Gnarkill - round 2 woodland 2014/15

Round 2 was on Gnarkill. I had never ridden the track since it had a new start but I have to say it's one of my new favourites. Much more enjoyable than Scotsman used in round one. 

For the first time I choose to ride my new On One codeine, a 29er enduro bike. It suited the course perfectly over the Demo. 

The codeine came into its own on the flat turns and sailed over the roots and through tight techy sections. Honestly that bike can jump! whoever said 29er can't jump was obviously on the wrong 29er!

Being my second race back after over a year off I was much more settled and calm.

With a fresh perspective I put down a solid, safe first run putting me in 3rd place. Feeling confident that all of the girls were only a couple of seconds apart I really went for it on my second run. Unfortunately I clipped a tree and my cleat came out and I couldn't get it back in before the big drop. Even though I lost lots of time in the middle section I got a 1:29 again so must have flown through the start and end sections to have made up all the time. 

I finished in 4th but was really happy as I was 2 seconds off 3rd place so felt Im getting back on my game with a competitive time. 

From this race I learnt new shoes with different position cleats take more time to get used to than I thought!

I've been really happy with my progress doing all of the jumps in both rounds. It's one less advantage that all the 4x girls have.

yoga for downhill riders

crow pose

headstand

In downhill I have always found my biggest weakness when ridding with boys to be my strength. Without good core strength and upper body I've always found it hard to hold my lines and muscle the bike over obstacles. 

By practising yoga I have noticed a huge difference in my riding. From the humble beginnings of plank to headstand yoga has also taught me patience, perseverance and to focus my mind

In the video below I show my own routine I have built up which focuses on the core and upper body.

I am not a tutor so follow my guidance at your own risk

 

Throw yourself back into it!

woodlands rounds 1 2014

start ramp gap jum

Wow its been along time since writing a race update!

Due to severe lack of funds my husband and I have had an entire season out of racing downhill!

We sure picked a good one to get back in to it!

Officially the hardest racetrack woodlands has to offer - the Scotsman... and of course some good old English rain!

It was a sloppy day on race day so all the previous days practicing and line choices didn't mean much so a fresh perspective was required. Having practiced all I could I knew it wasn't going to be an easy day.

The beginning of the track was straight forward, gap jump off the start ramp into a flat turn with tree stumps, try not to slide out of the corner and line up to pedal like mad and launch off another jump. Then on to my favourite section steep switchbacks.

All good so far and then came the horror of the bottom section....

It was steep, very steep with exposed roots criss crossing and sharp turns to negotiate. Once through those it was over some rocks and roots into the crap catcher, or around it, neither was easy!

Having practiced the crap catcher and going straight over the bars with everyone else I decided chicken line had to be a winner on this occasion although forgot to control my speed with the excitement of racing so still did an impressive hip slide down the hill. Once scrabbling around and back on the bike it was into the final section littered with rocks pointing in all directions keeping momentum was hard and the light was poor and in a fluster of nerves and frustration rode into a rock which stopped me dead! once having fought my way out I sprinted to the finish line.

It felt like my worst race ever and I was so frustrated and angry. I knew it would be hard from the start but in hind sight we all came off several times and our times were pretty close.

On reflection I leant a lot from racing such a hard track and am now even more motivated to push on with my training building my skill, strength and fitness for the next race.

A video for anyone who loves a bit of benny hill and riders falling in to the infamous "crap catcher"

 

just good old xc riding

I haven't posted for a long time! But I've still been riding 3 days a week. I've just not had the time to take interesting photos or do some video but I had a day off so thought I would treat myself to some video time!

mini edit Teign valley

Podium again

the face of concenration

 We went back again for another year of Falmouth urban downhill at Tremough campus in Cornwall.

The course was completely different, much longer with different stairs and jumps. This year 5 girls took part instead of just me! Is amazing how fast our race scene grows every year.

After an amazing days riding at cafe the day before I was feeling pretty good and there was only one huge gap jump I didn't do, which would have made up the time to second place.

podium maya Atkinson, tyde D'Souza, laura griffiths

Although it was fun I think I'm all urbaned out for now and missed roots and rocks, plus st austell brewery didn't sponsor this year so there was no beer to be won and we all need a good beer after a days riding!

my new Video - Tavistock woodlands

one industries mini enduro haldon

Despite my recent efforts to avoid the mountain bike world one industries mini enduro came to my doorstep and let's face it , it would have been rude not to take part. I have never entered an race so was pretty nervous at the thought of doing it. On Saturday I went with my husband up to practice and the stages were so much fun. The course was well thought out considering haldon was pretty much a forest on the floor with all the trees come down in the storms.  Unfortunately having the home advantage didn't mean much as most of the trails had been rebuilt. never the less it felt like riding a whole new place which was pretty exciting!

The course was so much fun, the timed sections were really steep and technical, very downhill style and racing the clock to reach the next stage start was exciting in it's self.

There's an art to enduro racing Compared to Downhill. There's bike set up, dealing with punctures and how much kit to carry, practising 4 stages instead of one and refocusing at every stage start. Dealing with mistakes is different, there's no second run and you have to focus on the next stage.

The competition was fierce, most of the girls had ridden enduro races before and knew each other. I was the odd one out! With no section times at the end like a DH race you never really know how your dong until results are posted. Despite by stage 3 having total jelly legs from exhaustion and holding of for dear life down a steep loose gully I came in 3rd place so got a podium place. I was over the moon as it was totally unexpected! 

I will definitely be doing one again, the race style is very intense but so much more for your money than downhill racing.

riding it's a love hate thing

When I started riding about 3 years ago I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. I read about it in magazines, and the internet and watched videos and visited bike shops. I was made up to find something I loved. Then even better I found other people that loved it too and there was the biking 'community'. I started off riding with my husband and his two dirty ratty sidekicks Jim and Si. They had crappy old bike and threw themselves off anything and I loved it, we all wore jeans and hoodies and no one expected us to be any good even though the boys were rad and not many women rode so soon I felt pretty good about being faster than boys we saw.

we started to meet more people and our riding circle increased which was fine at first But then it all got complicated like the good things always do and riding became more than me and my band of boys, we'd joined the riding community.

Lately I haven't blogged much because quite frankly I'd had enough of the world of mountain biking. being bombarded by the pinkbike experts who always know best and meeting people all day who had the 'best' bike and knew everything about the latest equipment. And girls downhill in the southwest is having it's moment with the 661 mini downhill so facebook is bombarded with which girls shorts should we buy, and what bikes can girls ride, where can all the girls be next and we should all read women's Wednesday. YUCK! just cos were girls we are no different, stop separating us!

I'd had enough I went into hermit mode, my life of riding bikes with the boys had been slowly invaded over years and at first I welcomed it but now all I ever seem to think is shut up and ride, how did it become this?

Giving myself some distance from riding in general, my avoidance of all things social media and running I can now ride my bike again with the boys and love it :D I still get annoyed with the same things but I choose to ignore them and block it out. So I miss racing and that but isn't it really all just about you and your bike?

A week in Wales - Coed Llandegla

We'd all had enough of flat out working so decided it was time for a road trip and where better than Wales. Afan may have tried to claim the lives of myself and my husband but I'd come to forgive Wales in general but still have a hate to bear against Afan so we could safely count it out.

So, far away from Afan as we could get we headed North for some trail centre goodness. I'd ever been to Coed Llandegla  but heard good things about it and it was great. The skills centre was great fun and the trails had amazing jumps, jumps and more jumps. We did all the free ride sections off the black which were amazing but couldn't feel the full benefit having not ridden the before. The black was the usual epic long 20 mile mark but the weather had ruined our bikes so with no gear changes and a lot of climbs it did get emotional at some points. A word of warning you want your bike in tip top condition for this one. The main fire road climb at the start is what killed the bikes. It was very sandy and got in everywhere on the exposed section riding through driving wind and rain.

I must say it's not my favourite place, not a great lover of very man made trails and constant table tops I was looking forward to going on to Coed y brenin where I'd heard it was much more natural.

The best thing about Coed Llandegla and needs a mention is The Crown pub in the village. We spent 2 nights in the pub getting more than merry enjoying their hospitality, wine and great food. The Sunday roast we just divine! I would ride Coed Llandegla again just for an excuse to visit the pub again!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g1097186-d1545141-Reviews-The_Crown_Hotel-Llandegla_Denbighshire_North_Wales_Wales.html#REVIEWS