Val di Sol IXS cup
I was lucky enough to chosen by British cycling to represent at Val di Sole World Cup 2013 & it was without doubt the highlight of my short career. What an unreal track! Val di Sole is pretty brutal, ride too conservative & it’s actually more difficult a track to ride.. Push it that bit too much however & the high speeds & nature of the track can bite you in the arse.
The opening event of the year for me & a great way to start it. Steel city DH has always been so much fun since it’s first event 4 years ago. It’s great to see such an amazing local crowd swarm around Grenoside woods, seeing many faces I know cheering on gives such a buzz when on track. I was more determined than ever that this year I was going to deliver & be able to thoroughly push & challenge the unbeaten Steve Peat to a tense & exciting finale.
Race runs both had small errors in, with pushing so hard on such a short, fast, tight track, it was always going to be a battle to not push the boundaries too far & result in errors..
It’s important or stay smooth, fluid & relaxed on this course. There isn’t much room for pedal strokes so flow is incredibly important. A jammed chain early on in run 1 had me uncomfortably set up for the run & put me back in fourth. My 2nd was going much better, until I over cooked one of the ‘S’ bends, tucked the front tyre under & bobbled off track, spoiling the run.
It was incredibly tight & exciting racing throughout all the categories, but once again Steve came out triumphant & remains the King of Steel City. For me, 5th place.. There’s always next year.
We love Vital mtb’s RAW footage of the World Cup season here at TiS! Steel City Media has delivered another cracker with a wrap up of some of this seasons best footage.
Check it out.
A banging Santa Cruz V10c is available!
Built up in June of this year, this bike comes as a complete package, with a few added extras thrown in for good measure!!
Full Spec list:
Santa Cruz V10c frame XL
Marzocchi 380 C2R2 Ti fork, with World Cup upgraded internals.
Marzocchi moto C2R rear shock, with World Cup upgraded internals.
Stans ZTR flow EX rims on Stans 3.30 HD hubs.
Maxxis High Roller 2 3C tires.
Shimano Saint/zee brakes & gears.
Uberbike components low friction gear cable kit.
Uberbike components floating disc rotors.
FSA Gravity light Bars & Stem.
FSA Gravity light cranks & chain device with 38t chainring.
FSA carbon seatpost & Joystick saddle.
Extras included;
Crank brothers Mallet DH pedals.
2 X Stans Flow EX rims.
A selection of dry & wet tyres
£3650.00
Contact:- jswinny7@gmail.com
So, mid point of the season has already arrived. It’s been a crazy first half of a year with a mixed bag of results on the European stage.
A huge thanks has to go out to all those who have helped make this year happen for me. After getting the bike together just in time for the World Cup round up in Fort William, I spent the following 5 weeks in Europe chasing races & learning the characteristics of the new build on my bike. To say I’m happy with the setup is an understatement, I feel faster & more confident than ever before with the bike.
It’s been a season of transition so far, after a couple of years aboard the same kit, this year I have picked up a few component deals & had to adapt quickly to the new feel of the bike.
Marzocchi suspension, provided by Windwave, have been a very positive upgrade. With the professional support from Pedro at Fort William & Leogang World Cups, I feel very comfortable & confident with the feel of the suspension.
FSA gravity light bars/stem, cranks/chain guide & seatpost, provided again by Windwave. Lightweight with a solid feel throughout.
The great feeling Sensus grips from Hookit Products. Extra long in length with a soft compound wave effect. The Swayze has held up well to wear. A great feeling grip.
Stans ZTR flow EX wheels, through Paligap, have held up to a beating from some brutal tracks.
The build was finished off by the guys down at Uberbike. With there own products, floating disc rotors & pads, brake mounts, Ti bolts, gear & brake hoses. They also did a cracking job of putting the whole build together for me on a tight schedule! Cheers guys!
Cheers to everyone for the help guys! Looking forward to the rest of the year.
So, Abi has commandeered my computer again and written about a recent trip she organised to a fairly local BMX track. Cycling can be enjoyed on a variety of wheel sizes (although, 26″ is definitely the most fun) and many useful skills can be transferred from one type of riding to the next. It can sometimes be surprising how many girls are out there who can be rallied together for a ride so it’s always worth getting the word out there. I was sacked from photography duties this time as my phone clearly wasn’t up to the job for the Parkwood Springs coaching session so all photos are kindly provided by Chris Ratcliff. Take it away, Abi!:
It’s been a long while since I last posted anything (and the majority of the words here aren’t mine either…). Anyway, the other week was a pretty big deal for the female contingent of the University of Sheffield cycling club. The club has grown in recent years meaning it is now possible for the women’s captain, Abi, to have any girls to captain…
Local Heros Steve Peat and Bike Track are hosting a Christmas ride and you’re invited! setting off from Hallfield Head Farm. Get there for 9am ready to set off at 9:30 for an XC ride around Wharncliffe and Grenoside.
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From Andy Watermans Instagram
I read this on Andy Watermans instagram this morning.
So many good points well made.
Our main tog and lady slayer Dunc has been lucky enough to get voted in to the top 5 of Pinkbike’s Deep summer Wildcard comp. The last few years the competition has been open only to North American residents but due to a last minute rule change its all changed and its now open to all nationality’s, and our dunc is in!
If you aren’t familiar with how Deep summer works then have a look at the slideshows below, but basically the 6 photographers have 3 days to shoot their chosen riders within the Whistler bike park and the extended sea to ski corridor between Squamish and Pemberton. They then edit the pictures into a final slideshow during a last minute Cocaine/Monster energy fueled editing binge on fancy Macintosh computers to submit just seconds before the deadline.
As I said have a lookse at previous entrys below and get over to Pinkbike and VOTE for Duncan.
Rob
