Good Fighters

Well, it’s nearly the end of the winter training period for me, as in 3 weeks time I pack up my bags and sexy new Cannondale bike to head out to race the Sunshine Cup series in Cyprus, and to get some training in under the Cypriot sun! It’s certainly been a tough winter.. most notably when getting up and out to do 5 hour rides alone in temperatures barely above freezing, but I got my head down, ate my weetabix and got on with it (as Bradley Wiggins would say). So hopefully in a few months time, the cold rides, wet runs and hardcore gym sessions are going to pay off to make what I hope will be my best season yet.

In the meantime the hard work continues… and in a way has only just begun with speed and power work beginning to get underway. I’m starting to race a bit now.. and will be racing the Thetford 4hr Enduro on the 30th Jan, as well as the Welsh XC opener on the 13th Feb, before jetting off to Cyprus on the 17th! Exciting times lie ahead.. and I shall leave you with some pictures of my tough winter training.

Keep it Real!

It’s well into the winter season now, and from the temperatures you couldn’t be forgiven of thinking otherwise. Down to -4 on some rides recently, this has probally been a factor that has given me a bit of illness. I have been off training for the past week not feeling to great, but today I feel much better and hope to be back on it by monday, ready for our team training camp next weekend.

Aside from my current setback, my winter training has been going very well, regularly doing long rides to put in the miles, with some gym, running and swimming which all adds a welcome change to my schedule.

Well, this is it. After a month of laziness, partying, kit testing and bacon sandwiches, it’s time to get going once again. My first two weeks on my training plan are just prep for the big time training, so at the moment I’m doing lots of running and swimming, which is nice because I’ve done neither for a long, long time.

Recently, team Orange Monkey/Cannondale UK went on a testing weekend, where we had a load of fun doing bodily tests and fitness assessments, as well as a ramp test, which turned out to be a very exciting weekend looking forward to very exciting times! Speak soon, Alex.

With hectic exam season over, it’s been full on training for the past couple of weeks, and with the national championships just around the corner, it seems like we’re approaching the final push. This weekend sees the fourth round of the British Mountain Bike series, and with a great (world cup standard) course lined up at Dalby, Yorkshire, it’s looking like it’s going to be a great weekend. Personally, I’m hoping to put my recent national bad luck behind me, but with a few regional podiums and a win under my belt, as well as continuously beating my local 10 mile TT time and racing with experts on wednesday nights, I’m full on and ready to go..! It’s go hard or go home this weekend.. time to smash it..! : )

Alex

Sunday 9th May saw the second round of the British Mountain Bike Race series, taking place at the Wasing Estate, in the south of England. Arriving on saturday, we pre rode the course to find it was full of sharp climbs and nimble singletrack… Race day soon followed and although I was optimistic about the race ahead, an early lead soon paid it’s price, and along with me not feeling 100%, I was struggling thanks to my earlier efforts. Slightly loosing heart, I finished 10th, but with the motivation to continue and be fully prepared for the next round at Margam on May 29th. Keep it rolling!

With the first national race of the year just gone by, it is easy to see the racing calendar is fully underway. The first round of the national mountain bike race series, located at Sherwood Pines on 28th March, was surely going to be fast with it’s rolling fireroads and fast singletrack. My preparation was good the week before the race, and I was ready to roll come sunday morning. What wasn’t quite as ready to roll, however, was my rear tyre, which was gradually deflating almost immediately after the race had begun. After using up my canister in an attempt to repair it, there was little I could do but struggle on and ride the best I could to fight my way back from the field, from being at the head of the race in the start, to finishing 12th.

Not too worry though, as I still picked up some points, and the excitement is building for the race in Holland this weekend.

Alex

As the first national race of the season is just under a week away, preparation is fully underway. My racing machine, my Taurine Team, is set up for sunday’s race, looking as fast as ever, and riding as quick as ever, as tuesday’s training ride with Paul proved. I have recently done a couple of the local Gorrick races, a local favourite with their short but challenging circuits, and I managed to finish 3rd in a strong field of the open category, which sets me in good stead for sunday’s race.

See you on the start line!

Hi everyone, this is my first post as part of the Good Fight! Surprisingly, things have been slightly busy over the past few weeks; so lots to start and write about! But firstly; I’m Alex.. nearly 16 and live in East London, UK. You’ve probally seen me blasting around the Epping Forest on my Taurine, or on the Essex roads on my Six Carbon.

Paul, Chris and I all recently took a trip up to the Peak District in the snowy weather to get in a good weekends worth of riding in the, as it would turn out, near arctic conditions. We left early on a saturday morning, loaded with our bikes and all of the winter clothing we could pack, meaning when we were kitted up, we were ready to roll!

However, we later learnt just the full extent of the snow on the peaks, and the fact that it doesn’t matter if you have the best hardtails and full suspension bikes in the world, we would have to do a bit of pushing through the 2 ft. of snow that was on the trails! We still had loads of fun though; taking in the breathtaking sights that the peaks have to offer, made even that much better by a thick blanket of snow.

Back home and it’s back to training, and with the days getting slightly longer, after school rides are looking that much better!

We take a small break in the Peaks!