Tuesday 27 May 2008

The Big Overload

Gore Road Sportive & Merida MTB Marathon
24th & 25th May 2008 - Ruthin, North Wales
Photos Courtesy Jon Brooke

The Merida Marathon events have always been favourites of mine, and when I saw the proposal for the event at Ruthin I couldn’t resist. Andy and I had planned to include the Sunday marathon as part of an “overload” training weekend, and the addition of a 160km road sportive on Saturday sealed the deal.
We crammed four bikes plus tent and accessories into the back of the car, and arrived at the Ruthin rugby club on Friday night. It was a beautiful evening and I was genuinely looking forward to two days of hard riding. The migraines seemed to be under control (just one in the past fortnight) and I was quietly confident.
The start of the road event was staggered over two hours, but we aimed to get away as early as possible, as the weather forecast looked best for the morning, and we wanted to get as much rest in as we could before the mountain biking on Sunday. We’d hoped to start off with a group, but there were just twos and threes going out, so Andy and I set off in our own group of two about 8.20am – or I should say Andy bolted out of the start box like scorched cat and I nearly puked up my breakfast trying to hold his wheel.
The first big climb of the circuit was about 10km in, and we were spanking along at about 40 clicks up the first rolling sections. The roads were smooth and the traffic light. The sun shone and my legs felt strong. I quickly warmed up and the blue and white train roared past everything in sight.
I had expected long climbs and beautiful views, and I was not disappointed. The road circuit had a bit of everything – long sweeping descents, narrow back country lanes and breathtaking views. The surfaces were smooth and fast and to top it all off, the sun shone on our backs all the way. It’s easy to forget just how much fun it is to just ride on a new route, without having to worry about checking maps, getting lost, running out of drinks etc. The event organisers took care of all of that for us and it was worth every penny of the entry fee.
Andy set off ahead and left me to it after the first climb, and I concentrated on picking off the riders in front one by one. By the time I reached the final feedzone, I was told I was the second rider through – and (let me guess) the first rider was a guy dressed just like me. The final climb was the Horseshoe Pass, over the hills into Ruthin. I could just about make out Andy, on the other side of the valley as I set out, and I kept on the pace to try and close up the gap a bit. Andy was the first rider home and me second. We think we got the two fastest times with Andy clocking 3hrs42mins and me 3hrs51mins, but the timing was a bit skewed with riders who signed up for the long route, then switched to the shorter route.
Saturday afternoon was spent eating camp pasta and napping in the tent, while Andy got the chance to catch up with his coaching clients who were there. The camp ground quickly filled up, and the forecast of rain in the afternoon amounted to nothing more than a few clouds and a chilly breeze.
Sunday morning’s event was a more civilised 10am start time, and we lined up at the back of the field. No point pushing to the front on a training ride. Having said that, as soon as the gun went, Andy did the scorched cat thing again, and we whizzed through the throng of bodies with little time lost. My legs felt strong as ever, which was just as well, as the first climb out of Ruthin was a killer.
Again, the trails were bone dry and fast, and the first couple of hours went by in a blur. Once we split off from the 50km riders, the traffic died off and there were points in the course where I could see no-one in front or behind me and had just the yellow marker arrows to keep me on track. Unbelievable considering the huge crowd on the start line.
Then the rain came down. A few heavy spots at first, then darkening skies, then nothing but water and mud. I was expecting rain, but I wasn’t expecting the cold – the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees with the rain. I had just a windproof gilet in my Camelbak, along with my pedalling legs to keep me warm. My bike handling went from confident to tentative, as my semi-slick Panaracer Razers started to feel like an optimistic choice. Should have put the Fire XC up front after all – never mind. At least by that point I was well past half way, and the feed zone helpers told me I was 25th, which seemed pretty good, and gave me a boost.
I had expected a huge climb before the end of the course, and at the 4 hour mark I embarked on it, only to find it was nothing more than a modest hill. The toughest part was the cold, gritty descent home, tyres squirming through the slippery ruts and corners. I was uncomfortable but I couldn’t help smiling. Mud is to be expected and it was a brilliant weekend out all the same.
I was the first woman in just over the four hour mark, and came in to find Andy home and almost hosed, having finished with the top 10. A hot shower, a PowerBar and a cup of hot tea and I was ready to ride again. OK, maybe not, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had in a training overload. We’ll be back for the fourth event in Selkirk, but in the meantime, bring on the Salzkammergut!

Dartmoor Classic Cyclosportive and Newnham 90

As promised, here are Simon's reports from his on and offroad events from the past couple of weeks. This bank holiday weekend saw Andy and I do the double at Ruthin, completing the first Gore Road Sportive (160km) on Saturday 24th, followed by the Merida Marathon (100km) on Sunday 25th. We'll have a report and pics up this week. - Jenn

Dartmoor Classic 160km Cyclosportif - Sunday 11 May 2008

While the team travelled to Scotland, I’ve been flying the Altura Patterson Training flag in a couple of local events and keeping down my carbon footprint! This is the second year of the Dartmoor Classic, which had a new route to last year of either 100km or 100mile (160km) options and featured a claimed 11,000ft of climbing - it certainly felt like it! About 900 riders lined up for the 160km and 400 for the 100km obviously not put off by last years events when it was swamped with rain! The event was superbly marked and marshalled and was ferociously hot, the fact I took a slight wrong turn after the feed zone was entirely my own fault! The last 30 miles proved the toughest, with plenty of people cramping and pushing up Dartmeet! I was lucky to have plenty of Powergels to keep me going and pleasantly surprised to find I got around in 5hr 37mins and posted the 3rd fastest time just 14 seconds behind Stuart Hall (Alltrax).
This event is a classic worthy of the name and I’ll look forward to doing it again next year. Well done to all those people who posted up times of 10 hours+ for the 160km but who kept going to the finish – heroic!

Newnham 90, Plymouth - Sunday 18 May 2008

After a year off, the Newnham 90 returned with a new route. Sunday dawned bright and sunny, which was a welcome change after 3 days of rain. 400 riders had gathered ready for the off on their choice of either 50km or 90km and it was immediately obvious it was going to be a tough one by the pace set chasing the lead out quad bike. I’d gambled on Panaracer Trailraker mud tyres and this turned out to be a good choice as, despite the heat of the day, the course was often soggy under tread. As suspected elite rider Phil Morris (XC racer/29’ers) moved to the front to control the pace from the outset joined by two handy looking expert riders (1 from Southfork and I didn’t catch the other team sorry Peter). Gary Pike (Alltrax) and I were keeping them in-sight and when joined by Jay Horton (Certini/XC racer), Jay and I jumped across. After some to-ing and fro-ing Jay soon had everyone strung out on the road leading up to the (first) long climb of Lee Moor just as I was trying to eat a Powerbar. Ignoring the feed station to make up some time lost on an unshipped chain, I managed to get past Jay on the fast rocky descent where the Endorfin’s suspension came in really handy. A sustained effort saw me come into the arena as the first 50km rider just ahead of Phil who after grabbing a bottle soon overhauled me before we were both stopped by a marshall who had to move course tape for the second lap! This allowed Jay and Peter 1 to catch us up, but soon it was Jay and myself chasing after a very strong Phil. Some more ambiguous signage that looked like it had been tampered with saw us all together again by a farm and some angry Rottweilers! The second climb up Lee Moor was just as painful as the first although at least this time we did manage to grab some water to help combat the heat at the Certini service zone. Phil surged ahead again and despite some cramp in the last 10km I managed to just get away from Jay. I couldn’t catch a very strong Mr Morris, but I was very pleased to get round in 4hours 6 mins and a creditable second place to some good competition.
Many thanks to Martyn Salt and Inevent for a great route, Certini for the technical back up and well done to all the competitors who made it round!
- Simon

Thursday 22 May 2008

Simon on Form at Newnham 90

Altura Patterson Training Masters racer Simon Young finished 2nd in the gruelling Newnham 90 at Newnham Park in Plymouth on Sunday, showing he is back on form and fully recovered after battling off a bought of the flu.

Simon was part of a 3-man group leading the race, along with elite racer Phil Morris and Jay Horton. Simon and Phil were side by side at the 50km mark, but Phil eventually broke away to take the win, with Simon coming in 2nd, just 2 minutes back.

Simon will have a full report up in the next couple of days. For full results go to www.newnham90.com

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Ruth Just Keeps Winning!

Southern XC Round 3
Crow Hill, Hampshire
Sunday 18 May 2008
Altura Patterson Training Masters racer Ruth Mordaunt clocked up another top result on Sunday, winning the third round of the Southern XC.
The race attracted some top contenders, as the British National XC Champs will be held at the same venue later in the year, and riders were keen to test the Championship course.
The master women's race was led out by Caroline Goward, but Ruth soon took control, overtaking Caroline in the second of three laps, and never looking back.
In the elite women's race, Patterson Training racer Nadine Spearing (riding for XC racer/Trek) finished 2nd behind Sue Clarke.
Ruth on the top step once again.

Wednesday 14 May 2008

British NPS Round 2

Master Women XC Race - Saturday 10th May 2008
Race Report by Ruth Mordaunt


Leading up to the 2nd round of the British NPS at Drumlanrig, Scotland, I was nursing a hip flexor injury. I was quietly panicking as I could not put the usual power through my left leg without it screaming with pain, and this was not an option at the tough course in Scotland.

James drove the distance whilst I was icing, resting and gently stretching at each service station stop, and on our epic journey from Brighton, there were a few. Thankfully this helped and within a couple of days both legs felt strong and ready for racing.

The 7.5km course was around the stunning grounds of Drumlanrig Castle with lots of rooty and rocky singletrack action. After a couple of practice laps on Friday I was riding smooth over the tricky rooty sections, choosing the best lines to try and ride lightly and conserve energy for the power climbs.

Race day was sunny and warm, and the trails were drier than the previous day. Waiting on the startline there was a healthy turnout of women in the Master category, ready for the off. The start was a strength-sapping climb and my aim, like many of my competitors, was to get up and over this climb first and hit the singletrack sections with a clear line. From the gun, I led up the first climb setting a strong pace. I knew that Michelle Bergstrand was on my wheel, but not too sure on the rest of the pack. When we had reached the top of the climb we were side by side, then Michelle moved in front going through the feed zone.

Michelle and I battled it out for the first section of singletrack and she nipped in front. I focused on choosing the best lines through the technical sections, rather than fighting the terrain and panicking. Michelle and I popped out on to the first fire road and, feeling strong, I went to the front to keep the race pace high as it had just dropped a little. I was expecting Michelle to attack but there was no sight of her and at this point I decided to concentrate on keeping my riding smooth and pushing on strong to create a gap.

As I powered up the start climb for lap 2 I saw Nina Davies, Theresa Jackson and Emma Bradley entering into the arena. This meant I had only a 20 second or so gap, and I still was not too sure where Michelle was. Out alone, I focused on keeping the race pace high during lap 2 and 3, pushing hard through the technical sections. This was one of my strengths especially on my new Endorfin VP-4 Lady, which was gliding over the roots. This is one seriously fast bike.

Taking my first win at a XC British NPS was joyous, and was delighted that I had a sufficient lead over second and third placed riders Nina Davies and Emma Bradley respectively. Unfortunately for Michelle she punctured during lap 1, but continued and finished the race. Many thanks to team coach Andy Patterson whose training and guidance is allowing me to go from strength to strength. Also, a big thank you to the owners of Rik’s Bike Shed at Drumlanrig Castle, Rik and Ginny Allsop for all the support they provided during the weekend. Although I think I will stick with my Endorfin bike for the next rounds!

Jenn's Migraines

Pulling out of races is always a tough choice, and choosing to sit out an important event is even harder, but that's been my situation for the start of the 2008 season. I am now back on track, but by way of an explanation, you could say I've been nursing a sore head.

For the past two months I've been plagued with repeated migraine attacks. They started at the end of March at a rate of roughly one per fortnight, which was cutting a hole in my training, but it was manageable. By mid April it was every week, and with accompanying nausea. An attack in the week before the first round of the NPS at Thetford left me queasy and unable to eat properly, and although I woke up on the morning of the race feeling fine, my legs turned to jelly in the third lap, and I barely managed to finish.

The Enduro 6 two weeks later was an important race for me, as I'd won it for the past four years and wanted to defend my title. I'd had a migraine attack in the week before, but I'd recovered OK and managed to eat plenty. I didn't count on another attack so soon, and was
distraught to get the tell-tale blind spots and blurred vision on Saturday morning as we drove to the race venue. I managed to sleep out most the afternoon in our tent, and in retrospect I should havepulled out of the Nocturne TT, but I was determined to ride through it.

I woke up on Sunday feeling tired and headachy, but determined to start my race. I bumbled on for 3 ½ hours before I started to feel dizzy and sick, and although I was still leading, I realised that I just wasn't going to finish, and had to pull out.

This was a big turning point for me, as the attacks had become a serious problem and I was determined not to lose any more races to the migraine monster. I went to see the doctor first thing the following Monday and underwent a raft of blood tests. The doctor gave me a
prescription for a drug called Zomig to help stem the symptoms, and I spent the week recovering. The following weekend was a bank holiday, and I was back in bed, with two attacks in two days. The Zomig wasn't working, and Andy and I decided to sit out the second NPS the
following weekend, until we could find out what was causing the migraines.

Back to the doctor on Wednesday 7th May, and a new prescription, this time a long-term daily medication called Pizotifen, designed to work on the serotonin receptors in the brain to stop migraines occurring. Unfortunately the side effects are said to include drowsiness, fatigue
and weight gain, but I was ready to try anything to stop my migraines.

I am now one week into my medication, and so far so good. It's been a full week today since my last attack, which is the longest time since mid April that I've been without a migraine. I'm coping with the drowsiness, and spent nearly 10 hours on the bike over the weekend.
Looks like I'm back in training.

My team-mates have been a fantastic support to me and Andy over the past weeks, with Ruth and Simon flying the flag at Enduro 6, and Ruth bringing home the goods with her first NPS win at Round Two on Saturday. Many thanks to all my team and sponsors for your patience
and goodwill. It will take a few weeks to bring my form back, and there is no guarantee I won't have another migraine, but I'm feeling good and starting to feel strong again.

My next scheduled event is the third round of the NPS at Grizedale on June 14th and 15th, where I plan to be back in action, and I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone at the track.

Thanks and warmest regards,
Jenn

Monday 12 May 2008

Ruth Wins at Drumlanrig

Altura Patterson Training rider Ruth Mordaunt took the top step in Master Women's race for the second round of the British National XC Series in Scotland on Saturday.

Ruth held up well against a tough field and an even tougher course, finishing more than two minutes up on second placed Nina Davies. Her full-sus VP-4 Lady flew over the roots and rock gardens, and Ruth rode with the No. 1 spot in her sights for the full three laps.

The win puts Ruth in the lead for the series.

Ruth then went on to finish third in the 75km marathon the following day, behind Elite racers Maddie Horton and Melanie Alexander, maintaining her position as leader in the 75km series.

Ruth's racing goes from strength to strength, and she is flourishing under the guidance of Team Coach Andrew Patterson. Ruth will have her own race report up here on Trackside in a couple of days, so please say posted.

Thursday 8 May 2008

Wiggle Enduro 6

Catton Park, 26-27 April 2008
Race Report by Simon Young

After a half days' work and a moderately lengthy, and thankfully uneventful, drive from Cornwall I found the Altura Patterson Training enclave and was promptly rewarded with a cup of tea. An excellent start!

The night time trial was tonight’s agenda, and after a quick lap of the course in daylight, and much circling of the holding pen, we waited for velvety darkness to cloak the campsite.

Elite men were off first and Andy and I were going to be mixing it up with them. I got to set off last, and felt like I had the whole field to catch. The awesome Lupine Betty meant light was no problem and I soon caught and passed my 30 second man and then his 30 second man too. Sadly, it wasn’t enough though, as nobody was catching XC racer’s Mr Morris tonight on his big wheeler. I came in 4th, six seconds adrift of 3rd place and surprisingly our times were faster than in tomorrow’s daylight competition! Ruth came in 4th too and it was to prove a popular number for us, so tantalisingly close to the podium…


The main event on Sunday kicked off with a ½ mile Le Mans style running start. In the ensuing melee I got tripped up running at full pelt and, although a handy judo roll saw me back up and running in no time, it caused a damaged calf muscle that’s still plaguing me now. Despite the shaky start and having detangled my bike, I decided to follow Scott’s Nick Craig around the first lap before handing over to Ruth. This was a lesson in perfect pacing as Nick, seemingly effortlessly, motored around the course gaining places all the time (and lead to his well deserved win).

Meanwhile, Ruth and I had a battle of our own to contest. We spent most of the race swapping back and forth with 3rd placed Barry and Sue Clarke, whilst holding off a team from Cambridge. The course provided a good mix of terrain, and whilst tyre choice was a tough call, the Endorfin bikes worked perfectly. The geometry was spot on through the tight switchbacks, and I was surprised to find that with normal sag I hadn’t even thought about using the lockout for the whole event, for which my bum was grateful on the drive home.

As the 6 hour deadline loomed the pressure was on, on my final lap to get round before the cut-off. I made it with just over 4 minutes to spare and cruelly sent Ruth out for another lap of her own. She did a sterling job gunning it right to the end and we came home to a well deserved, yes you’ve guessed it, 4th place and the end of another great event.

I’d just like to thank Ruth for her unstinting hard work as race partner, to Andy for pit help, James for the tea and finally to the weather for not pouring down until just after we’d finished.

See you all Trackside soon.
Simon



Ruth warms up for a final lap around Catton Park, securing fourth place for Altura Patterson Training's mixed pair.