Saturday, 5 May 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
British National Cross Country Series Round 2
Over the last few years I’ve always been a little bit nervous heading up to Dalby Forest to race the World Cup circuit. However this year none of that nervousness existed; this has its positives and negatives. The positives were that I wasn’t scared of the circuit, its technical features were no longer an issue and Saturday practise went smoothly without any problems. In practise I was feeling strong and confident ahead of the race. The negatives of having no nervousness is that perhaps I was a little too relaxed about what lay ahead, even the heavy rain and wet slippery conditions couldn’t phase me. A little nervousness is also sometimes good for getting the adrenaline going.
Wet skies greeted us on the morning of the race but the team were well prepared with shelter for race preparation and warm up already in place by the time I arrived at the arena. Race warm up went well with the heart rate achieving good levels and the legs feeling light on the pedals.
The worst of the course was around the arena field which had turned into a proper mud fest. The large elite field sprinted into the first corner but the scene was more like a car drifting scene with everyone going sideways as any grip from our back wheels disappeared. I lost some positions during the start loop being boxed in around the first corner on the field. A quick start is crucial at Dalby with the tight singletrack making it very difficult to overtake, queuing through the first few trails was frustrating and not where I wanted to be.
Wet skies greeted us on the morning of the race but the team were well prepared with shelter for race preparation and warm up already in place by the time I arrived at the arena. Race warm up went well with the heart rate achieving good levels and the legs feeling light on the pedals.
The worst of the course was around the arena field which had turned into a proper mud fest. The large elite field sprinted into the first corner but the scene was more like a car drifting scene with everyone going sideways as any grip from our back wheels disappeared. I lost some positions during the start loop being boxed in around the first corner on the field. A quick start is crucial at Dalby with the tight singletrack making it very difficult to overtake, queuing through the first few trails was frustrating and not where I wanted to be.
During the early laps conditions around the rest of the course weren’t too bad apart from the isolated spot. On the early climb I was riding well making up time overtaking riders. On the descents the 29er wheels were making easy work of the rocky terrain; however it was impossible to overtake and make any real progress. The time I was making up on the early short ‘sprint’ climbs wasn’t enough to counter the time lost on two longer climbs at the back of the circuit. On the longest climb I really suffered, some seated high intensity climbing work needs to be done before the next hilly race!
It was great having support out on the track, Mountain Trax rider and Dalby local Calum Chamberlain was out in the forest with friends shouting much needed encouragement. Also team director John Newport did an excellent job in the feed zone providing me with nutrition throughout the 2 hour race. Over the 5 laps the course conditions deteriorated but the fine setup skills of the Mountain Trax mechanics meant my Santa Cruz bike was in the best possible condition to tackle these difficult conditions. Unfortunately my legs weren’t as well prepared for the day’s racing; positions and much time were lost on the 2 long climbs.
27th in a stacked international field full of full time athletes chasing the UCI points from the category 1 race was the best I could achieve on the day. Combining training for both cross country and marathon style racing is difficult, however I’d still hoped for a better result. 27th was not where I’d imagined finishing, and not where I want to be again this year. Lessons learnt, training plans set according, look for progress at an XC race near you in the coming months! Until then we have a marathon race or two, my preferred race distance. Next up is the Gorrick 100 in two weeks time where I return to defend my win from last year.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Cape Epic 2012
The Cape Epic South African bubble has burst and less than 24 hours after crossing the final finish line in South Africa I was back home in the UK. It’s impossible to avoid getting swept up in the whirlwind tour of a stage race such as this. The Cape Epic itself for many is just about surviving and this year was no exception with 2011 being dubbed as the hardest ever edition due to a combination of the longest stage lengths and unusual weather conditions.
Arriving in Cape Town a few days before the race began gave us the opportunity to acclimatise to the heat, explore some of the Western Cape coastline including Table Mountain, and prepare for the 8 days of racing that lay ahead. The superior organisation of the race was immediately obvious even before registration day with the race taking over the Cape Town Waterfront area. I made a little video about registration day.
The Cape Epic is a pair’s event, I would be racing with my Andalucia Bike Race partner Josh Ibbett. On Sunday morning we travelled from our pre race apartment to Meerendal Wine Estate where the 27km prologue would begin. Opting not to be registered as a UCI team meant we were eligible for an earlier start therefore avoiding the scorching midday heat which reached 40 degrees on the first couple of days. The prologue went well for us, the traffic in the singletrack cost us some time but we still managed a pleasing 28th place result on a day which didn’t really suit our strengths as a pair.
The real race began the following day from the first race village in Robertson where we spent the first 3 nights of the race. Stage 1 was a real kick in the teeth introduction with some huge mountain climbs, the high heat also added to the difficulty of the race. On stage 1 and 2 we took a little time to adapt to racing as a pair but eventually we began to work well together moving us into 29th in the general classification after 3 days. On stage 2 I’d picked up the stage racing tummy bug, everything that went in quickly came out the other end! I raced this day on an empty stomach and was glad of Josh’s work sitting on the front protecting me from the wind. I did some work when I could and we tried to save as much energy as possible by sitting in groups letting others do some work. On stage 1 we experienced our only mechanical of the event where my front mech twisted, swift action meant no damage occurred and we could continue without issue.
Following our stay in Robertson we had the 147km transfer stage to our next race village in Caledon. The stats for the day scared most, it was not only the longest ever stage in Cape Epic history but the stage also had 2900 metres of climbing. Fortunately that day my legs felt amazing and I was able to put in plenty of work on the 6.5 hour stage helping us move up the standings by a couple of places. The first days around Robertson have huge inch long thorns littering the trails, I must have pulled maybe 15 thorns out of my Kenda tyres at the end of each day but the Slant Six’s sealed immediately with sealant and we didn’t suffer any punctures.
Stage 4 the wind picked up and huge winds turned the last 30km’s from a fast finish into the arena into a slog battling against a headwind or crosswind. Echelons formed across the gravel roads spitting out riders who left too much of gap to the rider ahead. It was a tough day and blew the race apart. The weather conditions may have been tough but Josh and me achieved our best performance so far finishing 23rd.
Following stage 4 the winds receded but worse weather quickly followed. Caledon was drenched with huge downpours which turned stage 5 into a proper day of survival, Kielder 100 2011 style! Bikes took a battering from the sandy conditions right from the beginning, after 119kms and 2350 metres of climbing you can guess how bad they got, brake pads were in popular demand at the finish line. Whilst the bikes were abused so were the riders, many getting hyperthermia. We used our skills and mindsets built from years of muddy wet horrible British winters to pull us through the day. There were a few little comedy moments including reaching the first muddy bit of singletrack with summer slick tyres and steamed up sunglasses. Following this though we rode well to 18th place on the stage! The day’s result was a good consolation for the carnage which we’d survived and still had to negotiate - as life in a flooded camp site living in a tent can only provide.
The morning of day 7 began with the usual 5am Scottish bagpipes wake up call. To the relief of everyone the sun rose into clear skies as the stage began at 7am revealing the magical mountainous scenery that Oak Valley Wine Estate is surrounded by. The final 2 days were shorter. Day 7 was a tough one though with 2200 metres of climbing crammed into 85kms. Out climbing Josh on the steeper climbs did have its benefits, I could admire the beauty of the area with the few spare moments I had at the top of each climb. There were some pretty special views that day out over the coast. The crazy climbs at the Cape Epic were often followed by steep rocky boulder field descents which didn’t provide any rest, however my Fox Terralogic forks and 29er Hope wheels helped me put time into many other riders on these sections. The views and also the trails around Oak Valley are what all previous participants of the Cape Epic talk about, the singletrack was fantastic and left riders with huge smiles at the end of the stage. We were 23rd on stage 6/ day 7.
The final day of the Epic was suddenly upon us, it was weird to think that the routine would soon come to an end. First though we had a 65km blast from Oak Valley to the final finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate. Although the stats suggested an easy day participants were reminded at the briefing the night before that there is no easy day at the Cape Epic! The pace from the start was much faster than previous days with riders keen to still grab a few extra positions on the general classification. The terrain was rolling with a couple of ‘small’ 200 metre climbs to sprint up, followed by a 300+ metre climb, and then a downhill hike a bike followed by a few more undulating hills along the Lourensford singletrack trails. We motored along through the stage to the huge grand finale celebrations; we retained our 21st position on the overall results, and successfully finished our first Cape Epic, hopefully the first of many!
Whilst the pro’s spent many tough hours in the saddle it was incredible to see the ‘weekend warriors’ who rode in just under (and some unfortunately just over the stage time limits) which on many stages was as much as 11 hours! The race organisation was fantastic throughout thanks to an impressive army of employees it has on hand for the race. I would suggest that every mountain bike racer should do this event at some point, it is the biggest and best offroad event in the world, the Tour de France of mountain biking.
Our Santa Cruz Bikes UK team was one of the youngest pairings at the event, however our result was a huge success and one we can be proud off. With neither of us peaking our training for this event like many do I wonder how well we could do with a little better preparation, the experience of one Cape Epic already under our belt, and a mechanic/ supporter and campervan to live in - top 15? top 10? I hope to return in a couple of years to find out.
Arriving in Cape Town a few days before the race began gave us the opportunity to acclimatise to the heat, explore some of the Western Cape coastline including Table Mountain, and prepare for the 8 days of racing that lay ahead. The superior organisation of the race was immediately obvious even before registration day with the race taking over the Cape Town Waterfront area. I made a little video about registration day.
The Cape Epic is a pair’s event, I would be racing with my Andalucia Bike Race partner Josh Ibbett. On Sunday morning we travelled from our pre race apartment to Meerendal Wine Estate where the 27km prologue would begin. Opting not to be registered as a UCI team meant we were eligible for an earlier start therefore avoiding the scorching midday heat which reached 40 degrees on the first couple of days. The prologue went well for us, the traffic in the singletrack cost us some time but we still managed a pleasing 28th place result on a day which didn’t really suit our strengths as a pair.
The real race began the following day from the first race village in Robertson where we spent the first 3 nights of the race. Stage 1 was a real kick in the teeth introduction with some huge mountain climbs, the high heat also added to the difficulty of the race. On stage 1 and 2 we took a little time to adapt to racing as a pair but eventually we began to work well together moving us into 29th in the general classification after 3 days. On stage 2 I’d picked up the stage racing tummy bug, everything that went in quickly came out the other end! I raced this day on an empty stomach and was glad of Josh’s work sitting on the front protecting me from the wind. I did some work when I could and we tried to save as much energy as possible by sitting in groups letting others do some work. On stage 1 we experienced our only mechanical of the event where my front mech twisted, swift action meant no damage occurred and we could continue without issue.
Following our stay in Robertson we had the 147km transfer stage to our next race village in Caledon. The stats for the day scared most, it was not only the longest ever stage in Cape Epic history but the stage also had 2900 metres of climbing. Fortunately that day my legs felt amazing and I was able to put in plenty of work on the 6.5 hour stage helping us move up the standings by a couple of places. The first days around Robertson have huge inch long thorns littering the trails, I must have pulled maybe 15 thorns out of my Kenda tyres at the end of each day but the Slant Six’s sealed immediately with sealant and we didn’t suffer any punctures.
Stage 4 the wind picked up and huge winds turned the last 30km’s from a fast finish into the arena into a slog battling against a headwind or crosswind. Echelons formed across the gravel roads spitting out riders who left too much of gap to the rider ahead. It was a tough day and blew the race apart. The weather conditions may have been tough but Josh and me achieved our best performance so far finishing 23rd.
Following stage 4 the winds receded but worse weather quickly followed. Caledon was drenched with huge downpours which turned stage 5 into a proper day of survival, Kielder 100 2011 style! Bikes took a battering from the sandy conditions right from the beginning, after 119kms and 2350 metres of climbing you can guess how bad they got, brake pads were in popular demand at the finish line. Whilst the bikes were abused so were the riders, many getting hyperthermia. We used our skills and mindsets built from years of muddy wet horrible British winters to pull us through the day. There were a few little comedy moments including reaching the first muddy bit of singletrack with summer slick tyres and steamed up sunglasses. Following this though we rode well to 18th place on the stage! The day’s result was a good consolation for the carnage which we’d survived and still had to negotiate - as life in a flooded camp site living in a tent can only provide.
The morning of day 7 began with the usual 5am Scottish bagpipes wake up call. To the relief of everyone the sun rose into clear skies as the stage began at 7am revealing the magical mountainous scenery that Oak Valley Wine Estate is surrounded by. The final 2 days were shorter. Day 7 was a tough one though with 2200 metres of climbing crammed into 85kms. Out climbing Josh on the steeper climbs did have its benefits, I could admire the beauty of the area with the few spare moments I had at the top of each climb. There were some pretty special views that day out over the coast. The crazy climbs at the Cape Epic were often followed by steep rocky boulder field descents which didn’t provide any rest, however my Fox Terralogic forks and 29er Hope wheels helped me put time into many other riders on these sections. The views and also the trails around Oak Valley are what all previous participants of the Cape Epic talk about, the singletrack was fantastic and left riders with huge smiles at the end of the stage. We were 23rd on stage 6/ day 7.
The final day of the Epic was suddenly upon us, it was weird to think that the routine would soon come to an end. First though we had a 65km blast from Oak Valley to the final finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate. Although the stats suggested an easy day participants were reminded at the briefing the night before that there is no easy day at the Cape Epic! The pace from the start was much faster than previous days with riders keen to still grab a few extra positions on the general classification. The terrain was rolling with a couple of ‘small’ 200 metre climbs to sprint up, followed by a 300+ metre climb, and then a downhill hike a bike followed by a few more undulating hills along the Lourensford singletrack trails. We motored along through the stage to the huge grand finale celebrations; we retained our 21st position on the overall results, and successfully finished our first Cape Epic, hopefully the first of many!
Whilst the pro’s spent many tough hours in the saddle it was incredible to see the ‘weekend warriors’ who rode in just under (and some unfortunately just over the stage time limits) which on many stages was as much as 11 hours! The race organisation was fantastic throughout thanks to an impressive army of employees it has on hand for the race. I would suggest that every mountain bike racer should do this event at some point, it is the biggest and best offroad event in the world, the Tour de France of mountain biking.
Our Santa Cruz Bikes UK team was one of the youngest pairings at the event, however our result was a huge success and one we can be proud off. With neither of us peaking our training for this event like many do I wonder how well we could do with a little better preparation, the experience of one Cape Epic already under our belt, and a mechanic/ supporter and campervan to live in - top 15? top 10? I hope to return in a couple of years to find out.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Southern XC Round 1 Checkendon 2012
Following Andalucia Bike Race I was super motivated to jump back into training but the morning I was due to fly back home from Spain I started to feel ill, just a little groggy to start with but by the time we’d got to the airport the headaches had started. Sitting on the aeroplane I started to ache all over and my head was thumping. After a rather uncomfortable flight and drive home I was straight to bed and didn’t really get out of bed for about 5 days. I could cope with the flu type symptoms but the headaches were unbearable even strong painkillers didn’t really help, on more than one occasion I consider going to hospital. This virus kept me off the bike for a week, this past week I was able to do some short rides again but my lungs and throat were still really tight causing me to wheeze when putting in any kind of effort. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago I started to feel well enough to start training again.
The long recovery time used up 2 weeks of crucial training leading into this first block of racing and put me into a bad position going into this weekends Southern XC series opener. However after a couple of days training my hopes of a decent finish were back and I was motivated going into the race.
Off the start the pace felt high and my breathing immediately became wheezy, after half a lap I had no choice but to back off the pace letting a group of 4 riders speed off ahead. Riding on my own wasn’t too much fun as the winds on the open farm track around the course were strong and I was wasting energy. Tim Dunford caught me on the 3rd lap, it wasn’t easy but I managed to latch onto his wheel for a lap and a half.
The long recovery time used up 2 weeks of crucial training leading into this first block of racing and put me into a bad position going into this weekends Southern XC series opener. However after a couple of days training my hopes of a decent finish were back and I was motivated going into the race.
Off the start the pace felt high and my breathing immediately became wheezy, after half a lap I had no choice but to back off the pace letting a group of 4 riders speed off ahead. Riding on my own wasn’t too much fun as the winds on the open farm track around the course were strong and I was wasting energy. Tim Dunford caught me on the 3rd lap, it wasn’t easy but I managed to latch onto his wheel for a lap and a half.
Mid way through the penultimate lap on one of the climb Tim appeared to be slowing, having eased off the gas over the last lap my breathing was now under control and I felt strong enough to gap Tim. The distance between us didn’t really change for the next lap and I rolled over the line in 4th place.
The result is a disappointment but it does gain me valuable series points and a better gridding for round 2 in a month’s time. Now I look forward to my next race which is the 8 day stage race the Cape Epic in South Africa which starts next weekend! Look out for updates on the twitter feed @benthomas88
The result is a disappointment but it does gain me valuable series points and a better gridding for round 2 in a month’s time. Now I look forward to my next race which is the 8 day stage race the Cape Epic in South Africa which starts next weekend! Look out for updates on the twitter feed @benthomas88
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Andalucia Bike Race UCI XCS2
Andalucia Bike Race presented itself as a great opportunity to gain some early season race form, grab some UCI world ranking points, and practise riding as a pair with Josh Ibbett who I’ll also team up with for the Cape Epic at the end of March. Pulling out of the race on stage 3 following a crash was a major blow but the trip wasn’t a complete disaster.
Day 1’s prologue took place under blue sunny skies which appeared just minutes before the start gun leaving the majority of riders stripping back to short sleeve jerseys and shorts whilst the Spanish riders rode in 25 degree centigrade heat wearing long sleeve jerseys, overshoes, scarf’s, and even leg warmers! We survived the first of the daily neutralised starts which the organisers used to tour us around some crazy little streets within the start town. We were loosing time on the climbs but making time on the flat stuff and also on the descents so really had to push on where we could to gain the most benefit. On the singletrack passing points were rare so it was difficult to overtake, we tried to ride safely to prevent the risk of puncturing but it was fun riding some more risky lines to get past slower riders. On what on paper looked like the hardest day for the team we finished just outside of the UCI points in 28th place.
Day 1’s prologue took place under blue sunny skies which appeared just minutes before the start gun leaving the majority of riders stripping back to short sleeve jerseys and shorts whilst the Spanish riders rode in 25 degree centigrade heat wearing long sleeve jerseys, overshoes, scarf’s, and even leg warmers! We survived the first of the daily neutralised starts which the organisers used to tour us around some crazy little streets within the start town. We were loosing time on the climbs but making time on the flat stuff and also on the descents so really had to push on where we could to gain the most benefit. On the singletrack passing points were rare so it was difficult to overtake, we tried to ride safely to prevent the risk of puncturing but it was fun riding some more risky lines to get past slower riders. On what on paper looked like the hardest day for the team we finished just outside of the UCI points in 28th place.
2012 Andalucia Bike race: prologue stage from Josh Ibbett on Vimeo.
Following the neutralised section stage 1 began on a steep tarmac climb which leads onto a lengthy gravel climb which was good for spreading out the hundreds of riders. We spent much of the early stage with Wiggle.com’s Matt Page and his teammate Milton Ramos. Josh may disagree here but I think some home rivalry played a part here and we chased Matt and Milton for too long which hurt Josh towards the end of the stage. It was great to see so many people out on the course cheering on the race, there were plenty of big cheers when riders cleared technical lines on the descents or tricky uphill sections. We had a fun day but couldn’t produce the top 25 result we were looking for.
Andalucia bike race 2012 stage 1 from Josh Ibbett on Vimeo.
The fun factor seemed to improve each day and stage 2 didn’t disappoint with some of the best singletrack I’ve ever ridden, there was a great mix of rocky trails to smooth flowing trails. Towards the end of the stage there was a small section we had to walk where I lost my footing and took a fall putting my hand out and dislocating a finger. I was a little worried but gingerly climbed back onto the bike to finish the stage. Back at the hotel my hand was swollen and in some pain, I tried not to let onto Josh how bad I felt in the hope that all would be better for the next stage.
Andalucia bike race 2012 stage 2 from Josh Ibbett on Vimeo.
For stage 3 we moved host town to Priego de Córdoba, with taped fingers I successfully negotiated the tarmac neutralised section around town. Following the official start we hit a gravel climb which meandered its way up into the hills, over the top of the hill we entered a fast fireroad descent which is where my hand began to hurt. The pain meant it was impossible to hold onto the bars so I had to slow down the pace, Josh overtook me on the descent and sailed onto the next climb with a 30 second lead. Sadly I couldn’t catch him before the first feed zone where I pulled off the course for a lift back to the start with Topeak-Ergon mechanic David Padfield. Josh didn’t know what had happened and was left out on course to make his way slowly to the finish thinking I was still behind trying to catch back up.
It was a disappointing way to finish the race, the following day I was back on the bike in training on the mountain roads around the final host town of Jaen, the legs felt fantastic but the hand definitely wouldn’t have been strong enough to race. Josh and I learnt a lot about how to race together as a pair, this I’m sure will be a major advantage in a few weeks time in South Africa. Andalucia Bike Race was a fantastic experience and hopefully some its UCI points will be ours next year.
4 days on from the fall and my damaged knuckle already feels much stronger, a few more days recovery on the road bike and then I’ll be back offroad in preparation for next weekends Gorrick Spring Series Race.
Thanks to the fellow Brits including mechanics/ supporters Keith, Dave, and Paul for helping us through the week in Spain. Also thanks to the sponsors…
Thursday, 23 February 2012
UCI Class 2 Andalucia Bike Race
All going to plan this time tomorrow I should be sat in a nice hotel in Cordoba Spain. This will be my first international trip of the year; I’m travelling to Spain to race the 6 day UCI world ranking Andalucia Bike Race. The race is completed in pairs; I’ll be teaming up with Josh Ibbett who I’m also racing the Cape Epic with at the end of March.
My bags are packed but the bike box is dangerously close to being overweight, hopefully the airport staff are in a good mood and are feeling kind at check in! Having missed this race in 2011 due to injury I’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to take my place on the start line in Cordoba for nearly a year. Over the 6 days we’ll cover around 400km’s of the areas finest trails.
Depending on the availability of internet access we’ll hopefully be able to send updates and possibly even some video footage! Keep an eye on the Ben Thomas Racing facebook page.
My bags are packed but the bike box is dangerously close to being overweight, hopefully the airport staff are in a good mood and are feeling kind at check in! Having missed this race in 2011 due to injury I’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to take my place on the start line in Cordoba for nearly a year. Over the 6 days we’ll cover around 400km’s of the areas finest trails.
Depending on the availability of internet access we’ll hopefully be able to send updates and possibly even some video footage! Keep an eye on the Ben Thomas Racing facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ben-Thomas-Racing/330790256947713
Since my last update training has been going well, I completed one high volume high intensity week, followed by this low volume high intensity week as I taper for Andalucia. I wont be starting this race fresh but there are bigger objectives further down the line including the Cape Epic which is only 30 days away!!
For daily stage results keep an eye on http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/
Since my last update training has been going well, I completed one high volume high intensity week, followed by this low volume high intensity week as I taper for Andalucia. I wont be starting this race fresh but there are bigger objectives further down the line including the Cape Epic which is only 30 days away!!
For daily stage results keep an eye on http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/
Sunday, 5 February 2012
No racing, just training
This afternoon’s blog was meant to be a story of another race, possibly another race victory but instead as you know it snowed and the Gorrick race was cancelled. As snow fell last night I went to bed still looking forward to racing, hoping it wouldn’t be too bad but no such luck as the weather beat us all.
Since my last update I’ve been enjoying plenty of time riding bone dry trails with numerous 6 hour plus rides, I was pretty happy with the 80 mile mountain bike ride I did on Thursday but I’m a little disappointed to have missed out on the opportunity to do another long endurance ride on what were dry trails yesterday.
On these recent cold wintery days my Montane clothing has been keeping me warm and on Thursdays ride the freezing conditions weren’t an issue. With the pockets of my Montane Hyena jacket packed with Clif Bar’s and my Lezyne saddle bag filled with spares I departed at 9am with the only thought being whether I should be taking my Exposure lights with me! The epic ride started off following one of my normal 60 miles mountain bike routes but as I was nearing three quarters distance I decided I’d divert off route to do the other long loop we often do. Doing these two routes together in one day wasn’t something I’d done before but the clear blue skies and dry trails were inspiring. Stopping off at Mountain Trax for a catch up with progress of the store refurbishment and a bottle refill was completed quickly as by now I’d already been out for nearly five and a half hours and had another 15 miles of singletrack riding left to do before darkness fell. In the end the 80 miles seemed to roll around pretty quickly in part thanks to the huge amounts of fun I’d been having on the big wheeled Santa Cruz Highball, this thing really does eat up the miles.
Looking out the window now the snow is melting which I’m thankful for because there’s only so many intervals sessions on the indoor rollers I can cope with! Interval sessions have crept into my weekly training schedule and will feature most weeks from now until the end of the season. The feeling of sprinting up a hill feeling like your going to be sick, or starring at a brick wall for a couple of hours isn’t much fun and isn’t the reason why we ride our bikes but as all racers know, if it make us faster and brings better race results then its worthwhile.
With no Gorrick race today my next race will be Andalucia Bike Race; this Spanish race will be my first stage race of the year. I’ll be pairing up with fellow Santa Cruz Bikes rider Josh Ibbett for the 5 day event. Check out http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/ for more details of that race. For more details on my race schedule for the year check out http://benthomas88.blogspot.com/p/2010-races.html
Since my last update I’ve been enjoying plenty of time riding bone dry trails with numerous 6 hour plus rides, I was pretty happy with the 80 mile mountain bike ride I did on Thursday but I’m a little disappointed to have missed out on the opportunity to do another long endurance ride on what were dry trails yesterday.
On these recent cold wintery days my Montane clothing has been keeping me warm and on Thursdays ride the freezing conditions weren’t an issue. With the pockets of my Montane Hyena jacket packed with Clif Bar’s and my Lezyne saddle bag filled with spares I departed at 9am with the only thought being whether I should be taking my Exposure lights with me! The epic ride started off following one of my normal 60 miles mountain bike routes but as I was nearing three quarters distance I decided I’d divert off route to do the other long loop we often do. Doing these two routes together in one day wasn’t something I’d done before but the clear blue skies and dry trails were inspiring. Stopping off at Mountain Trax for a catch up with progress of the store refurbishment and a bottle refill was completed quickly as by now I’d already been out for nearly five and a half hours and had another 15 miles of singletrack riding left to do before darkness fell. In the end the 80 miles seemed to roll around pretty quickly in part thanks to the huge amounts of fun I’d been having on the big wheeled Santa Cruz Highball, this thing really does eat up the miles.
Looking out the window now the snow is melting which I’m thankful for because there’s only so many intervals sessions on the indoor rollers I can cope with! Interval sessions have crept into my weekly training schedule and will feature most weeks from now until the end of the season. The feeling of sprinting up a hill feeling like your going to be sick, or starring at a brick wall for a couple of hours isn’t much fun and isn’t the reason why we ride our bikes but as all racers know, if it make us faster and brings better race results then its worthwhile.
With no Gorrick race today my next race will be Andalucia Bike Race; this Spanish race will be my first stage race of the year. I’ll be pairing up with fellow Santa Cruz Bikes rider Josh Ibbett for the 5 day event. Check out http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/ for more details of that race. For more details on my race schedule for the year check out http://benthomas88.blogspot.com/p/2010-races.html
Thanks for reading.
Ben Thomas
None of this would be possible without the help of my sponsors
Mountain Trax http://www.mountain-trax.com/
Santa Cruz Bikes http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/
Montane http://www.montane.co.uk/
Fox Suspension http://www.mojo.co.uk/
Hope http://www.hopetech.com/
Rapid Racer Products http://www.rapidracerproducts.com/
USE http://www.use1.com/
Exposure http://www.exposurelights.com/
Vermont Images http://www.vermont-images.co.uk/
Lezyne http://www.lezyne.com/
Jagwire http://www.jagwireusa.com/
Kenda Tires http://www.kendausa.com/
Phenix Metabolic http://www.phxmet.com/
Crank Brothers http://www.crankbrothers.com/
Clif Bar http://www.clifbar.com/
Scott UK http://www.scott-sports.com/
Ben Thomas
None of this would be possible without the help of my sponsors
Mountain Trax http://www.mountain-trax.com/
Santa Cruz Bikes http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/
Montane http://www.montane.co.uk/
Fox Suspension http://www.mojo.co.uk/
Hope http://www.hopetech.com/
Rapid Racer Products http://www.rapidracerproducts.com/
USE http://www.use1.com/
Exposure http://www.exposurelights.com/
Vermont Images http://www.vermont-images.co.uk/
Lezyne http://www.lezyne.com/
Jagwire http://www.jagwireusa.com/
Kenda Tires http://www.kendausa.com/
Phenix Metabolic http://www.phxmet.com/
Crank Brothers http://www.crankbrothers.com/
Clif Bar http://www.clifbar.com/
Scott UK http://www.scott-sports.com/
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