Life In The Saddle

If anyone came to watch the Island Games Mountain Bike Criterium Race this afternoon and thought the course looked hard - It was! So was the competition; with quite a few professional and semi professional riders from Guernsey and The Isle of Man. I'm happy with my result though: 19th overall and the second fastest Isle of Wight rider behind Sean Williams who came in 10th. Click here for: Results The Course The course composed of a long sprint and series of switch backs through a grassy section on the top of Fore/Cheverton Down, it then plummeted down the side of the down towards Cheverton Aggregates Quarry and took a tricky right hand bend at the bottom of the downhill - a challenge when you we hitting the shale/broken clay pigeon strewn corner at close to 30mph. There was then a sink hole that you drop down into and back out before beginning the short, sharp ascent back up through some singletrack to the top of the down. The Men's course was 50mins, plus 1 lap - and you certa...

As I had to head back up to uni to pick up my masses of kit, it seemed like a good opportunity to find an XC race to do as a bit of practice for the Island Games which is less than a week away now. The Rampage XC event in Checkendon seemed to fit the bill and would serve as a useful bit of practice for starts etc.. I certainly learnt a lot, put it that way. My start wasn't great and there is little time to jostle for position before you are into a long section of single track with little opportunity to overtake. Unfortunately my poor start landed me in a rather slow group heading into the single track and I couldn't break out of it until about halfway round the course. By that time the front group had really broken away out of sight and I was left riding the majority of the course solo between the two packs - not the best situation for pacing or challenging yourself. The course itself was interesting - masses of very technical single track and not a hill in sight. That in itsel...

I went out and rode a few laps of the XC course that has been made for the Island Games yesterday. With a Force6 headwind all the way out to Cheverton Farm I was pretty worn out already when I got there, but the course itself is certainly one that is going to leave no prisoners. It starts at Cheverton Farm, on the Gatcombe road. From the start there is what I am sure will be a pack sprint for about 400meters until you turn up into some woods, here is where the fun begins. The woods are set on the side of Brighstone Down, and the course snakes its way up through the trees and then hairpin turns all the way down. Especially after yesterday and Wednesday's continuous rain, the ground was super greasy and on every turn and climb you had to work hard to stop the back-end drifting out; if it's like that during the race there are definitely going to be a few bike-engages-tree moments for those that don't know where the course goes exactly - could make for some exciting viewing for...

Things seem to be going well on the preparation for the Island Games: kit orders are in, British cycling license has come in the post and the course has been checked over by the UCI officials (I have yet to ride it or see it though). So things are looking good, and training isn't going too badly either - I'm back at uni now and not getting quite as many miles in as when I'm at home, but that was to be expected. I'm on the bike 5-6 days a week for at least 90mins each time. On Tuesday and Thursdays I'm attending the evening "bash" which is a conglomeration of the fastest riders from the clubs around Warwickshire, taking part in effectively a 30mile road race twice a week. You do your stint at the front, at a pace normally close to 25mph and then there is a sprint finish at the end. It's great fun and fantastic fast pace training - not often you can put in a 46mile ride in the evening! (the start is 8miles off campus). It certainly makes me want to do so...

Every year the Wayfarer Cycle Touring Club, an active and very friendly (if a little geriatric) group of riders from the Isle of Wight organise their free "sportive" type event 'The Isle of Wight Randonnee'. It follows a signposted route around the perimeter of the Island, taking in some of the best roads, climbs and sights that we have to offer on the Isle of Wight. This year, the route was to go in an anticlockwise direction around the island; with many of the roads that the route follows having been resurfaced already under the Private Finance Initiative, the route can be a fast one, especially if there is a prevailing South Westerly wind to blow you along down the back of the island. However, today's wind was not South Westerly, not even a bit; it was coming from the East with a good 25mph volume. From the outset then, today didn't look like it was going to be one to set a record time on the route; but the legs felt good and I set out around 10, to complet...