest being in east flanders and very lumpy and very hot, after the commissares sending 3 of our riders back to the car due to the depth of their deep section wheels and having to get them changed just before we started. we rolled out behind the neutralised car and about a mile later the race was on, a number of attacks went but non of them stuck, it was only with 3 laps to go did a break go including rhys, we held the bunch comfortably before the last lap when the attacks strted coming, Daniel coombe was the first to have a go up one of the short sharp climbs then folowd by sam who counter attacked and opened up a gap, I then had a go with 2k to go over one of the climbs and tried to push all the way to the line but was sadly swamped by the peloton with less than 50metres to go from the line and finished around 11th
days on the cobbles
on the Tuesday we headed over to flanders to ride the famous burges including the oude kwaremont,kreis burg and hotonberg aswell as many others, it was really wet but this didn't dampen our spirits as we rolled out for a fun but demanding day, we did 60 miles around the roads of flanders and was a really great experience, on the Thursday we headed into france to ride the cobbles of Roubaix, in Roubaix we went especially to the arenberg which was my favourite cobbled section of the week but also le Carrefour de l'abre and gruson, this again was another great day and we all loved it so much we even went back and rode some sectors again
Id like to say a massive thank you to welsh cycling for the opportunity to race abroad and train over the 10 days, also thanks to my team mates for making the experience even better
Rhys Britton
Matthew Burke
Daniel Coombe
Tomos Owens
James Tillet
Sam Tillet
and hopefully I will race and train abroad again sometime in the future
Sunday 26 July 2015
National MTB championships
The past weekend I headed to Hadleigh farm Essex for the National championships on the Olympic course, Hadleigh is a great course with really fun and challenging A-lines and I have had good and bad luck here in the past.
After warming up early on Sunday morning before the 9 O'clock start I headed to the start line, I was on the front row which would help with my start and how the race panned out for me.
I had a good start and was sitting around 5th going under the start/finish banner but I quickly noticed that my legs just couldn't keep the pace like usual and I spent the whole race going backwards from then on in, the race quickly split up with riders racing ahead at the front of the race and I was hoping that my legs would come around sooner rather than later, as people came past me throughout the 4 laps I found myself not being able to stay with them on the short sharp climbs like I usually could and I just wasn't able to attack over the top of climbs as normal, after a really hard race I finished 14th, defiantly not the result I wanted from national champs but I guess my legs can't always be there at every race,it was just a shame the weren't there for this race and just felt empty, hopefully they will be back on top form for my first major road race out in Belgium riding for wales in a couple of weeks.
After warming up early on Sunday morning before the 9 O'clock start I headed to the start line, I was on the front row which would help with my start and how the race panned out for me.
I had a good start and was sitting around 5th going under the start/finish banner but I quickly noticed that my legs just couldn't keep the pace like usual and I spent the whole race going backwards from then on in, the race quickly split up with riders racing ahead at the front of the race and I was hoping that my legs would come around sooner rather than later, as people came past me throughout the 4 laps I found myself not being able to stay with them on the short sharp climbs like I usually could and I just wasn't able to attack over the top of climbs as normal, after a really hard race I finished 14th, defiantly not the result I wanted from national champs but I guess my legs can't always be there at every race,it was just a shame the weren't there for this race and just felt empty, hopefully they will be back on top form for my first major road race out in Belgium riding for wales in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday 22 July 2015
WMBS RD4 Nant yr Arian
The past weekend me and the family headed to Nant yr Arian near aberystwyth for the final round of the WMBS, coming into this I had a lead of 3 points to Craig so I needed to finish in at least 3rd to hold on to the overall series win, I did my practise laps on the Saturday so I didn't have to ride before the race and just warm up after warming up I headed to the start i
had a good start and led all the way up the main climb but Craig jumped ahead
just before the singletrack, we quickly opened up a good gap to third place, i
then overtook and led for the majority of the lap pushing on the descents and
on the short really steep uphill climbs, we stayed together for the next 2 laps attacking
each other trying to get away until the second descent on the third lap where i
dropped my chain and Craig managed to get a bit of a gap, i pushed on and
managed to catch him by the top of the climb and was able to be back in
contention for the win, we didn’t attack much on the last lap but took it in
turns doing the least work possible for the first half of the last lap, I then
wanted to lead into the really steep and technical ascent so attacked before it
but Craig pushed his way back through and he was leading up the technical
climb, after the climb he seemed to be abit tired and I attacked him over the
top and back down into the final descent, i had opened up enough of a gap to
then hold Craig off and take the win and also the overall series.
Monday 22 June 2015
BMBS RD4 Cathkin Braes
Hi all, sorry I have not been updating my blog due to exams and revision but I will now be able to update you about races and how they went again :).
This weekend we went to Cathkin Braes Scotland for the 4th round of the national points series, the weather was windy and cloudy the whole weekend with some light showers from time to time. The course was technical with lots of rock sections and short punchy climbs.
I was gridded 6th on the line and was on the front row, I had a great start and was 4th into the singletrack, it was a fast pace and with the added rock sections and technical features thrown in while the race was still close and people battling for positions, about a group of 6 of us found we had gotten away due to and crash or fall from behind, the 2 leaders attacked and left 4 of us to battle it out for the rest of the race but Cameron Orr and calum fernie managed to get a gap on me and Sam culverwell coming up the final climb to the finish of lap 1, me and same worked together for the next 2 laps only to be joined by Tomos mein on the end of lap 3 heading into the final lap, tomos set a high pace for the final lap and managed to drop Sam leaving me and him to fight it out for 5th place, he was quick over the top of the hills and attacked over the crest and slowly broke me down and tire till I made a mistake on one of the steep wet slippy climbs towards the end of the lap and I had to jump off and he pulled a gap, I tried to get it back and pushed all the way to the line but he had already but a sizeable gap into me with less than 1k to go and I had to settle for 6th. it was a good fast race and was happy with 6th place and was less than 3minutes off the leader over 1hour.
I have now got 2 weeks before the next welsh XC at Nant Yr Arian in mid wales and then National Champs at Hadleigh farm in Essex.
This weekend we went to Cathkin Braes Scotland for the 4th round of the national points series, the weather was windy and cloudy the whole weekend with some light showers from time to time. The course was technical with lots of rock sections and short punchy climbs.
I was gridded 6th on the line and was on the front row, I had a great start and was 4th into the singletrack, it was a fast pace and with the added rock sections and technical features thrown in while the race was still close and people battling for positions, about a group of 6 of us found we had gotten away due to and crash or fall from behind, the 2 leaders attacked and left 4 of us to battle it out for the rest of the race but Cameron Orr and calum fernie managed to get a gap on me and Sam culverwell coming up the final climb to the finish of lap 1, me and same worked together for the next 2 laps only to be joined by Tomos mein on the end of lap 3 heading into the final lap, tomos set a high pace for the final lap and managed to drop Sam leaving me and him to fight it out for 5th place, he was quick over the top of the hills and attacked over the crest and slowly broke me down and tire till I made a mistake on one of the steep wet slippy climbs towards the end of the lap and I had to jump off and he pulled a gap, I tried to get it back and pushed all the way to the line but he had already but a sizeable gap into me with less than 1k to go and I had to settle for 6th. it was a good fast race and was happy with 6th place and was less than 3minutes off the leader over 1hour.
I have now got 2 weeks before the next welsh XC at Nant Yr Arian in mid wales and then National Champs at Hadleigh farm in Essex.
BMBS RD3 Forest Fields
Last weekend we went to Forest Fields in mid Wales for the 3rd round of the national series.
The course had some long steep climbs with not very technical but really fun descents.
it was a dry and sometimes windy weekend which helped with the course as there was a really rooty descent which would have been carnage in the wet.
I had a really good start and sat 3rd round the first hairpin bend but as we hit the first hill I started to move back through bthe field as my legs had not been feeling good all week but towards the top hill when the people that had been sprinting up the hill had slowed down I managed to move back into 6th and sitting in the group for 4th, we hit the first descent and Craig Rogers was infront of me and he wasn't feeling too good so he opened up a gap and there was no where to pass, once I was down the descent I passed him on the fireroad and led up the second main climb on the circuit chasing back Tom Mein for 5th. I couldn't catch him before the descent and was overtook by Ben Healey, the descent was fast and flowing, and we all stayed together, we exited the descent and Ben had picked up a puncture, he pulled off and I led back into the arena.
The second lap I stayed in a group of three for the rest of the race working together trying to bring back 5th but the gap was too big, on the final lap the pace up the main climb increased but all three of us stayed together and pushed the pace even on the descents, we hit the fire road and the person ahead of me sprinted and then carried on up the climb, but I managed to pull it back and sat on him down the final descent. The pace then let up as we hit the last fire road with non of us wanting to take the lead for the sprint finish. Sam opened it up quite far out but put a big gap into us to try and bring back, I was sitting 8th round the last hairpin bend but managed to go up the inside and take 7th and was close to Sam at the line.
It was a good race and a really enjoyable course, i'm now looking forward to Glasgow for the commonwealth games course as it looks technical with short sharp hills
The course had some long steep climbs with not very technical but really fun descents.
it was a dry and sometimes windy weekend which helped with the course as there was a really rooty descent which would have been carnage in the wet.
I had a really good start and sat 3rd round the first hairpin bend but as we hit the first hill I started to move back through bthe field as my legs had not been feeling good all week but towards the top hill when the people that had been sprinting up the hill had slowed down I managed to move back into 6th and sitting in the group for 4th, we hit the first descent and Craig Rogers was infront of me and he wasn't feeling too good so he opened up a gap and there was no where to pass, once I was down the descent I passed him on the fireroad and led up the second main climb on the circuit chasing back Tom Mein for 5th. I couldn't catch him before the descent and was overtook by Ben Healey, the descent was fast and flowing, and we all stayed together, we exited the descent and Ben had picked up a puncture, he pulled off and I led back into the arena.
The second lap I stayed in a group of three for the rest of the race working together trying to bring back 5th but the gap was too big, on the final lap the pace up the main climb increased but all three of us stayed together and pushed the pace even on the descents, we hit the fire road and the person ahead of me sprinted and then carried on up the climb, but I managed to pull it back and sat on him down the final descent. The pace then let up as we hit the last fire road with non of us wanting to take the lead for the sprint finish. Sam opened it up quite far out but put a big gap into us to try and bring back, I was sitting 8th round the last hairpin bend but managed to go up the inside and take 7th and was close to Sam at the line.
It was a good race and a really enjoyable course, i'm now looking forward to Glasgow for the commonwealth games course as it looks technical with short sharp hills
Welsh Champioships Coed-Y-Brenin
2 weeks ago we set off to Coed-Y-Brenin trail centre for the welsh championships incorporating RD3.
The course was really wet and slippy but still a great course with lots of climbing and technical descents that included rock features and wet Rooty descents.
The start of the race was much better than previous rounds as we were set of in individual categories.
I had a good start and led up the tarmac hill before being overtaken by Tom Nesham(Cardiff Jif) as we hit the stone and gravel road, I sat on him up the main climb that lasts around 8minutes with Craig Rogers(Birkenhead North end Cycling Club) sitting right on my tail, going into the first descent Craig overtook me heading into the singletrack and I was sitting third, we had managed to already break away when we hit the descent and we knew it was going to be a three horse race, we stayed in the same formation when we entered the bottom of the descent and then headed out onto the second half of the loop, this part was less climbing but more descending and was fairly technical too. Craig took the lead through here but I still sat in third feeling fairly comfortable as we headed out for the 2 lap, we went up the climb at a high pace and headed into the descent with tom leading but just before the singletrack I wanted to be in the lead and went up the inside of him, I managed to open up a small gap but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold it as I was feeling quite fatigued, I took a bottle from the feed zone and caught my breath for a second until Tom was back on me and attacking up the little rise, he then led down the descent and into the arena and up the climb for the final time. the pace dropped off initially but as we reached the top it was an all out sprint between me and Tom and we distanced Craig slightly, tom led down the descent and with Craig just getting back on before the bottom of the descent and then to have an all out sprint up the climb for one last time before hitting the descent, but we all knew that whoever led into the descent would have a much better chance of winning due to the finish being straight out the bottom of the descent. Tom led in and I was sitting second wheel, halfway down I saw an opening and I took it straight away, we both ended up going into the corner at the same time and it was just who backed out first and that was tom and he allowed me to get my front wheel in front and I got into the lead, I then led down the rest of the descent and led the sprint out and luckily managed to hold on and take the WIN!
The course was really wet and slippy but still a great course with lots of climbing and technical descents that included rock features and wet Rooty descents.
The start of the race was much better than previous rounds as we were set of in individual categories.
I had a good start and led up the tarmac hill before being overtaken by Tom Nesham(Cardiff Jif) as we hit the stone and gravel road, I sat on him up the main climb that lasts around 8minutes with Craig Rogers(Birkenhead North end Cycling Club) sitting right on my tail, going into the first descent Craig overtook me heading into the singletrack and I was sitting third, we had managed to already break away when we hit the descent and we knew it was going to be a three horse race, we stayed in the same formation when we entered the bottom of the descent and then headed out onto the second half of the loop, this part was less climbing but more descending and was fairly technical too. Craig took the lead through here but I still sat in third feeling fairly comfortable as we headed out for the 2 lap, we went up the climb at a high pace and headed into the descent with tom leading but just before the singletrack I wanted to be in the lead and went up the inside of him, I managed to open up a small gap but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold it as I was feeling quite fatigued, I took a bottle from the feed zone and caught my breath for a second until Tom was back on me and attacking up the little rise, he then led down the descent and into the arena and up the climb for the final time. the pace dropped off initially but as we reached the top it was an all out sprint between me and Tom and we distanced Craig slightly, tom led down the descent and with Craig just getting back on before the bottom of the descent and then to have an all out sprint up the climb for one last time before hitting the descent, but we all knew that whoever led into the descent would have a much better chance of winning due to the finish being straight out the bottom of the descent. Tom led in and I was sitting second wheel, halfway down I saw an opening and I took it straight away, we both ended up going into the corner at the same time and it was just who backed out first and that was tom and he allowed me to get my front wheel in front and I got into the lead, I then led down the rest of the descent and led the sprint out and luckily managed to hold on and take the WIN!
Tuesday 28 April 2015
Welsh Mountain Bike Series Round 2 Buith Wells
This weekend I headed to the Buith Wells Showground in mid wales for the second round of the Welsh XC. the course was similar to the welsh cyclocross champs course, but was still a great course.
The start was carnage due to being started with elites, experts, and junior men and women categories, however I did manage to move into the top 10 fairly quickly and break away with Craig Rogers for the first lap but after the last technical section just before the arena I managed to drop my chain so had to stop and put it back on losing about 15 seconds. I was then stuck chasing back for the next 2 laps with Thomas Nesham. I then just managed to drop him on the main climb and was then chasing back to Craig Rogers solo. I luckily managed to then catch up to him with 1 lap to go, I sat on him up the last climb and down the tight twisty descent and before the crest of the final climb I then attacked him before the final descent as I knew it would be very hard to get past before the finish, he stayed with down the descent but on the final corner Craig ended up falling off on the last corner by hitting my back wheel which allowed me to cross the line and take the win of RD2 of the Welsh XC.
I have now got a weekend off before heading to Coed-y-Brenin for the welsh champs and then forest fields the weekend after for RD3 of the BMBS where I hope to get some good results too.
The start was carnage due to being started with elites, experts, and junior men and women categories, however I did manage to move into the top 10 fairly quickly and break away with Craig Rogers for the first lap but after the last technical section just before the arena I managed to drop my chain so had to stop and put it back on losing about 15 seconds. I was then stuck chasing back for the next 2 laps with Thomas Nesham. I then just managed to drop him on the main climb and was then chasing back to Craig Rogers solo. I luckily managed to then catch up to him with 1 lap to go, I sat on him up the last climb and down the tight twisty descent and before the crest of the final climb I then attacked him before the final descent as I knew it would be very hard to get past before the finish, he stayed with down the descent but on the final corner Craig ended up falling off on the last corner by hitting my back wheel which allowed me to cross the line and take the win of RD2 of the Welsh XC.
I have now got a weekend off before heading to Coed-y-Brenin for the welsh champs and then forest fields the weekend after for RD3 of the BMBS where I hope to get some good results too.
BMBS RD2 Newnham Park
It was an eventful weekend starting off with a 5hour drive down to Plymouth, we arrived around 11:00 which gave me time to get my number and relax for abit before heading out for three practise laps of what pictures and videos I had seen looked like a great course. the first practise lap went well and I rode all the A lines Really comfortably and wasn't really struggling, except for the climbs, they were really steep and if you got out the saddle your rear wheel would slip on the loose ground that had been baking in the hot dry weather all week. I headed out for my second practise lap just to make sure about thinking of switching down to a 30T ring on my 1x10 set up. on the second lap I did again ride all the A lines comfortably at abit of a higher pace except for the final A line (cottage Carnage) where I managed to end up flying over the bars going straight through the tape and landing on my head in the process and making myself see stars for a while but after 5 minutes I decided to go back up and hit the A line again and ended up going over the bars again probably due to I didn't give myself enough time to calm down after the first one. In this crash I managed to break my seat in the process snapping the rails meaning that I would have to go back to the car to get that sorted out and to make sure I was also ok as I was feeling sore and did take a massive blow to my head which I later found out I had also found out I broke my helmet as well leaving a massive crack in the top of it, but to make things worse I didn't bring a spare helmet or seat but was lucky enough that a friend of ours had a spare seat, but this still meant that we needed to get a helmet as the paramedics said it was not good enough to use again as if I crashed again with it, it would not do its job, this meant we had to go to certini the local bike shop to newnham park to find a new helmet.
After about half an hour of looking round the numerous helmets I managed to find a helmet to my liking and then we headed back to newnham park, changed the ring from a 32T to a 30T. this made the climbs much easier and I again rode all the A lines comfortably and this time at Cottage Carnage i took it slower and made sure I got down it safely and then built my speed up over the next couple of runs down before heading back to the car feeling confident with all the A lines.
On race day it looked like good weather and I was feeling good, I started my warm up on rollers and moved through the zones getting me up to speed that the race will be at.
I was gridded on the front row again which would give me a great starting position.
The gun went and everyone clipped in, except me which also meant I went from the front of the race to the back and was sitting dead last, I was then left with the job of moving up back into the top 10 which I managed to do coming through the main arena and was chasing back to the group for 5th, the 5 of us stayed together for the majority of the race until tomos mein put in a dig on the main steep climb and my legs couldn't react and I was out of gears because the hill was so steep, I tried to chase back to them on the descents but the gap was just too big to catch back up to them but I still pushed on as there were people still chasing from behind but I managed to hold onto 10th.
I was satisfied with this result but I am hoping for better at the next round of BMBS at forest fields in wales.
After about half an hour of looking round the numerous helmets I managed to find a helmet to my liking and then we headed back to newnham park, changed the ring from a 32T to a 30T. this made the climbs much easier and I again rode all the A lines comfortably and this time at Cottage Carnage i took it slower and made sure I got down it safely and then built my speed up over the next couple of runs down before heading back to the car feeling confident with all the A lines.
On race day it looked like good weather and I was feeling good, I started my warm up on rollers and moved through the zones getting me up to speed that the race will be at.
I was gridded on the front row again which would give me a great starting position.
The gun went and everyone clipped in, except me which also meant I went from the front of the race to the back and was sitting dead last, I was then left with the job of moving up back into the top 10 which I managed to do coming through the main arena and was chasing back to the group for 5th, the 5 of us stayed together for the majority of the race until tomos mein put in a dig on the main steep climb and my legs couldn't react and I was out of gears because the hill was so steep, I tried to chase back to them on the descents but the gap was just too big to catch back up to them but I still pushed on as there were people still chasing from behind but I managed to hold onto 10th.
I was satisfied with this result but I am hoping for better at the next round of BMBS at forest fields in wales.
Midlands XC RD1 Cannock Chase
A few weeks ago I headed to Cannock chase for the second time this season for the first round of the Midlands XC. the course seemed to be fairly dry but was still very slippy in the trees.
The start of the race was really fast but I managed to clip in straight away and led the start out and half of the first lap before Cameron orr overtook me but I managed to jump on the back of him and stay with him up the first climb until he attacked over the crest of the hill and managed to open up a gap before we hit the tree line and the vets! it was really hard to overtake all the vets in the trees and this is where gaps could have been opened or closed depending on if they wanted to let you past and in my case it was closed and was caught by harry yates, we then stayed together for the rest of the race trying to close the gap to Cameron taking it in turns on the front for the remainder of the laps, in the end we couldn't catch Cameron and we both knew that it was going to come down to a sprint for 2nd and 3rd, before the final single-track I attacked and overtook harry and I thought this was a good move as I knew he would struggle to get past, however, over the final jump I over shot it and was carrying too much speed and came off the main line and gave harry enough of a gap to come up on the inside of me and then we were going head to head for a sprint finish and knocking bars and in the end harry got 2nd by less than half a wheel and I had to settle for 3rd.
The start of the race was really fast but I managed to clip in straight away and led the start out and half of the first lap before Cameron orr overtook me but I managed to jump on the back of him and stay with him up the first climb until he attacked over the crest of the hill and managed to open up a gap before we hit the tree line and the vets! it was really hard to overtake all the vets in the trees and this is where gaps could have been opened or closed depending on if they wanted to let you past and in my case it was closed and was caught by harry yates, we then stayed together for the rest of the race trying to close the gap to Cameron taking it in turns on the front for the remainder of the laps, in the end we couldn't catch Cameron and we both knew that it was going to come down to a sprint for 2nd and 3rd, before the final single-track I attacked and overtook harry and I thought this was a good move as I knew he would struggle to get past, however, over the final jump I over shot it and was carrying too much speed and came off the main line and gave harry enough of a gap to come up on the inside of me and then we were going head to head for a sprint finish and knocking bars and in the end harry got 2nd by less than half a wheel and I had to settle for 3rd.
Wednesday 1 April 2015
BMBS Rd1 Sherwood Pines
Over the weekend I headed to Sherwood Pines for the first round of the British Mountain Bike Series at Sherwood Pines in Nottingham. We arrived On the Saturday lunchtime after a 3hr drive in some wet conditions. Me & Dad who decided to race in open cat later in the afternoon collected our numbers and headed out for 3 laps course practise just to get to know the track, it was quite dry and wasn't very technical but would be a course that all you needed was lots of power & super smooth lines in the tight & twisty single-track. After my laps I cleaned the bike and went to watch Dad race before we headed to the hotel where we would stay the night.
The next morning I went to breakfast feeling a little bit nervous but also anxious of what to expect. We arrived at Sherwood pines in plenty of time & I started my warm up swiftly after, once my legs were warmed up I headed down to the start arena for gridding where I was seeded on the front Row.
Just before the start the forecasted rain began to fall which would make the course a lot more slippier than in practise yesterday but hopefully the Racing Ralph tyres would still be ok, The start of the race was fast & I had a really good start and I sat 4th going into the first singletrack round the start arena, It was a fast pace race and people were frantically attacking to move up including me, People were moving up and down the positions but I stayed in the same position in 4th.
Daniel Tulett opened up a gap and it just kept growing and then once we hit the first part of open track Ross Harnden flew passed but no one seemed to attack however this didn't seem to matter because I found myself in a trio who had managed to get away with Callum Fernie and Cameron Orr, We stayed together opening up the gap to 6th taking it in turns on the front on the fire roads, I was feeling really comfortable and was feeling strong sitting behind them at their pace, however disaster struck coming back into the arena with my rear wheel coming loose and rubbing against the side of the frame, I pushed on for about another 20meteres but it was not falling back into place , I had to stop and I tried to tighten it as fast as possible and hop back on, by now Callum and Cameron had gone off into the distance and Tom Piddcock had also passed me but I managed to get back on and was sitting 6th with Tomos Mein sitting behind me.
Later that lap Ben Healey came up to join us and we worked together again and I was feeling comfortable and was trying to push the pace to try and make it back to the next rider so I could still maybe get a top 5. we stayed together for the next three laps until Tomos attacked and me and ben chased, until again my wheel came loose again but this time I only had myself to blame as I had been the one who had rushed to get it fixed as quickly as possible. I once again had to stop and tighten it up but luckily was not caught by anyone when doing so but I could see a trio of riders coming up in the distance, in the end I ended up being caught by harry yates and we worked together to try and catch Ben who we were slowly bringing in towards the end of the last lap but there was not enough time left and we couldn't catch him, Harry ended up attacking before the final single track and getting ahead of a lapped rider giving him a small gap that he then held to the line. I ended up finishing 9th which I was satisfied with but was a bit annoyed that I had been in the running for third until my wheel fell out so the Lightweight KCNC Titanium skewer has been replaced in favour of a more Substantial & hopefully reliable Shimano item for the future.
I now know my winter training has gone very well & my form is there so I still felt like I had a good ride and now look forward to the next round of the BMBS in Newnham park in Plymouth on April 18-19th.
Im off to South wales next week for a 4day Mtb Training Camp with Welsh cycling which will be really good to get together with the other Welsh riders for plenty of quality Race training & Skills practise.
The next morning I went to breakfast feeling a little bit nervous but also anxious of what to expect. We arrived at Sherwood pines in plenty of time & I started my warm up swiftly after, once my legs were warmed up I headed down to the start arena for gridding where I was seeded on the front Row.
Just before the start the forecasted rain began to fall which would make the course a lot more slippier than in practise yesterday but hopefully the Racing Ralph tyres would still be ok, The start of the race was fast & I had a really good start and I sat 4th going into the first singletrack round the start arena, It was a fast pace race and people were frantically attacking to move up including me, People were moving up and down the positions but I stayed in the same position in 4th.
Daniel Tulett opened up a gap and it just kept growing and then once we hit the first part of open track Ross Harnden flew passed but no one seemed to attack however this didn't seem to matter because I found myself in a trio who had managed to get away with Callum Fernie and Cameron Orr, We stayed together opening up the gap to 6th taking it in turns on the front on the fire roads, I was feeling really comfortable and was feeling strong sitting behind them at their pace, however disaster struck coming back into the arena with my rear wheel coming loose and rubbing against the side of the frame, I pushed on for about another 20meteres but it was not falling back into place , I had to stop and I tried to tighten it as fast as possible and hop back on, by now Callum and Cameron had gone off into the distance and Tom Piddcock had also passed me but I managed to get back on and was sitting 6th with Tomos Mein sitting behind me.
Later that lap Ben Healey came up to join us and we worked together again and I was feeling comfortable and was trying to push the pace to try and make it back to the next rider so I could still maybe get a top 5. we stayed together for the next three laps until Tomos attacked and me and ben chased, until again my wheel came loose again but this time I only had myself to blame as I had been the one who had rushed to get it fixed as quickly as possible. I once again had to stop and tighten it up but luckily was not caught by anyone when doing so but I could see a trio of riders coming up in the distance, in the end I ended up being caught by harry yates and we worked together to try and catch Ben who we were slowly bringing in towards the end of the last lap but there was not enough time left and we couldn't catch him, Harry ended up attacking before the final single track and getting ahead of a lapped rider giving him a small gap that he then held to the line. I ended up finishing 9th which I was satisfied with but was a bit annoyed that I had been in the running for third until my wheel fell out so the Lightweight KCNC Titanium skewer has been replaced in favour of a more Substantial & hopefully reliable Shimano item for the future.
I now know my winter training has gone very well & my form is there so I still felt like I had a good ride and now look forward to the next round of the BMBS in Newnham park in Plymouth on April 18-19th.
Im off to South wales next week for a 4day Mtb Training Camp with Welsh cycling which will be really good to get together with the other Welsh riders for plenty of quality Race training & Skills practise.
Monday 16 March 2015
Welsh XC Round 1
Last weekend I Travelled down to south wales on the Saturday evening for the first round of the Welsh XC series. We Stayed overnight in Llanelli which isn't far from Pembrey country Park.
Not so much of an early start as my race wasn't till 11am so we arrived for course inspection & practise around 9-30 whilst the U12 races were in progress on a separate course. It had rained overnight but the ground was still fairly firm going & rolling fast but the weather soon turned on us & it started raining quite heavily whilst I started my Warm-up on the rollers with Dad holding the umbrella over me!!
The commissaries soon got us all gridded but start was carnage when they set the elite men and women, expert, juniors and youths all off together, the youths started off at the back so was really hard to move up, The first lap was mainly trying to move up with the group I was in with Tom Nesham (Cardiff Jif), Craig Rogers (BNECC) and Jack Nash (MTRT), we stayed as a group together as a group for the whole first lap until I attacked up the main climb. I managed to open a gap but knew straight away that I would not be able to hold it but still pushed for the rest of the second lap but Craig Rogers was able to bridge the gap and we ended up working together for the next lap but then it turned into a game of cat and mouse as both of us knew after a few attacks that it was going to stay together, so the pace ended up dropping off as we both wanted to save ourselves for the final sprint finish, on the last road straight I attacked from behind craig around 300meteres away from the line and was lucky enough to hold the tiny gap I opened all the way up to the line and take the WIN!
It was a great course and a really fast & flowing and fun to ride with little respite inbetween the short sharp climbs so a big thanks to Matt Page of A_Cycling, Welsh cycling and all the Marshalls for standing out in the Heavy rain for the duration of the race.
The Bike was faultless once again so a Big thanks to Alf Jones Cycles in Wrexham & Fibrax keeping my Cannondale F29r So reliable
Looking forward to the first round of the National Mtb Series at Sherwood Pines In a couple of weeks.
Not so much of an early start as my race wasn't till 11am so we arrived for course inspection & practise around 9-30 whilst the U12 races were in progress on a separate course. It had rained overnight but the ground was still fairly firm going & rolling fast but the weather soon turned on us & it started raining quite heavily whilst I started my Warm-up on the rollers with Dad holding the umbrella over me!!
The commissaries soon got us all gridded but start was carnage when they set the elite men and women, expert, juniors and youths all off together, the youths started off at the back so was really hard to move up, The first lap was mainly trying to move up with the group I was in with Tom Nesham (Cardiff Jif), Craig Rogers (BNECC) and Jack Nash (MTRT), we stayed as a group together as a group for the whole first lap until I attacked up the main climb. I managed to open a gap but knew straight away that I would not be able to hold it but still pushed for the rest of the second lap but Craig Rogers was able to bridge the gap and we ended up working together for the next lap but then it turned into a game of cat and mouse as both of us knew after a few attacks that it was going to stay together, so the pace ended up dropping off as we both wanted to save ourselves for the final sprint finish, on the last road straight I attacked from behind craig around 300meteres away from the line and was lucky enough to hold the tiny gap I opened all the way up to the line and take the WIN!
It was a great course and a really fast & flowing and fun to ride with little respite inbetween the short sharp climbs so a big thanks to Matt Page of A_Cycling, Welsh cycling and all the Marshalls for standing out in the Heavy rain for the duration of the race.
The Bike was faultless once again so a Big thanks to Alf Jones Cycles in Wrexham & Fibrax keeping my Cannondale F29r So reliable
Looking forward to the first round of the National Mtb Series at Sherwood Pines In a couple of weeks.
Thursday 12 March 2015
Cannock Chase Winter XC Race
Over the past 2 weeks I have been busy getting the MTB cross country season under way.
The Bike has had a full Rebuild & refresh of a few components To improve performance & Reliability.
A New set of the Fibrax Ltd Proformance Sealed Cables have been fitted to keep the shifting Smooth & precise in even the muddiest winter conditions & Some of their Sintered Brake pads to care of the stopping Department in the XTR Brakes.
So On the 1st of march it was my first MTB race of the season & time to give the bike a shakedown now it was back to full race trim, We travelled down to Cannock chase to compete in the Go Run And Ride Winter Xc, I entered the Mens enthusiasts category as the race distance would be more like the national level duration. It had been dry for the morning races & my Practise laps so was looking forward to a fast Dry race along side some handy Elite Riders From Torq Fitness team (Alex Welburn & Chris Andrews). Just before the race started the heavens opened and it changed the course completely compared to what it was like in practise. I managed to get a good start and was 5th going into the first singletrack and then moved up into 4th where I stayed for the majority of the race as was unable to close the gap on the charging Junior rider Arthur Green but was then later joined by Junior Rider Greg Booker (team elite) and I managed to stay with him for the next lap until he put in a strong attack and dropped me a Steep Muddy Climb. I then rode solo for the rest of the race and managed to claim 5th in the enthusiasts men's category while still being a second year youth! it was a great event and can not wait to return to Cannock chase for the Go Run And Ride Summer Xc and the final round of the national series in August.
The Bike has had a full Rebuild & refresh of a few components To improve performance & Reliability.
A New set of the Fibrax Ltd Proformance Sealed Cables have been fitted to keep the shifting Smooth & precise in even the muddiest winter conditions & Some of their Sintered Brake pads to care of the stopping Department in the XTR Brakes.
So On the 1st of march it was my first MTB race of the season & time to give the bike a shakedown now it was back to full race trim, We travelled down to Cannock chase to compete in the Go Run And Ride Winter Xc, I entered the Mens enthusiasts category as the race distance would be more like the national level duration. It had been dry for the morning races & my Practise laps so was looking forward to a fast Dry race along side some handy Elite Riders From Torq Fitness team (Alex Welburn & Chris Andrews). Just before the race started the heavens opened and it changed the course completely compared to what it was like in practise. I managed to get a good start and was 5th going into the first singletrack and then moved up into 4th where I stayed for the majority of the race as was unable to close the gap on the charging Junior rider Arthur Green but was then later joined by Junior Rider Greg Booker (team elite) and I managed to stay with him for the next lap until he put in a strong attack and dropped me a Steep Muddy Climb. I then rode solo for the rest of the race and managed to claim 5th in the enthusiasts men's category while still being a second year youth! it was a great event and can not wait to return to Cannock chase for the Go Run And Ride Summer Xc and the final round of the national series in August.
Pictures Courtesy of Curley photography
Friday 2 January 2015
New year, New to blogging & New Race Season approachng!
Hello & Welcome to my first foray into blogging
Now Christmas & New year celebrations are all done with its time to start looking ahead to the 2015 Cross country Mountain bike season hoping I can continue my winning form since my last MTB race held at Coed Llandegla which was the Emergency Services Firemans XC race which I won overall!
I am just finishing off my winter Cyclocross season with the national Championship Race to be held in Abergavenny south Wales on Saturday 10th January when I will get to Race in my Welsh Champion's jersey which I recently won in December 2014 at Builth Wells Showground.
I Have also been recently selected to train on the British Cycling MTB Olympic Development Apprentice Scheme which entails Frequent Training Days away and In depth coaching in order to compete at the highest level competition in The UK & hopefully abroad too.
Over the Xmas Period I was away on a 5 day training camp with Welsh Cycling at CwmCarn Trail Centre with one of the Days being based at Bike Park Wales .
It wont be long before I get back in to racing Mountain bikes again now that the entries have gone in for the Full National Mountain bike Series & the first 2 rounds of the Welsh XC already.
Exciting times ahead and will report back with a full update from the national Cyclocross Championships.
Now Christmas & New year celebrations are all done with its time to start looking ahead to the 2015 Cross country Mountain bike season hoping I can continue my winning form since my last MTB race held at Coed Llandegla which was the Emergency Services Firemans XC race which I won overall!
I am just finishing off my winter Cyclocross season with the national Championship Race to be held in Abergavenny south Wales on Saturday 10th January when I will get to Race in my Welsh Champion's jersey which I recently won in December 2014 at Builth Wells Showground.
I Have also been recently selected to train on the British Cycling MTB Olympic Development Apprentice Scheme which entails Frequent Training Days away and In depth coaching in order to compete at the highest level competition in The UK & hopefully abroad too.
Over the Xmas Period I was away on a 5 day training camp with Welsh Cycling at CwmCarn Trail Centre with one of the Days being based at Bike Park Wales .
It wont be long before I get back in to racing Mountain bikes again now that the entries have gone in for the Full National Mountain bike Series & the first 2 rounds of the Welsh XC already.
Exciting times ahead and will report back with a full update from the national Cyclocross Championships.
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