Bloody hell that was tough, I can see why the Three Peaks Cyclocross Race has such a reputation for being one of the toughest cyclocross races out there.

The race starts in Helwith Bridge in the Yorkshire Dales and its seems  customary and fitting to rock up on Saturday, pitch your tent or park your camper van and then pop to the Helwith Bridge Inn for a pint (just the one) and some grub, and talk to friends about how much or little riding you’ve been doing lately, then get to bed early.

I didn’t sleep too well (it was too warm!!), and 7am came round really quickly.  Fortunately I’d filled all of my bottles and sorted out my food the day before so it was all ready to give to Jay to carry for me, so not much to panic about; just eat, sign on and attach my big orange survival bag (essential to carry with a waterproof and whistle or you can be disqualified) and some shoulder saving padding to my bike. The usual time concertina happened and before I knew it it was 8.45am, the queue for the loos was huge and I’d not sorted the bike out....PANIC!!!!!

Everything was fine, Jay sorted me out and we all got to the start line together: me, Rich from Keep Pedalling and Harsharn. It had started to rain, and the cloud was pretty low, so this could be a very soggy race.  Then we were off with the other starters, 598 in total.  Rob Jebb was out this year after a shoulder op, so that left Nick Craig as the favourite for the win.  

For the first 5k we followed the road and a support car, after that it was a frenzy of riding fast, then swearing as your brakes don’t stop you as the pack in front slows to a bottle neck over a bridge, or cattle grid.  Fortunately there were some bright folk that shouted ‘BRAKE!’ in plenty of time.  I clicked through the gears and then realised that my chain had popped off the front. Some cursing later and I was back on the bike, but by then I’d been overtaken by a LOT of riders.  

As I hit the muddy farm track I realised that despite having the bigger cassette I ran out of traction so it was the start of the carry/push up the brutal Simon Fell climb. Fortunately, the low cloud meant that I couldn’t see the big line of competitors before me snaking up the long, steep climb, so I just got on with it.  To begin with it was easier to walk to the side of the wall and fence, but as it steepened it made sense that I joined the queue and used the wire fencing to pull myself up. This was one steep climb I’d not forget in a hurry.

This was the point when I thought

a)       it would have been handy to not have had a chain off, as there was little scope for gaining places now and

b)have not had a poorly knee since June and had done some training that involved i)walking up steep hills and ii) carrying my bike.  

On the top of Ingleborough it was thick cloud and difficult to see the muddy trail, but before long the check point appeared.  Jacket on and the start of the muddy descent.  Due to the visibility I had no idea where I was in terms of riders, but it was soon very apparent when I got to the road and Jay was one of the few support left.

Next came a road section, and after realising how near the back I must be I put my head down and pedalled my t*ts off  (thanks Ed)and was soon at the start of the climb up Whernside.  This involved climbing up many many many rock steps.  My legs were on fire after that road section, but this was good as it took away from the pain in my shoulder from carrying the bike.  Towards the top there were some rideable sections, but it was pretty rocky.  It was quite a relief to see the check point at the top, I was still smiling but glad that I was descending again.  It was a bit sketchy in places and pretty muddy again, but at least the cloud had lifted and before me was a stunning view over the Dales.

The descent off of Whernside to Ribblehead was more enjoyable than off of Ingleborough, and soon enough I popped out on the road again to a beaming Jay who had been wondering where the hell I’d got to.  A quick refuel  and I was off on the road again into a headwind chanting “one more to go…. Pen Y Ghent to go”. 

En route to PYG I caught up with a lady (I later found out was called Anne) that I’d passed several times before on other sections. I asked if she fancied working with me on the road section as my legs were dreading the climb up PYG so could do with some rest.  She told me to go on as she was worried about missing the cut off herself.  It was pretty close to 2pm and we needed to be at PYG lane by then.  But then she told me that she’d missed cut off by 4 minutes last year…..I’d enjoyed the camaraderie of the race so much so far and general encouragement from other riders that I just couldn’t ride off and leave her to miss the cut off again.  So I told her to tuck in, she drifted off a few times, but caught up.  Anne went in front for a couple of descents and then I went in front for the climbs. Eventually we saw the carpark at Horton and entered the lane for the start of the PYG climb we were ok it was 1.55pm

PYG is less steep than the other two, but is long and to begin with only a car width wide and rubble. The first part is totally rideable, but I had to get out of the way of the other tired riders descending rapidly whilst also trying to dodge walkers.  By this time the cloud had all gone and I could see what was to come with riders at the top the size of ants.  Eventually I had to walk, and I likened the experience in my head to the films that you see of mountaineers at altitude walking up the side of a mountain with slow pace and small steps; I was knackered and had total descent envy as other riders passed me on the descent.

Still with a smile on my face, I climbed and greeted each rider descending with a ‘well done’, whilst they either replied the same or with a report on how much further I had to go.  A few guys even asked if I had enough food and water, and supporters and walkers at the side of the trail all cheered and clapped and told me to keep going.  Then at last the final dibbing station, I was elated and got to work on the descent that I’d been checking out all of the way up.  Not only is the descent of PYG the last, but it’s also the best and I enjoyed every minute of it and the relief was immense when I reached the road for the final 2 miles back to Helwith Bridge. 

As always last lap syndrome kicked in and I put my head down and pedaled my t*ts off again.  I wasn’t going to make under 6 hours, but I could get close. Then at last into the funnel and the finish.

Indeed Nick Craig won in just over 3 hours, amazingly quick which gave him a 1st overall and in Vets. I am in total awe of Louise Robinson, also 1st woman and 1st in vets and 55th overall in 3.44!  I'm inspired for next year.

It was a cracking race and I highly recommend it for anyone that ‘enjoys’ a good challenge.  I’ll be putting my entry in again for next year, the 50^th anniversary of the event, and we’ll get in some proper training in too, see if we can improve on that (quite poor) time.

Today's check list:
clean bike
drink
eat
check bike over
sort out food
sort out toolseat
drink
sort out camping stuff
buy some midge coils
book table at the pub for dinner
sort out foam padding on bike
eat
drink
work out how to strap on a bright orange survival bag so it doesn't rub my legs
sort kit out
sort out bag for Jay with spares/food/water
eatdrink, drink, drink
stretch
have a bath
print off directions to Helwith Bridge
email my mum to send her the link to the SPORTident so that she can follow me http://live.sportident.co.uk/home/event/coursecontrolsummary.html?eventid=869...
print out rules
drive to Helwith Bridge
eat
drink
sleep
wake
eat
drink
race
:)

I’ve fancied a new challenge this year, and after being support for some friends at the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race last year thought that it might be a good one to try (here's a video of last year's race  ).  First stop I needed a new bike, damn shame I know but I could justify it as a really good new commuter bike that would allow me to also ride on road through the winter safer, and that would be quicker than the singlespeed when I needed to get to places a bit quicker. So I bought one of these:

Ok so I now had a lot of bits, a frame and some very light carbon forks.  The box for the frame and the forks felt virtually empty, which was a relief as I wanted this bike to be a do-all sort of bike, but also be light enough to carry up the side of some big hills.

(download)

Click here to download:

Five_is_the_Magic_Number.zip (153 KB)

I’m not the best mechanic, I’m still learning and have only worked on Mountainbikes before.  I got started, then got a bit stuck as didn’t have all of the tools or know how.  Fortunately my friend Rich at Keep Pedalling in Manchester’s Northern Quarter www.keeppedalling.co.uk came to the rescue.  He suggested that I bring the bits into town one evening, we’d grab a curry and do a bit of bike building.  My car’s was out of action then, so I got my first taste of carrying the Crosslight Five T, having to take it first into work (2mile walk and 10min train ), and then into Manchester (1/1/2 mile walk and 30min train journey).  Has anyone else noticed how perfect Ikea bags are for carrying wheels!  As you can imagine everyone was a comedian that day on the train “you’ll not get far with it like that”, “aren’t you supposed to RIDE that”. 

Curry eaten, and then bike building began, thanks mostly to Rich.  I learnt quite a bit that evening!  The best part was getting to ride it home. 

Since then it’s been a fairly rapid

learning curve: descending is bumpy, but because I'm on the drops my elbows are bent a lot so there is some cushioning, and the front is light, so not like trying to steer a tractor, and the big wheels roll over more than I thought that they would. Ascending is a little more tricky as there is less traction so more ass needs to be hovered over the saddle to help with that.  It's not as quick as my road bike on the road, but it's faster than my mountainbike; It's not as capable off road as my mountainbike, but it's better than my road bike. It's erm versatile.  I've mostly been riding T to work and back.  This is a mix of road and off road, but nothing too steep/technical  to get used to it and get the miles in.  It also came to Wales for the weekend, and I got my second taste of carrying it up some steep trails (where’s my eighties power dressing blazer when I need it, I could really feel my shoulders after).  

The gearing is pretty hard as standard, which I would imagine would be ok for touring mostly on roads/trails, or gentle off road, or if you’re just really bloody strong, but for me for riding on the more steep off road around the Peak the 34/48 at the front and 12/26 at the back meant that I was walking more than riding.  To save me a bit of money for a quick trial I borrowed the Microshift mech and Sram cassette from the Kinesis Maxlight 810.  A bit of gear fettling later and oh my god what a difference!! I’m loving it now.  

The Maxxis Larsen tyres seemed ok over rocks and I didn’t flat, but for the 3 Peaks I've swapped to Schwalbe Land Cruisers to avoid the punctures, they're also a little wider so give a bit more cushioning .  Descending doesn’t seem too bad, and I quite like the drops.  I've practiced swapping from drops to hoods and vice versa quickly, and just getting used to it being more bumpy than my mountain bike.   But it’s basically good fun and fast.  I’m really enjoying being able to just change my mind on w

hich way I can go home or anywhere else with the Five T.  Whilst my car was in the garage (3weeks) I got quite into having to ride everywhere, and finding new routes to places with road and off road.  T is becoming my NBF.

The 3 Peaks is this weekend.  Am I ready, well I suppose I'll have to be.  The physio will be strapping my knee up on Friday, in the meantime I'm just sorting my bike out and getting everything sorted for the weekend.  I'm a little excited, but keeping everything crossed (ahem) for dry.  I honestly have no idea how I will fair, it may chew me up and spit me out, but the same rules apply as usual....ride to finish and never give up.

Secret races can sometimes be the best. Tonight was the MellorAvalanche, a secret, private invitation only race: Ten minutes of flying down through the rocks, woods and mud with the winner the first to down a beer.

Forteen guys took part, of whom Jay was one, proudly wearing his Morvélo Tee, on his Orange 5 but not expecting to finish anywhere near the front when up against full face helmets, body armour and some pretty burly bikes. However, stick a beer at the end of the race and Jay'll be there as fast as he can, and boy did he. Before the final descent he was in third, and was only pipped by a second to finish forth.

Remember kids, that Morvélo kit makes you fast!

"Just f**king do it" were the words that I uttered to myself whilst attempting to clip in, slightly stressed out. CLIP....we were in, no more excuses. With the picture of what I should look like, and what I should feel like in my head, I pedalled towards the drop that had been pointed out to the group earlier in the day.  I thought that Ed was talking to the rest of the group and not me when he'd first shown it to us; I'm just here for 'Flow' you know, cornering and stuff, or so I thought.  The edge came closer, a picture of Ed's demonstration of pushing the bike out in front in my head, and remembering to look ahead and I was over the near vertical drop.  In seconds I was at the bottom and pushing myself forwards on the bike so as not to manual out of it. With an enormous smile, and a big whoop of joy I joined the rest of the group again.

This was another big achievement for the day at Gisburn forest, the first being the seemingly unrollable rocky drop, which was the first of many JFDI's for the weekend.  Photographic evidence was required, not only to prove to everyone that knows that I'm a big mincer when it comes to techy, steep drops, but also as a reminder that I am more than capable of riding this sort of stuff with a bit of commitment and confidence in my own ability, plus a very big helping of Ed Oxley (Great Rock) magic in the first place.  

For those of you that aren't familiar with the Great Rock magic, Ed has got to be the best instructor that I've had on a skills course.  Calm, and easy to mimic instruction, plus bags of encouragement means that you find yourself doing things that you didn't think were possible, because Ed just did it and he said you can do it too.  The weekend saw me: pumping - the trail and the drops, it seems to be the key movement in everything to do with riding which I have completely overlooked for all these years; loosening up so that I was riding the bike instead of just being a passenger; riding steep drops and then steeper drops;  "pedalling my tits off" at a wall , because Ed said I should, and then using my  pump-skillz to get up it, and like magic I did too; starting to manual, rear wheel lift and not quite succeeding with bunnyhops (more practise required); and finally drop offs. (yes that's me, doing drop offs)  The best thing is, you're never ever forced to do anything that you don't want to do, but you kind of feel that you should give everything a go within reason, because Ed said you can do it, and you have no reason not to believe him.  I stopped at the big drop off, but then I didn't come on Ed's Flow course  to huck off five foot high drop offs.  I was rad enough just doing the ones that I'd done, and already far exceeded my level of skill for one weekend and a jar of Ewe Tosser ale earnt at the Dog and Partridge http://www.gisburnforestbikes.co.uk 

Ed runs regular courses, not just from Gisburn Forest, there are also some trips abroad planned which involve a mix of both great riding and skills, which I'm quite tempted by. You can find out more about all of the courses here: http://www.great-rock.co.uk

There's a shiny and new bike shop just opened in Manchester's Northern Quarter......

On saturday I popped into Manchester to see my friends Rich and Shona who are now the proud owners of Keep Pedalling, a fresh looking, brand new store that has a neat selection of bikes to make you want to spend your hard earned cash. Brands stocked so far include Ridgeback, Surly, Salsa and Civia. It's got a really nice feel about the place when you stroll up the stairs into the store, not grungy bike shop at all just friendly with some nice bikes to look at and a couple of welcoming smiles. There's also the eyecatching Pugsley in one window which seems to draw attention from cyclists and non cyclists alike.

A beautiful Civia, sits in the other window with bamboo fenders and twinkly green paint. I wish I could find an excuse to buy one of these.

There's a workshop on site for repairs, bike builds etc, plus Rich and Shona have a wealth of experience when it comes to bikes and travelling so the ideal people to talk to if you fancy taking yourself and your bike on a big adventure.

You can find them at 23 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 1EL. They also have a website http://www.keeppedalling.co.uk. Good Luck Rich and Shona!!

I've been seeing a therapist. Yes I have been called mental, but it's not that kind of therapist.

You know when you're not quite right, when that niggle stops being just a niggle and actually stops you enjoying doing what you're doing. That's where I'd got to.

I've had problems with my shoulders and upper back for a while and had racked up some physio fees after 24/12 when my back went into spasm. I thought it was fixed but.... late last year I had to see an NHS physio who treated me for impingement in my right shoulder after I got to the point where if I went for a run that lasted longer than 30mins I had to hold my right arm as the pain in my shoulder was too great to allow it to swing, I also had some strange tightness across my thumb related to the shoulder and it meant that I couldn't drive for longer than an hour. I thought it was fixed but.....the tightness across my shoulders didn't seem to be releasing with yoga and stretching. I'd also had to stop running for any longer than 30minutes as now the back of my knee kept on tightening, leaving me limping in pain. (although my shoulder didn't hurt any more other than when sat at the desk at work, and occasionally after long techy descents)

My calves were super tight, my hips hurt climbing out of the saddle, my shoulders and back weren't right, this had to stop. A friend recommended that I see a sports therapist, Heidi Wood for a bit of painful, deep, jaw clenching sports massage to try to loosen me up a bit. Heidi set to work with her thumbs of steel. It wasn't relaxing, thumbs in my feet, calves, quads, glutes, back, shoulders it was painful and after my first session I was knackered. I did feel better though. After the 2nd session I noticed something a bit weird. It felt like I needed to raise the seatpost on all of my bikes as my knees felt like they'd hit my jaw if I didn't. 2cm higher and we were feeling right. Could this be right, had my legs got longer? Apparently so. By loosening off my muscles it had allowed my legs to straighten, thus making them longer. Hard to believe. So had I got taller too, the test was the height chart on my boyfriend's kitchen wall. In December I'd had my height and ape index marked on the wall, then we measured after massage.

It's not over yet though, whilst trying to relax my shoulders Heidi found that I have muscles so super tight in my shoulders that it's jammed some of my vertebrae together, nice! Off we went to the Osteopath last week for some clicking and crunching. It's helped a bit but I'm back again this week. Clifford my Osteopath, thinks the shoulders could all be referenced back to a crash that I had on the road bike last January! plus long hours sat in front of a computer at work, and aggravated by long drives in the car last year before and after races, this all contributed to where I am now. Damn it, if only I'd realised during last year that big miles for me means big amounts of stretching is required.

So this has put me in a dilemma. It's cost me time off the bike and money trying to get my shoulders back to where they should be, so how does that affect this year's races? I'm umming and erring about UK24, originally I was going for the 24hr, then the 12hr and now I'm deliberating that as I've just not been able to put in the long and amount of rides that I need to, plus do I want to set back the progress that I've made with my shoulders. Quitting is not an option. So should I try something different this season? I'm tempted by short and fast, something that I missed out on for the most part last year. The Kinesis KM810 is begging to be raced fast, he's also got new go-faster bits: floaty light Reynolds carbon wheels and Marzocchi Corsa Superleggera forks in beautiful disco white. It seems rude not to. I'm checking out my options now, time to get entering over the next few weeks.....exciting! a change is as good as a rest I reckon and fast is always fun. :)

Saturday - SNOW!!