Rich Rothwell

Erm, yes, this is a round up of my early season. It’s been fair to middling results wise but one thing it has been is FUN! (Well, when you take out the near death experiences anyway).

I had high hopes for the Whinlatter Challenge after having a good ride there last year. However, my confidence took a huge hit on a practice lap with Ant the day before as I suddenly and inexplicably crashed really hard. Completely out of the blue. One minute I was riding a tame bit of trail, the next I was on the ground and the world went bright white. For about a minute. Scary stuff. I’d hit my head pretty hard and put a good hole in my knee cap (It’s still not right even now). I just don’t know how I crashed.

The day of the race it rained. Non stop. And it was freezing cold. I was full of pain killers. It was one of the those days when the thought of racing really didn’t appeal… Descending wise, my confidence was on the floor and I picked my way cautiously through the slippery rocks and tree roots. The climbing legs didn’t really get going going either but, like many others that day, I was just glad to get round the loooong laps unscathed. 7th overall and 2nd vet behind a well paced Roy Davies.

Next up was the Fred Whitton Challenge. I was really looking forward to this as I had missed it last year due to illness and had raised over £500 pounds for MacMillan Cancer Support. I had a duty to complete the ride. Despite missing a hook up with Ant on the start line I got with some good riders including Greig Brown, Adam Nolan, Rob Glaister, and Grant Law. We worked well together, with the group occasionally changing composition but a solid pace had me set for a good finish time. Then the weather hit out towards the coast. It rained hard. I got VERY cold. My legs stopped working and I dropped off the group. I started to shake uncontrollably… my vision started to go. Hello Hypothermia! I was really in trouble and I had no bail out. Hardknott and Wrynose stood between me and relief from the excruciating cold. I was, of course, not too excited about the route home…. but I limped to the first ramp of Hardknott, a ‘good time’ no longer of interest. I got the blood flowing again (note: Hardknott is NOT the ideal location for a warm up). And by the time I hit the second steep section I was back on it again. From the base of Wrynose it was just an ‘easy’ climb back up and over to Coniston. 6:28 disappointed to loose a chunk of time at the final hurdle but a great day out nontheless. I’ll be back next year for sure.

First weekend in June was one of my favourite ever events: The Glentress 7. A 7 hour endurance race with ‘proper’ trails. Huge climbs and cracking technical and super fun descents. I really wanted to do it solo but with the National Marathon Championships the next weekend I didn’t think this would be a good move. So I paired up with Scottsh Masters xc rider Martin Graham (Dirt Wheels) and got social for a change. What a brilliant day! His dad helped in the pits, I caught up with old friends between laps, the sun (mostly) shone, and racing was fast but friendly. I was climbing and descending well; such a relief after the nervousness of Whinlatter. Martin was a great partner and we ended up third pair behind Rob Friel / Allan Clark and Douglas Shearer / Jack Richards. Special mention must go to Greig Brown for a superb solo win; he hit the pace hard from the start and hit the ground hard a couple of times too but still hung on for the solo win. A very gutsy ride.

This weekend just gone was a big focus; the National Marathon Championships. With Nick Craig in the Vets, the race was for second place. What followed was a four hours roller coaster of incident and accident. I started well and decided to not overcook the first climb. Ant got a small gap and I (foolishly in retrospect) let the gap go. Greig barrelled down the first big descent and punctured between Ant and I at high speed. The gap grew and this time I couldn’t close it down Ant got away a bit and crucially out of my sight on all but the odd long climb. Plenty time I thought as I felt strong. Nick Craig yo-yoed past me a couple of times due to punctures. I knew I was climbing well because I kept Nick in sight pretty much all the way to the top of Caddon Bank but Ant was nowhere to be seen; he was clearly flying! then I made my crucial error; head down on a man made descent, I missed a turn. I realised there was a problem when I saw Ben Thomas and Lee Williams climbing back UP towards me! It appears several people took wrong turns that day, and many more punctured or crashed. I knew I now had little chance of catching Ant. As it turns out Nick Craig DID catch him on the final descent. And then punctured again! (I won’t complain about my mistakes!)  So there you go; 3rd vet at the Nationals and 15th overall; not a bad result, especially considering the start list.  And I’m delighted for Ant; he really deserved that win. I’ll be back next year for another crack at it for sure. I really enjoy the Marathon discipline and wish there were more Marathon events in the UK.

Apart form a road sportive, next big one up is the Manx 100. Now THAT is sure to be packed with incident… : P

Old news now I realise but Ant White and I recently won the Masters 40 race at Andalucia Bike Race.  It was a hell of a rollercoaster ride… One that Ant has summarised perfectly in the account he posted on xcracer.com. Rather than recount the nail biting / painful / finanacially disasterous / euphoric proceedings once more, I suggest reading Ant’s humourous account (I had several uncharacteristic, yet I think completely justified, sense of humour failures during the week)

http://www.xcracer.com/Ant-White-Rich-Rothwell-Andalucia-Bike-Race-2013.html

But anyway… we won! Hurrah! And we got to stand with Hermida et al everyday on the front row at the start. (And then get scared out of our skin in the ballistic starts – that’s me far right trying to not be crushed to death by Alban Lakata’s legs). Amazing memories.

Yes, my bike got nicked. But a massive thanks to the Spanish Scott team for the loan of a Spark 29er. Given that the day before the race it looked like I wasn’t going to start, we found it all the more amazing that we won our category. The bike handled superbly and it’s a good job as the test ride was on the way to the start line…

Ant was a fantastic race partner yet again. His years of racing experience and being ‘up against it’ really helped me lift my game when, at times, I felt like taking the next plane home. Thanks for that – it all worked out in the end.

I also can’t thank M Steel Cycles enough for being so understanding and supportive on my return (you can imagine how much I was looking forward to breaking the news about our ‘oversight’). Schwalbe tyres have also been fantastic by replacing my stock of tyres that were also collateral damage in the Malagan Bike Bag Crisis.

With the new race season looming ’no bike’ was far from ideal, but Steels came up with the goods: a week after my return from Spain a new Trek Superfly Pro SL landed. It really is something special; 19lb dead, stunning looking, and superb handling. Within a couple of hours in the techy trails of Thrunton Woods this morning, the bike feels part of me. It goes exactly where I look. It’s incredibly comfortable for a hardtail, and it’s VERY fast without feeling like a twangy race bike. And it’s red and black - THE best colours for a bike. 

When my post Andalucian stress levels return to normal I’ll post some more info, but here is a taster:

I’m really pleased that Schwalbe UK will continue to provide me with tyres for the 2013 season. Not only do they produce great tyres for many applications and disciplines, they happen to produce my favourite mountain bike racing tyre: the 29er Racing Ralph (which has been subject to some improvements this year. For starters, it’s 30g lighter!). 

These are the tyres I’m running this year:

Durano 23c – In my opinion, the best high mileage winter road training tyre you can get.

Ultremo ZX 23c – Fast. Light. Supple. I don’t race road but will be using these for sportives this year, including the Fred Whitton. 

2.25 29er Nobby Nic. Mostly for trail riding in loose terrain. A Ralph on the front and a Nic on the front also works really well when the trail is generally smoother but you just want extra bite in the corners.

2.25 29er Racing Ralph. In most race situations these are my first choice. The big wheels help these fast rolling tyres bite, even in slippery conditions. In the Snakeskin format they are tough for such a light tyre and in the wide version they can handle some pretty fast and technical terrain… perfect for the Andalucia Bike Race at the end of February. www.andaluciabikerace.com

2.00 26er Dirty Dan. These are my favourite mud tyre. They worked a treat at Mountain Mayhem in the ‘Summer’. I found my 26″ steel hardtail was perfect for the attrocious conditions with as little clogging as could be expected. I don’t like going much narrower with mud tyres (these do actually feel quite narrow for 2.00) as I find the compromise in stability challenging in long races.

Thanks to Schwalbe UK. www.schwalbe.co.uk

Well, I got home from work earlier this week and the jolly folk at Exposure had sent me a Christmas parcel. With the excitement of a starry eyed child I opened the packet…

Why have they sent me an eloborate metal Christmas tree decoration? Hang on! No sillly it’s a miniature fire hydrant replica! Eh?

Suitable confused I did what idiots around the world have done for years, stared at it, and turned it on. Fifteen minutes later, when my vision returned, I realised it was a Blaze rear light. Hurrah!

80 lumens is VERY bright for a rear light. If, like me, you commute / ride / train right through the dark or just dim hours winter, you will appreciate the confidence this light inspires. It is simply impossible to not be seen from behind, (from miles away!) especially in the flashing mode. At 80 grams in weight (that’s a gram a lumen. Calculations made without the aid of a calculator) and with no external battery pack (the light charges in 3 hours via a USB) it’s compact as well as powerful.

Run times vary between 6 hrs and 48, depending on the program you select. Even on the ‘low’ setting, this is an incredibly bright light. The on/off button and charging port are protected by a rubber storm cap and it looks like the Blaze would cope with a bad Mayan storm. In addition, the rubber band attachment makes it easy to switch between bikes in seconds and if, like me, you live a house where the bikes outnumber the humans (substantially) that’s a good thing.

I’ve become somewhat obsessive about lights and the science of being seen of late (this is very interesting and well worth a read btw http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/). It’s so important to have good quality lights. Bikes are the only on road vehicles to come WITHOUT lights as standard. Make sure you get some good ones and stay safe.

Thanks Expsoure and Merry Christmas All.

Despite the murderous conditions of 2011, and several post race promises to myself to never do this race again, I knew deep down that come 6:30 in the middle of September, I would be lined up with the masses at Kielder Castle, being tormented by midges and feeling sick from forcing down breakfast at 5am.

This race has a unique allure though. I like the idea of one BIG lap. It means that, regardless of the individual rider’s ability, it’s going to be tough. The quick riders have a long fast race in the Pain Parlour, whilst those out simply for the challenge of completing this formidable test will be out there for several more hours! No shirking, no winding the clock down; just get round or rue not finishing! I’ve got loads of respect for those who know that simply getting round before the cut-offs is a huge personal challenge and they go for it anyway – it’s a long time to be out there.

Race morning was a lot more pleasant than last year. Not too cold and most importantly, not raining. The course would be wet though as there had been some pretty heavy downpours in preceding weeks and days. However, with more favourable conditions, I intended to better my vets course record and of course retain my vets title in the process. 5th place overall was a good result last year and whilst recognising the quality field around me, I wanted to be there or thereabout this year. Silly, but at the least I wanted to retain a 4 year run of top ten finishes.

Off we went. I decided to adopt a similar strategy to last year; go off fast and hope a quick lead group formed to work with. This isn’t how it panned out; quite quickly the pace chopped and changed, a small group formed and then broke up. I was using a lot of energy trying to stay amongst a fragmented lead so I backed off a bit and rode alone or with one or two others. Up a long climb I could see that the front runners had sort of reformed but the effort to get back up there would have been too hard so I settled into a solo sustainable pace.

Adrian Lawrence and Roy Davies yo-yoed behind me for some time. I was very wary of Ady getting on my wheel as I had a feeling he was going to put in a good ride (and I was right!) so I pushed on when he tried to close the gap.

Roy pulled past me around the half way mark and I couldn’t respond. I felt pretty weak in the run in to Newcastleton; a mild cold had struck two days before the race, so any calorie deficit seemed to hit me hard. I had considered not starting Kielder but after missing races early on in the year I was determined to get this done. Miscalculations on the gel / food front saw me limp into Newcastleton and the Bonk wasn’t far away….

Refuelled, the calories kicked in but a flying Ben Trotter rode past me. I gave chase but in the twists and turns of the red route, I felt the sickening dunk of rim on root…. Bugger. Stop. No sign of puncture. Air can out. Blast it up. Keep going. All good for another few miles. Through the Valley of Doom that I loathe and returns to England…. I was convinced that Ant would appear, lapping up the slightly inclining gravel fireroad. This is his domain….

Hurrah! He didn’t! But soon after leaving the valley my tire was squirming again. Blast it up again. Feeling nervous now and pretty toasted…

But then suddenly, by random chance The Reflex appeared on my MP3. I hate to admit it but I love it! And I cringe sitting here picturing myself riding Kielder bound singing Duran Duran at the top of my voice. With the actions too. (It was downhill). My brief moment of kitsch euphoria was broken by my tire sliding around on the rim…. I had no choice but to stick a tube in. A rider went past me as I stood by the track but at least he wasn’t a vet. Total panic now. I was convinced Ant or Ady would appear over the brow of the hill and steam train past me….

To my great relief they didn’t. But I felt like a hare being chased. Lots of nervous glances back… Right, I was on the final dificult climbing sections and unusually for me at the end of a race I felt really strong. My vet record of 8:28 was now a long shot after faffing on with the tire but I pushed on. 

Thankfully, the final sections were incident free. I pulled in at 8:32 (missing the cheque of £250 for a new vets record by four minutes… expensive puncture….). Minutes later Ady then Ant crossed the line…. Ady had apparently put in a very strong finish and passed Ant on the final climb. I had been lucky to get away with the tire problem….

So I won the vets and got 8th overall. Bit disappointed to not better my time from last year – I felt on target for around 8:20 but I’m sure hardly anyone got around incident free. I bet Tim Dunford’s heart sank when he punctured on the final climb….!

Yet again, the Kielder 100 proved itself to be a unique and popular race. It was exceptionally well ran yet again, and as ever the marshals were super cheery and friendly. I can say with even less confidence that I won’t be back next year ; )

Sunday gone was Torq 12:12, 12hr at Minley Manor (darn sarf). Yes, it was a long drive, but with my dodgy race sparce year, I felt like I needed a good hard event ahead of Kielder 100 and I also fancied racing somewhere new. Torq 12 didn’t disappoint and it was definitely worth the journey.

Despite concerns resulting from heavy rain the day before (and I mean heavy; reduced to 30mph on the motorway because visibility was so poor) the day of the race brought lovely warm sunshine and reassurance from Craig Bowles that the course would dry out in no time! Unbelievably, a pre-race pitch inspection actually confirmed that! How could this be!!! Why don’t they, dare I say it, hold a 24 there, (or somehwere similiar) as oppose to the other crap fests we normally have to endure?

Standing on the start line, the atmosphere was great; I think everyone was pleased with the prospect of a dry race: such a rarity in 2012.

Similar to UK12, I felt all relaxed on the start line. This is good I thought, and far preferable to the old heart jumping out the throat. However, I was justifiably concerned about Tim Dunford just down the start line… I know I’m a vet but I’m still gunning for the highest place I can get in ‘the race’ and genuinely feel like I’m getting stronger each year. Look, it’s my mid life crisis m’k?

My start was terrible; no snap and got stuck in traffic while Tim pulled away. No panic; it’s a long game and too much effort here can come back to bite you later.  I initially struggled with the twisty turny, generally flat (but great fun) woodland trails, so alien to my home riding but I didn’t try to force the pace, instead focusing on staying smooth and efficient.

I passed Tim who had punctured. Always sorry to see someone puncture but it soon meant I had at least a ten minute lead. Riding felt easy, I was getting into the course and felt very confident.

Then I slashed a tyre… I blasted it with c02. It held then went down. I stopped again. More air. Went down again. 2 miles to the pit… just f-ing stay up for 10 minutes!!!! Nope, had to stop and put a tube in. Tim flew past…

My rythm was broken. I felt slightly panicky and things didn’t feel so smooth anymore.  Regaining my cool, I chipped away, trying to find that balance between chasing and conserving energy. Tim was pulling away slightly but nothing drastic. As it was his first 12hr solo, my window (or so I thought!) was hours 8 to 12. Nope! Tim powered through and I lost significant time in those final laps. Regardless of the racing aspect, I really enjoyed the dark hours; getting into the course, enjoying the conditions, the atmosphere on the course and the support from the crowd; this was a super fun ride.

The vets win was safe, as was 2nd solo overall. Tim was about half an hour up so at 11:45, I called it a day, prefering to get organised before the presentation, rather than complete a 17th lap for no gain.

This was a fantastic event. The course was superb (even though flat (ish)courses are not my bag) and helped by the fantastic weather. The organisation was excellent. And the atmosphere was competitive but very friendly. I’ll be back next year for sure.

Well done to Tim; it was a fantastic debut 12! Thanks to Sean Wratten from Bertie Maffoons Bicycle Company in Marlborough for his superb pit support. Thanks also to his wife and mine for releasing us on Bank Holiday weekend!

Had a bit of a backlash towards the computer. Just haven’t been arsed to sit in front of it any more than necessary recently. Or maybe the effects of giving up coffee has been far more profound than I first expected. I’m usually asleep by now.

Oh and nowt much has happened since Mayhem. Which was jolly good fun btw. It was a bit muddy.

Our renegade Wiggle/ Exposure mixed team got 3rd Expert. Ace! But that was my last race. And training isn’t really that exciting now, is it?

Well, unless it involves sports science tests, smashing yourself in time trials on static bikes whilst having electric pulses shot through your groin at 7am! Much more stimulating than coffee.

Anywho, despite the disasterous first half to my season, I’m feeling good for the second part; Torq12 is just round the corner and minimal racing has kept me very keen for this one. And then there is Kielder 100; a sufferfest I’ve grown to love : )

Hopefully I’ll have got over my fear of the keyboard by then because something tells me both races are going to produce some epic battles….

Is what it has been the last couple of months! And I sat down last night to write it all down. I had progressed so far when my computer crashed and I lost the lot.

Can’t be bothered to type it all out again but rest assured it was informative, VERY funny, (yet poignant) and satisfied all the requirements of my sponsors. Amazing!

Sadly, you’ll just have to read the high (and low) lights as I’ve got too much stuff to sort for the coming weekend:

6 week virus – bad.

Found some form – good.

Crashed and broke rib – bad. (DNS Glentress 7. VERY bad)

Recovered well – finding some (good) form again – good!

And just in time too, as this weekend Matt Page, Josh Ibbett, Rickie Cotter and I ride Mayhem in the mixed expert category under the Wiggle/Exposure banner. It’s going to be tough but we are all well up for it – good! 

We don’t anticipate bone dry conditions…. So I’ve put together my best mud bike. My Enigma Mud Ego if you like; skinny steel tubes and ace Schwalbe Dirty Dan tires. I actually really enjoy riding a mud tire. I imagine I am like most people; I usually ‘get through’ the muddy bits and hunt out the more solid surfaces on a standard wet trail ride with a ‘general purpose’ tire.

Can’t wait! Great to do something different! (Ok, so it is technically still a bike geek racing weekend). But being at a 24 and NOT as a Solo Zombie quite appeals.

One side of me kind of wishes I was though…

The nice chaps at www.velobrands.co.uk sent me this lovely Kask Mojito helmet.

The retention system locks onto your head firmly but very comfortably.  Even without the leatherette chin strap fastened you would do well to shake the helmet off. Incidentally, I read on some forum posts that people had concerns about wearing Oakleys with the Kask; my Jaw Bones fit very well with the retention system.

In moulding wraps around all edges meaning that the lid should stay in good nick for some time to come. Venting is excellent and weight is very good for such a robust design with ‘proper’ straps and fittings – 220g in medium.

Needless to say my old helmet has been consigned to the spares box… The Mojito is a new favourite bit of kit. I especially like the profile of the helmet – it is much less bulky than many other brands.

(hmmm… think I might patent my ‘protective headwear storage system’….)

Anyways, they also sent me the two varieties of Chapeau chamois cream; one is mentholated which I like. It’s erm, surprisingly refreshing. Which is a bit weird… Friends no longer shocked and stunned that you shave your legs? Well, ’re-raise’ their eyebrows with the intriguing news that you also spread mint cream on your backside! Then laugh heartily as you pound out mile after mile with a minty fresh blemish free and happy arse!

Thanks Velobrands!

Fred Whitton is off. Gutted. Following the UK 12hr I contracted beubonic lurgy and it hasn’t gone away. I have trained sporadically and had to back off or take extra days off. VERY frustrating. I gambled on racing the 50k Kielder Border Raid on Saturday figuring that if I couldn’t do that comfortably the Fred was no go. It’s just too physically challenging to do when under par. 

Despite feeling rubbish I maintained a small but defendable lead at Kielder… half an hour to go and disaster – split tubeless tire. I lost the lead bodging it and trailed by a minute or so. Shouldn’t be a problem. But my makeshift repair didn’t hold and I had to stop on a couple of occassions just to keep the tire up – game over. I limped in but held on to 2nd. Well done to Michael Coward from Guisborough MTB for being close enough to take advantage and the win.

And it knocked me for six….No more riding until I’m sure I’m 100% right. And then I’m leaving it a bit longer. Maybe I’ve been very lucky in the past but I’ve never had a lingering bug like this ever.

So no Fred. I’m devestated about this – you may have read that I have been raising money for MacMillan Cancer Care in memory of my mother. And I’ve raised a fair bit thanks to some very kind people. The ride meant a lot to me. I had also wanted to pitch for one of the fastest times so double disappointment. Well, I am defering till next year and keeping my Justgiving page open. If you have donated money I hope you are happy with this.

The following weekend is the National Marathon Champs at Selkirk… this (was) my other big target. I had intended to go all out for the vets title (now that would REALLY be something to win!) but it looks like it will now be a more social ride if I am lucky. A good result would have required very focused quality training.

Not all doom and gloom; the season has two distinct halfs and there are some great races coming up mid summer. Just need to be sure I’m properly recharged; you never know backing off may help me come back stronger.