Merida Brass Monkeys - Round 3 - 04th January 2015...
Discussion
yonex said:
Perhaps we could arrange a Swinley Park meet ...planning to check that out when I get my forks back.
Yeah, deffo - i was only saying to YellowJack today that i had intended to organise a New Years Day PH meet at Swinley, but decided against it at the last minute as i figured most people would be doing stuff and/or dealing with hangovers (in the end i went out alone early doors and was pleased when i got home and had bagged almost every 2015 KOM! They only lasted a few hours though 
)Maybe in a couple of weeks? Are you local?
Oh, results are up:
http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPO...
So, 48 out of 64 for me (or alternatively i could say im 7th out of the 19 that did a 2 hour race in the 18-39 category...
)
http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPO...
So, 48 out of 64 for me (or alternatively i could say im 7th out of the 19 that did a 2 hour race in the 18-39 category...
)
Arrrrgh!!!!
1 minute and 28 seconds beyond the cut-off time for a third lap.
That was just about the time I wasted at the top of one of the climbs wiping the rivers of sweat from the inside of my glasses. I wish I'd waited now, and wiped them after the timing gantry. I might just have made a third lap then...
Still. Good that I got close to the cut-off this time. I certainly feel that I'm getting better at this 'race' stuff.
64th from 77 riders in my age category. Nothing to be massively proud of, but hey, I wasn't last and I'm pleased I rode all three rounds of this winter series.
1 minute and 28 seconds beyond the cut-off time for a third lap.
That was just about the time I wasted at the top of one of the climbs wiping the rivers of sweat from the inside of my glasses. I wish I'd waited now, and wiped them after the timing gantry. I might just have made a third lap then...
Still. Good that I got close to the cut-off this time. I certainly feel that I'm getting better at this 'race' stuff.
64th from 77 riders in my age category. Nothing to be massively proud of, but hey, I wasn't last and I'm pleased I rode all three rounds of this winter series.
Benji - great lap times considering you got 6 laps in - that's effing hardcore man!
Oh - pics are up:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsheldrake/sets/...
Heres me looking sexy.
Oh - pics are up:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsheldrake/sets/...
Heres me looking sexy.
Edited by daddy cool on Sunday 4th January 20:13
Damn it!
I've looked through those photos twice, and cannot find a picture of me. I must have been riding too fast, and the image was too blurred to use...
I have this one picture that I took today. I think it's Benji, crossing the line on one of his later laps, but I'm sure he won't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong...
I've looked through those photos twice, and cannot find a picture of me. I must have been riding too fast, and the image was too blurred to use...
I have this one picture that I took today. I think it's Benji, crossing the line on one of his later laps, but I'm sure he won't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong...
yellowjack said:
Damn it!
I've looked through those photos twice, and cannot find a picture of me. I must have been riding too fast, and the image was too blurred to use...
I have this one picture that I took today. I think it's Benji, crossing the line on one of his later laps, but I'm sure he won't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong...
Bloke on a bike with half the bits missing, it's Benji alright.I've looked through those photos twice, and cannot find a picture of me. I must have been riding too fast, and the image was too blurred to use...
I have this one picture that I took today. I think it's Benji, crossing the line on one of his later laps, but I'm sure he won't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong...
Yep that's me, nice to see you today, sorry didn't get chance for a chat, I was trying to not get too cold before the event.
17th for me, so pleased with that, happy with the lap times, could have done without the tarmac drag strip, but it did provide a good place for food and drink, and on first lap removing gillet without stopping.
My next visit down will be for the Kawasaki 100, I tend to have a rule if I spend more time driving there than riding it's too far. Very pleased to see there is a singlespeed solo class for Torq In Your sleep, 12hrs to batter yourself silly
17th for me, so pleased with that, happy with the lap times, could have done without the tarmac drag strip, but it did provide a good place for food and drink, and on first lap removing gillet without stopping.
My next visit down will be for the Kawasaki 100, I tend to have a rule if I spend more time driving there than riding it's too far. Very pleased to see there is a singlespeed solo class for Torq In Your sleep, 12hrs to batter yourself silly
Video!
The first 15 mins of the 2 hours race. GoPro & race number attached hurriedly so view partially obscured, doh.
Highlights:
0:26 - Yellowjack makes an early break
1:46 - I get sick of the traffic so drop a gear and make some progress and use peoples fear of puddles to good effect
2:55 - Everyone stops for a bottleneck. Everyone except Yellowjack that is! He don't stop for nuffing!
7:05 - short but quite steep hill. I'd been stuck behind a woman for a while so overtook her and a few others on the climb. Finally YJ is back in my sights!
12:57 - Finally catch up with YJ and try to knock him off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVioxq9GzEk
The first 15 mins of the 2 hours race. GoPro & race number attached hurriedly so view partially obscured, doh.
Highlights:
0:26 - Yellowjack makes an early break
1:46 - I get sick of the traffic so drop a gear and make some progress and use peoples fear of puddles to good effect
2:55 - Everyone stops for a bottleneck. Everyone except Yellowjack that is! He don't stop for nuffing!
7:05 - short but quite steep hill. I'd been stuck behind a woman for a while so overtook her and a few others on the climb. Finally YJ is back in my sights!
12:57 - Finally catch up with YJ and try to knock him off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVioxq9GzEk
Strava Labs playback of the PHers who were known to be out this morning (including Gren, who passed through on his way to Tunnel Hill)...
http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#236721282,SHo...
http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#236721282,SHo...
daddy cool said:
Yeah, deffo - i was only saying to YellowJack today that i had intended to organise a New Years Day PH meet at Swinley, but decided against it at the last minute as i figured most people would be doing stuff and/or dealing with hangovers (in the end i went out alone early doors and was pleased when i got home and had bagged almost every 2015 KOM! They only lasted a few hours though )
Maybe in a couple of weeks? Are you local?
I'm near Oxford, not too far )Maybe in a couple of weeks? Are you local?
daddy cool said:
richardxjr said:
Yes well done all. YJ go SS for next year
I think he will.Only because his shifters will have completely packed up by then.
Shifters are the least of my problems. I've never had an issue with those. I know it's old, and heavy, but it's been pretty reliable really. Brakes were upgraded from Tektro mechanical discs to Shimano hydraulics when the old ones (front caliper) failed. It's had the usual replacement of 'normal wear and tear' bits, chains, cassettes, etc, as required, the wheels are sound, and only recently did it need the bottom bracket and chainset replacing, after well in excess of 4,000 miles, most of which was off-road and a good deal of that during winter months.
Some of the replacement parts, such as the rear mech, have been "downgrades" due to budgetary constraints, and the biggest issue right now is intermittent 'chain suck' when climbing on the "granny" ring, but I only recently replaced the front rings so cannot work out why that's happening. That, along with a badly sealed fork leg (Suntour XCM, coil sprung, bottom of the range) means I'm not massively keen to spend much more on it (Bird Zero, or similar in the pipeline) but I wouldn't want to get rid of it. It was only £305 new back in 2008, so I doubt it makes a great basis for costly upgrades.
It might be a good time to "do a Benji" and stick a rigid fork on the front and lose (at least some of) the gears. Then I could press it into service when the local trails are at their most 'gloopy' without wrecking cassettes, mechs and chains in quick time.
I really enjoyed the Brass Monkeys series, and I'm so glad that I took the plunge and signed up. The big "But" for me is that I really enjoy riding my bikes, but I don't do so well at proper focused training. I'd like to do more racing, and get a bit more 'competitive', and I know that to achieve the results I'd have to "train", but all I want from day-to-day riding is the freedom to ride when, were, and how I choose, pretty much 'off the cuff'. Training plans, to me, sound like hell, which is why I'll probably just have to suck it up and get used to be near the back of any field in which I 'race'.
I'm off now to cogitate on the relative merits of entering the Saddle Skedaddle Spring XC series, although I could do with someone explaining the differences between "Enduro" and "XC" racing...
...as they seem to use pretty much similar venues for the XC stuff as they did for the winter enduro we've just finished.Yeah, this enduro tag is b
ks. What what ive understood, true Enduro is basically serious downhill sections, timed, linked together by fairly boring fireroad climbs (though these also require you to complete within a time window)
The two Brass Monkeys i did were exactly the same as the Autumn XC one - just bombing around the woods local to us as fast as you can, in a loop.
Cant remember if you used SPD's but if you do you are welcome to take my bike for a spin if/when we all meet up at Swinley. Not that its anything that special but you can try out 650b (i suppose its a halfway house to the 29'ers favoured by the racers) and also moving to a double chainset (yours is a triple, yes?). I much prefer a double because it gives me LESS CHOICE. Big ring for everything until a decent climb appears, and just going up and down the cassette.
ks. What what ive understood, true Enduro is basically serious downhill sections, timed, linked together by fairly boring fireroad climbs (though these also require you to complete within a time window)The two Brass Monkeys i did were exactly the same as the Autumn XC one - just bombing around the woods local to us as fast as you can, in a loop.
Cant remember if you used SPD's but if you do you are welcome to take my bike for a spin if/when we all meet up at Swinley. Not that its anything that special but you can try out 650b (i suppose its a halfway house to the 29'ers favoured by the racers) and also moving to a double chainset (yours is a triple, yes?). I much prefer a double because it gives me LESS CHOICE. Big ring for everything until a decent climb appears, and just going up and down the cassette.
Oh, and i dont think im going to commit to the whole Spring series - its just too many weekends when i need to be getting some road mileage in for my 2015 target. But will probably do a couple - almost certainly the Crowthorne one as its 2 miles from home and will be interested to learn some trails there that i can link into my usual Swinley routes.
Trying to get my racing-virgin mate to join in with his £3,500 bike!
Trying to get my racing-virgin mate to join in with his £3,500 bike!
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