Sometimes you have an awesome day

riders Laura Griffiths, Emma Braithewaite, Danni Benn

Straight to Silver at Southwest Champs

Last years Southwest Champs was my first ever race.

When I first ever went to Gawton it was to ride downhill for the first time on 'HSD' track.
After riding for a year I decided to race on the new track 'Proper Job' which was quite a step up and this year they upped the game even more holding the race on 'SuperTavi'.
SuperTavi is the old dirt 1:04 track and the track that had said to me when I started downhill "If I can ever ride that, then I will be a downhill rider" in my mind it was unobtainable... at the time!
In no way was I expecting it to be easy, I was nervous! I first rolled down it and with the new sections built in they had made the track harder. There was one section I just could not get around at first but got more confident with practice. I had a couple of really hard crashes but nothing could stop me with that feeling that every clean run was taming the beast. I was loving the challenge!
When it came to race day I was tired and now know that 3 days practice before was too much but every race I learn something new.
The pressure was off in someways because so many people had entered but didn't race because the track was so hard. By Sunday there weren't many girls left.
I had one clean super safe run and one terrible pushing it run. I came off twice my second run. I wish I had pushed it more on my first run but without more competition it was hard to risk such big crashes on so many nervous sleeps before!
Still I tamed the beast and raced SuperTavi and that is an achievement I never thought I would have, that and a Silver Southwest champs medal!

Living A FORCE OF NATURE - Lula Darquier

Living A FORCE OF NATURE - Lula Darquier on Pinkbike

I am loving this video so much right now. I love how well she rides, the music, her family and the whole idea. We all have our own mountain bike life 

Bontrager TwentyFour 12

A couple of weeks ago myself and my team of 5 took part in Newnham parks Bontrager twentyfour 12.

I got the idea to do it as a challenge to raise money for hospiscare, Exeter universities campus services charity of the year.

As my last cross country race experience was some what terrifying I was pretty apprehensive about what I'd signed us up too. 24 hours of relay cycling night and day.

On arriving I realised how huge the event was. It was amazing to see so many tents and vans and how big the event arena was. The vibe was really relaxed and it didn't feel like a serious athletic event. obviously no beer or shots but lots of people milling around staying up late and enjoying the live music. 

The next day I tried to keep my nerves in check knowing it was going to be a long night and day but it felt different knowing it wasn't once chance all out and your one run counts. In fact with the fun atmosphere of the kids race and relaxed approach of the past racers it was chilled but exciting. 

Sue started us off and when it was my turn I was excited to know what the course was like. We didn't pre ride it seen as we were gonna do it about 5 times anyway! The course was awesome it had long slow climbs and short sharp get out the saddle climbs with loose rocky descents but mainly rooty technical single track descents. It sounds like a nightmare for passing but it was really well thought out and everyone was really considerate calling ahead to pass. With all my training I actually was keeping up a good pace every lap and did more over taking than being over taken which really surprised and pleased me!

My first night ride went really good and I was loving it, so much smoother lines that I choose in the dark and it was cooler and the perfect temperature. Just amazing although so different to the day. People were silent but riding in big groups together, almost earie. But the places where the track ran along side the campsite were amazing. So many people cheering and playing music. plenty of banging saucepans!

The second night ride at about 4 am was totally different, by then it was a cold start and there were a lot less people on the track and no one to cheer you on. My lights were both on red so I was nervous I would get stranded in the dark and then my light cleat came loose so I couldn't see in front of me on both lights. I fell off on the fireroad in a stupid place and honestly for the first time thought that it was hard, but I kept going and knew that it would get better when the sun came up. 

On my next run it chucked it down on the most exposed part of the course and I got soaked and pedalling was hard going, I'd also only had two hours sleep and was really tired so when I finished I genuinely hoped I would not have to go out again but it looked like I was going to do the last run.

When it got to five past eleven and was chaining over from Emma to do my last run I felt elated and so glad to have a final run, The best I had felt after about 2 am was whenever I was on the bike and I got to finish on high tho I had to race round to get one last person round to count another lap on our total but I did it. I gave it everything I got and pedalled my heart out. When I came back into the area it was ten too and I had five minutes to get Jim out. I over took everyone sprinting through. 

It was an amazing feeling to finish. We came 10/19 teams in our category and did 6 laps each. Although you have to dig deep when it gets hard and I'm still tired now! I would definitely do it again. It was a great event  and so much fun.

uh wow!

Freeride = in my mind rolling down steep stuff

She sure as hell gives it a bit of commitment. 

Amazing stuff that girls can do!

Katie Hayes - Fall Promo from 406 Productions on Vimeo.

Falmouth Urban Downhill

My First ever First place podium!

And there was no one else on there with me, Never mind! Although being the only girl out of 77 other entrants it was still great fun and I still pushed myself to get the time I wanted. The course was brilliant and although short crammed in a whole lots of stairs and big jumps. Despite being sceptical about how much joy I could get from riding down stairs all day and the possibility of going splat on a hard floor with the competitiveness of a race atmosphere it was a great way to spend a day and well worth the trip down to Cornwall. I must admit I didn't risk it on the big jump with no need to compete against anyone I decided it was the best idea after watching lots of guys throw themselves at the floor.
Falmouth Urban Downhill from Frazer Waller on Vimeo.

Second race second place

So my first downhill race I was super nervous and had a couple of average runs but really enjoyed it so as soon as I had chance to do another race I couldn't wait.

Second time round I was no where near as nervous. 

It was round 3 at Tavi woodlands winter series so not as much pressure as southwest champs but still almost as many entrants. 

My husband and I arrived on the saturday and It was wet! As usual when I race its so muddy and the course was man made but built into the hillside with not much texturing so there was a lot of getting side ways. The course was so much fun with roots, drops and  jumps. On the saturday there was hailstone so practice was really different to race day. Riding on hailstones was like riding on ball bearings it was so hard to keep control and even harder to push back up!

After a comfy night in our van we had 3 or 4 practice runs but the course was getting really cut up so our tyres were clogging really bad and it was hard to get enough speed for the jumps. 

THe only thing I would have changed over the weekend was my tyres, I had spikes on but wasn't sure what else to change too, I think next time I will just have the same as my husband because he has a lot more experience.

My first race run I aimed for a safe time and went around a jump which was getting hard to get speed for and then also came off on a tight bend after a really steep stepped section so my first run was less than impressive but I was no where near as nervous as last time I raced so new I could focous and improve on my second run,

My second run was near perfect everything was so clear, calm and methodical, I pedalled in all the right places and hit every line I wanted to, the only thing that could have gone better was if my tyres could have got up to speed and maintained less resistance but they were so clogged and sluggish. Despite that what felt like an slow time was smooth and fast and landed me in a very unexpected second place.

Women

5 competitors found

Rank	Bib	Name	Sponsors	Run 1	Run 2	Best run	Diff
1	278	Heather KAY		1:46.422 (1)	1:56.039 (1)	1:46.422	-
2	289	Laura GRIFFITHS		2:18.303 (4)	1:58.380 (2)	1:58.380	11.958s
3	288	Emma BRAITHWAITE		1:58.640 (2)	2:02.107 (3)	1:58.640	12.218s
4	282	Katie PARSONS		2:07.946 (3)	2:09.555 (4)	2:07.946	21.524s
5	287	Sov ATKINSON		2:46.415 (5)	2:14.914 (5)	2:14.914	28.492s

Spanish downhill- sun sea and roost

For a change me and my husband decided to do what normal people do for a holiday and catch a plane to somewhere sunny for a winter break. But we thought... that's too normal so we still needed our bikes to come too!

We decided on 10 days staying in a relatives apartment as our base in Benalmadena. In Benal there's a cable car which is bike friendly with the front wheel off and with the help of you tube videos we were convinced there's good downhill riding to be had and were stoked on exploring.
Our Friends came with us too so we decided to try some uplift days and found roost was the best company for getting back to us. They were really flexible and offered us one day to start and more if we wanted too. 

On our first days riding we rode with roost who took us to SRAM test track which is probably the most famous track out there, it's really sandy and rocky, it's a baptism of fire intro to Malaga riding.
The rocks are not so much the problem but the sand is if your not used to it. Honestly I was just sliding around all over the place at certain points but its great fun and the roost boys were really supportive and willing to help give advice on line choice and technique.

To get into to town for lunch rather than driving into town we drove further up the mountain to the telecommunication towers and rode a 15 minute downhill trail down with the longest biggest boulder rock garden I've ever seen it was totally amazing! The trail starts off fairly tame and not so much downhill style as it is a walking trail too but once it got going it was amazing with steep long rock slabs to negotiate, super tight steep sandy switch backs and loose off camber exposed sections. I'm not sure how anyone would walk some of it! clearly Spanish hikers like to go big or go home too! One thing i find funny about Spanish trails is they are all unofficial so a lot of them end near peoples back gardens and just pass through residential streets. It was the best trail I've ridden and think it will take something really special to beat it!

After a delicious dirty tasting kebab it was off to ride the trail from the Danny hart winter training in Spain video and to end the day back to the telecoms trail again. I have never rode so much in one day. The SRAM test track and Danny hart trail we rode about 7 times each and with the miles put in on the 15 minute telecoms tower trail twice by the end of the day we were exhausted but had huge beaming smiles on our faces and well and truly made up with riding in Spanish sand. 

We enjoyed our first day day so much that we went with roost again for day two. This time it was a long hour and half drive out to Mijas to ride Motril race track. Driving there it was getting

mistier and mistier and once we headed up the foot hills of the sierra Nevada it was pretty bad visibility and the Spanish weather was not the warm sun it was at Benal. The track was amazing though, much more English style building and the ground was mud rather than sand so instantly felt much more at home. It still had the Spanish steepness, length and difficulty tho that we were loving so much. It started with a wooded steep top section with lots of root steps and drops, followed by swooping deep gullies , then into rock gullies and off camber rock sections to negotiate with an excellent middle section with difficult drops which saw us all at some point going over the bars landing on top of each other in the gorse bushes. We decided on four runs before stopping for lunch and on the fourth run coming through the trees it really started to rain and the gully were flowing and when we came out in to the open it turned into a really heavy hail thunder storm. the ride down was amazing sliding around, soaked and covered in mud squinting through the rain and hail to see. Again the trail ends through residential streets where we met trail doggie who sat in the bus shelter with us in the pouring rain while we ate sandwiches filled with grit and mud. The boys went out for more runs but most of us were happy to finish the day after amazing runs on an amazing course which wasn't spoilt by the weather at all.

After a days rest it was time to explore the cable car opportunities. A pass for the week was only €60. By then the weather was back to being warm and sunny. On our first day at the cable car we were lucky to meet an English couple who showed us the two main run although it is actually easy to find the runs it really helped us to work out the knack of getting the bikes in the cable car and quickest way back to the cable car station! The main run we rode was rockadillo which is in the video. It's super sandy again which us girls found a tad easier than the boys with our more gentle gliding approach. It's got everything you could possibly want from a trail with steep technical rocky single track, tight berms, drops and jumps. Each section is great in its own way and so much fun to ride over and over. 

Apart from the riding we had great nights in the local Irish bar and meals out in restaurants with friendly Spanish owners telling us their stories and plenty other stuff to do with a lush beach, marina and dolphinarium. Its so English friendly with all the ex-pats running bars and a much more relaxed way of life. 

we can't wait to go back soon!

rachel atherton interview

Endtroducing: Rachel Atherton

This interview by DIRT just makes me love her even more!

Angus sure is one lucky pooch!

Best quotes-

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given?
Get a dog.
Get a bike.

What one thing would you change about yourself?
My inability to house a straight set of teeth in my mouth.

titanium spring

http://sprung-loaded.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sprungloaded.uk

Are Titanium springs worth it? I'd say so!

Local to our area is the UK distributor for titanium springs, Sprung Loaded. 

On my new Demo I have a cane creek double barrel shock which I bought a Ti spring for. The shock its self is amazingly tuneable for small girlies who weigh not a lot! As this bike is my first built up for me I decided to splash out on a Ti spring as the price difference was not that much compared to a steel cane creek spring.
Automatically I saved 240 grams! 
I find the Ti spring also really helps to keep the back wheel on the ground over rough terrane. I really noticed this on roots riding Egypt at Gawton. The TI spring is much more compliant than the steel was.

my soiree into the world of grassroots sponsorship

A while ago I saw a post on a facebook group looking for girls to apply to ride on a grassroots team. So having only ever done one race and not done that great I thought what the hell I'll send an email anyway!
So I sent an email talking about my move towards racing downhill, my intentions for the year and my blog and how I could help to promote the brand.


I found a great article which helped me construct the email, I realised its not just about riding at grass roots level but what you're going to give them in exchange for what they give you.

http://wideopenmag.co.uk/news/16154/five-things-you-should-never-do-when-trying-to-get-sponsored

So I sent off the email and thought no more about it really but the next day got a reply offering me a place on the team with the chance of a trade price frame, clothing, helmets and body armour.
I was so please that I'd been offered all of this trade price stuff for going to the effort of an email!
Luckily for me my husband works for the bike shed Exeter. This puts me in a very lucky position of him making contacts to now bargain a price on a frame for me from a different brand. which offered me an even better price and the opportunity of a cycle scheme to pay for it. Along with the ability to buy most body armour and clothing so cheap with online deals it certainly made me reconsider the opportunity of sponsorship.

Once I received all of the catalogues of the brands collections for the year and didn't fall in love with any of the stuff enough to consider parting money my fate was sealed that I would turn down sponsorship!

So very politely I sent off my email.
In all honesty I was disappointed to no longer say I was sponsored but am more fortunate than most thanks to my husband.

Everyone talks about how they want to get sponsored and must win every race but I found out its easier that that on a grassroots level. All you need to do is put yourself out there but expect to earn the status.

Also consider if your ready to give up your own identity and assume the image of a company to proudly represent.

Unfortunately for me my love of pink stood in the way!

Leatt DBX ride 3 review

For christmas I got a Leatt DBX ride 3 neck brace or because I got it in white to go with my white helmet "toilet seat" as it is affectionately known as by my husband and friends!

I was pretty excited to get it as I've been wanting to get one for ages, especially as my friends have them and everyone at the southwest champs race did too. Also doing bigger jumps and feeling a bit more vulnerable it seemed a no brainer.

We seem to have had this conversation about body armour quite a lot lately with various people.

Its been mentioned to me and my husband a lot that we don't wear much body armour. All we usually wear is helmet, soft knees and gloves to ride downhill, and now leatt braces. Not being fans of hard knees and shins, mx roosters or padded shirts we get a lot of comments asking how we feel safe to ride steep tracks or do bigger jumps but if you never have worn these things you don't think about it. Not being big or clever about it we often go for just jeans, helmet and gloves. Guess thats what comes with riding with the old school sprung era guys. Keeping it real Steve peat style!

I digress somewhat!

First impressions when you open the box there are plenty of adjustment pieces to fit your leatt brace to you. The padding looks really high quality and feels really thick high quality to with stand use and being washed. The brace itself feels quite plasticy but sturdy. Overall it feels quite heavy when you first pick it up, its also very firm. Sounds silly but its hard to imagine wearing it when your riding when you first pick it up because it is so unflexable. The hinges were stiff at first but feel robust and well made and easy to use to get the brace on and off once you have done it a couple of times.

My husband helped me to fit it but it would be easy to do on your own with a mirror. I fitted the straps but decided to try wearing it with out them which was fine. It does move around a little when your riding but not so much that its annoying. The fit on the back piece and shoulders is so good that it feels secure. 

Once you put a helmet on your realise that your movement is much more restricted than without the brace. Because the padding is tough aswell its kind of clonky when you hit your helmet on the brace. At first I felt unsure that I'd made a good decision getting it, it did make me feel a bit awkward turning around to see people behind me, also I couldn't bend down enough to do the zip up on my coat easily. It fits well over my jersey tho and my coat went easily over the brace.

Once I started to ride in it it did feel strange but I soon got more used to it. Only time I noticed it getting in the way was on one long steep berm, I could't quite turn my head as much as I would like to see the exit of the berm.

Also I did a jump and landed awkwardly on the front a bit heavy and couldn't lift my head up enough to see far ahead like I would normally in that situation.

I like wearing it because I don't much like the thought of a serious neck injury but I do find it awkward at times and think it will still take a bit of getting used too. My husband has been wearing his for a while now and said the same at first but now doesn't even notice it so I will wear it again and again.

I bought a small based on the leatt size chart.