Coaching with Jay Williamson

Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to attend one of Jay Williamson's impromptu coaching sessions. Following Jay's unfortunate training injury  I jumped at the chance as usually he is completely booked and wouldn't be offering any more until end of the world cup season. The coaching session was aimed at xc and trail riders. Knowing Jay though I knew it wasn't going to be all tame.

The night before I had fitted a new shock on my bike but threw in the rough guide psi for my weight and got going. I was really pleased that The coaching also coincided with my first time riding at Gawton not on a downhill bike. It took my mind off over analysing that I was on less travel than I am used too. As usual though the Altitude took it all in it's stride.

We got started warming up on the first few berms looking at line choice, body movement and pumping. Already within the first 10 minutes he had us thinking differently about how we view entry and exit speed. Moving on to some small steps I was noticing how I didn't have to actively jump anything like I used to as we already had far more speed and our body weight in the correct position to simply ride off and carry more speed into the next section. Watching other riders we could see how over exaggerated their movements were requiring more energy and effort but causing them to stall and loose speed and flow. 

As the course progresses the hill gets steeper and the features get bigger. Hitting the biggest rock garden Jay encouraged us to actively pump through to generate more speed. Although hitting it faster than ever before after a couple of goes I did start to feel the timing coming together to know when to pump. It was scary to ride so aggressive but also remain loose enough to allow the bike to work underneath me. I really felt like I was ridding on the edge. Such a shame we hadn't bought the camera out  yet!

Woodland riders racing round 3 2016

It was a funny kind of day!

Waking up to torrential downpour racing my bike seemed so unappealing but after faffing for a good couple of hours I decided if I didn't race my bike then what else would I do?
I got there later than usual, then a surprising turn of event distracted my attention. Before I knew it I had 40 minutes to get in my practice runs?
First run from the top I had too much pressure in my tires and my saddle way too high. Having never ridden the Altitude on downhill I was glad these were small trail side changes I could make.
Normally for a downhill race I would practice the course and have my lines in my head even before I turn up so choosing lines on the fly was stressful and not allowing me to really find the limits of the bike.
Second run was only half the track and although I still had trouble with line choices I had that small moment of joy where you let the bike go and it just handled every steep sniper root and drop in my path.
Even after practice I was still contemplating if my head was in the right place to do race runs. I considered that half the girls entered never turned up due to the weather, I'd made the journey to get there, I had also not raced the bike yet and knew it was great experience for racing enduro next month so decided I had nothing to lose.

Laura Griffiths Rocky mountains Altitude woodland riders round 3

My first run I made a really bad line choice so got stalled on some roots. After that I went off a jump into a tree stump and went over the bars still clipped in so ended up wriggling around on the floor trying to unclip… At least when I race I always give a good show!
So last run left to go and I was really trying to get podium. I was in a personal battle with my friend Juliet to steal third place from her!
My entire run was great apart from one of my lines had been taped off by between runs one and two so came to halt faced by race tape now completely in the wrong part of the modified track! Such a shame as I was 2 seconds off podium and would have loved to have given the Rocky mountain Altitude the podium spot it deserved!

Not one to let an off day get the better of me I still came away so stoked and happy that I had raced.  The track was hard and although I didn't push the bike or myself as much as I should have I had those moments where I felt completely in unison with the bike.

Check back next month to see how I get on at Triscombe UK Enduro

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.

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"

 

my new Video - Tavistock woodlands

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!

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

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.

Another great Gawton day

Last sunday we had another great day at Gawton as usual. We enjoyed the usual mud, slipping and sliding and falling over just pushing up. In practice next season we all rode something new or jumped something higher than we've ever jumped before. For me and my friend Emma we both rode Super tavi. My first ever double black rated track. It was a struggle down in places but nothing that soon we wont be conquering.
Like all of the other tracks we used to not be able to ride. Its always hard to go down the track that has been built up in your mind. It was so exciting to see whats beyond the first jump, it was nothing like how easy the pro's make it look in videos but it was new and exciting. We also rode more of the jumps on old tracks where we would have never dreamed of doing them before. Its amazing to think in the past two years I have developed so much more skill without realising doing something that I love. In downhill I really have found my place to progress and anything I cant do yet I realise now that one day I will succeed in riding it and will have enjoyed the journey so much it won't have felt like a journey at all.
another great memory that I have shared with my best friends at my favourite place

Below is the video of the ladies setting their times on the track for dirt 1:04

Tracy Moseley and the 1:04 Cut Loose a Mountain Biking video by millki

first downhill race - southwest champs

For my first downhill race I ended up doing southwest champs because I rode for the bike shed team and it was their first race. The track used was proper job, Gawtons newest trail. This was to make the race accessible to every rider. We got there on the saturday and set up the stand and waited for the track to open and uplift to begin. 

I had a surprise when the uplift started and was a tractor pulling those big bucket trailers that hay bales are transported in. All that stopped the last person falling out was a strap. It was my first uplift non gondola style. It was pretty scary but fun. It was a steep bumpy ride with people and bikes bumping all over and it was a good idea to keep your helmet on to avoid the low branches from taking you out! My bike survived the whole weekend with my pedals in a lot of spokes and my gear cable being pulled out, glad I've got my battle bike. 

On saturday we had practice runs, it was good weather but where it had rained so much at the start of the week it was pretty messy on parts but most of the track held up well. with over 125 riders it was busy but a great supportive atmosphere.

 On Race day I was nervous but after a couple of practice runs was loosened up. Waiting by the start I was really nervous, there were 10 girls in the category and most had more race experience than I did and had been ridding a lot longer. Because of differences in speed we were all given plenty of time to get down before the next person started which was great for those of us that it was their first race. When I waited on the start ramp I felt pretty calm but as soon as I started pedalling my arms went limp like jelly and I was all over the place. I was so nervous and distracted by the people cheering I nearly fell off on every berm and jump. It wasn't till after the rock garden where there were less people that I started to relax. I wasn't that relaxed tho! I was finding it really hard to pedal because I managed to go through all of my gears and was pedalling with the breaks on, which I'm sure I have never done before! Soon as I went past the timing tent I was so relieved to have finished that I stopped concentrating and feel off over the bank into the fire road. 

Once at the top it was a lot more tense between the riders because a lot had fallen off on their first run so the pressure was on for them to improve their times.  I tried too stay calm and and just hear the positives. On my second run I knew I had to concentrate on the trail and not the crowd. I started a lot calmer and smoother. It felt slower but more enjoyable. I was 8 seconds up on my first run, so calmness defiantly paid off. 

I enjoyed the whole weekend so much and met some great new girls to ride with and will defiantly do more races in the future. Unlike the cross country race I entered I felt like I belonged in the downhill race and could see so many ways to improve. The pressure of the race made me confidently jump sections I would have rolled in the past and ride harder and faster than usual. 

video

Women

10 competitors found

Rank	Bib	Name	Sponsors	Run 1	Run 2	Best run	Diff
1	134	Jo PAGE	Malvern cycle sport	2:20.057 (2)	2:06.165 (1)	2:06.165	-
2	75	Heather KAY	Carrick Riders / Falmouth Cycles	2:46.754 (8)	2:11.893 (2)	2:11.893	5.728s
3	128	Natasha BRADLEY	deacoy BMX Club / KB Racing	2:19.304 (1)	2:23.246 (4)	2:19.304	13.139s
4	139	Rachel BURRIDGE		2:24.668 (4)	2:20.774 (3)	2:20.774	14.609s
5	62	Katie PARSONS	Gawton Gravity Hub	2:23.877 (3)	2:31.808 (7)	2:23.877	17.712s
6	95	Emma BRAITHWAITE		2:30.845 (5)	2:24.416 (5)	2:24.416	18.251s
7	87	Laura GRIFFITHS	The Bike Shed	2:35.697 (6)	2:28.004 (6)	2:28.004	21.839s
8	145	Siobhan BURKE		2:35.926 (7)	2:37.788 (8)	2:35.926	29.761s
9	79	Maya ATKINSON		2:51.831 (9)	2:47.839 (9)	2:47.839	41.674s
10	36	Ella NICOLLE	Gawton Gravity Hub	4:11.363 (10)	3:08.691 (10)	3:08.691	1:02.526