So the 29^th  Hell of the North Cotswolds, or HONC, event took place on Sunday 14^th April. Spring had sprung, well sprung a leak, but at least the temperatures were up from the freezing conditions that we have had for most of 2013. A few days of heavy rain preceding the event had done their work to create a major headache for the event organisers. The problem of finding suitable trails for 1000+ riders to actually ride (and not just totally destroy their drive-trains) needed to be addressed, and so with a few last minute diversions, and everybody trusting the signage, people were ready to go. 

Plenty of entrants at the 2013 HONC.

The HONC is a massed start event, and at 9am (or possibly 8.55 as it seemed to take some riders by surprise!) we set off. It made for a nice start to ride through the beautiful Cotswold town of Winchcombe, with police holding traffic and people waving. The pace at the back of the mass was relaxed, with a general acceptance that due to the massive amounts of mud that were expected, this ride was going to be more of an exercise in damage-limitation than vigorous competition.

The extended road section out from town took us along the B4632, then off onto a minor road and past the ruined remains of Hailes Abbey, leading into a good steady climb up a stone topped track. Here there were signs of water damage but no mud yet, although unfortunately the press of riders stopping, starting, walking and general lack of momentum and line choice made this climb pretty slow. Probably the guys at the front easily cleaned it, but for most it was a walk.

The paved sections come as a relief after the deep mud!

Cresting the climb, and with a good amount of altitude gained, we were treated to the additional element of today’s ride, the wind. A particularly exposed section had riders going for the ‘leaning into the wind’ approach, in an effort to stop the side wind blowing them across the road.

Our next section of trail did however live up the mud warnings. Even in the dry 2012 event, this bridleway had muddy sections, so it was now a veritable river of mud.  This was a very deep, black, sticky mud that had the ability to become super-fluid after 100s of riders had been through it. Grip could be found (even my unsuitable small block 8s found grip) but momentum, frame clearance (which luckily I have huge amounts off) and pedalling technique (which I have just enough of) made this section doable for most. Although for CX guys and cantilever brakes, it was perhaps more challenging.

After a 2km section of this, the trail became an armoured farm track with a downhill slope. It was great fun (and sorry to anyone I covered in flying muck) and the first control of the day.

Not a bad place to stage a mountain bike race.

The HONC does feature a lot of road but it is used cleverly, often to slowly gain or maintain height, and so again we were into a minor road section before heading off on another armoured stone track, again with more flying dirt and grit, but little mud.

This lead to the 50/100km split. For me, as I had been given a lift to the event by EMO75 (a Bike Magic lurker who was doing the 50km) the choice was easy, plus as it turned out the right one for me (with my lack of time in the saddle over the winter months). But friends who did the 100km ride tell tales of trails so muddy that people were having problems even walking. I think my small Block 8s may have struggled!

For the 50km ride we were taken along sections of road, straight into a considerable headwind and past the Cotswold Farm Park (a great day out for the kids), owned by Country File presenter Adam Henson, and site of a Medieval Knights Templar farm.

What followed was another armoured double track, with stunning valley views and a great downhill into the stunningly beautiful Hamlet of Barton, replete with stone farmhouses, duck ponds and rivers, all in a secluded valley.

We now had the last road/trail to the halfway food stop, and just a small river crossing of the Windrush to contend with (also one of the chosen sites of the official photographer). To my shame I took the small bridge, while EMO75 rode the river and made it with only wet feet, others I think took a full dunking. My excuse was I did it last year – and the photographer missed me!

HONC 2013. Will you be at the next one?

Another food stop in the Cotswold stone (there is a lot of that round here) village of Guiting Power. Food on the HONC is traditional: bananas, pointy flap-jack, bakewell tart and bread and butter pudding, plus tea or coffee. Yum.

With the wind starting to really make itself known it was off again, climbing out of the valley and once again onto the tops of the hills, where we came into a good headwind. Again the off-road routes were via dry stone double-track that was fine.

The next piece of off-road riding was around a field edge, and it would seem that wet grass does a great job of holding mud together and creating a soft Plastercine style surface, perfect for robbing you of any momentum and draining the energy from your legs.

By now I was starting to suffer from my lack of hours in the saddle prior to the ride, and the climb onto the edge of Cleeve common was slow, and getting slower. A nice off-road descent down a field edge, and the knowledge that we were now getting close to the finish, kept the legs turning. Another good road climb was to come, leading to another extended bridleway section (which luckily was slightly better drained), and then into a more muddy section. The next section of the ride was down a long running tarmac and gravel road, with drainage/speed humps, which were great for popping the front wheel off and whizzing pass CX bikes whilst trying to avoid being blown off line. Then we were onto the last section, an extremely muddy field edge, where the lack of any grip gave me crazy sideways speedway style leg-out moments. Then past the driveway of Sudeley Casle and we were back in Winchcombe, with only a last hill to climb through the town back to the start.

HONC 2013 had been hard work and totally different ride to the ultra-dry trails of 2012.

Yes it has lots of road sections, but these do give you feeling that you have really been out and about and these allow you to see the huge amounts of the beautiful countryside that the North Cotswolds has.

A quick mention to Simon and Olivia (his daughter aged 12), who completed her 2^nd 50km HONC, and to Richard, who lost three stone since Christmas to totally kill the 100km route in under 8 hours. Well Done.

Words: Stephen Roche
Photos: Various

49 hours 12 minutes and 22.5 seconds, 698km and 15,650m of climbing on a mountain bike.

Those numbers are etched in my memory. I’ve just crossed the finish line of the Absa Cape Epic, a gruelling eight-day mountain bike race that saw me reach new highs and lows on a bike, and forced me to dig to the deepest parts both mentally and physically. It’s also left me with a few bruises and an aversion to sand. But most importantly I have an overwhelming sense that, with my teammate Sven Thiele, we have conquered the world’s toughest mountain bike race.

Stephen Roche and HotChillee’s Sven Thiele celebrate an emotional ride at the finish line of the final stage (stage 7) of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Stellenbosch to Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, South Africa on the 24 March 2013.
Photo by Karin Schermbrucker/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

Nine days ago, at the start-line of the prologue, 1,200 other riders from 41 different countries embarked on the event of a lifetime. Unfortunately, around a third of them didn’t manage to reach the finish. They don’t call this the toughest mountain bike race for nothing. I’m relieved that both Sven and I completed the event relatively unscathed.

With Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and World Champion titles, I’d like to think I’m quite skilful on a bike. From day one, I realised there’s a lot less similarities between road and mountain biking than I first thought. For starters, there’s a lot more that can go wrong mechanically. After one too many mechanicals – from broken cleats to overheated back brakes – I know this only too well now. I didn’t really appreciate what I was going to be putting my bike (and me) through. Luckily at the end of each stage, our bikes were taken away by the on-site Bontrager mechanics to fix and tweak overnight.  Now the event is over, the Trek Superfly mountain bike I was riding has been tinkered to perfection.

There’s also the small matter of having to use your upper body a lot more. At the end of most days, it wasn’t my legs that were smashed, it was my arms, my wrists and my hands! Navigating your way down 5km of single-track descent, punctuated by drop-offs is not for the faint hearted. It’s also not for those with poor upper body strength. I certainly haven’t had to use these muscles sets as much in road cycling.

The approach taken to uphill is also completely different on a mountain bike. The only way to get up some of the inclines we encountered was to go as hard as possible. My heart rate would scream at me. It’s definitely not the same on a road bike, unless you’re attacking or chasing, of course.

Wellington – Welvanpas singletrack during stage 5 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held from Wellington, South Africa on the 22 March 2013.
Photo by Gary Perkin/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

Technically, mountain biking requires more. With all the different terrains we faced – sand, rocks, pebbles, stones, fallen trees, gravel – we had to be prepared for all situations. There are times you also have to relinquish control and accept that you will walk some parts (or run if you’re a pro). In fact, with congestion on the single-tracks, at times we were crawling along at a snail’s pace. If it wasn’t for the high spirits of everyone else around you, you might just fall into a hole of despair at these points.

With the technical hurdles, it is of course far easier to take a tumble. On a road bike, you come off every so often and get a bit of road rash. On a mountain bike, it’s part of the routine.  Depending on what’s under-wheel, the consequences can be far more serious. That said, each stage we rode allowed me to understand what I could (and couldn’t – often a more painful lesson) do.

Of course, both cycling disciplines require endurance, which meant getting on the bike day after day wasn’t too much of a shock to the system. And where I struggled on technical descents, I generally had the legs to get up steep ascents. The biggest difference for me was the lack of peloton riding. It’s almost non-existent; single-tracks get in the way, but once we hit gravel roads, we managed to make up a bit of time. I also collected a bunch and led them against a strong headwind at 38km an hour. They were astonished watching their odometers and therein lies a big difference.

The 10^th edition of the Absa Cape Epic started at Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville and finished at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West. Between the two wine estates the scenery was as varied as it was breathtaking. From a mountain bike track, you really do experience views seen by very few people. One minute we were on arid tracks, the next weaving our way through luscious vegetation and vineyards.

Stephen Roche, Sebastian di Pasqua, Vanessa Haywood and Alain Prost during the pre-race events held at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town prior to the start of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race.
Photo by Greg Beadle/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

The prologue seems like a lifetime ago, but we started that day with the aim of finishing and decided to work well below threshold. Going in full-steam-ahead on such an epic endurance event is not sensible. My experience has taught me this. We finished 31^st in our category and 453 overall after day one. By Wednesday we were starting to make our way up the rankings and by the end we were 19^th in our category and 308 overall. Having a plan of action really helped us get through. That and a good breakfast each morning, 12 to 14 litres of fluid a day, lots of salts, PowerBar recovery drinks, a decent massage each evening and a good night’s sleep.

It was a frenetic, exciting, hot (up to 45 degrees) and draining week. I’ve learned a lot about mountain biking – and South African wine. We met so many interesting and inspiring people. Would I do it again? Ask me in a month’s time.

I rode as part of HotChillee’s Cape Epic MTB Team with Sven Thiele. This is part of a joint celebration of HotChillee’s The London-Paris and the Absa Cape Epic’s ten-year anniversaries. The HotChillee Cape Epic MTB teams’ sponsors include: The Bicycle Company for Trek MTB Bikes and Bontrager components, add-ons and Service Corp; PowerBar for nutrition; Hertz for vehicles; Continental for Tyres and LeMarq for clothing.

The original Gorrick crew (© Joolze Dymond)

Fast forward 20 years and those enthusiasts are still at the very heart of the sport they love so dearly, providing grass roots racing to thousands over the years, with no sign of stopping.

In among yet another busy schedule of races, with hundreds taking to the Crowthorne trails in Berkshire, making the most of the beautiful autumnal day, 40 of the very first competitors of the inaugural Gorrick race were starting to gather. A flourish of garish coloured lycra, vintage steel hardtails, eclectic suspension and dodgy elastic all happily made its way to the start line ready to re-live that very first race with a two lap bash.

Who remembers the ground breaking Pace, all box tubing and shiny good looks? How about the Specialized Stumpjumper? Nick Onslow brought a mint condition Stumpjumper along to admiring ooohs and ahhs from those of us that remembered, while Paul Hudson re-lived his chequered past, dressed head-to-toe in cutting edge ’90′s downhill kit along with his classic top of the range DH Haro.

Meanwhile, a smattering of original Gorrick jerseys rubbed shoulders with a bright mixture of retro designs that helped re-live those heady days along with some real classic bikes. Legendary Time Laps boss Frank King, who won his first race at the Gorrick 20 years previous, was all smiles as he relegated timing duties to take his place on the grid.

Nick Onslow finished seven in the retro race on his mint condition Specialized Stumpjumper (© Joolze Dymond)

The eventual winner, sporting a retro Specialized jersey but riding a much newer machine, was Craig Bowles, who scooped the Anniversary Cup for his efforts, while the first vintage bike back was a Specialized Stumpjumer ridden to a fine fifth spot by Colin Adams, with Onslow’s Stumpie not far behind in seventh. It was also a day that Ian Grist, sporting a classic Proflex, would remember well as he took the honours in the prize draw and was rewarded with a handsome £500, while three others grabbed runner-up prizes from Endura.

Throughout the day random riders were rewarded with more Endura clothing as they took part in the numerous races, proving you can be a winner at the Gorrick without crossing that finish line first! However, for some that holy grail of first spot in their category saw once again some super-close racing.

Trading in his singlespeed for at least a few more gears saw Al Fairbairn swap his second place at the first Classic to a narrow win after a hard-fought battle with Scott Forbes and Daniel Rainscourt in the super masters race, while the ultra-competitive open men’s race – a three-lap chaingang of riders – was finally blown apart by Paul Thomas and Derek Wilson, with the former taking the win by only 12 seconds. Meanwhile, Gretel Warner left everything she had on the trails in the open women’s race to take a commanding win from Susan Parker.

Narrow winning margins continued apace in the grand vets category, with both the women’s and the men’s races being fought to the wire. Viv Hazelton proved to have the winning moves as she led from the start from rival Jacqueline Easton, extending her winning margin in their two-lap race by 17 seconds, while Ray Crosthwaite rode a strong race keeping his rivals at arm’s length despite a hard dig by nearest rival Tim Stowe.

But it had to be the master’s race which took the award for the narrowest margin, with four riders finishing the four-lap race with just 46 seconds separating them. It was Kim Little who made the winning move on the final lap, taking the win just 30 seconds ahead of Jason Painton, with Ed Bracey another seven seconds adrift and Ed Fraser a further nine seconds back to complete the top four of what was a very popular category.

There was competitive racing across all age categories (© Joolze Dymond)

The biggest field of the day, however, was the men’s fun race with nearly 70 riders looking for their own bit of fun on the sun-soaked Crowthorne trails. And it was Rob Wilson who had the most fun, claiming victory over the two-lap race.

The trails were also awash with a host of younger riders, with, once , some really close racing – especially in the under 10′s! Hopefully their competitive spirit will still be there in 20 years time, when maybe they’ll be back to help celebrate a bit more Gorrick history.

Many thanks to everyone involved with Gorrick, especially Jon and Jane Lucas – the real driving force over the years, and who have helped carve out a fantastic series of races for all riders. Thanks, too, to sponsors Endura clothing.

Don’t worry if you think you’ve missed all the fun for this year. The Gorrick folk also have a hand in the Merida Brass Monkeys Winter Enduro Series. The three events spread over the winter months will help you to get through the Christmas festivities with little to no damage to your waistline – probably! The first round kicks off on November 25. Entries are filling up fast and there will be no entries on the day – sign-up online at www.gorrick.com

You can find a full race gallery from the 20th anniversary Endura Autumn Classic at www.joolzedymond.com. All images © Joolze Dymond.

The first edition of the new Ritchey TrailMasters powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport event took place over a three day long weekend of August 17-19, in and around Llanwrtyd Wells, central Wales. The concept combines linking stages (untimed long distance rides) with special stages involving off-road time trials. There were cut-off times for all stages.

Nadene in action, ploughing through the mud.
Image: www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk

I’ve ridden a few 50km CRC marathon events but most of the time I come to races as  myself as my hubby Werner’s support crew. I love riding my bike but my mountain bike technical skills need a bit of work.

I agreed to ride the 85km second day of the Ritchey Trailmaster with a bit of nervousness, then. In fact, I’ll be honest, I refused point blank, thinking it would be far too technical. But ‘no’ and ‘can’t’ aren’t in Werner’s vocabulary, and I ended up having a great time, in a cold, wet and exhausted way.

We left a pleasantly warm London at 5am on Friday morning.  As soon as we crossed the Severn Bridge, we were hit by torrential rain, which stayed with us for most of the weekend. Once we’d arrived, we pitched our tent overlooking the rolling, sheep grazing Welsh hills.

Stage 1 (55km – 1 special stage) started at midday on Friday. While Werner was racing I made use of this time to get my tyres made tubeless, courtesy of Stan’s NOTUBES from event sponsor Paligap. They’re also the Ritchey distributor and were showcasing a selection of Avanti bikes. An assortment of mountain bike gear was up for sale at an amazing £5 a piece.

The Ritchey Trailmasters gets underway.

After a few hours, the very wet and muddy riders started to return.  Due to  the severe weather conditions, the riders voted to postpone the special night stage to Saturday and therefore Saturday and Sunday routes were switched.  I have to admit, the announcement of a shorter route on Saturday made me immensely happy.

I woke up Saturday morning to the rain pattering against the tent and was hit by the realisation that I would have to tackle 60km of riding in mud and rain.

We set off at 09:30 and approximately 9km in we reached the first special timed section, which went through the forest along a trail full of wet roots and ruts. I spent most of this section off my bike.

The linking stage that followed consisted of muddy single and double track and what seemed like a lot of climbing. Riding through the muddy puddles was a gamble as you were unable to tell the depth. It was a matter of get in granny gear and pedal (or paddle) ferociously.

The second special stage was a  2km loop and mainly consisted of downhill ‘running’; the collection of lines were very muddy, slippery and with my limited technical ability, unrideable.

Over 100 riders had already gone through and the surface looked like a ploughed field as a result. Being fast and fit and in the front definitely comes with some added benefits.

The section ended with an 800m climb on a fire road – finally something I could ride!

A very happy Nadine after finishing. It was a bit muddy…

Thankfully as we finished the loop, we came to a what felt like a well deserved lunch stop. At this point I realised I would have to ‘race’ back to ensure I finished within the five hour cut off time.

Covered in mud, I reached the finish line with five minutes to spare and was greeted by a rather proud, and clean, Werner, who had completed the stage in less than 3 hours.

I felt exhausted but after a nice hot shower and a burger prepared by the Luff bus crew, I could finally reflect on the day. I really enjoyed the ride as the linking stages were not timed; most people therefore took it fairly easy which created a great atmosphere among the riders.

I did find the riding very technical, especially as the terrain was very wet and muddy, but it was easy enough to get off my bike and push. This also made me aware that I need to develop my technical riding skills so I can keep riding through these tricky sections, which will make an event like this even more enjoyable.

The Ritchey Trailmaster catered for a range of abilities as well as types of experience. Talking to other competitors, it was just as enjoyable for a couple who wanted to ride as a pair; racers who wanted to take it seriously and people who treated the linked stages as social rides and took on the more difficult timed technical stages individually.

Sunset over the campsite.

With the picturesque Welsh countryside, it all made made for a very enjoyable weekend that not even the wet weather could dampen. I will definitely return next year with the ambition to complete all stages which, quite possibly, would then classify me as a ‘mountain biker’.

Full results and more pics from the Ritchey TrailMasters powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport

Twenty thousand spectators will pack into Hadleigh Farm for the Olympic mountain bike races

Schedule

Saturday August 11, 12:30pm – women’s race
Sunday August 12, 1:30pm – men’s race

Where to watch?
Twenty thousand spectators will pack into Hadleigh Farm on both days – but, needless to say, it’s sold out.
BBC One’s coverage of Saturday’s women’s race will run from 12:15pm to 2:30pm, while the men’s race on Sunday will be broadcast on BBC Two between 1:15pm and 3:35pm (subject to change). And, of course, you can read all about both races here on Bikemagic.

Course

Course map

Television audiences are key to a sport’s success at the Olympics and, after the 2008 Games in Beijing, mountain biking – a sport where the field can be spread over a great distance, on a heavily wooded course – faced the possibility of being removed from the Olympic programme.

The sport remains, however, and organisers of London’s event have taken advantage of the natural amphitheatre that is Hadleigh Farm, land privately owned by the Salvation Army in Essex, to build a course designed with spectators and tv audiences in mind. The steeply-sloped terrain allows spectators to view large sections of the course and its man-made but visually appealing technical features from a number of vantage points on the hillside.

“The majority of the course sits in a natural amphitheatre, allowing spectators superb views of the majority of the course, ensuring they have a fantastic day and media coverage is maximised.

“I really do think more courses like this can only help bring spectators and potentially sponsors to the sport,” said Simon Ernest after racing the test event. Mission accomplished, then.

Essex, a county not renowned for its gradients, may not seem the obvious choice for a cross-country mountain bike course but there’s little flat land on the Hadleigh Farm track, with 172m of climbing per 4.7km lap. The men’s race will cover seven laps and the women’s event six, with both races expected to last about one-and-a-half hours on what is set to be a super-fast circuit, with technical sections which can be taken at speed, lots of overtaking opportunities and the added factor of the wind whipping in off Thames Estuary.

Work began on the course in July 2010 and was completed nine months later, although the course was updated earlier this year to make it “higher, wider and higher” following rider feedback from last summer’s test event, the Hadleigh Farm international, with the addition of new climbs, technical features and key overtaking areas.

The start/finish area leads straight on to a climb in order to avoid a bottleneck and then zig-zags its way across the farmland, and up and down the hillside, via a number of climbs and technical features, including Triple Trouble (a rock garden with three lines, the steepest being the quickest), Leap of Faith (a steep, wooded drop-off) and The Rock Garden (a new feature added after the test event).

You can see more of the original course (before it was updated) in this video of the test event from British Cycling:

Want to ride the course? The Olympic course will remain after the dust has settled on London 2012 but it will be adapted – tamed – to make it more suitable for wider use. Last week we brought you the news that Castle Point Borough Council has voted to allow a planning application to construct two biking tracks, a bike skills area, a visitor centre and other facilities on land at Hadleigh Country Park.

The course has 172m of climbing per lap

Contenders

Men

Julien Absalon
Nationality: France
Age: 31
Pedigree: Absalon became the first man to win back-to-back Olympic titles with victory in Beijing, having previously won in Athens, and continue France’s domination of the event after Miguel Martinez won the Sydney 2000 race. The Netherlands is the only other nation to have claimed gold in the men’s race after Bart Brentjens won the inaugural event in 1996. Four-time world champion Absalon, who won one World Cup this season, also dominated the test event, leading from start to finish.

Nino Schurter
Age: 26
Nationality: Swiss
Pedigree: Schurter took Olympic bronze in the 2008 race and is the form rider in 2012 having won the overall World Cup series. The Swiss rider  claimed three victories en-route to his second overall title, including a win at the final round of the campaign in Val d’Isere, France, on July 28.

Jaroslav Kulhavy
Age: 27
Nationality: Czech
Pedigree: Kulhavy hasn’t enjoyed the same dominance in 2012 as he did last year, when the Czech rider won the overall World Cup series and the World Championships, but the 27-year-old has been in the mix throughout the season, registering three podium finishes at the World Cup to finish third overall. That’s enough to make him the bookies’ favourite (you can see the latest odds here).

Liam Killeen will represent Great Britain at the Olympics for the third time

The Brit – Liam Killeen
Age: 30
Pedigree: Great Britain qualified one rider for the Olympic Games, with Killeen taking that spot. The 30-year-old will line-up at his third Olympic having finished fifth and seventh in Athens and Beijing respectively. Killeen’s best World Cup result this season was a 19th place finish at the Nove Mesto Na Morave round and the five-time British national champion is unlikely to be in the medal mix this time round.

Women

Catharine Pendrel
Age: 31
Nationality: Canadian
Pedigree: Pendrel has called the Olympics “the ultimate race” and described the World Cup season as the perfect springboard for success at the Games. The 2011 world champion will head to Essex as favourite, then, having won the overall World Cup series after notching up four individual victories.

Gunn Rita Dahle Flesjaa
Age: 39
Nationality: Norwegian
Pedigree: Dahle Flesjaa knows what it takes to succeed at the Olympic Games having won gold in 2004 and the veteran goes into the 30th Olympiad in fine form having won the final World Cup event of the season.

Julie Bresset
Age: 23
Nationality: French
Pedigree: London 2012 will be Bresset’s first Olympic Games and the young Frenchwoman has made gold her number one target this year. The 23-year-old won the under-23 World Championships and senior World Cup title in 2011.

Annie Last is the first female British mountain biker to qualify for the Olympics since 2000

The Brit – Annie Last
Age: 21
Pedigree: Team GB has a genuine outside shot at the medal in Last, who is the first female British mountain biker to qualify for the Olympics since Caroline Alexander and Louise Robinson in 2000. The 21-year-old Last, ranked fifth in the world behind Pendrel, Dahle Flesjaa, Bresset and the injured Maja Wloszczowska, has consistently registered top ten finishes in 2012 and is coming into form with perfect timing having earned her first World Cup podium finish in Val d’Isere.

Bikes

The smooth track, with technical sections which are fast but not too challenging, will suit a hardtail, according to course designer Martin Seddon.

“Most of the riders will be on hardtails but obviously they’re trying to figure out whether they should be on a 26-inch wheel or a 29er – or whether they’re going to do anything different altogether,” Seddon told us earlier this year.

Hardtails dominated the test event and we scoped out some of the pro’s bikes for this feature.

Great Britain’s Killeen will run 29-inch wheels in Essex: “A 29er suits the Olympic course,” Killeen told Bikemagic after previewing the course in April. “The bigger wheels roll over some of the rocks nicely and it feels good round here.”

Fine weather is forecast for the weekend but, should the heavens open, British Cycling have coated Last and Killeen’s bikes in a mud-resistant P2i nano-coating. Read more about that here.

Tracy gets in some snow practice at the Maxiavalanche in Cervinia

Cervinia was the host of the second round of the Maxiavalanche Series, 30km up a narrow valley from the Aosta valley in the shadows of the Matterhorn. I have driven past it many times but never realised it was there and wow what a stunning resort it is! The amazing peaks of the mountains sadly only showed themselves on one day as the rest of the time we clouded over with some fairly persistent rain.

It was quite bizarre queuing up for the gondola, hustling for space amongst skiers and snowboarders. We were definitely the ones in the wrong; as soon as we got to the top they all just slid off gracefully and I skidded, one leg out with very little control and grace!

It was a pretty long section of snow and luckily the conditions were cold enough that it was possible to ride most of it. I have just not spent enough time on the snow to feel confident and let go. I can’t tell whether or not I am about to sink into the snow and get spat over the bars!

I think my caution was justified as I watched my boyfriend catapult into the air, execute a high speed sprawl across some ice and rocks and slide to a halt holding his shoulder. That was the day over as we then spent the rest of the day in Aosta hospital to find out he had broken his collar bone. Pretty lucky actually considering the crash!

I missed qualifying but with only five girls on the start sheet it was not going to make much difference to our start.

Cervinia sits close to the Matterhorn in spectacular scenery

Sunday morning we were greeted with some pretty heavy rain and the organisers decided not to to start on the glacier but to use the alternative course that had already been marked out in preparation. Fortunately the rain subsided by the time racing began but it left some pretty slippery conditions.

I made a good start in both my races and led from the start to the finish. It was a big shame not to have had more girls for this race and for me it was a big shame that we couldn’t start on the snow as I didn’t really get the mass start or the snow practice I came for. However I still did get some more great training on 15-minute downhill tracks, something I would struggle to do back at home.

A clear day – pity it was wet and cloudy most of the time.

With the Megavalanche only two weeks away and having raced every weekend for the last two months or more I decided to take a weekend off. It was a tough decision as the Mountain of Hell and Crankworx Europe was taking place in Les Deux Alpes but I stuck to my plan and had some good days of training and some good recovery time too.

Going Mega

The Megavalanche is the original mass start enduro downhill race and this was the eighteenth edition. It’s a classic race, a real must-do for every mountain biker.

The women’s field waits for the start. 30 seconds to go!

There were close to 2,000 entrants this year from 29 different countries. The Brits are definitely big fans of the Megavalanche with over 700 entrants from GB!

I have completed the Mega only once before, finishing fifth after having to stop to repair my twisted chain, so I knew what to expect. I knew that it is all about getting a good start on the snow so I got up super early to get the first lift to practice the snow.

I experienced every snow condition I thought possible from perfect rideable piste, to ice, to pretty soft slushy snow. I was feeling better on the snow and definitely a lot more confident but even with all this practice I still had not done enough to prepare myself for the conditions we had on race day.

It was great to see the biggest women’s field I have ever seen at a gravity event, close to 100 girls battling it out. For me it was a great opportunity to race against a full field and the first chance I have had for some time to race against the legendary Anne-Caroline Chausson.

Anne-Caroline retired from World Cup downhill just as I started to win a few races and since then she has gone on to become the first ever BMX Olympic champion. She still races enduros as well as coaching the French BMX squad. I knew it was going to be a tough challenge but I felt as though I was now the most ready for it as I had ever been.

I qualified in second, right behind her and had spent most of the run just following her. I could see she was not pushing hard as we were both out in front of the rest of the field and there was no need to use up any unnecessary energy.

The main race was going to be a lot different as we had to get off the snow first. Anne-Caro once set a world speed record on a bike on snow and grew up skiing so she definitely is a little more at home on the stuff than me. Sadly the weather conditions for our race were not great, it was far too warm and the snow was soft.

With the snow conditions so poor the organisers had decided to divert the course a little which added to the sense of unknown. I decided to take a completely different start to Anne-Caro. As she set off on the snow I chose to start on the off camber rock and although it was a little slower initially I soon got up into second place as we turned the first corner onto the first flat snow section.

Anne-Caro probably had around a 30m lead by this point and soon extended that lead as she somehow managed to pedal across the snow. I quickly looked up and saw her and thought, “right I need to try riding too!” I tried it and straight away just sank into the snow!

I was off and trying to scoot and then trying to run and by this stage Anne was about to turn down the first steep bank. Gutted I had already lost touch and all my flailing about meant that I was now getting passed.

I managed to ride the next steep chute and on to the gravel road. I quickly looked up and could see Anne-Caro running knee deep in snow across what looked to be no man’s land. I had the great idea that I would run across to the piste in the hope it would be hard enough to ride and then I would just ride along and catch her up!

Poor judgment on my part, it just meant that I ran an extra two sides to the triangle to her one and still ended up sinking in the snow and having to run.

By this stage I was now back in 6th place and had some work to do. Another couple of poor line choices later and we were finally off the snow.

I slowly managed to pass the girls ahead of me and got back up into second spot by the first climb and the traverse above Alpe d’Huez but by this time Anne-Caro was no where to be seen.

I pushed as hard as I could but with no gauge of anyone in front or behind I felt a bit in limbo just riding my own race. I had some amazing support along the way, though; the main climb was like being in the Tour, cow bells, chainsaws and even a ‘Go T-MO’ banner – very cool!

However all the support was not enough and I eventually finished 3min 50sec behind Anne-Caro. It was a little disappointing not to have had a chance to give her a race but I guess finishing second to such a great rider and a further four minutes ahead of the rest of the 100-girl field is still a great achievement in only my first year of enduro’s and my second Mega.

The Megavalanche women’s podium. From left to right: Ines Thoma, Anka Martin, Anne-Caroline Chausson, Tracy Moseley, Rosara Joseph

Anka Martin, my Cape Epic partner from last year, put in a great ride to take third spot, so I’m happy for her. I certainly learnt a lot from this race and I feel I could come back next year much more prepared and ready to have another go at taking a win at the Mega.

We’ve been sent this video by Ryan Bevis on Twitter (you can follow us @bikemagic, by the way) which gives a flavour of the quagmire that riders had to battle with. What started out as green fields (albeit waterlogged by a week of heavy rain) soon descended into rivers of mud.

The Endurance Series is new for 2012 and sees the collaboration of a number of experienced event organisers to combine some of the most popular and well-known mountain bike events in the country to produce the first-ever endurance champion.

The Altura Whinlatter Mountain Bike Challenge started things off back in March with some fierce racing at the shortest round of the series. Though a mere 30 miles, the hilly Lake District course provided close racing between some well-known endurance racing names.

By the halfway point it was a three horse race with Neil Crampton (Crosstrax), Rich Rothwell (M Steels Cycles/Exposure) and Greig Brown (Dooleys-cycles.co.uk) fighting hard in the unseasonably warm sunshine. Crampton hung on and was awarded 100 points to make him the first Endurance Series leader.

In the women’s race Helen Jackson managed to increase her comfortable lead on the second lap while Sally Ozanne also pulled away from third. Age and experience ultimately won out on the challenging terrain as singlespeeder Sandra Scally lost out to Jo Cardwell, losing a couple of minutes over the last lap. Full results and a race report are available on www.whinlatterchallenge.co.uk

A few weeks later the series moved onto the longest event, 12 and 24 Hours of Exposure in Newcastleton, Scotland. Many of the top endurance specialists in the UK raced hard in the changeable conditions for the UK and European Solo Championship titles on offer.

In the 12-hour race elite cross-country rider Maddie Horton (Certini-McCaulays) looked comfortable throughout the race leading from the start. Rookie rider Iwona Szmyd (VC10/Lite Option) took second with a one lap lead over third placed Jane Chadwick (Dirtwheels Cycles). Fourth placed Kirsty Forrester picked up 94 points to put her second in the series after a good finish at round one. Series leader Helen Jackson finished fifth to keep her place at the top of the table.

In the men’s race both categories went down to the wire with Dave Powell (Team JMC/Titus/On-One) winning the open category just four minutes ahead of Matt Page (Team Wiggle.) Old friends and rivals Ant White (Cannondale MT ZOOM Racing) and Rich Rothwell pushed each other hard. In the end White won by 13 minutes but Rothwell took the series lead with another second place and an excellent show of his versatility as a rider.

It was rookie rider Rachel Sokal (Cotic/AQR Holidays) taking the honours in the 24-hour race from veteran Emma Cutler. In the men’s race Huw Thomas (Niners/Stans/Ergon UK) made the successful step up as last year’s 12-hour rookie winner to take the overall European 24-hour solo title; his closest rival being the reigning veteran 24-hour champion Mark Spratt (Cardiff Jif/Cyclopedia), who led his category comfortably from the start. Second placed veteran Jason Hynd (MTB Guisborough/Bikescene) rode well to score enough points to put him into second in the series with a total of 163 points from the first two rounds. Another solid performance from Andrew Howett (SWCC/MT Zoom/
Bikefood) put him inside the top 30 overall and a total of 141 points in the series. Again, you can find a full race report and results on www.24hoursolo.co.uk

The Gorrick Exposure 100, round three of the Endurance Series 2012, took place after a week of rain, but the course prep team defied this to produce a superb, flowing, almost dry 10-mile course that produced some amazing racing. A large number did turn out, keen to challenge themselves and claim their finisher’s medal, but those who stayed away because of the weather will be kicking themselves now.

Ben Thomas (Mountain Trax) had put in some serious training and was determined to retain his seven-lap crown from last year, but there were some very strong contenders lining up with him. Within 10 minutes from the start there was a lead group of four which included Tim Dunford (Cannondale Racing), Jamie Newall (Phil Corley Cycles), George Budd (Salsa Factory Racing). Behind that group Ant White (Cannondale MT Zoom Racing), Josh Ibbett (USE/Santa Cruz Bicycles/The North Face), and Jay Horton (Certini-McCauleys) kept up the pressure.

Thomas and Budd set a blistering pace and managed to split the lead group so that by the crucial sixth lap Budd was hurting and no longer able to assist by doing any work on the front in the wind. From this point on Thomas pushed ahead while Budd managed to hold off Dunford, who was still chasing in third.

Having been placed inside the top 30 in all three events so far, a consistent Andrew Howett (SWCC/Mt Zoom/Bikefood) now leads the men’s series. Rich Rothwell (M Steels Cycles/Engima) holds onto second despite not competing in round three while Ant White, Jay Horton and Szabi Bandli (Endura/NavFree racing) round out the top five series places with top ten finishes at the third round.

Over in the women’s race Maddie Horton (Certini-McCauleys) set a fast pace throughout, eventually finishing over 50 minutes ahead of Amanda Brooks (Ellsworth Haven) and Hanneke Van der Werf (Jewson/MI Racing/Qoroz). This meant that with two wins under her belt Horton is now leading the women’s series ahead of Helen Jackson (Planetfear.com) and Kirsty Forrester (Cheeky Dior XT), who didn’t race in the third event. Full results for the Gorrick Exposure 100 are available now at www.gorrick.com.

So with three races left and another 300 points on offer it’s still an open series with any number of riders looking likely to take the top spot. Places for the remaining rounds – Brighton Big Dog, Gorrick 12:12 Torq In Your Sleep and the Montane Kielder 100 – are filling up fast so make sure you get your entry in quickly. For more information about the series and any of the events mentioned visit www.endurance-series.co.uk

(All photos courtesy of JoolzeDymond.com)

The new Ashton Court course survived a deluge the day before the race and was one of the most fun we’ve ridden. “Looking at the weather we have been having here in Bristol since then we can wholeheartedly say that ‘we got away with it’,” the organisers told us. You can read our ride report here.

This little video gives you a sample of what the Bikefest was all about. And if you fancy a bit of the action, entries are open for Oktoberfest; an eight and four-hour race organised by the people behind Bikefest. It will be held on October 13 and you can expect a distinctly Bavarian flavour. Enter online at www.bike-fest.com/oktoberfest/

The first race for Nick to report on is the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon British Championship up in Selkirk. It was quite a bit earlier this year, but it is still one of the most loved rounds of the series. With its uniqueness through its combination of the superb natural trails around the Selkirk area and the world famous purpose build tracks of nearby trail centres like Innerleithen. This is one of the most loved races on the circuit.

“What an epic race this was going to be, one lap of the Marathon National Championship up in Selkirk. I decided the Spark RC 29er was the perfect bike for this event, with 84km of a mixture of natural terrain, a helping of manmade terrain, and all the other terrain you can think of, oh and 3000m of climbing thrown in for good measure!

From the off a rapid pace was engaged with a strong group of 10 riders, which included all the favourites, Dan Fleeman, Lee Williams and Rab Wardel. By the 15 km mark it was Dan, Lee and myself pulling away. Lee is a very good XC racer and Dan is a very strong road rider. I knew, I was going to have to use all my know how to try and win this one. Lee put the pressure on in a technical section putting Dan just off the back. He soon rode back up to us but I noticed his weakness, this happened again so I sat in behind Lee, driving the pace down the valley towards Innerleathan. It took Dan two miles to get back on to us.

As we hit the big climb, Lee again pressed on, now putting Dan out of his comfort zone on the climb. I knew this would not sit well with Dan as this is his strong point, but after having to close the gap in the valley, he was now paying for his efforts at the top. We were all together, so I did some riding on the front as we approached the 2^nd feed. Leading into a technical rooty section we had gaped Dan again, then we hit the valley again.

Me and Lee shared the work on the front knowing how strong Dan is from his road career. This worked as began to Dan chase. We pushed hard and then it was down to a 2 horse race. I felt Lee was on a good ride but had a feeling that he might find the distance at this pace. So I decided to bide my time as I know this route very well and thought the final hill will be decisive.

Through the final feed and one more bottle of Torq fuel and I’m feeling good with only 10km to go. We started a simple decent on the moor and Lee lost control locking his rear wheel, I reacted grabbing to much front brake in the mud only to hit the deck! Bars twisted and chain off I lost contact, I got going and chased hard closing to 10 second gap at the finish.

So near, but that’s mountain biking. The podium was completed by Dan Fleeman on exactly the same Spark RC 29er as me.

From Selkirk I went straight to Scott HQ Switzerland, then off to recce and advice on the courses through the Langkawi jungle for a 6 day stage race to be held in October.

Also Thomas Craig finished 5^th in the NPS Hopton wood’s his best finish this year.”

This next race Nick attended was the BC Nationals R4 at Kirroughtree, Scotland. Here is Nick outlook on the race.

“Round 4 of the Nation Series headed up to Scotland’s South West Coast to Kirroughtree. Kirroughtree is one of my favourite places to ride, as the 31km black route is the nearest to a wilderness MTB experience you will find in the UK. Its flowing red and black tracks, topped by the infamous MC Moab, is well worth the journey off the beaten track.

My worry was, can the NPS make a course to give everybody the feel for what Kirroughtree has to offer. There was no disappointment there, proper technical track made more so by the buckets of rain falling all Friday night…

Sunday morning and Thomas Craig was keen to add to his superb 5^th at Hopton. Thomas raced well, coming home in 7^th place. That’s 4 rounds in the bag for him, as he is not racing the final round in Essex. We will have to see where that puts him in the overall after the final round.

Also, younger brother Charlie who was riding the go ride event, was a little frustrated as he wanted to do the under 14’s race, but is not old enough yet.

For the elite race, we had 5 laps to complete. This was going to be a long race by the new XC standard. As ever, the start was rapid, unlike myself, running diesel fuel, I ended up back in the teens in the 1^st half lap. Not ideal, but I pulled in to 9^th after completing the lap. I spent the rest of the race working hard fuelling on Vanilla Torq, this was difficult on this course, but I believed it would pay off later in the race.

At the start of the last lap I had Rab Wardel and Gareth Montgomery for company in 4^th5^th and 6^th I pulled away and started to see 3^rd place by the crest of the first climb. Passing Hamish Bachelor next in sight was Dave Henderson, he was surprised to see me as I had caught him at mid distance only for him to pull away, straight past Dave, and into second place at the finish. Oli Beckingsale took the win but was shocked as I had closed to 20 seconds!

Before tackling the 4 hour drive home, Charlie wanted a decent ride so all the Craig family headed out for the superb black loop. Me and Thomas were suffering, but it topped off a great weekends racing.”

And this weekend Nick will be racing at the Wiggle Mountain Mayhem as part of Scott Sports mixed team. He’ll be joined by Neil Crampton, Dan Fleeman and Katy Simcock.