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.

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.

 

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.

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

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!