Its been a while since I last blogged (over a month) but things for me have went well. Had a good Christmas and new year with the family, and got in some good training with paul, think most days we got in 3-4hrs on the mtb just riding trails!
Ive switched teams for this year to LeisureLakesBikes.com for all MTBing but im still with Lakeland RT for the roadie events!
The traditional January-Feb XMTB League has now got under way with 2 of the 4 races already run off and victors decided. They are great races for getting into shape for our UCI E2 Ranked Kcapital cup series, beginning in March. Cant wait!!!!
Round 1
Glen Kinning won the first round in Bangor in a total mud pit,(Well done Glen, you where like a KTM 250 when u passed me) though it was good fun and the course was intresting, designed by Robbie and the XMTB Crew It was just under a mile long per lap, and around a 100ft of climbing a lap, not much but enough to shock the winter training legs!
From the off myself and Paul got good starts and led into the first turn 1st and 2nd, a group of the top guys formed at this stage, including Paul, Glen Kinning, Lewis Ferguson, Robbie and Tim Edgar. I managed to stay with this group for half of the first lap but then I drifted back very quickly o 13th or 14th on the 3rd lap! Dam I thought all this hard training and for what!?
However on the 4th lap my for dramatically and suprisingly returned???normally when I drop back thats it! I started to make progress in the slippy conditions and one by one I worked my way up to 5th (Tim) at this stage I was getting tired so 5th turned into seventh after on small hill! aw well thats where I finnished up! Happy enough with that result considering its the first race of the year! Paul came 4th and almost beat our commonealth games representative Lewis Ferguson! Not a bad days work for an auld boy!lol
My new bike was some job, pitty about the rider!
Glen and Myself Rounding The Bend On The BMX Trak.
Round 2
Round 2 took place last Sunday (27th Jan 08) on prety much the same course, altougth run in the oppisite direction and Handycapped for a bit of added spice!
A total of 38 riders took to the start and all left in our applicable groups. Andy slotted me in the second last group away, with Paul and Robbie making up the scratch group.
Once again I got a dream start and led my group for the first lap and half way around the next until the same god dam thing happened as the previous round! my body shut down for a lap. Laps 2 & 3 where pain, hard work and depressing! depressing as I had let 2 of my rivals (Grahme & Phill) away and where approx 2mins in front at this stage! not good! As withe the previous round my form came back on around lap 4 and started to make inroads on the feild, then Robbie passed me! The man is an animal and a great rider! Still in all, I was making up places so I was happy!
In the end I held off Paul and nearly caught Phill! Ohhh if I only had another lap! aw well thats racing!
I can now come away from these 2 rounds and know that my fitness is spot on and im able to last the pace, and then some, I just have to work on my slumps in the first 1/3 of the races, shouldnt be so hard to sort out.
Cant Wait for the next round! Its gonna be a cracker!
Cheers all for reading this bullshit!
Micko
