Onwards and Upwards!

After a few wheel issues prevented either Matt or Rich getting on the results sheet at round 1 of the NDCXL, round 2 at Hilton presented an opportunity to make up for things.

Hilton is a notoriously bumpy course, and features some steep drop-ins, off camber sections and punchy little climbs, so Rich took a slightly different option bike-wise.

"After a suggestion from Matt, I actually chose to ride a hardtail MTB, which seemed to work well. It allowed me to throw the bike into some of the descents a lot harder than I would have done on the CX bike, and ultimately make up some places. I was really pleased just to finish the race after last week's tub nightmare, and pretty pleased with 14th V40, 17th vet overall out of a field of about 130. I've got a lot of work to do to transition my fitness from 12hr MTB racing to 50 minute CX racing, but there's plenty of season left for that"

Matt scored an even better result, taking 5th in the seniors in a highly competitive field.

"The second round was a hard old race. The course was well rutted so I opted to ride a MTB over a cross bike for this round only.
Not sure if the MTB was faster over the course but it would save the back and arms some hammer.
We started fast as cross normally does as this roundd had some great riders turn up. I settled down in 6th taking my time to get use to the circuit I soon notice the MTB was slow on the grassy stuff but great in the rough stuff - On every lap I road the steep bank which helped me hold my place in 6th.

The last lap bell rang and I could see the chap in front so made one last big effort to catch him -passed him and put my head down to finish 5th on the day, much better than last weeks nightmare outing .
I think I will take it steady this week in training as round 3 is going to be fast grassy cross not bashing & hitting ruts all race!"

Next on the calendar CX-wise is Markeaton Park, but it's not all CX action just yet, as there's more Naked Bikes MTB action to be had soon.

Firstly Nick T will be taking on Margam Madness next week. Eight hours of racing on a course with 450m of climbing per lap will certainly test the legs!

After that is Oktoberfest, where Nick T and Andy will be racing singlespeed for their sins, and then Nick T carries the MTB torch into the Thetford Winter Series, whilst simultaneously pushing for the Naked Bikes 'most races in a season' prize!

Weekend Round-Up

A packed weekend of racing for the team saw riders competing in races at home and 'abroad'

Rich and new recruit Matt started the CX season at Hardwick Hall, and a significant crew of team and supporters travelled to the Ilse of Man for the Manx End2End race, with Paul, Nick T, Andy and Chris all racing.

The CX didn't exactly go to plan, with both Rich and Matt suffered with tub issues of such magnitide that they're both trying to now pretend the season actually starts next weekend.

Matt:

"In my race I had a cracking start about 6 th place into the first corner. Two mins into the race I hit a corner hard and my tub came off from the base tape so I stopped put tub on and ran to the pits to change over front wheels. As I've no second bike that lost me 3 mins then I cracked on with my first lap. Soon into the second lap I flatted again on the front -  at this point I was last man on the course so had no other option to call it a day. I headed back to the car after doing ten mins racing in my legs but on the way I bumped into my mate who won the vets in the earlier race and he sorted me out with a new whee,l so game on (again!) I went back in where I came off and rode my nuts off to play catch up. I must have gone through half of the field but must have lost 10 mins so placing was poor but I got a cracking workout all the same.

Overall my position was last man on the result sheet as I came off the race course to get my mates wheel but that's racing for you! Only way is up from here!"

Thankfully the rest of the team fared much better across the water, with team members taking 71st/112th/303rd and 304th positions. When you realise this was from a field of 1700 (yes, 1700!) this is no mean feat!

"What tyres for train compartments....?"

So, the action from Nick T's perspective:

"First timer for the Manx End2End, 75km and 1600m climbing - a race knocking the cancelled Kielder100 off my top priority spot.

Dawn train with bikes from Leicester with Andy - Novel way to start the trip west. Meet up with Paul, Chris and our pit crew Jo, Ange and Sophie on the ferry. Seafront hotel, ensuite, bar. Better than damp tent in a wet field!

So to the start; dodgy old coach trip up the TT mountain section. Driver struggling to locate any forward gear on the ascent. Burning clutch going up, burning brakes going down - quality.

Start line for 1700 racers was a double track width gate so we apologetically nudged our way to the front row of the sub 4 hour grid. Well it's a race isn't it? Countdown to go. GO! 20k through and off on the flat lanes to the first climb. Through and off for me and Andy. Sit on our wheels for all the slackers in the bunch. Poor show, but we delivered ourselves to the foot of the first climb with a clear run up on warm legs.

Having not raced for a couple of weeks and trained appropriately I felt good to go. I'd gone so far as planning fuel strategy and heart rate zones to work in for the race, so I was able to focus on those and not worry about those around me too much.

The course is a good mix of flat, up, down, fire road, single track, moors, woods. A bit for everyone. My call was full sus 29er, pedal on everything. It seemed to work ok, politely dispensing with a handful of pinging hardtails off the back of the first climb. The second climb dragged on and on.....and on for a bit more. However, at each corner or road crossing crowds of spectators cheered everyone on. Chapeau to them all - amateur racers like us soak it up. Mainland England take note.

So to St Johns feed station and start to look for our super-crew for a new bottle. Second last car in a long line of supporters and all I can see is my red High5 bottle being held out - perfect change over from Ange - best bottler on the island as far I was concerned - I barely slowed down.

Final long climb up to the final descent was good news as far as my legs were concerned. Again a whole crowd at the summit point cheering and shouting. Fortunately no mankini wearers today!  A big long network of fast field sections before we popped out onto the road. Being a Manx virgin I wasn't sure exactly where the finish line was, so even on flagging legs I didn't know if I'd got enough to get up the nasty road climb to the racer up front and sprint the finish straight or wait and hope he flagged a bit. He didn't flag and I didn't get to him - my legs hadn't quite got enough. Not to worry, out of the saddle for the last 100m effort up to the finish line and a respectable 3hrs 47mins, 10th Vet 45-49, 70th overall. Smack on my top 10 target. Loved it - the race, the trip, the team, support crew.

Big thanks BossMan Paul for all the entry, hotel, ferry organising, Ange for a perfect bottle change and Andy for his seamless train planning! "


Bunny-hopping

Chris failing to keep clean

Monkey in the trees

Our leader in action!

Nick looking at his stem!

IOM raiding party


After taking some time to reflect, Paul has drafted his thoughts on the IOM expedition too...

"The day started with Chris and Angie coming around for 7am the ferry leaving Liverpool at 11:30.
Bikes loaded and everything packed into the car we headed off. First stopped Starbucks drive thru on the A50 after spilling a whole cup of cappuccino in the car I was hoping this wasn't going to be a start of a bad day! Or weekend ..

 

After arriving at the port in good time we waited to board the ferry then the next issue ! Andy Faulknall and Nick Towers had problems checking in...great! With the wrong ferry date and a new german rider Hanz Faulknall.

 

With a couple of calls and now all sorted we started to board the Sea Cat. 2.5 hours later we arrived in the Isle of Man . The weather forecast was looking grim and on the way to sign on the rain was coming down and there was a strong wind ! Great  - 2012 all over again! After having a walk around the centre of Douglas and stocking up on food and grabbing a meal we headed back to the hotel to chill out and get our heads down for the night as we had another early start on Sunday race day.

Up at 5 am and hyped up for the day ahead I set about sorting my gear and heading down for breakfast and then getting the bikes loaded onto the car. Andy , Nick & Chris took the event bus as the 7 seater was full with all the bike gear plus everything need for the team mascot my 6 month old baby. With nearly £20 grand of bikes on the back of my car I headed off to the start.

Bikes off and after meeting up with the guys we got ready and headed to the start. The support car gone and meeting us at St. John's we were now ready of the off. Now anyone who has ever done the End to End will know getting a good start so you don't get held up at the back in the plantations is key so with Andy and Nick now moving through the pack all the way to the front me and Chris followed.

 

Me and Chris had decided to stick together and work with each other to get through the race. 1 minute called and the normal good lucks said we were ready with Andy and Nick right on the front and both up for it I knew they would go off fast which when the horn went they did.

 

Me and Chris set off at a steady pace to get the legs warmed up we averaged between 17 to 21 mph on the first 13 miles of Tarmac to the first climb using taking it in turns on the front and using packs of riders to catch our breath we pushed on

 

The first clim ! God was I not ready for it and had forgot how long and steep it was! A few miles later and with Chris now in front we were now on the mountain open trails and we both pushed and were catching and passing a lot of riders. Now normally on the hills Chris would be in front as I'm not great at climbing but today I was on the front and pushing on with Chris on my wheel. I felt good and so did Chris. The miles passed and we came to St. John's both needing gels and some bottles we found the support crew which consisted of my partner Jo and Chris' partner Angie (oh and not forgetting baby Sophie)  Fuelled up and now back on the road section heading towards what is the hardest climb on the day, Chris now pushing on I was struggling to keep on his wheel! (Bugger my legs are gone!) Nothing in them to push on, now in pain and feeling totally out of it, Chris was now way ahead up front. I just had to push on and get myself up this climb ..

 

Phew climb done I pushed on the down hill to catch Chris back up I could see him in the distance and I knew I'd be able to get to him before the end. Last fuel stop I managed to catch him up and we set about the last climb which seemed to go on and on.... then! Then cramp in right thigh and calf now off the bike and in pain and pushing to the top until I seen the large crowd at the top.

 

Time to man up and get back on as I was not being seen in the Naked Bikes kit walking up a mountain cramp or no cramp! I was now back on Chris' wheel and in a lot of pain getting to the top  - once at the top it was nearly all downhill ! Now pushing on I was ahead of Chris and making good progress. Off the mountain now and heading towards the finish I was looking where Chris was as we said we would finish together. With only the last climb left which can only be described as tough after 4 hours in the saddle I decided to push on as I knew Chris would catch me. After making it up at a good pace I slowed down and waited for Chris to catch me. 20 meters from the finish I was at walking pace waiting for him and I could see him out the saddle pushing on , We both crossed the line together. Nick and Andy finished 70th & 110th with Chris 327th and me 328th 1 second behind! Couldn't let a team rider get beaten by the boss :) Roll on IOM 2014!"


 

 

 

Skills...

The second feature in our series of 'secret skills of our team riders' shows new rider Matt Barrett's no-handed texting skills. We're hoping to see this one in action during the first round of the NDCXL at Hardwick Hall!

"Yeah, so you just click here and it uploads straight to Strava"

You gotta roll with it....

With things being a little quieter on the racing front, it's time to share some of the other skills our riders possess. First up is Josh, displaying his amazing dismount skills, which we hope he will be putting to good use in the coming 'cross season.

Cobbles and 'cross

A working Victorian Town is not exactly the usual location for a CX race, but Nick Popham swapped muddy fields for cobbles when he and his son Josh took on the Queen Victoria Cyclocross in Blists Hill, Ironbridge this weekend.

Nick's race wasn't without incident though...

"After a last minute entry and 2 cyclocross builds completed we arrived for the 7pm race. Josh is in youth now and did 30mins to get a respectable 12th. I had a great start and we caught the seniors at the bridge and took to the front. Sadly my 1/10 xx1 build was a fail as my chain came off and loads passed me (not the last chain off too!)

Ground needed to be made up so the hammer came down , Josh was in the pits so got me the spare bike from last year, and that's was it, passing rider after rider to finish 4th in vets (3min 10sec off our leader) I felt fresh and not over done and did another lap as a cool down. The atmosphere was brilliant through the Victorian town past the open chip shop and pub with the streets filled with spectators."

Nick in action, proving too fast for his new team kit to catch up with him!

Grand Raid Cristalp

The Bank Holiday weekend saw the first European racing action for the Naked Bikes team, with Nick T and Richard taking the long trip out to Switzerland to race the Grand Raid Cristalp.

 

 Nick:

"In the mtb marathon racing world Cristalp Grand Raid point to point is considered as one of the bench mark Alpine classics, a 'must-do' if you like big climbs, big descents and big kilometres. At 125km long with 5000m of climbing starting at 1500m and rising to 2800m it's no normal Sunday ride out for the average Brit racers like ourselves, so training over spring/summer had been focussed to prepare ourselves as much as possible.

Living in the flat lands of the Midlands and considering our training 'hills' are generally those of Charnwood and maybe the Peak District, the sheer massive scale of the Alps can take a while to sink in. This race was about finishing in a respectable time, not aiming for a top 10! So, after a 15 hour drive down in the Vito Race Van, expertly piloted by Rich and almost expertly navigated by myself, a poor night's sleep in the tent and an 04:30 alarm, we rocked up at the start line in Verbier ready(?) to race. Alarmingly, racing under BC license numbers, we had been gridded almost a the front of the race and knowing the pace the hardened European marathon racer goes off at we were more than a little concerned at being run over by 800 pairs of wheels. It wasn't so bad once the start gun went off at 06:30 sharp in the end, but almost an hour of climbing with no neutralised zone is evil. Cresting the long climb the route funnelled the racers into mountainside tunnel lined with PA speakers rocking out 'Back in Black' - no need for iPod then eh? A steady routine then settled in..

 

The Climbs……Rich (long, thin and Froome-like) lead the way up the climbs humming 'George and Mildred' tunes, Nick (short, fat and Cav-like) panting and following a short distance behind, not having sufficient capacity for either George or Mildred.

 

The Descents……….Nick, balls slung over shoulder, fingers off brakes, smoking tyres, humming 'Colonel Bogey' tunes, Rich, quite possibly cursing the reckless plummeting fruitcake up front! There were a few, and only a few interludes from this cycle. Astonishingly Europeans just can't do technical riding, up, down or across. Don't try to argue that they can - they can't! We had rather a few, let's say minor delays in traffic, negotiating Euro-mincers on any trail obstacle bigger than a pebble, narrower than a bus or wetter than rising damp. Technical is best left to Brits, we WERE Rock and Roll at technical!

Km after km passed, with their bikes and legs behaving well and Rich's rear tyre providing the only 'technical' of any description - a mystery 'slow', Stan's juice wouldn't seal, that needed a tube at the 90k point. All sorted and onto the final climb. Predicted thunder storm rumbling, heaving clouds and the first spots of rain falling was something to think about on the hour long ascent from the valley to the high point of Pasa de Lona at 2800m. The temperature dropped to below 40 degrees F, Rich had to push on up front to keep warm and Nick chugged up as tail gunner. The climb in the wind and rain was relentless, only 10% gradient, but with 90k and 4000m of climbing in the legs already it wasn't joyous. Slowly but surely grim faced riders started to come back down the fire road against the stream of climbers, some saying 'c'est fini' or 'ferme', odd but a tell tale sign that the final 'technical' descent had been closed for safety reasons. It's fair to say that Alpine races are often cut short in bad weather as bad here is proper bad, ie helicopter can't reach the fallen or falling! The general telepathic decision between us was to push to the top and see what was happening. The cold (and my slower paced climb - apologies Rich!) left Rich bordering on hyperthermic, wrapped in blankets in the checkpoint refuge, shivering like the lean greyhound he is. Nick's layer of insulation fared better on the way and both were reunited by refuge log burner. Alpine romance or what? All riders were then instructed to return down the fireroad to the valley bottom for transport back to the start. It would be easy to hurl torrents of criticism at the organisers for the chaotic scenes of expensive race bikes being piled into tipper trucks for the return journey, but it couldn't have been easy transporting 200 or dirty, wet and cold riders and bikes at short notice. It was crude, some bikes got cosmetically damaged, but it worked. Hastily organised hotel, hot showers, restaurant and comfy beds were the wisest way to end the day, the wet tent option was quickly ruled out!"

Results then - approximated due to the final section being closed. Both Rich and Nick completed in just under 9.5 hours and came in 160th from 250 vets. Overall 480th from 750 starters. Not bad for a couple of flat-landers!

For next year, Rich is determined to do it again and see the final technical descent to Grimentz. Nick has been having nightmares about his shiny Niner being thrown into a tipper lorry, so he'll be looking at the Salzkammergut Trophy in Austria. 120km, 'only' 4000m of climbing and a circular loop - no nasty tipper lorries!

 

Rich tries to get away on a descent when Nick's not looking (and fails probably!)

 

 

Nick T upholds the honour of team and country, showing the Euro mincers how it's done!

The legacy....

Anyone who watched the MTB Olympics last year will have noticed that the Hadleigh course had a few 'features' that looked a bit tricky, from drops through to rock gardens, not to mention some serious climbs.

With the final round of the BC National Points XC Series  held there this weekend, it was time for some of the Naked Bikes team to find out just how tricky the course was in the flesh.

From Paul's report, it sounds like the answer was "pretty tricky"!



Paul, realising that he's riding the Olympic MTB course blind!

"Well that was a experience! With reports from Saturday practice of over 20 broken bones I can honestly say I've never been so sh*t scared and excited at the same time doing a race in my life (as my 157bpm HR at the start line shows!)

After missing the pre lap time and having phone call from Chris telling me how hard and mental it was the plan was to sit on Chris' wheel for the first lap.

So, off like the clappers up the first hill and with Chris behind me I was now riding the Olympic course blind.  I seriously don't advise that! After going off way to fast and not knowing the course the first few hills hit me hard as I wasn't warmed up or ready for them and I started to struggle on the hill sections.

The down hill sections were mega and with rocks ready to take you out at anytime you had to be on your game. With Chris now past me and shouting out the lines I tried to stick with him then after a rocky section about 3/4 round the rear felt not right. Flat! With no repair kit on the bike it was game over.

Overall impressions = mental. Serious balls needed for that, especially to go at speed! Respect to everyone who competed, finished or didn't finish. To go out and try and do it takes guts, after all it was built for the Olympics and the best in the world so it's not going to be easy."



The smile suggests that this is a 'before' shot!

Chris styles it through the rocks

Chirs met a similar fate to Paul with a flat himself, as well as having an over the bars.

A massive well done to Andy 'Slogger' Faulknall who was testing the new team bike out for 2014 - he managed to finish, despite being sick. Twice! Nick Popham also put in a sterling performance in the Vet category, finishing 20th