Stepping it up to National Level

[bob_summers]

When pedal studs meet shin...

I'm sure it will all come together on race day. Just keep running the trail through in your head, over and over.

[downhillingdemon]

I hope it does - just found it we are racing that track.................but at least I spent time getting comfortable (if not fast!) on it last weekend. Hope the hard work pays off....we shall see! I am really looking forward to the weekend though, lots of friends are racing so even if I do shite, I know it's still going to be an excellent laugh!

Monday - rest
Tuesday - 40 min nightride, felt good
Wednesday - gym, got my 5x5 on bench , did some back work , saw the gym owner rip his bicep

[downhillingdemon]

Thursday - 1 hour 10 min nightride. Felt really good. Confident and did a lot of descents I often avoid on my own.....hope this confidence stays for the weekend

[rattus]

I Dead sailor is where you kind of jump passively and stay rigid in the air - like once you are airbourne the gravity and rotation decides where you are coming down

I never realized there were other options

[Alistar]

Oww! that shin looks nasty! So was your DH race this weekend?! Hope it went well and you had a good time with your mates

[downhillingdemon]

Weekend in summary ('cause I am far too tired to write it up atm).....

Friday - start getting pent up
Saturday - had a reasonable day's practice (track was sheepskull - the super pedally one I was dreading and the worst one of the lot for me)
Sunday - had a terrible morning practice, fell off, hated every minute of it, nearly bailed at the line.....but managed a solid first run which put my in fourth and then a slightly quicker (albeit raggy and rather dodgy at times) second run which gave me third spot on the podium behind a pro world cup rider and local elite + BDS rider.....and I wasn't that far off her pace (about 3 seconds or so) despite being waaay older and waaaay less experienced at either riding or racing. There was 10 females in all and we don't get split into categories because there isn't enough - so all the vets, professionals, young'uns all have to race in the same category.

So all in all, probably the best result I could've asked for. Especially on a nasty track that claimed A LOT of riders, including the OH who now has a nasty shoulder injury.

And no, before any one asks, I am not doing it again!

Practice day pictures

Jumpityjump


Team Idiot - my riding buddies for the weekend were just super


Colour co-ordinated race get-up


Amazing weather


Boingyboing on the ski-run table after practice


Haven't got many from race day yet
Pushing up


Podium

[Orkje]

Well done!

And no, before any one asks, I am not doing it again!

Hah! You just wait...

[wannalift]

Very well done! Question about your gear, did you go ahead and drop everything and add in a neck brace? How is your riding with that setup? Take any spills yet with it yet?

[downhillingdemon]

Thanks both

Wannalift - yeah, I've dropped all the armour except the neck brace now. Feels much freer - I was having real trouble turning my head and looking round corners with the brace+armour. I also got rid of the knee pads, but the two weekends before the race I crashed and hit my knees/shins (see pic on previous page!) so have returned to the Troy Lee knee pads for DH atm.

I am aware that I am missing a spine board atm and am looking at possibly getting a brace compatible board.

[downhillingdemon]

Cor blimy that racing marlarky totally took it out of me! Dropped to 3x3 on squats tonight as just didn't have 5x5 in me haha.

More I think about the weekend, the happier I am with the result. I can't believe how close I was to the BDS rider and know that the potential to do better is still there. I'm pondering a return to SPD's - if I do race again, of course....

[downhillingdemon]

Wednesday - 30 min run with very VERY sore legs from squats and crawling around for hours in the smallest roof void ever!

Thursday - 1 hour night ride.....followed by 20 minutes or so of running-walking whilst retracing steps to find my blackberry....DOH!!! I had stuck it in my shorts pocket, forgetting the zip is broken on my XC shorts. Luckily the OH remembered me commenting it was weird that a rock had hit my wheel as I hadn't been expecting it....of course it was my phone! Didn't realise until we had got home, had a shower and cooked tea, but luckily it was still lying there in the same spot.

Got a few professional pics from the weekend as the OH was owed a couple by one of the photographers, and I bought one myself.

[Mr. Cleetus]

Heyyyyyy well done on the podium! That's awesome. Great pics as always.

[IronGirl]

Awesome! Well done!

Fabulous photos.

[bob_summers]

Congrats! Good to see you've gone from 'never again' to 'maybe I'll try SPDs next time' within a couple of posts! Fantastic!

[downhillingdemon]

Aww thanks guys - I've been a bit dumbfounded by the amount of positive reaction to the result tbh. It was a really huge thing for me to get to the start line, I guess my friends realised it more than I knew

Friday - rest day

Saturday - working in the morning in Swindon, which was great as it allowed me to see some friends down there in the afternoon, and get to do a bit of trail building at Croft. MBSwindon are quite possibly the most motivated and well organised trail group I have come across - they have constructed a wee trail with a HUGE amount of fun in a tiny piece of donated council land. Top notch! TBH I only did a wee bit of shovelling compared to the guys who had been at it all day and who had managed to shift 20 tonnes.



Also got three laps of the trail in, initially with a couple of riding buddies before blasting around on my own. Was quite insane to come round the corner on the first lap to find a berm in construction and then find it complete on the second. Amazing what a group of people can accomplish. Had surprisingly sunny weather too, which wasn't forecast and therefore probably appreciated even more!

Sunday - more trail building, this time at Cheltenham. Spent the morning, in the snow/sleet/rain digging a climb in a steep clayey bank. Again, amazing how a few spades and effort can make a massive difference. Was also impressed by the turnout, especially considering the horrendous weather.



Sunday evening did a bit of skills practice on the bike, but, tbh, the digging had totally destroyed me

Monday - still sore from digging, had a rest day....well, except for the long old survey

Tuesday - more surveying, still sore back from digging, went to the gym anyway. Did some squats but knew I was too stiff and sore so moved onto bench and easily got my 5x5 I should've done last week, which was a great surprise