Spring is here....

Another weekend closer to Summer, and more racing action from the team.

Nick T was stretching his MTB legs in the Lake District at the Whinlatter Challenge, and Matt was winding his legs up into sprint mode on the road bike at Darley Moor

Matt:

Darley moor was a last minute race as I'd had a stinking cold all week and didn't want to do two hrs in the car to a race .

I got to the race late and was a little disorganised but after no warm up I went to the front and put a small dig inand got away with two chaps  - that only lasted two laps as one chap took me off the tarmac and I ended up in the grass! So, I regrouped and sat on for five minutes to recover.

 

Soon after that a 6 man break had formed and we had 15 secs. This looked like a strong break so I hit the gas and bridged the gap on my own  - now the race was on! We were 5-strong now and working well for the next 40 mins we road hard into the wind and got a good gap, so it was down to a sprint finish to the line. My legs felt ok but when I hit the gas to the finish the other lads seemed to have the edge  - that jump was just missing. Still, I got 4th on the day and I rode hard in the break so I was happy with that.

 

Next race is the National MTB round one on the new haibike, so wish me luck;-)

 

Nick T:

 

I remember a slow but intense build up of nerves as I approached my first race of the 2013 season. It wasn't pleasant and it was fuelled by taking a complete break from any kind of racing over the winter. That in itself was a trial to see if the break would see me mentally fresh and properly rested/trained. I was rested and trained, though mentally it didn't work very well. I spent all winter feeling I was missing out (on the winter race scene) and lack of race practice had the demons come to life. Somewhat ridiculous for a mid-ranking amateur Vet, but I do treat my racing seriously.

2014 was different. I completed the Thetford Winter Series 4hr races. Finished an 'ok' 7th, but didn't let the events get in the way of any winter work either on or off the bike. In other words strip off the layers of fitness built over the previous season, lay down a good foundation of base miles and get the running and gym shoes out. What I did find from all this was quite simple really. Apart from a couple of extra recovery days, post race, I kept on training schedule, had great fun doing the odd race for fun (of sorts!), didn't get out of the race day routine and most importantly for me, didn't stress my head of its neck about 'first race of the season'.

Prologue complete, let's talk Whinlatter. Clearly not a real race, it being a challenge..........wrong! Checking out the Elite start wave entry list it seemed pretty clear that a good number of quality Vets were treating this as race 1 for the season and possibly using it as race prep for the National Marathon Champs in early May. Racers from all over the UK in fact. I knew I wouldn't be anywhere near the top 5. I try and give myself a couple of targets for each race.........Best possible (for me) and minimum to achieve. So for this I think I'm on record as 'Top 10 Vet' and off record 'just outside top 10 Vet'.

 

Nick and Haibike Greed in action

Down to business then...

I knew the course was hilly - 3 laps of 11 miles with about 600m climbing every lap, but it was a few years since I'd been up there, so wasn't 100% on the course. I'm no skinny climber when I look in the mirror. I see more chimp than gibbon I suppose? I knew it would be tough. 3 hours or so on the gas climbing or super focused on the trail centre descents. I wasn't wrong, but good winter training seemed to be paying off as the pack I was in surged forward at the gun (some bloke shouting GO!) and settled into the first lap. I rode pretty much to my HR plan each lap and to be honest, enjoyed the long steady the climbs up the fire roads as much as the swooping singletrack descents. Most unlike me. Maybe there is a gibbon just below the surface? I stayed in a small group of 5 riders for the first 2 laps, a bit of to'ing and fro'ing, but no dramatic splits to speak of. By lap 3 one guy on a single speed took off, but I knew how strong he was and didn't think I could go with him, so I didn't. Another racer dropped off the pace. Possibly playing it too safely, I stayed as a trio until the last long climb. It was here I hoped to push on. I did and it worked. One guy didn't react at all, the other started to but then sat back down. I carried on in and out of the saddle to the top and fortunately lost sight of both of them by the time I topped out. One was a vet, the other senior. One place gained at least for my efforts. The run in of about 3km was mainly trail centre descending with a 200m 25% gravel climb up to the final drop in to the finish line. Lots of fun for the final time, even the came out! At the base of the gravelly ramp I could see another elite wave starter 30m or so in front, he looked tired, but too young to be a vet. I sort of set myself the target of catching him, but being pretty sure he wasn't a vet and being tired myself I didn't go up with additional conviction. My mistake really. More hunger please! I did catch his wheel by the top, but such was the techy, steep and tight nature of the final drop in I couldn't really find the opportunity to get past. 2 seconds on the clock all done and he wasn't a Vet.......Luckily. 12th Vet. Happy? Fitness yes. Climbing ability - getting there!
Result? Push harder for longer and treat everyone as opposition!

 

 

Mr Greed-y

A number of the team are lucky enough to be racing on the excellent Haibike Greed bikes this season, and over at UKXC News, team rider Ross has taken some time to profile the new bike, and the measurable improvement it's already made to his results!

The Team!

Although we officially launched the 'new' Haibike and Impsport-supported team a little while back, it's only now as we move towards the MTB season that things are starting to roll a little faster.

Most of the team are now rolling on their new Haibike Greed bikes, and there's even been some racing (see story of Ben's triumph/disaster below!)

The team almost managed to all be in the same place at one time a week or so ago as well, for a visit to the Raleigh head office at Eastwood. The results of the visit can be seen below, and there's also some great team profiles over at the Haibike site - thanks for the support guys!

Team for 2014 (minus Mark P!)

We're also really proud to have been chosen as featured team for March over at UKXC news. Beginning on Twitter, UKXC news has now gone gone into the blog world too, establishing themselves as a one-stop-shop for all UKXC news - check them out here (and see what makes Naked Bikes mastermind Paul tick!)

Victory / Defeat

Some of the readers of this blog may remember the last feature we had on our rider Ben, recuperating in a hospital bed.

We're pleased to say Ben has managed to get back on his bike and get the miles in over the winter, getting himself race-fit to the point where he managed to take first place in Sport in the first round of the Welsh XC!

Sadly, the attraction to hospitals appears to have been a little too strong, as Ben also managed to break his wrist on lap two of the race. We're pleased to see it was only his wrist though(!), and he should be back on the bike in 6-8 weeks.

Ben's still typing up his race report - apparently it's slow going with one hand..... ;)

While we wait for that, here's a photo story of Ben's race....

There's a Leicester Mercury feature here too...

With Haibike, ready to roll

Top step - hiding the pain

Brave Soldier :)

Not a happy Benny

We're back!

It's true. Despite a multi-disciplinary race squad with a variety of goals and targets, there are actually some weekends in the year where the Naked Bikes / Haibike / Impsport team don't actually race!

Sorry if you missed us...

Anyway, with the nights getting that little bit lighter, we're obviously moving closer to the MTB season proper.

Before that though, there was the small matter of closing off the Thetford Winter Series racing for the team this weekend, and they did it in some style!

Both Nick T and Nick P were in action, both taking home 6th in the 4hr race and 2.5hr races respectively.

Hero of the day (and series) was Ross, who managed a podium appearance both in terms of the race itself and the overall series. With this level of success early on in the year, we're expecting huge things from Ross as the season develops. He certainly seems to be getting the most out of his new Haibike Greed Team!

Ross: My race at Thetford couldn't have gone any better. There was no chance of me getting 1st in the series because Paddy Atkinson already had his 3 wins. I went with the aim of 2nd in the series which meant I had to beat Michael Shuldham. We were on equal points going into the final round so whoever crossed the line first out of the two of us was guaranteed 2nd in the series. For the first lap Michael sat behind me in 2nd and 3rd, Paddy had a got away in the first 10 minutes and nobody tried to stick with him, the rest of the field was out of sight behind us after the first half an hour of racing. From round 2, I knew Michael had a good sprint because I couldn't stay with him when he attacked in that round but I passed him later on in the race so I knew his endurance wasn't as good as mine. I knew I had to keep the pace high to stop him from attacking so I aimed to tire him so he dropped back and it didn't come to a sprint finish. After a lap and a half, I managed to pull away and opened the gap by about 2 minutes a lap to finish about 5 minutes ahead in 2nd place in both the race and the series. The course really suited me because it was dry and fast so I could keep it fast and flowing and the training I have been doing on the road really paid off! "

Ross takes home 2nd for the race AND the series

Nick T - The final round of the ever popular Thetford Winter Series is my marker for the eve of the new season. It only seems like a couple of months since the end of last season...........oh, it was!
My winter base/build training seems to be coming on reasonably well, still a lot of prep. work to do, but this race gave a good idea of how it's all progressing. Thetford courses, though relatively flat have a great habit of being pretty relentless for endurance racing - all pedalling, few sections to recover, but great indicators for where your threshold sits. Like I said, progress reasonable, still a lot to do!
The race itself was straightforward (other than the 20mph headwind on 2 of the longest fire road sections), intense first 2-3 laps, pushing maybe a little too hard, before settling into a sustainable pace. No delays as we caught and lapped the 'Fun' cat racers. Good race manners both ways and a bit of forward planning = no back marker hold-ups. It's not so hard I think?
I was pleased to ride laps 5, 6 and 7 at identical splits, 33:42. Maybe no jet engine, but consistent diesel at least! By lap 6 I'd managed to close in on the 6th place rider and figured he was tiring a little. Without warning he pulled up with a cramped glute and a painful yelp. Not pleasant, but my gain. I started to spot the 5th place vet up front on the long sections, but he looked to be holding the gap. I really put down what I had left on the last lap in the hope of snatching his place. On this occasion it wasn't to be, but 11 seconds gap was a good gain. The 5th place vet admitting he was rather spent and was lucky to hang on to it with me breathing down his neck. A compliment like that goes 1000 miles for me. Chapeau to him for holding out! 6th place for me, no cigar, but satisfied smile on face.
Attention now on improving that functional threshold - turbo, pain, sweat, gurning + miles hopefully = gain (if only marginal!)


Nick P: Last race of the series so hoping to be a good one. The sun was out and the it was the first round that was warm. Race prep went well , then on to the turbo warm up, but after a great pre lap with my bike working perfectly and swapping the wheel for turbo warm up, on one of the descents on the pre laps it knocked my wheel out, so gears were out the rest of the race. I had a great start on the front and led the race for the first lap then settled back but the bike was playing up so just did the best I could. There was no pit crew on the 2nd lap again so missed out on feeds again (going to have to get a bottle holder stand) Last lap a 15 strong group of back makers doing the bomb hole really slowed my finishing lap.Nick P: Last race of the series so hoping to be a good one. The sun was out and the it was the first round that was warm. Race prep went well , then on to the turbo warm up, but after a great pre lap with my bike working perfectly and swapping the wheel for turbo warm up, on one of the descents on the pre laps it knocked my wheel out, so gears were out the rest of the race. I had a great start on the front and led the race for the first lap then settled back but the bike was playing up so just did the best I could. There was no pit crew on the 2nd lap again so missed out on feeds again (going to have to get a bottle holder stand) Last lap a 15 strong group of back makers doing the bomb hole really slowed my finishing lap.

Finished on 2hr 4 min that put me 6th and 4th for the series but if did another lap (and I could of) I would have got 5th n 3rd for series (but did not know that until the end)

When the seasons meet...

This weekend was a busy race weekend for a number of the Naked Bikes / Hai Bike / Impsport team, despite it still only being January.

Rich and Josh were wrapping up their CX seasons at the final NDCXL round in Broxtowe, while over in the east, Nick T, Nick P and Ross were enjoying some MTB action in the Thetford Winter Series.

In the vets race, Rich managed to dodge the rain and take 7th place on a very muddy course, whilst Josh braved apocalyptic hail and storms in the Juniors, racing with (and through!) the Seniors to take 1st Junior, and 8th overall

Josh: "Saturdays course was a mud bath, last race of the season. A proper epic. Thunder and lightning on the start line - certainly didn't feel like lighting in my legs. 10 minutes in the hail came, pounding and punishing all riders brave enough to venture up Everest to the start line. A fast start put me into 3rd and I drifted back into a position I could hold. Slogging through the depths of mud , running up the clay climbs that felt like ice. Course was an epic, conditions next to none and never repeatable. There's something about standing in a van frozen solid after a race thawing the iced mud on my whole body that makes cyclocross the sport it is. I'll miss that in the summer!"

Swap! (Photo thanks to Ian Nutt)

(Photo thanks to Ian Nutt)

Rich, with decidedly cleaner kit than Josh!

Over at Thetford, Nick P, Nick T and Ross delivered the goods on the MTBs. Ross took 3rd Junior, Nick P took 4th in the 2hr Vet, while Nick T slipped from a top ten position in the 4hr Vets after a mechanical forced him to abandon.


Nick T: "Always a bit of a risk racing first time on a new bike without much time to break it in and tease out any issues, but I was happy to take the risk. 
Conditions were unusually wet /cold for Thetford. In all the years I've raced there, whatever the season, the weather has always been good to me! I was gridded on the second row, but with a rolling lead out start there was no stress. Everything started well, coming through lap 1 in 7th place, then lap 2 in 6th place. Lap 3 is where the problems started. At first I thought the saddle had moved on its clamp, but then it's deck dropped to right with a crunch. Never a good sign on a carbon saddle. I carried on in hope it would hold out, but with only an hour and a half on the clock I felt a little deflated. I spent as much time out if the saddle as possible to ease the stress on it, but inevitably I knew it was game over by end of lap 3.
It not like me to climb off. It's something I 'don't do'. But no seat, no choice!
Saddle back to the shop for warranty replacement and eyes down for round 4 at Thetford 23rd Feb. Enough said! "

We're happy to report that Mr Towers' softer parts stayed free of stray saddle shards!

Nick T, before saddle incident!

Ross: I had a good start and led out the 25 (ish) riders in my race. Paddy Atkinson who won last time came past me at lightning speed and I knew I couldn't go with him for the whole race because he maintained that pace at the last round. I sat in a group of 3 for most of the race in 2nd, 3rd and 4th position. On the last lap, I upped the pace to see what they had in their legs and one was dropped out the back straight away. I kept the pace going and the other one backed off too and left me riding in 2nd place on my own. By this point I had nothing at all left in my legs and was just trying get to the finish line, with 5 minutes till the finish my old team mate Ben Morris came by me looking really strong for the end of a 2 hour race and I couldn't do anything about it so I finished 3rd. My legs were aching so much after the race that I couldn't even bend down to take my cycling shoes off! I know for next time that shorts are not good for 2 hour races in January!

CX...not done yet!

Despite the fact that the CX Nationals are behind us, and some regional leagues have actually inished, Naked Bikes / Hai Bike / Impsport riders are still out there in the cold and wet, racing CX.

This weekend saw Josh and Rich in action at Chetwynd Barracks in Nottingham, for Round 14 of the NDCXL.

The course was one of the toughest of the season, with a lot of climbs and some tough muddy sections, but this was balanced out by the great descents and technical features.

Both Josh and Rich pulled good performances out of the bag.

Josh took first place junior, and despite starting a minute back on the seniors, rode through their field to take a superb 8th overall as well.

Josh: "Saturdays race was a revival of hope for me, after technical problems at the National Championships the weekend before ended my national series on a low. I carried the form I had into this weekend and it paid off, winning the junior and finishing 8th senior from a minute behind. A good day out racing. "

Rich started well in the Vets, leading the field for most of the first lap, and ended up taking 4th vet.

Rich: "I didn't think I'd have much in me today, so was rather surprised to end up leading for a while. I couldn't hold the pace required to stay away though, and slipped back to third. Riding into a back marker cost me that place, but I was pleased overall with 4th - my best result all season."

Yes, skinnier AND paler as the CX season progresses....(Photo courtesy Mr Kong)