In my opinion the Fort William National in North West Scotland is the highlight of the Downhill racing year. The track is like nothing else in the UK whilst the infrastructure and gondola access put the icing on the cake. However whilst I love riding the man made slopes of aonach mor the track has come under criticism in recent years. Remaining mainly unchanged for a number of seasons the track had been described as tired and boring by some of the racing community. But with the World Cup just over a month away the Nevis Range certainly had some surprises up its sleeve for the second Round of the British Downhill Series.

After a 470 mile drive, Dad and I reached the Nevis Range just after 1pm on Friday afternoon. On arrival the pits were already taking shape whilst most of the talk concerned the new alternations to the track and how many miles people had driven. Once setup we then made our way to the gondola to take a walk down the track.

With this the opening weekend of the downhill track the course was in immaculate condition. The World Championships top section looked smoother than a BMX track whilst the board walk sections and jumps had all been given some TLC. Down into the rough stuff and all the holes had been filled in whilst many of the established berms had been completely rebuilt. Wandering down a few more corners and we came to the first of 3 new sections of track. Once fast and flat out, the straight was now a series of slower corners and drops dug right down to the bedrock. This slower more technical theme continued with the other new sections of track, this I guessed would add around 25 seconds to your run. Past the deer gate and down into the tree’s the rest of the course remained mainly unchanged from previous years. This meant a trip through the World Cup woods and on to the infamous motor way before hitting the Tissot Jump and Triple into the finish.

Although perhaps not the sections I would have changed, the new sections of track where definitely a breath of fresh air whilst the established course looked in great condition. This reminded me why we had made the almost 1,000 mile round trip, and I couldn’t wait to get riding!

The next morning and it was time for practice. I started off with a couple of full runs with a few rests on the way down just to get up to speed and get used to the physical nature of the track. I did all the jumps first time and felt good about the course. For the next couple of runs I then did a bit of sectioning to try and work out some lines and watch what other riders were doing. I spent a fair bit of time watching riders and looking for lines in the World Cup woods as this was definitely the hardest part of the track. The change in light and terrain certainly took a bit of getting used too, and caught me out on more than one occasion. The new sections of course got better and better throughout the day, but were rather unpredictable due to boggy patches that tried to throw you over the bars. However this was well maintained throughout the weekend by a track maintenance team.

After six runs I decided to call it a day. Overall I was having an awesome time and was really enjoying the track. Taking advantage of the gondola I then went to walk the track.

Hopefully this picture gives an idea of the enormity of the track at the Nevis Range.


The next morning I decided to have two practice runs early on and then rest up until seeding. My first practice run was pretty spot on as I hit some new lines and managed to miss out most of the holes and boggy sections. However during my second run I took a nasty tumble over the bars on the stump jump leaving me with a massive head ache. This left me feeling quite shaken and sick but I was OK within a couple of hours.

With some fresh kit and fully prepped bike I then made my way up for seeding. Overall I was really happy with the majority of my run. I was riding confidently and really trying to attack the course to see where I was at. However just before entering the World Cup woods I got a front wheel puncture for the first time ever at Fort William. Instead of wrecking my wheel I made my way down the fire road as I prayed for better luck in my race run.

Making my way up to the top for race runs I felt pretty nervous. I knew I hadn’t registered a time so far and this would be my last chance this weekend. The rain and wind had also showed up just in time for my run.

Starting off first in my category I hit the top section well but felt like I was riding a little bit tentatively. This continued for most of the rough rocky sections as I had more than one dodgy moment where I thought I was off. Knowing my tentative riding was probably causing my problems I finally snapped out of it heading towards the deer gate. Riding with new confidence and authority I hit the next few sections like I new I could do. I then entered the World Cup woods now even slicker than before thanks to a recent rain shower. I rode the first part as good as I had done all weekend hitting my lines and staying right side up. However entering the second part of the woods I wondered just a tad of line before shouldering a tree pad, loosing my front wheel and hitting the deck.

Still clipped in with one foot I got up, and got going as quickly as possible, but I had certainly lost my rhythm and a lot of time. I was now making lots of little mistakes and I knew my race was already over. I crossed the line and went straight into the hot seat, but I knew it could and should have been so much better.

So there you go, that was the 2nd Round of the British Downhill Series. Overall it was a great weekend of riding concluding with another disappointing result. With my first year of Physiotherapy coming to an end, I hope to get back on the pace before the end of the year!


Thanks to my sponsors listed below, I really appreciate all your support:

adidas eyewear | Trixter X-Bike | Maxxis Tyres | 661 Protection | Simon Williams, Personal Trainer | David Lloyd Leisure in Milton Keynes
Bike Tart.com | Royal Racing | Sunline Components | Fit MK.com | Rock Star Energy Drink | Intense Cycles

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British National Downhill Series - Round 1
Saturday & Sunday, 10/11 April 2010

The British Downhill Series formally known as the National Points Series has been making great strides in the past few seasons. Previously the laughing stock of the UK race scene, the Series is getting it's act together as riders from around the globe take on the UK’s best riders. This year’s series began where last years came to it’s conclusion at Rheola in South Wales.

Thanks to the M4, we didn’t arrive at Rheola until roughly 6pm on Friday evening. Having had a quick tour round Lodge Cycles the light was now fading meaning I had to get up the course as quickly as possible to scout out some lines for tomorrow. Overall the track was much different to the one I last rode in 2007. Many of the fast rocky sections had been replaced by much more technical rooty sections with lots of off-camber to contend with. The original bottom section was also no more as the course now dropped down a number of steep chutes before spitting you out into the finish.

With the course walked we joined Kate and Des Betts for some food in town before hitting the sack at their cottage for the night. I was a little bit disappointed that my favourite course had changed so much, but I still couldn’t wait to get riding tomorrow.

The next morning we were out of the house at 7:15am to ensure we were able to park fairly close to the pits rather than half way up a fire road which is the norm at Rheola. In no time the pits were alive with activity and there did seem to be a fair bit of anticipation in the air. Not wanting to be stranded at the top I waited for practice to begin before making my way up to the uplift for the first time.

A tough weekend at the office.

On the whole I didn’t have a great day of practice. The course was certainly much harder than it looked, as I took more than a few tumbles throughout the day. In fact I can’t remember the last time I crashed so much in practice. To make things worse the uplift was very slow and buses kept breaking down meaning single runs could take almost 2 hours to complete. Although I was having loads of fun on the jumps and the faster parts of the track I just couldn’t seem to get the course dialled as I seemed to crash time and time again. I was pretty fed up and very frustrated with myself.

Realising I wasn’t doing myself any favours; I decided to finish practice early and spend time walking the course whilst the elite riders were still on track. This turned out to be the right decision as I realised I’d been over thinking most of the sections I was struggling with. Whilst I was riding the straightest technical lines, many elites were using the simpler standard lines and going so much faster than me. This revelation made me much more relaxed and self-assured about Sunday’s race.

The next morning practice was open for just over 2 hours, meaning anything more than 2 runs was pretty unrealistic. I felt much better than the day before and managed a couple of clean runs which felt pretty quick. The new lines I was taking seemed to be working out and I was having a lot more fun than the day before. With practice out the way it was then time for seeding.

After a long wait at the top I was finally called to the start. My run began well as I hit the top section fairly fast without any major moments or mistakes. Across the fire road and into the first woods I surprised myself hitting all my lines staying consistently fast throughout the section. Across the next fire road and back into the woods I probably got a bit too excited and managed to mess up this section completely. I slipped on a load of roots and hit a stump leaving me on a lower line which you didn’t want to be on. Getting clipped back in I road the next few sections fairly well before loosing concentration once again. Approaching the famous Star Wars section I entered on completely the wrong line giving me much less speed through the roots. Back down onto the next fire road I managed to keep it together over the three drops and through the bog before going down hard on a fast rooty right hander. Knowing it was all over for seeding I got up adjusted my brake leavers as best as I could and just cruised to the bottom of the course.



Rider names on number boards
was a nice touch.

As you can imagine I was well down the order and not very happy with my performance. It felt like I had gone back to square one, and was pretty wound up with how my weekend was panning out. I spent the next few hours cleaning my bike and preparing my kit pretty quietly as I tried to get focussed for a good race run.

My race run was pretty uneventful. I rode the majority of the course well and stayed on my lines but I just couldn’t seem to take it up a notch. Through the middle woods I did have a small crash but this didn’t cost me much time as it was on one of the slower parts of the track. I knew the track had beaten me and I just wasn’t riding well enough to make an impression. Crossing the line I had made up 20 seconds from my seeding run but it was still a good 10/15 seconds from the time I wanted to set. I had finished in 40th place.

Overall this was one of the worst races of my life. From the start of practice to the end of the race I just couldn’t seem to get to grips with the new course and its many technical sections. My time at University and time off the bike definitely showed this weekend, and I have a lot to think about before my next race at Fort William in Scotland.

BIG thanks to Des and Kate for their hospitality and the BDS team for putting on a great event.


Thanks to my sponsors listed below, I really appreciate all your support:

adidas eyewear | Trixter X-Bike | Maxxis Tyres | 661 Protection | Simon Williams, Personal Trainer | David Lloyd Leisure in Milton Keynes
Bike Tart.com | Royal Racing | Sunline Components | Fit MK.com | Rock Star Energy Drink | Intense Cycles

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Royal Racing Confirm Their Support For 2010




"For 2010 I am very happy to be working with Royal Racing. I'll be wearing their new purple Royal Race range of clothing at all Downhill and 4 Cross events during the year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Matt from Royal Racing for his continued support, it's much appreciated."



Thanks to Matt it feels like Christmas again, a purple Christmas.

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Pearce Cycles DH Series 2010 - Round 1
Saturday & Sunday, 27/28 March 2010

The Pearce Cycles Summer Series is the Number One1 Mountain Bike Series in the UK, its races are always first to fill up whilst its reserve lists are longer than your arm. This is down to the passion and enthusiasm of Dave and Lindsay Pearce as they strive to improve on an almost faultless series each and every year. The first round of this year’s series would visit Bringewood near Ludlow in Shropshire, probably the most well known Downhill Venue in the whole of England. With a variety of fast and flowing tracks and an elite field of 17 riders, the event was sure to be a cracker.

We arrived at Bringewood around 8:30am on Saturday morning. The parking field was sodden meaning most people parked wherever they got stuck, as even proper 4x4’s were struggling. With this in mind and thinking the worse I slipped on my walking boots and made my way up the track.

The track chosen for this the first of two visits to Bringewood this year was one of the original Winter Series tracks. Through the rooty top section the track made its way down over the road jump and into a series of berms, which lead you into the old bomb hole jump which is now a series of three jumps. The track then dropped down into a new open section consisting of a number of motocross style whoops before a tricky rooty right hander throwing you back into the woods. This section was a mix of rollers and compressions with another rooty right hander thrown in half way down. Across the fire road and into the final section the speed really picks up before two technical bus stops leading you into the infamous finish line jump.

On the whole the track wasn’t as wet as it could have been considering the weather leading up to the race. It looked like a good track and I couldn’t wait to get out there. However the top section was ankle deep in mud, so I decided to miss the first hour of practice to give the whole track a chance to dry out a little.

The new rooty right hander was quite tough, inside or outside was the question.

Overall practice went really well. I got the jumps out the way early on and felt pretty fast over the majority of the course. The track continued to dry out throughout the day and was running pretty quick by 3pm. It was the most fun I’d had on a bike in a long time and I could have kept riding all day! The whoops section was difficult to get right but once nailed turned out to be one of the highlights of the track. However the course was a lot more physical than I had previously thought. A full run definitely got your legs aching as the track required you to the work the bike throughout.

With around an hour left of practice I had a pretty nasty crash on the bottom section of the course. I think I must have been tired as I smashed straight into a tree missing a quick change in direction. I wasn’t injured but it did shake me up a little so I decided to leave it there for the day. Instead I walked the course with expert riders Jack Geoghegan and Jack Graham. We didn’t find that many new lines but it was still good to talk over a few sections and compare the lines we were taking. After this we then went into town for some food before hitting the sack for the night.

With the clocks going forward an hour the evening before, getting up at 7am was even harder than normal. To make things worse it was devilishly cold, but thankfully it had remained dry overnight. With only 2 hours of practice available the course was very busy throughout the morning. Because of this I decided to stop and repeat a number of sections but in hindsight this probably wasn’t the best idea. As I had stopped so many times I was only able to get 2 practice runs before the uplift closed. Wanting to practice the bottom section of the course one last time, I decided to push up a different track and give it another go. This time around I rode the section with a lot more speed and assurance leaving me positive going into the race.

After a good 3 hour wait it was finally time to head up for my race run. As I’m in a new category this year I was met by unfamiliar faces and other riders who I’d never raced before at the top of the course. It was a bit strange at first, but I soon forgot all about it. Seeded towards the end of the category I was finally called to the start line. Feeling relaxed and confident I listened for the start beeps before sprinting down the first straight.



A few of the characters & scenes from round one.

I felt fast through the top section as I hopped numerous roots and pumped the terrain gaining as much extra speed as possible. Over the road jump and into the next section I had a couple of stalls on a few corners but soon got into my stride gaining plenty of speed from the bomb hole jump. Into the whoops section I over jumped the first double making the next one a little bit messy, but I still managed to get through the remaining jumps OK. Taking it a bit too steady through the rooty right hander I really tried to let the breaks go through the next wooded section. Subsequently this was my best section during the run and left me a bit over excited going into the bottom section. Trying to go a bit too fast I clipped a tree sending me way off line into the next corner. Taking the hint I calmed down a bit and got to the bottom of the course. Over the finish jump and into the finish arena I had gone into 25th place out of 94 riders. Not bad, but with only 4 seconds separating me and the top 15, I was sure I could move up with a good run.


With the course continuing to dry out I took the decision to change from cut spikes to dry tyres. This wouldn’t help me much through the top section but would give me an advantage for the rest of the course. That is if the rain stayed away.

My second run didn’t go the way I had planned. Sprinting down the first straight and into the first corner I managed to screw it up completely. Getting all out of shape and almost coming to a stop I wasn’t too happy. Through the rest of the top section and over the road jump I stalled on yet more corners and didn’t carry much speed. Thinking to myself “are you going to start riding properly now” I crossed the fire road determined to remedy my mistakes. Through the open section and into the woods I felt like a different rider. I was breaking late and working the bike, putting it exactly where I wanted to put it. I was having a blast and just wanted to go faster and faster. Into the top half of the bottom section I continued this form and began to think I might have turned it around. However coming into the last two technical bus stops I left my breaking far too late messing up the first one completely. This left me with no speed making the second bus stop even worse. Pretty annoyed I sprinted into the final jump and into the finish arena 1 second down on my previous run, bumping me down to 29th.

Overall I was pretty frustrated with my second run. The dry tyres were definitely faster I just hadn’t ridden well enough. However on the whole I had felt much faster this weekend, and felt a bit more like myself. I was riding fast and riding with more certainty. But most of all I had a lot more fun on the bike! Hopefully I can take this feeling into Rheola for the first round of the British Downhill Series in two weeks. After all it is my favourite track!

A big thank must go to the Pearce Cycles team for yet another faultless event. I look forward to the rest of the series.


Thanks to my sponsors listed below, I really appreciate all your support:

adidas eyewear | Trixter X-Bike | Maxxis Tyres | 661 Protection | Simon Williams, Personal Trainer | David Lloyd Leisure in Milton Keynes
Bike Tart.com | Royal Racing | Sunline Components | Fit MK.com | Rock Star Energy Drink | Intense Cycles

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British Universities & Colleges Sport DH & XC Championships
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 19/20/21 March 2010

The British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Student Championships has become a pretty legendary event within the UK Mountain Bike calendar. Known for its incredible World Cup like atmosphere and laid back approach, the event is branded as the highlight of the year for a number of riders. This year the championships returned to Scotland for the first time since 2007. The venue chosen was the familiar National venue of Ae Forest in Dumfries which would also hold the National Championships later in the year. So with 350 riders from over 50 universities gunning for the top step on the podium it was definitely the warm up race I needed to begin my 2010 season. However with the rest of Team Keele choosing not to compete I would be flying the flag alone for what would be my first BUCS event.

Dad and I reached Scotland at around 8pm on Thursday evening; just in time to raid Tesco’s for supplies before hitting the sack for the night. Not fancying the formidable Scottish winter we stayed at a travel lodge around 20 minutes from the venue with many other university teams having the same idea.

Ae Forest, part of the 7 Stanes mountain bike centres.

The next morning Dad and I rose bright and early giving me enough time to walk the track before practice began. The track used was a mix of previous National tracks with a re-vamped middle section containing a lot of jumps and tight wooded sections. There was also a brand new bottom section consisting of a series of natural switch backs, not yet cut in which would certainly become interesting if the forecasted rain showed its hand. Most of the pre-practice talk concerned the X-Games style hip jump take off and why the rock garden had been taped so wide, but part from this everyone seemed pretty happy with the track in general.

My first run of practice pretty much summed up the whole of practice throughout the weekend. Despite my first run being at a fairly leisurely pace I still managed to catch and pass nine riders whilst many others could be sign lying in heaps off the side of the track. From this point onwards I knew full runs wouldn’t be the answer, so I tried to section the track as much as possible and really look at the lines in each section. I also did a couple of runs with Elite Ancillotti UK rider Richard Thomas to try and get up to speed.

On the whole I wasn’t a massive fan of the track or the changes which had been introduced. In my opinion it felt like two people had built the new section and not decided how there sections were going to link together. However I was feeling confident on the faster parts of the course and was riding the technical parts of the course as best as I could, this left me feeling fairly up beat about my chances. On top of this the atmosphere was already beginning to warm up leaving me excited about tomorrow’s race.

Unfortunately for us the weather man came up trumps, as rain swept right through Dumfries throughout Friday night and Saturday morning. The rain left the course in an entirely different state to the day before and meant the waterproofs would come out to play. Fortunately the course turned out to run much faster than expected and still provided quite a lot of grip. I managed three practice runs and was really enjoying the challenging conditions and determined to have fun at not get worked up like last years racing. The track was also beginning to dry out meaning it was only going to get faster throughout the day.

After almost three hours of waiting it was time for my race run. Deciding to head up early I thought I’d have plenty of time to relax at the top before my run. However due to the organisers running 20 second gaps instead of the published 30 seconds I was at the top only 3 minutes before my run. With no time to spare I was thrown straight into my run.



They have had the diggers in at Ae Forest, one of the new berms.

Overall it was a pretty steady run which I didn’t really push hard enough. Apart from hitting a tree on a slower part of the course I didn’t make any major mistakes, the run just wasn’t quick enough. Although I was seeded in the top ten, I also still caught three riders which certainly lost me some time. I had finished 25th out of the 285 that made the start line, I knew this was a good bench mark time but I was certainly confident of breaking into the top 15 with a decent run.

With the course drying out and the wet tyres holding me back on the faster sections of the course, I decided to go with dry tyres for the final and just take the risk on the steep off camber sections. This was a gamble, but I was confident it would pay off. With most riders finishing there runs the atmosphere was definitely starting to go up a notch meaning this run was going to be exciting.

My second run start time was just after 5pm and with the evening sun now low in the sky I really struggled to see clearly on the top section of the course. One minute I could see the next I had to guess where to go. This coupled with a number of stalls in the corners pretty much ruined my top section. From here on in I made a number of big mistakes which certainly took me out of the running. However as I progressed down the course the noise seemed to get louder and louder as more spectators appeared. The noise then exploded as I entered the tight off camber switch backs at the bottom of the course where I’d never seen so many spectators! It was like a World Cup as spectators lined the course with numerous air horns, cow bells and mega-phones. Although I hadn’t had the run I was hoping for, this atmosphere alone was amazing and made my run so much more exciting. I eventually crossed the line one second down on my previous run dropping me down to 32nd position.

Overall this was a disappointing finish, but the atmosphere alone made it one of the best race runs I’d ever had. Why can’t more races have an atmosphere like this?

Sunday morning and it was time for the XC race. I went out early to practice the course, but in hindsight this wasn’t really necessary. The first half of the lap was all flat fire roads and forest tracks witch required no suspension or riding ability. From here there was then a massive fire road climb which felt much longer than it looked, before the track moved over to more single track and technical sections. These sections were good fun, but left me wondering shouldn’t this be more difficult and technical? Especially when I could see so many more interesting looking sections all around me that weren’t being used.



The XC track was a little boring but the support was amazing.

With a number of DH riders also choosing to race, we lined up on the front row of the grid ready to ride the 32 mile course and give the XC riders a run for their money. With the claxon sounding I sprinted of as fast as I could and remained with the leading pack for the first sprint of the course. However as the miles started to tick by and the gradient remaining the same I slowly started to slip back down the order. I just didn’t have the constant leg speed to keep up with the leaders and decided to conserve my energy for the short climbs and descents.

Just like the Downhill the day before the atmosphere on the final downhill section was electric. It was certainly like no other XC race I’d done before, and definitely kept you going. The many Downhill riders watching had also made a number of track modifications including inside lines and rock gardens to cause a bit of trouble for the less confident riders. I personally thought this was quite funny and certainly made the race a lot more fun. Other riders were not so amused.

After a fairly quick final lap I managed to claw back a number of positions before the end of the race. I eventually finished 38th out of 140 riders which wasn’t too bad at all.

So there you go that was my first ever BUCS Student Championships. Thank you to Paddy and Jamie from Extreme Knowhow for organising the event and to Keele University Athletics Union for the support they gave me. I look forward to next year’s event!


Thanks to my sponsors listed below, I really appreciate all your support:

adidas eyewear | Trixter X-Bike | Maxxis Tyres | 661 Protection | Simon Williams, Personal Trainer | David Lloyd Leisure in Milton Keynes
Bike Tart.com | Royal Racing | Sunline Components | Fit MK.com | Rock Star Energy Drink | Intense Cycles

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My New Intense 951

After a successful partnership during 2009, I am pleased to announce that I will again be working with Extra UK the British importers of Intense Cycles for the 2010 season.

This year I will be riding an Intense 951 frameset featuring World Cup winning geometry and the adjustability to suit any track. The prospect of racing such a talked about frame is very exciting and this will certainly give me a lot of confidence going into the new race season.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Simon and Chris from Extra UK for their past and future support. I really do appreciate your help and look forward to another positive season.

See you at The BUCS Student Championships on the 21st March 2010 in AE Forest, Scotland for my first competitive outing of the new season.



My 2010 Intense 951 finish in Team Green with Cane Creek shock.

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My 2009 Blogs / News Can Be Found By Clicking Here

 

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