After 20 minutes of playing about we heard a shout from the road and this lady asked us if she could have a word. We wandered down to say hello before realised she was actually a Copper… Oooops. Thankfully, we weren’t in trouble and it was just the John’s car had been reported abandoned. However, giving over you name and address to the law is never good. The look of ‘shouldn’t you know better’ when we gave our dates of birth was priceless.

An hour of riding, playing and learning later and John had cracked off a few good shots. He maybe no PhilPOD but it was great to get out and muck about.

Photo by John Alexander

See more of Johns work here

]]> http://thisisheffield.co.uk/2012/rapeseed-ragging-and-rozzers/feed/ 0 http://thisisheffield.co.uk/2012/maystravasmashing/ http://thisisheffield.co.uk/2012/maystravasmashing/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 13:51:53 +0000 Nick http://thisisheffield.co.uk/?p=6533 Back at the end of April we set a Strava challenge initiated by a bit of TiS back room banter and segment bagging. Swinny, on a borrowed Cotic Rocket and dressed up (more of this soon) with a go faster cape smashed my KOM on a local bridleway descent, The Devils Elbow. So with the popularity of Strava we thought we’d open up the challenge to all comers.

Half way through the month, here’s where we’re at.

Swinny is still holding on to the top spot having not tried the segment again (too busy trying to bag UCI points instead). Steve Wager and Dave Woods have smashed out the segment which caused Cy Turner from Cotic to comment:

I’ve had another crack in the last month and improved my time despite the track being water logged in places. Joe’s had a go as well but chain issues held him back. Si Chatten’s posted up the 7th fastest time pushing Gordon, Dunc and Henry Norman down the top 10.

So, keep at it, can anyone take Swindogs time by the end of the month? But remember, don’t let it spoil the fun!

The air ambulance staff did this to his prized and famous TiS tee. Get well soon Chay… and get your new Tee here

Riding in the gloom

I rattled my dags, lubed my chain and headed to the start of the race. This new in vogue race format was a first for the Port Hills and also for myself, but with people in good form, laughing, joking and piss-taking the pre-race anxiety soon passed.

The race was split into 4 ‘special stages’ i.e. 4 timed stages, all of which most of us had ridden before, so there was no need for track walks etc. The stages were mostly downhill, not downhill as in ‘style’ but more so in altitude drop. We didn’t have a time limit to get to the next stage but we were encouraged to not drive or walk, and as far as I know this was abided by, after all cheaters only cheat themselves.

Despite the weather there was a good turn out with approx 100+ riders on the start line, including local entrants like Trek’s Anton Cooper and Lapierre’s Cam Cole and also a good serving of fast Canterbury riders. The top 5 positions would end up being a tightly fought contest with different riding skills and fitness levels not necessarily making it a clean cut for the podium. We were all put in the same category, with the exception of mens and womens.

We were allowed to seed ourselves, and could leave the start gate at our own leisure with 30sec intervals. The first stage on the track called the ‘Bowenvale Traverse’ is relatively flat, a few short climbs nothing but single track and sprints, no flat off-camber corners, no sniper lines and nothing too technical. I knew the track well, but regardless of my current levels of fitness my lung capacity wasn’t enough to stay consistently fast and even riding at 80% of my limit felt hard, I slipped pedals, blew my hand off the bar and generally had a poor stage. I finished with a time of 6.49 and a position of 53rd, I wasn’t too happy, but still felt okay physically. The stage winner was Anton Cooper with 5.03, but he is a freak of nature.

The second stage was more my type, a well known series of tracks through Victoria Park. Leaving the start ‘gate’ I sprinted into the first line of berms and jumps, but blew by feet off on the landing and over cooked a couple of landings going off course a few times – I think I’d best work on my Bubba Scrub. I came into the clearing not really sure where to go, and the tape was really wide, with a split second of hesitation I committed too late to a big long gravel right hander, I tried to recover but moments later I was on my knees sledging a groove into the stones. I got back up and pulled my knee pad back into position as it wasn’t much use as a shin guard, and then heading through the gum trees on a track called ‘Dazzas’. Post-crash I was finding it hard to find flow and felt like I was forcing the corners, eventually I got through it with what felt like very little style and grace. The final part was down a track called ‘Ponos’. I hadn’t ridden this before but it was a fairly fast traverse style track and I subsequently went off course and had to start from what felt like a standstill. Eventually I found some flow and sprinted into the finish. This time I finished in 25th with a time of 3.51, with the winning time by local pinned rider Joe Nation 3.15.

Vic Park wall ride - Stage 2

A long climb to the start of Flying Nun was on the cards next, with a mixture of pushing and riding my lungs took me to the top of a track I knew well. The start was atmospheric with low cloud and a heavy dew on the ground. My run started poorly, almost crashing hard after loosing my wheel on the wrong side of a rut, I took a breather and composed myself and slowed down to find some rhythm. Flying Nun is a fast but pretty cardio intensive, the gradient isn’t steep enough to gain time by laying off the brakes, you have to sprint between sections and commit to some of the blind corners knowing that something will catch you in the event of an over zealous riding style. I came across the line with a time of 4.12, I wasn’t happy, and knew that I could’ve done better, and after all Strava says I am the current KOM. I finished in 32nd, way down from what I thought, I was hoping for a top twenty. But alas I can critique the finer details of my run, but there is only one chance and no one can turn back the clock. Joe Nation won the stage again with a time of 3.35 – the lad is surely going to go to great heights?

Gurning for oxygen on the Flying Nun

One more climb and a fast 4wd track transfer stage took us to the top of the Crocodile Track in Kennedy’s Bush. I knew this track well and also that it depended on large lungs and the ability to pedal and sprint. At this point my cold and mucus coated respiratory system was getting the better of me, but after various counts of piss-taking I was sat on my saddle again. Maybe my bars weren’t straight or my reactions delayed, but the top parts of each stage were distinctly average with a seemingly unconscious desire to ride off the track. I found my flow again and started to feel sharp, I then proceeded to catch the rider in front of me. I dragged my wheels behind his and politely asked him to move off the track but it was to no avail, he wanted to hold his ground. After two or three more turns and a couple of straight sections he eventually parted ways and I could pass. I got back unto speed right in time for a steep hill climb. I knew that I didn’t have the lungs for the climb and ‘sprinted’ up the hill with my bike next to me. I say sprinted, it was more of the classic style ‘Dad run’ that Peter Kay describes with such eloquence.

I felt good on the next section of turns and after 4 stages I felt like I was actually riding my bike and not in some kind of ethereal state, I could lean and move the bike where I wanted. I crossed the line with my lungs on the bars. I finished the stage in 31st with a time of 7.07. Anton Cooper won again with a time of 5.38, a whopping 14 seconds clear of Joe Nation in second with a time of 5.52.

Rufus Wenlock on a last turns before the final stage finish line

Overall positions in the mens was Joe Nation, Anton Cooper and Cam Cole taking the top three in mens, and Amy Laird, Jo Turnbull and Rose Green in womens. I finished 34th out of 91. Not the position that I wanted, and I know I can do better, but hopefully there will be a next time.

Looking my best for the paparazzi on the finish line

Enduro is 2012′s equivalent of what Freeride was back in the early 2000′s, but hopefully it will be more than riding a DH bike with a rucksack on. This form of riding and event is totally open to all abilities and styles of riding. To compete at the top a huge fitness and riding skill level is needed. You might be able to pin the technical sections, but if you are like me, the last thing on your mind is sprinting. I think that is where it crucial, I was recovering where others were pedalling and sprinting, you can’t solely rely on being able hold off the brakes for a bit longer than most. It can only be a healthy influence on the mountain bike industry – just like DH bikes have in the last few years. Good geometry would not have been developed unless racers, riders and companies had extensive R & D programmes. I think for my next event I would not be ill, but more seriously, looking at tyre pressure, tyre type, suspension set up would be as far as bike stop would go for me. Developing fitness that gains time on the less technical parts of a stage would be the most significant improvement I could make.

Chewing the fat at the start of the Flying Nun

I’d like to thank the organisers Gravity Canterbury, the instigators Bikecycle.co.nz, Chris Paassens and Bikecycle for their photographs and everyone else who showed up to do the timing, run the BBQ and all the competitors turning up to make the event something. The future is bright, the future is Enduro….

(ps. None of the top 3 were riding 29ers)

And here is a vid that was made by theperfectline.tv for the event:

Heading out Wednesday morning after a midnight finish at work, with the flight landing us in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The Passport control were not convinced i was me.. so came looking for more ID. To be fair my passport looks nothing like me, and i possibly made this worse by handing them my driving license, which again looks nothing like me nor looks anything similar to my passport photo.. So i got asked a few questions about my visit and with my charm convinced the authorities I was actually me. So, onto baggage claim.. all good. Then onto the task of finding our driver,  i had no idea who he was. But all was good. A few more Brits were on the same flight; fellow SPS rider Dale Russel, along with Adam Brayton and Reece Langhorn so surely they knew who we were looking for… Turns out they didn’t have a clue either! So we all sort of wandered around whilst constantly being asked if we needed a taxi! “i do you good deal for all of you”, “no tar mate” was said a lot!. I then get an arm wrapped around my shoulder, first thought was ‘oh crap, more police and authorities to take me away because they still don’t believe i’m me’, but fortunately no, it was a Bulganeez (made that up) chap by the name of Kamen (probably spelt very wrong) who whisked us away to meet up with Nikolay and his big Sprinter van.
Nikolay runs RAM bikes and did an amazing job of looking after us Brits, with out him and his team the whole experience would not have been what it was.

Off we drove, and how we drove. The Bulganeez are nuts when it comes to driving, ragged, flat out and weaving through traffic like nothing i’ve seen before! An amazing experience in its self.
We made a short Pit stop at RAM bike HQ while we waited for another plane of Brits to land, then once all together we headed off to Sopot, approx. 2+ hours of interesting driving. At one point the road literally ended and were on a rough dirt track that seemed to waltz through some farmers field. We arrived safely however and once we found our rooms in the hotel, prepped for dinner, which was a very reasonable price for what we got!

Anyway, onto the track, and what a track! Long, dusty, drifty, fast, flowing. Just a good laugh. It was a track where not too much pedalling was needed, speed was picked up by how much you dare let off the brakes. The chairlift was pretty sketchy. With no slow down mechanism the chair seemed to come flying at you while you were trying to hold onto your bike and guide it off the launch pad while hooking the pedal onto the seat. That was about all that held the bike on!

I went up with 4X and BMX legend Martin Ogden, who was kind enough to look after me and show me how to mount the chairlift as well as give me a riding partner for the day. Oggy had been here a fair few times so was accustomed to the whole situation.

Onto the riding. Things started well, with the idea to slowly build up the speed over the next 3 days i was feeling good, riding bikes in the sun on a track i didn’t need to pedal on, what could be better. All was going well, I was enjoying the place, having a laugh and enjoying being on my bike. Then I tried an inside line and ended on my back in some awful pain! I must of hit a rock or something, but either way I didn’t see it coming and I went down hard, folding my front wheel pretty bad in the process! Only the 3rd run in as well! So that put an end to day 1.

Team Ram were good to me and sourced me a new rim from the local shop, which got built up for me that evening. With being in a lot of pain in the lower back region i asked Kamen to sort me out with some Bulganeez painkillers. I got a box of pills where i could only have 2 a day, sounds good!!

They seemed to do the job too and the next day I was back up riding again. A couple more runs and into Quali.
With an idea! Ill roll the whole track, no pedaling, that way, I’m guaranteed to make up loads of time in finals. Genius I thought! However, It turns out that everyone else had the same idea. But still, i rolled over the line and ended 5th. With a strong British contingent, we soundly rounded out the top 5 with a few more in the top 10 and more a little further down the field.

All was going well. I was happy and ready for finals. Off we went, a couple more runs under my belt and I was ready for finals. Then the rain came, and the wind and the thunder storms. It was pretty intense for a while and the organizers had to call off the finals. Fortunately, due to past experiences, they had scheduled a spare day just in case of bad weather, so finals were rolled over to Sunday.

Quali results

And onto Sunday.

Again, a couple more runs, and ready!!
All was going swimmingly, I felt good on the bike and was cranking out of turns, letting off the brakes and flowing. A small error up top caused me to slip my pedals but not too much drama. Then a small wash out in a slow section again resulted in not too much drama, and on into the final section. I was enjoying myself and was carrying speed well. I cranked into the final section and pumped the ground for more speed, coming into the final turn and getting ready for the sprint to the line. Suddenly, disaster struck! My rear wheel seemed to kick up, maybe off a root, and pointed me straight towards a tree. I tried for all it was worth to wiggle around but no luck, I ploughed the tree with my shoulder and got taken off the bike and ended up in a tangle. I bounced back up and tried to get to the line as quick as possible, but the damage was done. 5th place was the aim but 10th the result.
So not what i was looking for but not a complete loss. 10 points picked up and an experience well worth taking away.

Finals results

A huge thanks to Nikolay, Kamen and the rest of the RAM bikes team, they put on a cracking event and took care of us Brits well, without them, it wouldn’t have been the same.

Only one more ‘experience’, the drive back to Sofia.. I don’t really need to go into to much detail about that

Cheers!
Swinny

All photos Duncan Philpott

Illustrating spring it shows Nick at the final round of the winter dual series bathed in uncharacteristic spring sun carrying in the poles. Glamour.

“Strength in Numbers” – UK cinema tour dates announced

Dates have been announced for the UK cinema tour of “Strength in Numbers”, the eagerly awaited new mountain bike film from Anthill Films, the guys behind The Collective series of films, Follow Me and From the Inside Out.

“Strength in Numbers” is a new mountain bike documentary that explores mountain bike culture through the experiences of the world’s best riders. Anthill Films have created a film, which will change the way the world sees mountain biking, both on and off the screen. Presented by Shimano and Trek, Strength in Numbers combines progressive action and beautiful cinematography with compelling stories to show how the many different sides of mountain biking are all connected.  The filmmakers, who brought you ‘The Collective’, ‘Roam’, ‘Seasons’ and ‘Follow Me’, traveled the globe to find communities that represented the many sides of the sport, with film shoots in British Columbia, Nepal, Scotland, Austria, Switzerland, California, Utah and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

Strength in Numbers features a diverse selection of riders with some of the biggest names in the sport, including: Andrew Shandro, Brandon Semenuk, Cam McCaul, Gee Atherton, Graham Agassiz, Matt Hunter, Rene Wildhaber, Thomas Vanderham and Wade Simmons.  The cast consists of a mix of established pros, up and comers and local riders, with Anthony Messere, Adam Billinghurst, Rachel Atherton, Ryan Howard and Steve Smith also appearing in the film. “It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to see what the Anthill boys have put together”, says world cup downhill champion Gee Atherton. “For me, as a rider, it’s exciting to be part of something like this – it’s a chance to help progress and grow our sport.”

For everyone who catches the tour in the cinema, they will enjoy not only the opportunity to see “Strength in Numbers ” in the big screen in all it’s Blu Ray HD glory but also get to watch “The Dudes of Hazzard” from homegrown rippers Jo Barnes, Liam Moynihan and Fergus Lamb, best known from their work with www.mtbcut.tv on the MOJO trail diaries and “The Dudes of Hazard” online films, in their inaugural big screen outing.

Following the boys on their European road trip adventures last summer, “The Dudes of Hazzard” is an irreverent and funny take on the mountain bike film chronicling their madcap attempts to race, ride, film and have fun on the way. Following on from it’s sell out world premiere in February, the tour will be the only chance to see the film on the big screen.

To follow the Dudes on their latest hair brained adventure, go to

www.facebook.com/TheDudesofHazzard

TOUR DATES

The tour kicks off with a double premiere night in GLASGOW at the GFT  (www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre) on THURSDAY 31^ST MAY 2012 at 8.30pm and in Peebles at the Eastgate Centre as part of the Tweedlove Festival before doing a limited tour of venues across the UK.

Dates and locations already confirmed are as follows:-

GLASGOW Thursday 31^st May 2012   GFT, 12 Rose Street 0141 332 6535 www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre

PEEBLES Thursday 31^st May 2012  Eastgate Theatre, Eastgate 01721 725 777

www.eastgatearts.com
EDINBURGH Monday 11^th June 2012  Cameo Cinema,  38 Home Street, Edinburgh  0871 902 5723        www.picturehouses.co.uk

LEEDS Friday 15^th June 2012    Hyde Park Picturehouse, 73 Brudenell Road, Leeds   0113 275 2045   www.hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk

SHEFFIELD Tuesday 19^th June 2012   Showroom, 7 Paternoster Row, Sheffield  0114 275 7727         www.showroomworkstation.org.uk

PENRITH Date TBC     Rheged IMAX Cinema, Redhills, Penrith   01768 868 000

www.rheged.com

Tickets for all the venues (with the exception of the Rheged screening) are on sale from this week onwards.

Swinny finished 10th at the Shambhala Open Cup in an attempt to get UCI points to race World Cups but had an argument with the last tree… next time dude!

Joe specializes in Justins Hits, Boyfriend and Baby, and always arrives with a selection on hoodies, Baseball caps and moves.

Please email JoeTheHoe@ThisISheffield.co.uk for more details.

It was the first time the team had met up all together and as a bit of a bonding session with Steve, Tristan and the rest of the boys, we headed over to the UK bike park for a couple of days before the race weekend. Joe Bow and Duncan were in tow to take snaps and document our activities over the long weekend.

The drive down was long.. very long and boring as i had just myself to keep me occupied, and i assure you, i do not hold a good conversation with myself! i was fortunately guided in for the last hour by Joe (cheers mate!) as i didn’t really know where i was going! Phone signal was very low down there so i had to guess a lot of what Joe was actually saying, but hey ho! made it. Joe and Dunc traveled down together as team media, with Dunc doing what he does best! No no, not getting lairy with uni girls! but taking photos!

We had a good couple of days riding down at UK-BP, with the weather threatening at times it held off for a couple of pleasant days.

Joe managed to take a bit of time out of his hectic filming schedule (lol) to have a bit of a razz with the boys.

And then got back to work after gompering around a bit..

It was my first real ride on the new bike and boy it felt good!.. so i did this cool skid for dunc to capture, gold.

and then posed a bit while trying to act cool.

and then rode some more with the champ.

After a couple days riding we met up with Ben Deakin in the local and had a bit of a sesh.. things happened, we had a laugh, that’s all that needs to be said on the matter..

So that pretty much wraps up the first 2012 SPS meet up, i think it went rather well, apart from Irv that is.. Hope that hand is better for Fort William buddy!

So onto Combe Syd..

We arrived Friday afternoon feeling a little sorry for ourselves and trundled off up for a track walk.. It went as you would assume, we looked at stuff to ride on..

Saturday practice and i was lucky enough to tag onto the back of Peaty and Bryc for a couple of runs, which was interesting! As i tried to get up to speed with the big boys.

The track itself wasn’t exactly difficult but i thought was a good one to start the season with.. you were straight into a couple of bermed turns followed by a bit of a jump and into the man made rock garden, which soon filtered out as riders rattled through and moved the majority of the rocks out of the way. Then it was into a series of fire road sprints split up by a few bus stops, the off into the woods for a tight-ish section of turns. Out into the open via a large step down and a sprint through the field into the jump section, think Pietermaritzburg but a bit smaller.. ok, a lot smaller. Then back into the woods for the final tech rock roller section and a sprint for the line.

Sunday race day and i wasn’t feeling to hot.. maybe a combination of a few factors, booze, expectation, nerves, first race of the season. But i cracked on and got 2 practice runs in.

Onto seeding and their i sat at the top with the rest of the Elite field. This was a pretty new experience for me and i felt a little out of place to be honest, but i got on with it as one of the first riders down. I felt good through the first few turns but then seemed to hit a barrier and my whole body felt heavy.. i was unable to pedal as i wanted on the sprint sections and soon ran out of breath.. i chilled out then and cleaned the rest of the track and crossed the line. Finishing 20th out of 40 elites i was relatively happy giving how shit i felt.

Onto race run and i was a little apprehensive i wouldn’t be up for cracking out a solid run.. Mum laid into my legs ninja stylee and a got a good warm up massage.

So, of i went and instantly made a mistake.. dropping low out of the third turn and off line, ok tho, not too much time lost. Then into the rock section i blew a foot off the pedal and dabbed all the way through, not comfortable.

Into the pedal section and i wasn’t sure how much i could give, given my seeding performance, so chilled out a bit and didn’t pedal as hard as i could, this i later regretted.

I went for a clean, not over the top middle section and pedaled pretty hard through the open section. Dropping into the final woods again, a clean run was on my mind, so a little steady but clean did me fine, then the sprint to the line.

Crossing the line i feel i backed off too much in the upper section as i didn’t feel too out of energy, unlike seeding, but never mind eh. 22nd out of 40 was the end result, not a bad start to my Elite campaign but definitely a lot of room for improvement! ill have to tag on to Steve more often!

So all in all a good experience, a lot was learned and a lot can be carried over to the next event..

See ya’ll soon!

(Pictures thanks to the womanizer, Duncan Philpott)

Report after its rained again… Not long

Modelled here by Faceplant specialist Chay Granby they offer no body armour type protection but do look very Rad. Click on Chay’s pic to get yours.

Update: 8-5-2012 – Tees Selling very well, nearly sold out in all sizes.

Not to put you off but there seems to be a trend in those wearing TiS Tees and ending up in hospital. Its not the Tees, just the radness within as Luc Albert demonstrates.

As a child of the modern era I often overuse superlatives to describe something that probably doesn’t warrant it, e.g. “these yum yums are sensational”, when they’re actually mediocre at best. However, the Steel City Downhill is amazing! Pure class! Absoluuuutely fan-tastic!

Let me explain why:

It’s the pinnacle of mates racing in Sheffield – Everybody knows everybody and this makes the atmosphere tingle with excitement as the next rider down is one of your best mates or some cool lad you met on the trails in and around Sheffield. I remember being stood at the start ramp and cheering off a good majority of riders not just by shouting “pedal!” but “pedal JJ!” or “smash it Duncan!” or “Biggin’s a cunt!”.

It’s a race and it’s in Sheffield – It would be rude not to head along.

Steve Peat is there (not at Sea Otter!) – Can’t beat chilling with a legend.

There’s a big turnout from all categories – These races have been a complete sellout. There was also the addition of the ripper category who put many, more senior, riders to shame with their mad skills.

Rob Jolley smashed the shit out of a dog bowl, not literal shit, in the name of heckling – I’m pretty sure he shotgunned his marshal point next to the gap jump of doom before the track had even been dug.

The sendorrrrs!

One footer on the sendorrr from Joe Camus. Photo credit to Jack Smith.

I could go on…

For me, the run up to the race started about a month ago on the first dig day. A big group of volunteers turned out to make the course what it was. They were rewarded with lunch and a brand new track. It’s great to know how easy it is to get a group of people together who work very hard shifting boulders and digging at the earth like there are diamonds buried beneath. Without them the race would have been impossible.

From here the track was left to bed in and bake hard in the summer of spring 2012, only to be drenched in the last couple of weeks in the floods of 2012… In the days running up to the event there were a few modifications and finishing touches to make a track ready to get many miles of rubber chucked down her by the Sheffield massive.

How did it go?:
For me? Terrible… I had two shocking runs, missing lines, losing momentum (which was vital to do well on this track, especially the section leading up to the hip jump before the sweet berms near the bottom), and breaking my bike. However, looking back I realize that none of that matters. I still had an excellent day, missing out on doing as many practice runs as I could because I’d seen someone else I wanted to chat to. Also, I definitely consider myself to be among the elite of hecklers. Only beaten by my mate Phil (who took a wheel to the face after a rider took a stack and the bike was catapulted into Phil… Karma?) who was calling upon the crowd to perform Mexican waves, dance routines and silent cheers as riders rode by.

Cheers for this pic Tom Richards!

For the organizers? From what I understand it was spot on, big success. No one majorly injured, few timing issues, big support from the spectators and NO RAIN (on the day…)!

There are many pictures and a few video edits of the race emerging thick and fast so have a look out. I’ll add a list of links at the bottom of this article of anything that has taken my fancy.

This one is pretty rad!:

A good write-up from Mr. Horscroft who, I’m sure many people will agree, is an excellent fellow: http://www.planetfear.com/news/Steel_City_Mini_Downhill__Sheffield_2792.html

This report, from Tom Richards, is on the front page of pinkbike. Contains photos and a vid: http://leafkona.pinkbike.com/blog/Peatys-Steel-City-Downhill-2012.html

Also, many of you will have seen this article on The Guardian. Big stuff for Sheffield!: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/apr/26/steel-city-downhill-race-cycling-wildlife