Nutcracker Round 2- Gandale, Catterick Garrison

Gandale army training facility provided the familiar venue for round 2 of the Nutcracker XC series, being a popular course for the previous two years (for most people anyway). Last year at Gandale, I pulled out on the second lap due to illness, and the year before that injury hampered my performance. So looking back, it was looking as though I was either due a good race there or the course just didn't hold any luck for me, we'd have to see...

House viewings meant that my mum would be the driver and run about for the day, with the job usually  being kindly done by my dad. On the plus side, my mum would take full advantage of her new SLR camera, so some great shots were likely. But it also meant that there wasn't as much as a hurry in the morning to leave, which led to me sleeping in too late. So, after a frantic packing of the van we set off north into the depths of North Yorkshire, new album by The Shins on the stereo and fingers crossed that we'd make it in time to try out the course.

Getting closer and closer, it was apparent a recce lap wasn't going to happen; I would have to race it blind. Thankfully, I'd heard that the course hadn't changed drastically from previous years, and that it still contained the main feature, the rocky river bed. But with no recce lap, I had loads of time to get my bike sorted, sign on and relax. So after good look at the start list and a change of tyres, from something a little less aggressive, still on from the mud fest of Sherwood Pines, I set about doing, well, nothing.

10:45: time to set about warming up. Good bit of Daft Punk on the iPod, in light of their forthcoming album, perfect for getting in the zone for racing.

Warm up done, time to swap wheels for racing. A simple task, but this time I managed to cock it up and ended up bending the return spring in my rear brake calliper. Oh well, I thought, and began to ride off towards the start. But the large scraping noise coming from my rear brake stopped me about 20 meters down the track. Swear words coming thick and fast from my mouth, I began emptying the contents of the van in search of an unbent spring! Less than 5 minutes to go before the start of the race and I hear the dreaded words from my mum, "Ed, you're not going to make the start". This has the opposite effect intended and I double the speed that I am chucking things out of the van. Finally, I find what I am looking for and after a rapid bit of spannering my bike was up and running. I sprint off to the start, thankfully making it in time, although being on the back row. Time to calm down and ready myself to race.

It is a rolling start, to make sure we're all clipped in before a very steep and loose starting climb. The siren goes and the red mist of racing descends. I make up a few places on the start climb, before we join the main course. The start of the course was a long fire road, with a horrible headwind, which I recalled from previous years. The field is still bunched up and there is a lot of jostling of positions. I manage to move up to a better position, just before the field splinters, as the course turns and the headwind becomes a crosswind. At the end of the fire road, I find myself in a group containing myself and two elites; I'm second Junior on the course. We turn sharply onto a fast section of singletrack, that runs parallel to a stream on a small steep sided valley. This goes on for a fair way, until we turn down and across the stream and up a short sharp climb. But the technical riding continues, and we turn back down to the stream, on a slippy off camber section, and proceed to ride along the stream. This has been the main feature of the course for the previous years and it seems harder going than ever. Huge boulders inhibit any form of momentum, and a slip up by the rider in front forces me and the other rider off our bikes, and we run the remainder of the section.

One of many stream crossings

Following this is a fast open section, where the three of us take it in turns on the front, each putting in the work, allowing us to pull further from the chasing riders. Interspersed with a few technical climbs and a water splash, we wind our way back to the start arena, before setting out on a shorter loop, which is just before the finish.

Going out onto the shorter loop, before the woods

The loop starts by going down a steep twisty grass descent, before a singletrack section in the only wooded part of the course. This relatively fast uphill section winds through the length of the woodland and emerges just before a very steep and loose climb. Here, the three of us splinter, each of us taking a different route up the hill, removing the problem caused if the person in front were to slip and obstruct, causing us to run. This time, we all make it up and regroup on the fire road at the top. After a fast descent, we climb up to the finish for the end of the first lap.

Heading up the 'arena' area

I remain in the group of three for the following three laps, each of us putting in the work in the wind, apart from on the third lap, where I am clinging to the back of the group, in severe oxygen debt. With one lap to go, the three of us drift part and I complete the final lap solo. I am cautious on the technical sections, taking care not to make a mistake, so not to risk the 3rd place junior catching me up.

Thankfully, I complete the lap problem free and finish the race as 2nd junior and well up the elite field. I'm pretty pleased with my result, especially with the lack of trial lap and previous luck at the venue. Fingers crossed I will have the same luck for my next race, which is the second round of the national xc series, in Cornwall, on April 28th!

Top 4 riders

I would like to thank my sponsors Boneshakers Performance Cycles, for supplying me with racing kit and also to my mum for being run about for the day, and also putting up with my pre race anger, due to my mechanical. It was a great course and the whole race was well organised, so thank you to the Nutcracker team and Altura, the race sponsor.

National XC Round 1- Sherwood Pines

On, off, on, off, on???

Heavy snowfall across the country had placed huge amounts of pressure on British Cycling, who now had to decide whether to cancel the opening round of the National XC series. Ruin the plans of the people travelling far and wide from Northern Ireland and Scotland or run the risk of health and safety and some people not being able to get to the race? Anyway, for me, a few weeks of focused training could only lead me to believe that the race was indeed on...

For many year, Sherwood Pines has been the opening round of the National XC series; famous for its fast racing, flat relief and peaty soil. Trying out the course on the day before the race, it was apparent racing wasn't going to be its usual road race-esque style.

Entering the course on the event arena, I was hit with a rutted, sapping and slippery straight. Usually, this would be where the sprints for the line and crucial taking on of food and drink would take place; now, it was about as easy as walking a tightrope. If the 'easiest' part of the course was like this, I'm not sure I was ready for what was to come.

Leaving the start straight, the course headed towards the trees, where the ground became deep in mud and snow. A usual fast section of the course was now just a mass of turns. There were a few let ups to the slog, though; short downhill sections, where bike control was paramount, and some lengths of fire road, which although weren't deep in mud, had become incredibly narrow, with there only being small snow cleared tracks along them.

The later half of the course proved no different- mud, uphill drags and barely an easy section. It was going to be a hard race, which would've been made even harder if I had kept on the same tyres that I did my recce laps on. So, after a quick stop at the bike shop on the way home for some tractor tyres the race machine was ready!



"Beep... Bee" Alarm off straight away, it was 9am, no need for an early start today. Oh the joys of having pre-ridden the course the day before! Quick check outside for snow, no more had fallen, quick check on the British Cycling website, race still on, stuff chucked in the van and off we set.
Even with porridge in hand and Arctic Monkeys on the stereo, it wasn't the most relaxing of drives. I was put on snow drift look out, with parts of the dual carriageway only one lane wide due to them. So I was unable to slip back into my usual pre-race trance, which involves contemplating how much better the warmth and comfort of the van is compared to the pain and cold of racing.
Anyway, signing on done, race kit put on and hole dug for the turbo trainer, it was time to 'warm up'. This is where your mind either completely blanks out, which mine does in most cases and did then, you psych yourself up or every bad race situation goes through your head. I've tried psyching myself before a race before, and it really doesn't do me any favours; I end up going off like the clappers and just going backwards for the entirety of the race. Thinking of bad situations pre-race doesn't really need to be explained as to why it is a bad idea.

Time for the start...
Somehow, running on last year's national rankings, I found myself on the front row the grid, amongst most of the race favourites. But I didn't let this faze me and the red mist came down... "I shall be starting you in the next 10 seconds" says the familiar Australian voice from behind.
GO!
Missed my pedal. Damn. Not a great start. 20 meters later and I've managed to get my foot in. I'm not too far down. We all bunch together, speeding into the first two corners. Man down! Last year's national champion, Sam Stean, wiped out on the inside of the first snow covered bend. A few go down with him. Thankfully, I was on the outside and I now find myself up in a top 10 position. I'm feeling ok, and I manage to move up a further a place or two. I'm now in about seventh place.

I maintain this place until about midway on the first out of three laps. That was when we hit the fire road. The previous tight singletrack had caused a build up of riders, all wanting to move up the field, some who had been taken down in the crash on the first bend. It was manic. The familiar red, white and blue stripes of Sam Stean went past, along with a bunch of riders. I put the power down and tried going with them, which lasted for a few hundred meters, tops. My legs just weren't there, nothing could make them work any harder.

That, for me, was the turning point of the race. After such a good opening half lap, I now continued to slip down the field: 13th at the end of the first lap and 16th at the end of the second, accompanied by some rather painful cramp in my lower back.

For the final lap, I was battling with Harry Forshaw, with each of us putting in valiant moves. But in the end it was him who had the better legs, and he finished one place ahead of my in 15th position.

It didn't feel like a great performance; I was really chasing a top 10 position and 16th didn't do it for me. I had rested the week before the race, so logic would suggest I'd have fresh legs. But that's racing; you have good days and you have bad days.
All I could do was go back to the drawing board, assess the problems and hopefully come back stronger next time.
I would, however, still like to thank my sponsors, boneshakersbikes.co.uk for supplying kit, to all the photographers that braved the weather, to my dad for being a great runabout as always, and especially to the race organisers for keeping the race on, despite the weather.

My next race will be at Catterick Garrison for the second round of the Nutcracker XC series on April 21st. Until then, happy riding!