Two times

Out twice this week... good stuff for fitness and my sanity.
Jon and I did the usual Charity Lane loop in under an hour... impressive. Rooty singletrack absolutely quality... building up my confidence every week.
Tomorrow will be on the Coiler again but next week I'm going hardtail again.

Keep it real! LOL.

NPS round 2

Top stuff this weekend, with the in-form Gee Atherton coming 1st in seeding and in the main race, ahead of Peaty, Minaar and the Honda G-Cross team. Fearingout team rider Matt also nailed a good 5th in Elite, good efforts.

Preps to Justin at Foel DH riders who got a 16th in the seniors with a time of 2:40.78. Good going.

Top 10 Elite...
1 Gee ATHERTON Animal/Commencal 2:11.82
2 Steve PEAT The Syndicate 2:12.54
3 Matti LEHIKOINEN Team G Cross Honda 2:14.29
4 Greg MINNAAR Team G Cross Honda 2:16.06
5 Matt SIMMONDS Ancillotti UK 2:17.21
6 Marc BEAUMONT MBUK/Santa Cruz 2:17.45
7 Tom BRAITHWAITE Giant 2:17.99
8 Joe BARNES Cycle Jersey/MFX Air Art 2:18.30
=9 Ben REID Iron Horse 2:19.53
=9 Dan STANBRIDGE MOJO/Orange 2:19.53

full results on www.npsdh.com and www.mikrotime.com/mtb/

Appreciation?

Its funny, riding a hardtail for the last 3 weeks I've been really buzzing about taking things back to basics and how fun it's been.
This week I decided to take out the Coiler Dee-lux again - as it hadn't been used since Scotland...

Yeah a bit more hard work on the climbs (not much though and think of the fitness!) but what a difference on Charity Lane! Wow, perhaps taking riskier lines then last week because of the increased speed but because I'd been riding the smoothest line on the hardtail, that turned out to become the fastest line (for me anyway) on the full suss so beans beans beans. Great fun. Really attacking and down the bottom with a HUGE smile... to coin a phrase 'smiles for miles'.

The rooty singletrack was a delight... nice and dry and such a contrast to Charity Lane, whereas last week I found it slippery and unpredictable it was dry and fast last night.
I guess riding a hardtail and then a full suss makes you appreciate both more - and certainly brings on your basic skill levels. I reckon it makes me a better rider. I certainly appreciate having two bikes!

Hard and fast, just like the ladies like it :D

Macc forest worship tonight with Ross and James. I was going solo with the hardtail fun, James and Ross were beans-ing it on their full sussers. The climbs were easy, and charity lane was nice and dry (mostly). Hammered it down this week as I was able to see (!), still wary not to puncture as I had no gear to fix with!

Went for speed and found good lines, plus the jumps were sweet and then finish the quick loop down the secret trail. That section is awesome, teeth chattering on the hardtail, but the cove really pins it out of the corners, much sharper than the full suss gang.

Seeing the boys mince charity lane means next week the stinky will be back. I need to do charity at light speed again :D

General consensus that swapping from HT to FS every so often keeps you sharp, keeps you smiling :D

Fucking mint.

SDA rnd2 Dunkeld

Just back from racing Dunkeld again at the weekend, this time it was for round 2 of the SDA series. There was a few changes made to the track for the race which kept everyone on their toes, and the weather was pretty good considering the forcast.
In my first race run I managed to throw myself over the bars...twice. I then ended up holding back just a little in the second run to make sure I got a respectable time. I finished up 45th with a time of 3:02. Joe Barnes took top spot of the day in Elite with a time of 2:12.
Expect to see a full write up in the next issue of wideopen.

Combe Syd

Me on one of the tabletops:

Combe Sydenham photos from Colin Coombs can be purchased here on his new site:
CLICK HERE

Not forgetting Milky's CLICK HERE

Well done on the pics guys!

Combe syd rd 2

Hi just got back from a good days shooting at round d 2 of the Sout West Summer series. Mono was there flying the FO flag and got a good result (can't rember off the top of my head ). The track was riding mint and the weather held up nicely. Here are 3 I got of Mono...

For the rest of the photos www.jacobgibbins.co.uk !!!!

Light and planted

Short, wet blast round Macc forest tonight with James. Good ride, good chat and great to have a light, chuckable rig below me! Even rinsed the climbs (with a little pushing!!!). The Stinky is god like, but riding the sanchez reminds me how chuckable a bike can be, all good :D

Did charity lane (slowly ish to avoid punctures) but found some nice lines and a tweak and kicker off the 1st jump. Bottom berm is sweet as. Then the 'secret trail' to the bottom of the forest. Nailed it in half. Stinky has taught me tight lines, so pinned those lines, with Foel wet root practice, i was down in no time. The Sanchez was nice and light round the tight twists and drops, good to get some quick feedback from a HT!

All night the moto diggers found the grip, dunno how, but the cove was planted, grippy and light. Hardtails rock, no diggity, no doubt.

What's happened to the weather?

Its been lovely in the evenings (albeit wet in the mornings) all week, then tonight... drizzle.
Didn't dampen our spirits though and as Jon was revising Scott felt the need to bring out his hardtail - good lad.
Charity Lane was wicked, foot out, maybe not quite flat out but bloody on the edge! Then the rooty singletrack later was a whole other test!
Most fun I've had since, well last week.
Bring on the summer I say.

Matt gets 14th

Well done to team rider Matt Simmonds who came a very, very respectable 14th place at this weekend's World Cup Round 1 in Vigo, Spain.

Mens top 10
1 marc beaumont 2.37.21
2 david vazques 2.38.57
3 greg minnaar 2.39.09
4 steve peat 2.39.22
5 sam hill 2.40.76
6 gee atherton 2.41.39
7 mich hannah 2.42.71
8 mickeal pascal 2.44.04
9 thomas braithwaite. 2.44.05
10 marco milivinti 2.44.27
11 matti lehikoinen 2.44.09
12 ruaridh cunningham 2.44.53
13 cedric gracia 2.44.63
14 matt simmonds 2.44.84

Nice one! For for results go here:
http://www.nissan-ucimtbworldcup.com/en/Results/index.cfm?RaceID=26

And race reports from the weekend here:

www.southerndownhill.com