Good Fighters

Phew!! that was a very long car journey indeeed!
I have just arrived home from a week long training camp with my Orange Monkey Cycling team mates courtesy of www.pyreneescycling.com one of our many loyal sponsors. On this camp we were joined by Rourke Croeser a very fast South African who has won many championships within his home land.

As usual the week flew by with magnificant Cols to ride up including the Solour and the Tourmalet and even greater off road decending which was a nice reward for all the on road accending. As usual my Cannondale Taurine took to the varying demands of the Pyrenees in its stride and was a joy to ride!!

Next stop is Plymouth for the last round of the British Mountain Bike Series.

Full Gazzz

Chris Andrews

www.myorangemonkey.co.uk

That was frustrating! Last Saturday i didn’t even complete one lap of the hilly 6km course based at Margam Park in the heart of South Wales.
Preparations for the race went to plan and i was feeling very confident as we were called up to our grid positions.
The only thing that was not going to plan was the weather, during Friday night the course went from being bone dry to soaking wet and incredibly slippery especially on the descents! And that’s where the weekend took a turn for the worse.
About 3km into the first of the six laps we had to complete, i was negotiating a slippery off camber decent which in hind sight i was taking to fast for the conditions, I slid sideways and landed on my right hand side in the undergrowth with a thump, still clipped into my pedals.
As i unclipped myself from my Cannondale Taurine i felt a sharp pain from my lower leg, i glanced down i could see blood gusshing out from a hole in my shin and a white shiny thing??……………..  my shin bone!
I used my Cannondale as a walking stick as i hobbled down the single track trying to stay out of my competitors way. I made it to the medical point at the bottom of the decent where a marshall radioed for medical assistance and from there i was taken to A&E. Five stitches later and a two hour drive back home, I’m typing this blog reflecting on what could have been. Before the accident i felt great, positioned perfectly for the the single track in ninth position waiting to pounce on one of Margam Park’s long steep climbs. But as they say ‘that’s racing’ and although I’m fed up of typing this, i am still full of motivation and firmly believe i can finish inside the top ten this year at National level. I have the equipment and the team behind me to do it and with that in mind i will not stop trying!
I have a compulsory two weeks off from any training so i have been using this time to clean and service my training and race bikes, i think my local bike shop are sick of the sight of me! Its good to have this break although it is not wanted. I will  be back better than before, after all it has been a busy year with a lot of international racing.
My next event is the Welsh championships which takes place in Buith Wells on the Sunday 27th June.
I will be using this race as preparation for the fourth round British National Series which take place in Dalby Forest the weekend after.
Team mate and current Welsh Champion Ben Roff  will be looking to defend his jersey, which i know he will do right down to the finish line! Best of look to him and my other team mate Alex Baker. This young fellow is full of racing and has suffered with some rotten luck this year but has copped with it like a true pro, i think Dalby will suit ‘the mag’ down to the ground, quite literally.

For now, Full Gassss!!!

Chris Andrews

www.myorangemonkey.co.uk

Whats happening with the weather recently?
A couple of weeks ago i was training in full winter clothing but last week it was back to just a jersey and a pair of shorts! Crazy!
This leads me into last weekends shenanigans. I was competing in the second round of the Midland XC series which also incorporated the Midlands Regional Championships at a picturesque place called Mansell Lacy, about 5 miles the the west of Hereford.
It was a scorching Sunday afternoon but my legs were feeling good and i was confident of a podium position.
I was also safe in the knowledge of the huge tanning potential this race had to offer with a very long fire road climb in the glaring sunshine. The profile of the course is best describe as a triangle, with lots of off camber single track and bomb holes to keep things interesting. The race started at 14:30 and as the gun fired my legs felt in good shape as i accelerated onto my teammates (Paul) wheel giving me a great slingshot into the first single track decent in first position. As the six lap race progressed i slipped into 3rd and this is where i would remain until the finish.I didn’t have the legs on this occasion to hold off Johnathon Pugh (first overall) and George Budd (second overall) but the battle will resume this weekend at Margam Park i am sure! On the flip side i was the first midlands rider home which meant i clinched the 2010 Midlands Regional Championships and with that a cracking trophy. My trophy cabinet was in need of a little updating!

I’m feeling confident and more motivated than ever to achieve my other goal which is to finish in the top ten of a National round this year. Margham Park has always been good to me over the years, i have finnished on the podium more than once. It consists of super steep climbs and fast single track descents (much like Mansell Lacy!). You never know exactly how the race will pan out for you but my build up to the event has been perfect and i’m feeling strong so here it goes…………..

Ride Hard, Have Fun!

Chris Andrews

www.myorangemonkey.co.uk