British Cross Country Championships 2009
July 19 - Innerleithen, Scotland
Report by Ruth Mordaunt

The British XC Championships took place in Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders not far from the famous 7Stanes Glentress mountain biking centre. The Championship course was a hilly seven kilometre lap, where you needed your climbing legs and the ability to descend well; a worthy championship course which separated the best from the rest over the weekend.

Leading up to race day the weather had been changeable from bright blue skies to the heaven’s opening, which defined a sketchy terrain on the descent. The course had approximately 500 metres of climbing followed by a challenging and technical descent. I needed to choose my tyres carefully to give me confidence whilst descending whilst not dragging on the climb. A Panaracer Rampage on the front and Panaracer Fire XC Pro on the rear seemed to be a good combination for these conditions. The practise lap went perfectly and myself and my super light Cannodale Scapel were ready for action on Sunday. I loved the course and could not wait until race day.

For the Masters Woman category the expected contenders lined themselves up for a three lap race. My main rivals on the start line were defending Master XC Woman Champion Nina Davies (Orgmore Valley Wheelers), Kim Hurst (Owen Cycles), Caroline Goward (Scott) and Emma Bradley (Torq Kona).

On the gun I was already at a disadvantage, with slipping gears through the opening stretch of heavy grass field which made me slip back to near-last position (I must point out that my amazing Cannodale Scapel was perfect during warm up.) I watched as the Master Woman category rode away whilst I attempted to solve the slipping gears, which 5 minutes into the long 500m climb decided to jump between the rear cassette and rear spokes. With little success of sorting the jumping gears I rode in a much harder gear than I wanted to, placing great stress on my quads and hip flexors.

So first 5 minutes I was at the back of the bunch and working my way slowly forward. This was hard work and I had to dig deep and dip into the red a few times to make up time lost. My legs were on fire and I was not feeling great at this point, I felt like I was going so slow, but I am not a quitter and I was going to finish and finish with a medal.

During the practise lap I prayed I would not get some ‘numpty’ who could not ride the descent in front of me, especially one that would crash and ruin my line. Well, as luck would have it, I overtook Emma Bradley on the first part of sketchy descent and proceeded to crash in front of her ruining her line (sorry Emma). So I suppose that makes me the ‘numpty’ on this occasion! I passed Nina on the descent as well, who later pulled out of the race.

By the end of lap one I had made my way from the back of the bunch to third position and was wondering how far in front Kim and Caroline were. During laps two and three I struggled with the jumping gears and the fact the race was physically demanding. My hip flexors and calves were cramping which was extremely painful and slowed me down. I have never experienced cramping at all especially in a race. This was showed in my lap times for lap 2 and 3. I put it down to pushing a harder gear up all the climbs and then whilst descending I was stretching over the rear wheel (almost like a squat position) which fired up my hip flexors and quads even more. By lap three I was crawling up the climbs and not really able to put any power on the pedals without cramping. I was going at a snail’s pace and just hoped I would not be overtaken.

Kim was well out in front of the chase by Caroline and myself and proved unbeatable and claimed the jersey comfortably. Kim was the best on the day and that my mechanical difficulties may have made little difference to the winning result. Who knows and that's racing!

Back in January, with all my personal problems, I never thought I would be racing at the British Cross Country Championships 2009 and receive a bronze medal. Of course I would have liked the National Championship title, but this takes consistent training and dedication to the sport and some ‘fire in your belly’. I have the latter two and an amazing bike, so if I can get some consistent training in for next year’s championship, you never know I might just win that jersey....just for you dad!

New Stuff Part Two

Catlike Vacuum 2009 Helmet

£79.95 from Prendas Ciclismo (limited sizes and colours on sale for £69.95)

Catlike are known for their distinctive and somewhat funky looking helmets, which is one of the things that first attracted us to the brand. For the past couple of years we have been using the Whisper and Whisper Plus helmets supplied by Prendas Ciclismo, and we’ve been pleased with the fit and comfort of these helmets. This season, Prendas have sent me one of the new Vacuum helmets to try out.

A name badge and a couple of Fast Kiwis make this super-cool helmet my own.

First thing to note is that it looks nothing at all like the Whisper Plus, it has a funky look all of its own. The Orange Monkey team have been using the Vacuum this season, and it has certainly turned a few heads. From the front it looks a bit like something out of Alien v. Predator and from the back it looks like a space ship. Love it or hate it… it’s a look that is kind of growing on me.

The concept behind the Vacuum is that it is designed to provide maximum airflow at lower speeds, i.e. on a mountain bike rather than on a road bike. There is no weight difference between the Vacuum and the Whisper, and no reason not to use it on the road, but it is marketed as a mountain bikers’ helmet and thus comes standard with a peak (although this is removable).

The fit for the 2009 helmets seems to have been upsized since 2008, and the first issue I had with both the new Whisper Plus and the new Vacuum was that the size small was not quite small enough. The helmet shells were fine, however the adjustable plastic retainer piece was bigger than in previous years. Luckily this is a replaceable part and I was able to take the retainer piece out of an old Whisper and swap it into the new Vacuum.

With the smaller retainer in place, the new Vacuum is a perfect fit. Helmet fit is very much a personal thing, depending on the head shape of the individual, but for me the Vacuum is by far the most comfortable and secure helmet I’ve ever owned. It fits snugly without leaving red marks from tight spots or pressure points. Adjusting the straps is easy, fitting perfectly around the ears and under the chin.

As for the ventilation aspect of the helmet, I can honestly say it’s not yet been hot enough here in the UK for me to worry about a sweaty head. However, I do get a rather odd sensation of my hair blowing about between the vents in the Vacuum, so the system is obviously working. We’ve opted for plain white for our team helmets again this year, in order to maximise the cooling benefits. I’m looking forward to the hot weather testing out in Kamloops in a couple of weeks, which will certainly put this super-cool helmet through its paces.

The peak comes as standard, but is removeable. I like peaks, so I've left mine on.

New Stuff Part One

Camelbak Racebak Hydration Vest

£84.99 from Zyro

This is the Camelbak for people who don’t do Camelbaks. It uses the same principles as a Camelbak pack, except that the reservoir sits in a pouch inside the vest instead of in a pack, and is designed to be worn underneath a regular cycling jersey.

My first mistake when trying the new Racebak was to treat it as I would a regular Camelbak and fill it up. The vest comes with a designated 2L bladder, and I filled it about ¾ full, as I would for a day trip with a regular Camelbak pack. As you can see in the pictures below, the bladder swallowed up the equivalent of a 750ml plus a 500ml bottle with room to spare. This was too much for the Racebak however, and as you can see, the heavy bladder creates a bulky hump that drags on the shoulders of the vest.

It should be noted however, that I am a small person at 159cm tall (5’1”) and it may be that a larger person with a bigger back could carry this amount of fluid in a vest more comfortably. It is also worth noting that this sample is a women’s size medium, and although it is a comfortable fit, a size small may have done a better job of holding the bladder firmly against my body. This aside, when considering the ideal application for the Racebak, filling it with no more than 500-750ml of fluids for a short race or as a backup to bottles is still the best way to use it.

Once in place and on the bike, the Racebak is comfortable, and the weight of the reservoir is barely noticeable, even with the extra fluids on board. There are no straps to adjust, and there is no shifting of the load, as can happen with a pack. Jersey pockets remain useable and easily accessed, which is a huge bonus in a race situation when you need to grab gels and bars without slowing down or stopping.

The Racebak is a bit sweaty however. The vest is supplied with a removable insulating insert (see Figure 3) that sits between the reservoir and your back. This can be removed, and if you were to chill your reservoir in the fridge overnight, then this would help to keep your back cool for a time (although eventually the fluid would warm to body temperature). I’ve not had the opportunity to test this theory here in the UK, but with the hot weather and long rides planned over in Kamloops, I will certainly be chilling all of my drinks. In any case, the reservoir inevitably creates a large sweat patch on your back, just as a pack does, but this is the only factor that serves to remind you that you are wearing it. Generally speaking the Racebak is very comfortable and easy to use.

Summary: The Racebak is not an alternative to a regular Camelbak for mountain biking, and it is not intended as such. It is perfect for roadies and racers who want to carry extra fluids without throwing aerodynamics and power to weight ratios out the window. It is, effectively, a very comfortable and convenient alternative to carrying an extra bottle in your jersey pocket. However if you want to carry enough fluids for a full day out, along with tools and spares, then a regular Camelbak pack is still the best choice.

Note: The product in the pictures is a sample colour. Racebak Vests are available to buy in white only.

Tomorrow: The Catlike Vacuum helmet

The English Summertime

Well, our attempt to get to Blackpool last Friday for the Grand Prix des Dames was a bit of a washout. Both Nadine and I got stuck in a monster traffic jam on the M6 and didn't make it to Blackpool in time to sign on. Annabel flew the flag for the team by herself, and put in a solid effort to finish in the bunch. No doubt she was wondering where on earth her team mates had disappeared to.

Instead, the weekend was spent clocking up the big miles, with five hours on the road bike through the Peak on Saturday, and four hours on the mountain bike on Sunday. Training in the sunshine on a mountain bike is not too much of a hardship when the weather is as lovely as it has been. Here's a pic of my beautiful Scalpel in the heart of Goyt Valley near Erwood Hall (sshh don't tell the Ramblers Association - I was walking with it, honest).

This week we are testing out some new equipment in preparation for our stage race in Canada, including a Camelbak Racerback vest (those with sharp eyes will have spotted me in it during the marathon at Crow Hill), some new Panaracer MACH tyres, and the Catlike Vacuum helmet. We're also experimenting with a carb/protein drink mix for using during competition, using different Powerbar products. Full reviews and photographs will be posted up here soon.

BMBS XC Round Four Masters and English Marathon Champs

Race Report by Ruth Mordaunt

Having raced at Crow Hill a handful of times over the past couple of years, including the 2008 National Championships, it all felt familiar to be back on that start line in the New Forest. However, much of the course used previously was now in reverse for this race, which played havoc with my slight autistic traits!

As Jenn mentioned below, this weekend was an important part of the training program: two hard days of racing – the final overload, before I begin to taper off towards the National XC Champs in Innerleithen on July 19th. So with fatigued legs from Mountain Mayhem last weekend followed by a further week of training, I really was not expecting to do well this weekend, just do the best I could and finish.

The usual suspects lined themselves up on the start line for a four lap race. This year another strong Master Woman’s field, including Emma Bradley (Torq Kona), Nina Davies (Ogmore Valley Wheelers), Kim Hurst (Owen Cycles) and newcomer Malin Tindberg (WDBMC/Beyond MTB).

From the gun, Kim, Emma and Nina shot in front on the grassy opening track and I tucked in behind for the first section of single track through the forest. Both Nina and I overtook Emma about half way around lap one, but then my right shoulder connected with a tree, as I lost tractio on some slippery tree roots. I panicked because I lost sight of the leading girls, and a few minutes later lost my front wheel again on another tree root and hit the ground exceptionally hard, and proceeded to swear - a lot! I know it is not race etiquette but it hurt.

At this stage Emma and, I think, Malin and Natalie Wase (Dirt Divas) had overtaken me. So 20 minutes into the race and I was back in about 6th place. I was not happy. My shoulder and leg were throbbing, but the adrenalin started to pump and a switch went in my head, and I had to have a word with myself! I climbed back on my super light carbon Cannodale Scapel and set off determined to claw back time from the disastrous first lap.

The course was relentless and deceptively hard work, but during laps 2 and 3 I made up some places and overtook Kim, who later retired from the race. Entering the final lap I realised I was in the running for a podium position so long as I kept my cool. I had Emma in sight and overtook her at the beginning of lap 4 and remained in front. Unfortunately I never managed to catch up with Nina who took the win just over a minute in front. Well done Nina.

I was really pleased with this result, especially considering the fatigue in my legs from Mountain Mayhem and the attraction I had to tree roots on lap one. It helps that I have such a superb bike. It flew around that course, even though my legs might not have been up to scratch. I also got a lot of lovely support around the course to be grateful for - there is nothing more motivating than your mother shouting “pedal faster” from the side lines!

Above: Ruth gets her first podium of the weekend, along with Nina Davies (centre) and Emma Bradley.

Then it was all about recovery for Sunday’s English 50km Marathon Championship. Now if I thought my legs felt fatigued on Saturday, they really really felt fatigued on Sunday morning. How was I going to finish a 50km race with legs like these? There were only 4 contenders in the 50km Senior Women category, including Annie Simpson (my team mate) Malin Tindberg and Hannah Minter (Pedalon). However, all 50km women started together, including Junior and Vet categories, making it 11 women in total.

From the gun, Annie and Bethany Crumpton (Junior) took off at such a fast pace that there was no way I was going to be able to maintain 4 x 12.5km laps with them. During the first steady climb I was overtaken by Carla Haines (Junior) and Malin. I had nothing left in my legs. I kept turning the pedals, but there was no power. “Oh, this was not looking good” I thought. So I decided to play to my strengths and push on through the singletrack sections and keep a steady pace on all climbs. During lap one I overtook Carla and Malin and had Annie and Beth in sight. However, Annie looked in a lot of pain going over the bumpy field. I was gutted for her that she had to pull out, but understood. It was relentless, and without a full suspension bike her back must have been hurting big time.

During lap 2, Beth and I kept each other company. Beth would speed on up the climbs and I would catch and overtake her through the singletrack. Knowing that this was Beth’s first 50km race, I knew she would have trouble judging the pace. As I expected, during lap 3, she wasn’t speeding past me on the climbs anymore and in fact I continued ahead by myself, taking the win for the 50km Senior Women English Marathon Championship approximately 7 minutes in front of Malin in 2nd place.

I was in a world of pain for the majority of that race, but kept telling myself “this is brilliant training for the National Championships, keep going girlie.” Giving up was not an option and strength of mind and determination is a powerful tool when the going gets tough.

Above: Podium number two and an English Champion's jersey. Malin Tindberg is the runner up.

BMBS XC Round Four

New Forest, 27 June 2009

Race Report by Jenn O'Connor

This weekend in Crow Hill was an important part of the training programme for the Altura Patterson Training Team. For Annabel and Ruth, this was the final overload before they begin to taper off towards the National XC Champs in Innerleithen on July 19th, while for myself and Andy it was the mid part of our overload in preparation for the Intermontane Challenge in Canada at the end of the month. The goal was two hard days of racing, and we got what we came for.

As I'd decided to treat this race as training, I ramped up my training in the days prior to the race instead of tapering off. I completed a four-hour hill session on Wednesday afternoon and even beat my PB up Long Hill (by 6 seconds), then followed this up with a couple of hours of minute on, minute off intervals on Thursday. On Friday I was off the bike, which is not ideal but with work from 8am-5pm then a five-hour drive straight to the venue, I had little choice. Despite all this, I felt surprisingly good on Saturday morning, which confirmed my long-held belief that my body responds well to a good battering! Up to a point, that is.

The women were first off, and I lost a few places off the start (got everything right, just wasn't quick enough) but managed to take the places back pretty quickly and established myself in third spot less than a minute behind Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager) and Jenny Copnall (Look RT) in the first lap. The course was a relentless singletrack affair with a lot of exposed roots, and soft sections that got loamier and sandier as the race went on. Not much climbing, other than a few short power climbs, but it was a really tough course that required constant braking then accelerating. Kate and Jenny were tormenting each other in a close battle up front, and that pushed the pace right up. I had my own battle with Mel Spath (Cycleways Torq) only about 30 seconds behind me, but I held it together and maintained my third sport, keeping my lap times consistent for the full five laps. Given the strength of the competition and my own approach to the race, I was happy with my performance and my spot on the podium.

Nadine and Annabel finished in 7th and 8th respectively, despite a very strong start from both. The training overload, which started with six hours of racing apiece at Mountain Mayhem last weekend, had obviously hit them harder than it hit me. Annabel, our youngest rider, was completely exhausted after five hard laps around the Crow Hill course. Ruth held up pretty well, and even picked up the pace in the third of her four laps in the Master Women's race, moving from fifth up to second, behind Nina Davies (Ogmore Valley Wheelers). Andy also had a good race, finishing 12th in the Master Men's race.

The English Marathon Champs on Sunday was the second installment in our hard weekend, and Andy and I had signed up for the full 100km, while Annabel and Ruth entered the 50km event. Nadine took the day off racing to work in the feed zone for the team for the day.

Our 100km event went off first, and I went straight to the front of the group so I could set a steady pace. My fellow competitors, including Elite racers Mel Spath and Maddie Horton (Certini) seemed content to stay with me and keep to the easy pace while we found our way around the first of the additional loops that had been added to the course for this eight lap race.

I was dismayed with the new course. Whilst the XC sections from Saturday had been left in, they had become the easy part. The new sections comprised a couple of trips back and forth across a rutted, bumpy field with no discernable track, a mucky river crossing followed by bog, and rough fire road strewn with broken up concrete. It was a nightmare. Mel and I battled over the bumps together at a steady pace, and soon had a gap on the rest of the group. Mel dropped back a couple of times but was never more than about 30 seconds behind, and soon caught back up. I was happy to sit on her wheel for a bit as we made our way together into the third of the eight laps.

It was in the middle of the third lap, through the singletrack section, that the ground started to sway and I couldn't see straight. I recognised the tell-tale signs of a migraine and pulled off the track to pull myself together. Mel disappeared, and I made my way slowly back to the feed zone, thinking I could sit down for a spell and get some more fluids down, then carry on. But by that point I couldn't open my eyes to the sunlight, even with my Adidas Evil Eyes on, and the screaming of young children in the feed zone was making me squirm. I headed back to our car and took a Zomig (migraine medication) and sat behind the tinted windows for a bit. The Zomig seemed to work and kept the worst of the headache at bay, but by that point I'd completely lost the will to race and decided to call it a day. As I mentioned, my body responds well to a battering, but only up to a point, and it knows how to tell me when it's had enough.

Mel went on to win the women's 100km, whilst Maddie Horton in second took the English Champion's title and jersey, which she was chuffed with. Annabel pulled out of her 50km race after only one lap, but I couldn't fault her for it. Whilst Andy, Ruth and I have full-suspension Scalpels, Annabel rides a full carbon Taurine hardtail, and the bumpy field would have crippled the poor lass. Ruth finished, and won, the 50km, getting us the best result of the day, although she was ill afterwards. Andy went on to complete the full eight laps and finish eighth in the 100km, to everyone's suprise including his own, although he suffered through it and is still complaining of his various pains now.

And for all of this, we will be strong, we will be fast, and we will be on peak form in a few weeks' time. It will all be worth it!

This week it's back on the road bike for another battering in the hills tomorrow, then our team heads to Blackpool for the Grand Prix Des Dames nocturne crit on Friday evening. Stay tuned for some fast racing by the seaside!

Above: The Elite Women's podium from left Jenny Copnall, Kate Potter and Jenn O'Connor

Below: The Master Women's podium from left Ruth Mordaunt, Nina Davies and Emma Bradley

Winning a Marathon Championship a Coaching view

Andrew R Patterson. Patterson Training, Sport Science Support

By the time Dave Hayward and Michael Powell gridded up on the start line for the Veteran’s National MTB Marathon Championship at Margam Park, they had amassed some 800 hours of training between them, in six months of preparation. Michael was the defending champion, and Dave wanted the title.

These two athletes would ride out of their skins in this race, outclassing their competitors and stretching out a 20 minute gap to third place. The race on the day was one of the closest and most exciting marathon events ever, but the race tells only part of the story.

My challenge as coach to both of these athletes was to help each fulfil their potential, and although they shared a common goal in wanting to win the marathon jersey, each took a very different journey to the start line, and ultimately to the finish line.

To see these two in training was like a scene from Rocky III. Mike was training like Rocky – he was following my training prescription, but using a more natural and facilitative approach, relying on his own bio feedback and heart rate response. Dave was training like the Russian - using very scientific methods. Both were getting great results, Mike even managed to drop his local chain gang on his mountain bike in a show of great early form.

Each athlete knew that I was coaching the other and that I would be giving them an equal amount of input and coaching advice. What I underestimated was the extent to which this would motivate both athletes. Each knew the level of commitment and, to some extent, the strengths and weaknesses of the other. There was no question of there being an easy race, or an easy win, for either athlete.

On race day Mike went from the gun taking Dave and Pete Turnbull (the eventual Bronze medallist) with him. However, Dave’s superior power to weight ratio soon gave him the advantage, and Dave pulled ahead on the gruelling opening climb under a beating sun. Mike didn’t panic. He knew his limits and knows his body well, something that the facilitative style of coaching he has followed has given him.

I coached Mike last year to his Marathon win, where my main input was to hold back his training after ultra-endurance races. I was monitoring his nervous system fatigue and resting him until he reached the training sweet spot, when an athlete is recovered from an overload period. From that point I could add the training load again. The result was an athlete who was in top form, and able to go hard from the gun. Mike won the 2008 Marathon title by a clear 12 minutes. He would not enjoy such a clear run in this race however.

Mike is a very competent rider who has been racing for many years and is not easily fazed, even by very technical courses. He has the ability to suffer and can read a race well, allowing him to pace and time his efforts to great effect. However, he is a bit of a slave to his heart rate monitor, and its indication ruled his psychology during training.

Dave on the other hand was a very raw rider. He was fit and light, but his lack of knowledge about nutrition during races, technical skills, pacing and racing psychology were lagging well behind his physical ability. He was, however, a clean slate and was willing to undertake a very autocratic routine. We were using power meters fitted to both on and off road bikes, along with tools to monitor his nervous system. With Dave I had power, speed, cadence, heart rate, torque, temperature and altitude data for every single ride he did over the 6 month period up to the Championship race. We lab tested, field tested, pre-rode the course to build his physiology to the course demands, over geared, sprinted, core stabilised, mobilized and stretched. Then we re-tested and did it all again, only more focused this time on the weaker areas of his physiology.

Dave is only human and there is a limit of every athlete’s motivation, especially during such a demanding autocratic plan when the body and the mind say enough is enough. For Dave this came during a particularly tough carbohydrate depleted training session where a low calorie intake and demanding interval protocol led him to be training outside in a torrential rain storm on the rollers. Thunder and lightning, very tired legs and motivation pushed to the very limit was almost enough to see the bikes going in the skip. If I could have seen this coming I would have had an easy period scheduled in a day earlier, but even with good communication and coaching processes these days can and will happen with athletes. A good motivational talk, evaluation of goals and a rest week and Dave was back on track.

As spring approached the emphasis for Dave shifted to technical skills. This is a good tip for any mountain biker whose performance output has reached a plateau - don’t batter yourself with more and more intervals in an attempt to pull that extra 20 watts. Instead, get your skills tuned. It will take a good minute off your lap times during an XC race and it’s a great deal more fun than doing nose-bleed intervals up a hill. I also made some changes to David’s bike, as his original set-up was very, very wrong. Too low at the front, too narrow and the seat height was way out - so much so that it was causing an injury to the back of his knee.

The skills training paid dividends for Dave, as by the end of lap two he had managed to get through the steep, rocky descents without incident and had pulled out a 3.5 minute lead over Mike. However, the three-hour mark is a turning point in any endurance race, and this is where Mike’s experience gave him the edge. He was able to maintain the high pace and pull minutes back on the third lap from his less experienced rival. As the pair started their fourth and final lap, Dave’s lead had been whittled down to just two minutes.

There had been a turning point much earlier in the season that had not gone in Mike’s favour. He caught a virus just before spring, and it set his training back by weeks. His body took so long to recover that it was a challenge to bring him into racing form in time for the race. As well as this, he was in the middle of a house-building project over spring, which caused a fair share of disruption and distracted him from some of the key areas where marginal gains can be made. Good nutrition, recovery and regular sleep can make up the winning margin between two closely-matched athletes.

By mid-May the fitness of both athletes was as good as it could be, and the final race tuning was underway. The performance testing results for both athletes are shown below.

(AT= Aerobic threshold. OBLA= Onset of blood Lactic accumulation. MAP= Maximum aerobic power)

On paper Mike has always lagged behind Dave, but we don’t race on paper and Mike’s far superior technical skills had always enabled him to get the better of Dave in races, by quite some margin. The final test results were encouraging for Mike, as even after a disrupted winter and illness in early spring he had still increased his performance. Dave’s performance gains however were quite remarkable, and this huge increase in performance along with the skills training, may have tipped the balance in his favour. I knew it was going to be close and it was too close to call on race day.

The final preparation the athletes still had to cope with was the pre-competition anxiety that can drain the energy out of a rider before a race. I spoke to both Mike and Dave the day before the event, and reiterated the need to focus on process, pacing, feeding, gear and line selection, and when to switch from internal to external focus. Keeping all these process drills working in the athlete’s mind prevents the mind from backing up with negative thoughts or losing focus.

Mike had unfortunately lost a bottle on the first lap, and with the threat of dehydration hanging over him, decided to stop at one of the feed zones for 30 seconds, to take on extra fluid that he couldn’t carry. With temperatures reaching 28 degrees under a cloudless sky, riding without fluids was simply not an option. Mike was chipping away at Dave’s lead, pacing himself hoping that Dave would pay for the fast start.

It wasn’t to be. Dave crossed the line just 120 seconds in front, a tiny margin in a race lasting over four hours. Mike was a full 18 minutes ahead of Pete Turnbull in third. Between them they had ridden away from the field, and ridden themselves to the limit.

Dave was emotional with the joy of the win. The stress of training his weaknesses and aggregating marginal gains had taken a huge toll on him and his family. His family had given their complete support to the project and were there on the day, passing bottles and cheering him on. The win was a family achievement for the Haywards.

For Mike, juggling training with illness and outside commitments provided a different set of challenges. He had also worked very hard towards his goal, and had made significant improvements in his fitness, despite the setbacks. Stringing together blocks of unhindered training, and being able to say to yourself that you have achieved 100% in every aspect of your preparation goals is difficult to achieve, even for full-time professional athletes. External circumstances will affect the training focus, and ultimately the end performance. With structured training, Mike was able to make the most of his circumstances and produce an impressive performance on the day.

For a coach, understanding the science of human physiology is fairly straightforward. Understanding the unique learning patterns and motivations of individual athletes, and managing a training programme that incorporates an infinite range of circumstances, is a far greater challenge. It has been a pleasure to coach two such dedicated athletes, who I know will go on to consolidate their success in the future.

Andrew Patterson is a Sport Scientist and coach, owner of Patterson Training a Sport science consultancy in Macclesfield, Cheshire. He has over 10 years of experience in professional coaching and also tutors and assesses coaches for British Cycling.

OS Mountain Mayhem 2009- First Attempt

Race Report By Annabel Simpson

For a few weeks before, the thought of Mountain Mayhem had been occupying my mind. It seemed such a daunting prospect for me to race for 24 hours, even if it was in a team. My main worry was that I didn’t want to let my team down, as I knew we were capable of winning.

I left home Thursday morning, all packed up and ready for a busy four days. I had a photo shoot in Harrogate for the Altura winter range on the Thursday with team mate Jenn O’Connor and coach Andy Patterson, then on Friday we were on our way down to Mayhem. I just hoped I had packed enough food and kit to get me through the weekend. I had always associated Mountain Mayhem with rain and mud, but the weather forecast was surprisingly showing sun. I didn’t want to fall for it, and so packed my wellies just in case.

We set up camp and got to do a lap around the course in sunshine on the Friday evening. It was a really fun course. A mixture of fire roads, fast single track and strength sapping climbs were definitely going to make for a hard yet enjoyable race. The race didn’t start ‘til 2pm the following day, so we had plenty of time to chill and prepare. A nice thing about being there early was that Jenn could take me round the trade area and I got to meet a lot of our sponsors. So thank you to the guys from Adidas Eyewear, SRAM, Crank brothers, Cannondale and Hope for all your encouragement over the weekend.

We returned to the tents for lots of pasta, and because there were no parties going on we retired to bed, where I was kept awake a lot of the night by a huge amount of rain. Joy! All I could think about was how the lovely bone dry course was now going to be so muddy, and I was dreaming about which Panaracer tyres would be most suitable.

The next morning we were joined by our team mates Ruth Mordaunt and Nadine Spearing, and 2pm was fast approaching. All tyre selections had been debated and set up, and we were ready to rock, and I was stupidly excited about getting started.

The claxon went and Nadine was off running, while I stood there watching thinking ‘Man I’m glad I didn’t have to do that!’ Nadine finished her lap and passed the baton on to me. We were in second place at this point behind the Beyond girls, so I knew I had to chase. I was getting quite frustrated on my first lap as there was so much traffic out on the course, but I did a 50 minute lap which I was pleased with. I then passed over to Jenn, who dished out some real pain to the Beyond girls, by passing and leaving them. Ruth then went in and did another quick lap, so by the end of the first rotation spirits were very high!

My second lap was my favourite. I’d topped up on Powergels and I wanted to put in a fast lap. Five minutes into the lap a guy overtook me at a decent pace, and I saw my chance there and then. I jumped on his wheel and we proceeded to blast around the course together. On the muddy back section of the course I had a few sneaky lines which allowed me to get the better of him few times, but we eventually arrived over the line together doing a 46 minute lap. I was very happy and also feeling rather sick after the effort, but it was definitely worth it.

Night was coming and this was the bit I was most nervous about. Jenn and Ruth did the first night shift from around 10.30pm ‘til 2am and during this period I was meant to be grabbing a bit of sleep but I was far too excitable and barely slept a wink.

Then it was my and Nadine’s turn. I downed a can of Red Bull ready for my lap, and went out into drizzly rain, equipped for the darkness with two Lupine Wilmas, on helmet and bars. The drizzle managed to destroy parts of the course, making loads of sections really slippery, especially the grass. I was getting stuck in long queues of people dragging their bikes through the mud, and I was finding it really hard to overtake safely.

Night soon passed though, and with all the team back awake it felt like we were on the home straight. All the team were still doing solid times, and we’d had no mechanicals or bad crashes (apart from Ruth’s pedal falling off and me giving myself a dead leg). The Beyond team in second were also riding a solid race and were only 30 minute behind, so we had to keep pushing to make this gap grow.

I hit a bit of bad point in my second to last lap when I kept getting cramp, and it was really making me suffer up the Kenda climb. I finished the lap feeling exhausted, demoralised and I thought I had let everyone down by doing a slow lap, but to my surprise I was only a little over 50 minutes. Coach and Ruth got me to drink as much salts as possible, and assured me I only had one lap left. The end was in sight and it felt good.

I crossed the line after my last lap with a smile from ear to ear. I had survived it and we were winning! With just Jenn and Ruth to go, I was confident that we had it in the bag. And we did! We even got an extra lap in on the Beyond team in second. I’m just so proud of us all for sticking at it all the way and I feel that I have definitely achieved something and I’m sure the other girls do too! We stood on the podium and received our winner’s jerseys and prizes and after that I feel like I’ve done nothing but sleep up until this point.

I’d like to say a big Well Done to everyone who took part, and especially to the Beyond girls for keeping us on our toes. I’d like to say I will do it again in the future, but we will wait and see.

Now I’m more that up for my next race at Crow Hill, which is another round of the National series. We will all be there and I’m even going to have a go at the 100k English Marathon Champs on the Sunday.

We will keep you posted
Annie

Annabel Simpson is 19 years old, and a former Junior National XC Champion. This is her first season as an Elite racer, and she rides for the Altura Patterson Training race team. Mayhem ’09 was her first attempt at 24 hour racing, and one of the biggest challenges for her this year.

Mountain Mayhem 2009 Photo Gallery

The Altura Patterson Training team of Jenn O'Connor, Annabel Simpson, Ruth Mordaunt and Nadine Spearing won the Open Women category in the Original Source Mountain Mayhem 2009. We fought off strong competition from the Beyond Babes and Salsa Factory Racing, but in the end we clocked up 27 laps, a lap up on second place.

We'll have a full race report up soon, but in the meantime, please take a look at this wonderful collection of images from event photographer Rob Crayton.

Above: The start grid stretched out for about 100 metres as riders lined up for the run. Nadine is a former top 400m runner and did the honours for our team.

Below: Team Leader and 4x Mayhem Solo Champion Jenn O'Connor has competed in every Mountain Mayhem event since 2001, making this her 9th Mayhem.

Below: 19-year-old Annabel Simpson was the youngest team member, riding at Mayhem for the first time. She had never even ridden a bike at night before, let alone raced in the dark, and says Mayhem was "the hardest thing she's ever done". Nonetheless she did a full share of the laps, including night laps, and clocked some of the fastest lap times for the team.

Below: Masters racer Ruth Mordaunt has had a tough time this year, losing her Dad to cancer. She was understandably behind with her training coming into this race, but rose to the occasion, putting in impressive lap times and smiling for the full 24 hours. Ruth did the "glory lap" and picked up the medals for the team.

Below: Elite racer Nadine Spearing was fighting off a cold in the week leading up to Mayhem and wasn't sure if she would even be able to ride, but stuck it out for the full duration, as well as doing the run to start the race for the team. Here she is givin' it some up the notorious Kenda Climb.

Below: Coach Andrew Patterson got a place on the Adidas Eyewear 10-person fun team, and got to take his Scalpel out for a rip around the course for three laps.

Above: Ruth crosses the line to shake Pat's hand and take the finishing honours for the team.

Below: On the top step of the podium, in our fantastic Altura kit, and in our Champions' jerseys.

Another great event, thanks to Pat Adams and his team. A bit of sun, a bit of mud, a couple of crashes, a box of Honey Loops, three bags of pasta, a kilo of rice, a box of Jaffa Cakes, one missed handover, six low-fat sausages, a jar of Nutella, a box of Powergels, no end of RideShots, calf cramp, two hours of sleep, 27 laps, and a hell of a lot of fun. It can only be Mayhem!

Mountain Mayhem 24hr

We won the Open Women category. Horray! Our girls were little stars, we all rode our legs to bits. Full report and pics up soon.

Too ... tired ... to blog ... zzz