The End is Nigh

So... Having double checking the tyre pressures to ensure another punchure would be avoided, I jumped on the trailer for the third time and hoped for a clear run.

I was surprised to see Scott Beaumont, a famous national downhill rider and appears in downhill DVDs setting off just infront of me... Great... Now I get shown up by following him down the course... Anyway, Things were going great, good speed, getting used to the muddy conditions and starting to learn the course. This was until my rear derailleur decided it had had enough and tried to shed some of it components on down the track. So it was yet another stop to try and undertake a tempory fix.... Having set off again it was only another few hundred yards when the rear of the bike started to act like a bucking bronco and I realised something serious had gone wrong with the rear suspension.

I fumbled to the bottom of the course. On dismounting I realised I no longer had any rebound damping on the rear shock.... If you pushed down on the saddle and released it quickly the seat would fire upwards and the momentum would almost lift the rear wheel from the ground....GAME OVER!!

The shock will have to be sent away under warranty for repair. So there was little else to do that pack up and accept defeat. The organisers were kind enough to refund the race entry fee.

So I am left looking forward to the next race in Feb and pray for better luck.... You win some you loose some...That's racing...

Will get the bike in perfect condition for the next race....Oh, forgot to mention, I got over the crank issue by purchasing a new set...A session with a vice and hammer did nothing for the bent old set...

Why do I bother???

Well we are the other side of the race weekend and it is with gritted teeth and furrowed brow that I write this. I never got to race day! I barely made it through practice... Why? You may ask... Well all was going swimmingly, the sun was out and John and I arrived in good time on Saturday morning, full of antisapation on riding a new course. Having got ready we rode the few hundred meters to the tractor and trailer posed to take up to the top of the hill for the first time. It was indeed a treat to be taken to the top for a change rather than spending the best part of an hour pushing to the top.

The first run went well... As well as it could as this was riding the course blind. The course was long, wet, and ran from the dark depths of heavy forest before breaking out into a cleared area before once again plunging into darkness with trees aplenty. The highlight on the first run when, on swinging round a tight, off camber, rooty blind bend, was being confronted with a 4 foot vertical drop with a inclined landing.... As stopping to consider my fate was now not an option, a deep intake of breath, a huge pull on the bars and the grace of God saw me decent the cliff in a manner that can only be compared to a sack of potatoes being dropped from a window... I continued on my merry way wondering what other delights lay ahead...

The bike felt good and my riding was ok.... Perhaps I would be setting times somewhere in the middle of the pack...So with high spirits, I was ready for another up lift.... This would be the last time I smiled that day... It only took until a third of the way down on the second run for things to start to go wrong. A rear blow brought things to a halt. The only solution to get me back to the car was to tie a knot in the inner tube before re-inflating the tyre ( pump provided by another unlucky biker who had experienced to the same fate) and taking a steady approach to the rest of the decent. Having got to the car I changed out the inner tube for a fresh one and munched down some refreshments... Surely the next run would be more satisfactory.

doh!!

Well it is with a tear in my eye that I come to update you guys on the latest. I managed to get out on a practice ride at the weekend, a good opportunity to used to the mud again before the race. However, having set off on the first run of the day, I was only a third of the way when disaster struck... Going from feel good and expecting a healthy first run, I clipped a stump while accelerating out from a corner. The force of the impact was only realised when I went to commence pedaling again and found my right ankle having to work overtime to stay aligned with the pedal...The up shot of this is that I have bent a crank!! NOT HAPPY!!

I spent the rest of the day trying to get used to the alien movement of one foot and try to ignore the fact the bike was no longer perfect. This is of course something that one must expect while undertaking in such activities... Doesn't stop it being a pain in the arse though!

I have put some lines on the picture to show the new position of the pedal. I will strip it down and put the crank in the press at the farm... See if 60 tons pressure can bring it back to the straight an narrow!

In other news... I have received my new goggles (picture on the way) which have clear lenses, essential in the dull light this time of year. I also have to fit the new chain and cassette.. Will update soon with pictures of new shiny stuff...

What Time is it??!

Here's Matt showing some style having crashed out on the previous run...Respect!



Matts poor watch having experience the rath of Cornish granite!!

On Cornish Turf

On my recent visit to the homeland I was able to get out on the old downhill course we used to do as kids... Although the course has come along way since then and some of the locals have really put in the shovel time to turn it into something a bit special.

In typical Cornish style the weather ensured I know I was at home and rained for most of the day! But Matt P and myself had a great time, well, that is until Matt decided it was time worship the dirt and took a long trip off a short jump. But in typical Matty style he was straight up again and showed some great style completing the jump. This was not the only time he was to 'take a tumble'' and the second time his watch was to take the brunt of the impact....How I laughed!!

Well I guess this is where it all starts... I have been lucky enough to realise a dream. I have just finished assembling the ultimate in downhill technology..the Aston Martin of the bike world... and its all mine... ha ha ha

Having got the forks off Ebay and buying the frame new, the only parts that have come from my previous bike are the wheels and handle bars.

So having spent the gross national product of a small country i feel compelled to make it count and get out there and finally do what I have talked about for the last fours years...RACE!

I have just downloaded the entry form for a small winter series set in the midlands. These three races, first of which is on the 22nd Jan, will provide a bench marking oportunity and allow me to gain some experience before I start the proper Midland Superseries in April. This Superseries will take me right though the year with a race once a month.

So.. I have a few weeks to fettle the bike, get some new goggles and give myself a good mental boost before proclaiming war on the hills of Shropshire at the end of the month.... watch this space...!