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Matt and 'Jake' heading for the win at Stanmer park in November.


Matt and 'Jake' digging in for the win during another hot, dry race, this time at Reed Court Farm in October.

Photographs courtesy of cross-crazy and Oskar Scrasbrook

London & SE Cyclocross League Champion 2011/2012

This was my first full season of London League racing, but I wish I’d started years ago. I remember watching cyclo cross on Grandstand when I was a kid and thinking that it looked like fun. I’d head out on my Raleigh Arena looking for mud and hills, neither of which were too hard to find in rural Suffolk. I’d even set up the sprinkler in our back garden in the summer, so that my 50 metre lap of the flower beds was a bit more fun.

Unfortunately, it was 25 years before I finally got myself a half-decent bike and started doing it properly, but it still feels a lot like it did when I was twelve.

Last year I started my season late and spent each race trying to fight my way through from the back of the field, learning the limits of my bike and myself as I went. This year I was lucky enough to be gridded from the first race, which made a huge difference to my racing experience and to my results.

I’ve never been a great starter though, and the difference between the gradual starts of last year and the full on sprints of 2011/2012 has been stark. No time to recover and no second chance if you make a mistake; the opening lap of a ‘cross race can be a thing of painful chaos. Beastway has been a good training ground for cyclo-cross, that’s for sure, but the struggle to stay upright on a ‘cross bike, especially when there’s three inches of snow on the ground, adds a new layer of panic to the drama of the off-road experience.

But it’s not just the start that you need to get right; with the 14 race calendar that we are treated to in the London & SE League, consistency is key. That’s not to mention the occasional Trophy race, or the Nationals (let’s *really* not mention the Nationals), or a quick foray into the Eastern or Central League. An ability to stay healthy and out of trouble are extremely valuable assets.

You don’t need the best bike in the world, but it does need to be set up right for you and the conditions, and you do need to look after it.

Six months ago, the idea of spending £100 on a solitary tyre seemed like madness. It still does. But there is a method (probably Belgian) to that madness, because the wrong tyre or the wrong pressure really can be the difference between the podium and a DNF.

I’m still learning about this, and I don’t really have the means to be fully prepared for every eventuality, but I take a spare bike to the races when I can, I have 2 sets of wheels and I take a lot more care of my bike than I ever did before.

When the mud finally arrives, the bad tyre choice and a fragile set up finally makes itself known, and you spend the race wondering why you didn’t quite get around to gluing those new tubs, as your arch rival glides around slick corners that see you sliding into the long grass.

In some ways it’s a levelling sport. Your average legs will be compensated for by your awesome skills or vice versa. Team tactics and drafting don’t come into play, although having a bunch of like-minded club mates will help you out no end. You can practise just about any place where there’s grass/mud/obstacles, and having some local training buddies will make it even more fun. Even if you’re not scuffing the podium with your studs every week, you’ll almost certainly be rubbing tyres and banging elbows with folks who ride at the same kind of speed as you do. You’ll have good races and bad, and so will they, but you’ll line up every week knowing who you want to beat.

Then, when your hour is up (although it doesn’t seem likely during the race, the hour *will* end eventually) you can compare notes with your friends and rivals, kicking yourself about those extra psi or marvelling at the properties of Hog Hill mud, or the perils of Penshurts (sic) hairpins.

It’s been a long season but, retrospectively at least, I’ve loved every minute. Put a cheap and cheerful bike together. Take it out in the woods. Prepare to be smitten.

I can't wait for the end of the summer.

UK National Championships, Chantry Park, Ipswich: 7th/8th January 2012

This time last week, I was quite looking forward to adding this report to my web site, but my performance on Sunday was not much to write home about. Luckily I don't have to; I grew up just down the road from Sunday's fantastic venue, so several old school pals, as well as my parents and girlfriend, were there to witness the wheels coming off.


I'd been feeling fairly unwell all week, fighting off some sort of bug that struck over the New Year's weekend. I stayed off the bike and hoped for the best, trying to eat right and rest up as much as possible, only going out to test the set-up and stretch the legs on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday morning came around and I was feeling better, still coughing and a bit achy, but much better than earlier in the week. We got to the venue, watched the under 23 race and then I got stuck into my pre-race routine.

My warm-up laps went well - the course seeming well suited to my strenghts - and I loved the carbon wheels that I'd borrowed, which made everything seem about 10% quicker.

So, when I lined up for the start (next to Roger Hammond on row three!) I was feeling pretty good; nervous but ready to race.

The start was a disaster.

I'm not sure what I was trying to do, but when the gun went I remember pawing at the ground with my left leg like an angry bull, trying desperately to get myself moving. When I finally did set off and got a chance to assess my situation, I found myself fairly well back, with both of the straps on my left shoe undone and flapping about in the January breeze. It's all about the preparation.

I began the arduous process of working my way up through the field and managed 24th by the end of the first lap. After tangling with a couple of riders during a foolish overtaking maneouvre (apologies if it was you I cut across) I once again found myself several more places down with a lot of work to do.

I ploughed on, getting up to 22nd place with about 3 laps to go.

On my day, I'm pretty sure I could have squeaked into the top 20, which, considering the field (including the Field) I would have been delighted with.

But on this day I soon realised that trouble was brewing, as my legs began to fail. Two riders who I had been keeping at arms length started quickly making up ground and my momentum was lost. My vision began to blur and flash, my head went down and the idea of riding, or even walking another lap became a pipe dream. I crossed the line with the bell ringing and only 2 miles left to ride, but I couldn't go on. I dropped my bike, sat on the floor and waited to feel normal again.

It was a very disappointing end to an exciting day, but a bad ride wasn't entirely unexpected, given the way I'd been feeling during the previous week. The most annoying aspect of this ignominious end, is that it has put me out of contention for a top 20 overall in the BC rankings for the season, something I was keen to achieve.

I'm still feeling bad 5 days later as I write, but I had a blast with Hackney GT's Russ Jones in Epping Forest yesterday and I'm looking forward to LL R13 next weekend at Wilmington.

It's been a long season, but it's almost done. Here's to next year...

British Cycling Report and Results

 

UKCyclesport interview

John Mullineaux, an omnipresent fixture at bike races across the South East, came to visit my studio late in 2011 to talk about art and bikes. See the interview here.

 

London and SE Cyclo-cross League 2011/2012: My season so far

Round 1: Muddy and reasonably technical - windy too. Bad start meant a fight back through the field. Sprint finish against Sylvain G - just beat him to 3rd.

Round 2: DNS. Wish I had.

Round 3: First race on tubs. Raced day before in Eastern League but legs were pretty strong. Went away early and stayed clear, although Steve Adams (Sigma) was gaining after a mechanical. 1st

Round 4: Very hot race at HH. Mechanical led to bike swap; realised how heavy my old franken-bike is! 4th

Round 5: Flat and technical course played to my strengths. Battled with Record, Garde and Sybrandy, but shook them off and finished well clear. 1st

Round 6: Good race at Fowlmead. Dry and dusty, but also flat and technical. Leading for most of race, but then stuffed up final run-up on last lap. Should have done better! 4th

Round 7: Away with two Corley riders from the first lap, which meant we got a good gap. Couldn't match their roadie ways and they outsprinted me on the last quarter lap. 3rd

Round 8: Perfect race. No major climbs, pretty technical in places with some really nice singletrack. Good start and a strong first couple of laps; away on my own for 90% of the race. Good gap on Sylvain by the end. 1st

Round 9: Marshalling for London Phoenix at Gunpowder Park. Nice to be watching others suffering for a change!

Round 10: Super-tough race at Penshurst. Massive climb, lots of mud, very technical and a fall on the first lap. Sylvain on strong form and I couldn't stay with him. 2nd

Round 11: My luckiest race yet. No strength and picked the wrong wheels. Crashed on 1st lap and lost 5 or 6 places. Fought back to lead group but it cost too much and I began losing them soon after. Sylvain punctured and 2 other leaders also dropped out. Taylor Johnstone takes off and I can't follow. Should have been 5th or 6th! 2nd

Round 12: Another good one for me. Flat and mainly dry with some singletrack, although VERY bumpy. Energy sapping... Good start, hanging on to Jody Crawforth and Simon Richardson.Mainly on my own though after lap 2, trying to keep Taylor and Harry Franklin at bay. 3rd

Round 13: Wilmington is a MTB'ers dream course. Loads of single track and technical features. The first race where I've been pleasantly surprised by the number on a lap board. Hanging onto Darren Barclay's wheel for 50 minutes. Dropped on the last lap. 2nd + definite overall league win!

Round 14: The final round went my way. Wet snow meant a slippery course, but one that I felt at home on. Got ahead of Darren Barclay and managed to get a decent lead by race end. 1st

London League