The day before the race

Epiphanies are few and far between in my busy life but at the top of mount stromlo on my third practice lap in the warm evening sunshine I stopped my bike and took in the immense view and saw things slightly slightly differently.

 Spinning legs up a long long climb is particularly therapeutic in a medative sort of way . Keeping my mind switched on and busy during a 24 hour race is how I keep physical pain to a minimum and my legs working. As I peddled up that first climb my mind meandered onto the previous years events on how I got here- yes it really is a long climb!!

 I was thinking back  to my sons school speech day this year which was particularly painful. Trying to clap enthusiastically for over 3 hours as boys of gradually increasing size, hair length and swagger walked up to receive their prizes.
I was ready to slide off my chair with boredom until the invited speaker did the final address. His speech went something like this

" I am fully aware that the only thing that lies between being here and the summer holidays is me , so I shall keep it brief. Well done to everyone who has got a prize, but to the boys who have not, success is not everything.  Success is transient, it means nothing. It it is the relationships we make along the way to success which are long lasting and far more meaningful" What a cracking speech!

It reniforced my belief that it is the journey not the destination.

Tomorrow is the world championships and I feel a bit sick with nerves and excitement.
My bike is prepped, I have bought all the strange things to eat that I might crave over the next 24 hours ( tinned man size super chunky chicken stew, instant mash potato, rice pudding , pork pie, jelly beans...) My Natterbox team kit is neatly folded ready to put on. There is nothing left to do except go to bed.

 Just one last glance at my bike before I turn in, and I see my race number on the bars. Apart form the fact that it has my age on it ,  (Grr!) It also has my Name and the Unoin Jack next to it.  How cool is that!!

I have loved the journey to the world championships because I have met some amazing people and been given kindness at every junction. Thank you

For me this has to be the lasting memory of the road to canberra.

 The race tomorrow will be the biggest challenge  - I feel really proud to be racing on the same circuit as the worlds best.

Perfect venue, perfect bike!

The course could not be any more perfect for me or my bike. It's like someone had asked me to fill in a questionnaire about my ideal 24 hour race course and plonked the results at Mt Stromlo.
We rode it twice today, just because we could, whooping all the way!

I was quite envious of Matt Page (the UK champion) who we bumped into after our second lap. Not because he had seen kangaroos less than 10 minutes after he saw us on the trail, but because he was going out on a night lap too!

Mt Stromlo is barely 20 minutes dive from our cottage in northern Canberra. A strange little mountain which because of the forrest fires 7 years ago is only covered with young vegetation with the occasional charred tree. The trail surface is a fine grit or coarse sand dusted over hard packed earth - which makes it fast and loose. The trails are also littered with enough sharp rocks to make the climbs interesting but not too many to make the descents a death trap. I was so glad we had taken time out to train in Luchon with Ian Potter at AQR - not only because he gave me soooo many tips about how to ride rocks and loose, tight corners but also because he had ridden here before. It was Ian who put us onto Maxxis Crossmark tyres - which not only ride fast, but also have nobbles right round the profile allowing grip no matter how tight the corner.  Having ridden the trail I now know why he recommended them and we spotted many of the locals with the same ones - thank you Ian!

 The course starts from the bottom of the mountain at the main arena, from here, the trail winds like a beige ribbon up the front of the mountain into a long, technical "singletrack" climb. Plenty of tight hairpins, rocks and the odd root make this climb interesting if taken steadily - a lung buster if taken at speed. Massive views of the solo pits (where Simon and Carole will be based) and the region towards Canberra and beyond grow and grow as you gain height. At the top you pop out next to a large white observatory glistening in the sunshine - tempting to stop at the visitor centre but from here the trail drops off the edge of the world down the back side of the mountain forming a technical, rocky descent. Fun as it was in a scary kind of way I can imagine this will become many racers downfall as their concentration fades and limbs weaken through the race. Line choice, optimum momentum and balls of ...531 are crucial to be able to ride with conviction.

The climb back up gives the adrenaline levels a chance to recover with a loose fire road slog with a couple of small kicks up. Back at the top you cross over the previous line - images of strip the willow come to mind...! There is a pile of wood at the top where we spotted a massive light brown headed snake who, less than a foot away, stared at us before slithering away. . I'm glad that it was later I found out that this snake with the brown head is the most aggressive and poisonous type. I'm sure the night laps are going to keep me on my toes as I hallucinate that every root/shadow and stick is a snake ready to strike!

From here on down is the best bit of the whole course - a sweeping bermed descent back into the pits. A few rocks , lots and lots of hairpins, and a few jumps drop you quickly down the front of Mt Stromlo with a grin so wide that you might find it too large to fit though the narrow gate back into the pit area.
As much as I fell in love with the course, I fell in love with my bike more. It was purpose designed and built for this type of race and I love it.  It's the best of all worlds. Super light for the climbs, it is also nimble and deft like it's stable mate the COTIC Soul for cornering. The full suspension makes it comfortably iron out the terrain and help my body cope with so long in the saddle. 24 hours on this course would be brutal on a hard tail, but I am now absolutely confident that the Cotic KP24 will just do what it was designed for. The limiting factor is definitely going to be me!

The 'Anti jet lag' Joystick :-)

Traveling half way around the world is a really daft idea for a 24 hour endurance bike race. By the time you arive you are already exhausted from the endless organisation, gathering together correct kit and last minute panic. Add to that nerves, a cold and killer jet lag and you get the picture of me in Sydney 1 day after our arrival.
Trying to remain positive after a second night of broken sleep and a day of waves of nausea/heavy head syndrome I decided to do something useful and charge up my "still warm off the press" 2011 Exposure lights which Rory Hitchens had kindly lent to us all for the race. Compared to my old lights it was going to be like cycling into wembly stadium on match night rather than trying to navigate through a nightclub wearing welding goggles.

All charged up and ready to go I unplugged the "Exposure Six Pack" and turned it on. I shone the solid beam of pure light through the window and a sartled creature fell off next doors roof in surprise - Awesome!!! Next the Joystick - a very bright head torch. As I unplugged it the light switched itself on automatically... slightly strange, but I shone it out of the window anyway. It did not quite reach next door's roof so I pressed the button to change the intensity of the light. Nothing happened. I pressed again- nothing. If all else fails... I did the boy thing and read the instructions - hmmm.  I couldn't turn it off.

 We were staying in an open plan appartment and our friends bedroom door was open, as was their child's. The joystick sent a massive amount of light (thanks Rory!) out of our bedroom door into both other bedrooms and the living room too!! It was now bed time, nothing else for it but to close our bedroom door to put the rest of the house back into darkness. Instruction booklet in hand I looked at the extensive burn times for the joystick and groaned - at best 3 hours of enforced daylight in the bedroon, at worst 24 hours. My excitement over the fabulousness of the mark 5 Joystick was starting to wain.
 Luckily, Simon saw the funny side, said let's deal with it in the morning,  rolled over and put the pillow over his head. nothing else for it- I did the same- My body was so messed up, what was another strange night's sleep.
To our surprise we both slept amazing well. By morning I was bizzarely feeling 100 %- no nausea, no groggy feeling and no sore throat!

The joystick had turned itself off eventually at some point in the night but I was still concerned that it might not work for the race. My fault for not testing them before I flew out.

I always think the sign of a good company is good products, but the sign of a great company is great customer service. A quick SOS to Rory in the UK and a plan was hatched to get me a new joystick from the UK to Ausralia, guarenteed to arrive in time for the race.

 In the mean time, I was feeling full of beans, no sign of jet lag at all after my night of enfored light therapy fom the joystick.
So Rory, if you read this, firstly THANK YOU for sorting out my replacement joystick- you are a complete star! Secondly, have you thought about branching out into anti jetlag products;-)

Define “It’s sorted”…

We have arrived in Sydney! Not without adventure!

My theory on the M25 ‘’Severe Queuing from next junction’’ warning is that the M25 is simply a government scheme to keep as many cars as possible off all the other roads at busy periods. Reaching Heathrow in time made us feel quite smug having foiled said government plan by expert m25 Friday evening rush hour avoidance navigation.

Pride comes before a fall… the lady at check in found that Simon had no Australian visa. I had ‘sorted’ our visas a month prior so this was not what we were expecting. Having said that, I had also ‘sorted’ out holiday flights the previous month for the wrong day making us turn up to our AQR “training week” a day late and I had ‘sorted’ our flights back from Australia a day earlier than we had agreed. Sorted, you might realise now has a new definition for the team!

Luckily a quick phone call to Oz immigration in Canberra at 5am their time and another 30 quid down and we were on the plane.

Once on the plane, we realised that our carefully “sorted” extra legroom seats meant that we were sandwiched between two single mums with excited toddlers on lap.  Thank you to the purser who saw my face and moved us to a quieter place. Simon’s 6 ft 4 body concertinered neatly into the seat, onto the isle and beyond, into the kitchen. Luckily, no one seemed to mind stepping over him.

Dropping into Sydney on their bank holiday weekend, it was difficult to differentiate it from London- grey clouds and heavy rain bouncing 2 ft up off the runway. The weather didn’t seem to dampen the humour of Australian immigration, who were very jolly despite having to dive into my chaotic, over laden bags like a lucky dip for any signs of mud. Looking at my tyres, they insisted they needed washing. These were the brand new, never used tyres kindly donated by Maxxis for the race.  (I think he just wanted a tea brake.) I admired his superb cleaning ability as he returned with them ‘spotless’ but wet and I promptly offered him a place on our pit crew as chief bike washer…

Meeting up with Ant, our other Natterbox team rider, at the airport was soon followed by a slick transfer to the car hire company to pick up our double cab, closed top UTE. We had “sorted” a vehicle to be large enough for the team and all our kit. 4 bike bags and 4 massive kit bags ‘fitted’ into the trunk much like Simon had ‘fitted’ into the airline seat. Knees to chest and creaking door hinges, team Natterbox is on the road!!

Cushions

When my Parents were incredibly busy designing and making their own house, my Mum would spend hours making cushions. There were decisions to be made and walls to be built in this enormous house, but Mum was still to be found making perfect, matching cushions for an unfinished- and if Im truly honest barely started house.

I never really understood the logic in this, although my parents have always been delightfully eccentric (who else would contemplate building themselves a 5 bedroom house to retire into?) But making cushions for a plot of land?

I now understand. There were so many big decisions to be made that Mum held onto something that she could do. The cushions were simple to start and finish and although it drove us all totally bonkers, gave her a sense of accomplishment and control.

I am now sitting at home with enough 'to do' lists to make a fat book I really dont know where to start.  I had no idea when I decided to go to the world championships that there would be so much to organise. Bike on plane, ride a bike, fly home - job done. Oh how I underestimated it!

 I have been planning this trip to Australia since May and all I have really achieved is the successful making of more lists. There in lies the problem. The lists are so long that I dont know where to start- so I make a new list. List making is my new hobby. List making puts off the task of actually doing anything on the list. But as long as I am making lists I can convince myself I am actually doing something! I am making metaphorical cushions! ( I am turning into my Mother?!)

I really need to do something on these lists otherwise I am never going to get to Australia with the right stuff to race. And worse than that, the kids and the kind relatives who are coming to look after them when I am gone are will all be clueless.

  I am going to start at number 1. and work my way down. Anything with an asterisk is urgent, anything with a ring around it, a priority and anything underlined has to be done quickly.

I am half tempted to make a new list to prioritise the priorities- but with only days before I fly its all urgent! I force myself away from the "cushions" and onto the important stuff.

Packing up bikes

 Like writing my blog??.....;-)

The COTIC KP24

Today I rode a bike that made me grin so much that at the end of the ride my face hurt more than my legs! 


The bike is A COTIC KP24, and its rightful owner is Kate Potter. It was by chance that I am able to borrow it for the world solo 24 hour champs. 


 I first met Kate Potter at Mayhem where she was racing solo and I happened to catch a few word with her after she won. 

Despite being incredably busy, she remembered our conversation and emailed me loads of information about solo racing. My race plan was born!

At every race after that she would always shout encouragement at me as she zoomed past, and when I quallified for the world 24 hour champs to be held in Australia I emailed her again.
Being Australian I figured she would be able to give me some tips. Bingo! She had raced at Mt Stromlo! I heaved a huge sigh of relief as I took in all her advice again- I was no longer leaping head first into the dark. 

One of her tips was to go and practice riding rocks, absent in Surrey! And what better place to practice rocks than at AQR (A Quick Release, ) Kate and Ian Potters Guiding company in the pyrenees.
To my amazement Kate lent me her bike for the week- the prototype KP24,  I instantly fell in love with it. I had heard about this bike but never imagined I would ever get to ride it!

The KP 24 built my confidance on rocks and drops. (As did Ians coaching) My normal bike is quite twitchy and I usually choose to mince around things. (Not a technique the Potters seem to understand!) The KP24 is an incredably honest, trustworthy bike. You point it at something and it simply keeps rolling- no fuss, it just worked.
To my double amazement The Potters said I could borrow the KP24 to take to Canberra to the world 24 solo championships. Yippee!

I have just come back from a 3 hour blast across my local trails on the Cotic KP24. I am buzzing! how much fun can you have on a bike even when you are grown up and responsible?

The KP24 is a one of a kind bike. It was designed by Cy at Cotic for Kate potter to be the perfect 24 hour race bike. It has the same suspension as the hemlock but shares the geometory with the soul. Cy designed it to be as light as possible so that Kate could use it for endurance races. The only thing it shares with the hemlock it the seat tube and the pivots. everything else being lighter and smaller- the weight of frame with mad dt carbon shock is a mere 5lbs. Not bad for a non carbon full-suss bike! 

I knew it could handle the rugged terrain out in the pyrenees but was shocked how it 'owned' my local twisty forrest singletrack! It flew over the roots, cornered like it was on a rail, (Thanks also to Maxxis for the crossmark tires) and was fast up the hills to boot.

I am now sitting in a coffee shop, taking advantage of the time the KP24 saved me on my normal loop by being able to sit down to eat cheeky tea and cake! Winner:-)

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T. S. Eliot (1888 - 1965)

When I started mountain biking 6 years ago aged 37 I had no idea that I would end up representing England at the world solo 24 hour championships. The reason for me learning to ride a mountain bike was not that I wanted to compete, I just wanted to get a bit fitter.  Lots of people now say to me that they wish they could get fit, Well they can! It often surprises them to find out that I have not always been an athlete. Far from it!

As a child we were forced into riding our bikes every Sunday with the family. The only reason I went along with this was the promised stop at the sweetshop on the way home.  As a student I begrudgingly rode my bike because I was too poor to afford the bus. My parents for my 21^st bought me a road bike, which I thought was a strange present because all my friends were given jewelry, cars and big parties.

In my mid twenties I fractured my spine. This resulted in pain and a weak right leg. Surgery sorted out the pain but I was left with muscle weakness and a limp and although I could walk a short distance I would soon start to struggle.  Luckily, being a Physio, I understood the rehab process and devised my own strengthening program. Gradually the limp went and I maintained a basic level of fitness by walking and occasional cycling.

Life became busy with having kids and then setting up my own business. I suddenly realised that I was preaching fitness and health to my patients but really had no fitness or health myself.  ‘Im not a good example’ I decided. Not one to remain idle once I have decided something, I remembered my old bike in the garage.  I dusted it off, pumped up the tyres and went for a ride, I’m not sure what creaked more- me, or the bike. I managed less than half an hour and had to come home, red faced and exhausted! I was utterly ashamed of myself. I vowed to get fitter- to be role model to my kids and my patients

Not being able to fix the creaking bike I bought a new one, I wanted to ride in the countryside so bought a mountain bike. I am lucky enough to live near some stunning countryside and fell in love with riding my bike through the woods. Concentrating on where you are riding, trying not to fall off while negotiating tree roots and rocks certainly focuses the mind. This I found to be ideal therapy to my busy mind, always returning from my rides refreshed in mind albeit weary in body!

I spent the first year of riding covered in bruises and mud from falling off, but I just loved the challenge. That year, I went to watch a 24 hour mountain bike race. It was incredible! 2000 riders racing around a 10 km course in relay teams or solos for 24 hours. The energy and the buzz from the riders was infectious. Instantly, I knew I wanted to race a 24 hour race- not as a team, no! I wanted to ride for 24 hours solo. This was a massive leap up from me riding for an hour around my local woods twice a week. If I had stopped to think about it I would have seen how mad this idea was. At that time I could ride for an hour max, I had neurological weakness following on from my back injury, I had no real skills on a bike and I was contemplating racing for 24 in a national level race!!!??

My ethos for my patients is ‘perform to your potential’ and I strive to help them reach that goal.  I knew I had not reached my potential, I wasn’t sure how, but I was determined to see how far I could go!

Over the next 2 years I practiced and practiced. I got some skills lessons, asked lots of questions and I fitted in riding my bike as much as I could. I managed to squeeze in rides between patients, the kids activities and often at night after they had gone to bed. I worked diligently on my core stability, learnt Pilates and devised a specific cycling rehabilitation program that eradicated my muscle imbalance to make me stronger on the bike.  My strength, endurance and skills gradually increased.

By 2007 after many, miles, lots of determination, hours of core strengthening work and a huge dollop of naivity I felt ready to enter some national level endurance races.

Team 24 hour Endurance racing is extreme. Solo 24 hour endurance racing is insane! The object is to keep riding your bike on an off road, technical circuit (typically 10 miles long) from mid-day on Saturday to mid-day on Sunday. You eat and drink as you are riding and stop only for comfort breaks. The person who rides the most miles in the 24 hours wins.

 Racing solo is not so much a race against the clock but a battle with in.  You have to know yourself and your limitations, you have to leave your ego at home, being prepared that you will be overtaken a million times by the team sprinters on the same course. You have to know that your pace is the pace that will keep you going for 24 hours. You have to know that whatever you are going through, it will pass. The race goes in waves and you have to put your mind in the place that a ‘high will follow a trough’ you just have to pull yourself along enough for that to happen. Pain gives way to numbness and back to pain again. Tiredness ebbs and flows. A bad lap where you are riding like a turkey can be followed by a lap where you are riding like a trail god! Filling your body with enough food to fuel you makes your insides feel peculiar - you have to understand your body incredibly well to manage it surviving for 24 hours.  You have to have the will to succeed and the stubourness to keep going.

My background as a Mum and A Physio is perfect training for endurance mountain biking. There were many days when the kids were young that I was so tired from lack of sleep that I could barely stand or string a sentence together. But then the baby needs something so you learn that there is always something in reserve; that you can dig deeper and keep going with a smile on your face. The same as being a physio, seeing patients one after the other you do not have the luxury of a coffee break or a daydream break whenever you feel so inclined. You have to remain focused, cheerful and in the moment 100% of the time. This crosses over to riding my bike because if I loose focus, I risk falling off. If I stop smiling, a negative thought can make me want to give up!

My knowledge of how my body works has also been invaluable. I am a Pilates instructor and have developed the ability to feel and change how my muscles are working, allowing me to keep pedaling for hours and hours. 

Since 2008 I have been placed in every national level endurance race I have taken part in. 

2008

Transwales 2008 7 day stage race 2nd overall ladies vet (winner of night special stage 2nd/3rd in all other special stages), 

2009

24/12 in Plymouth - 24 hour mixed pair: 2nd

Torq torq in Hampshire - 12hour solo: 3^rd

‘Dusk til Dawn’ in Thetford, - 12hour solo enduro race (through the night): 3^rd 

2010

Mucoff 8, -8 hour enduro: 1^st  Ladies Vets

Gorrick 100 - 50 mile enduro : 1^st Ladies

Exposure 24 - Natiional 24 hour solo championships: 2^nd Ladies Vets 

24/12 in Plymouth – 24 hour mixed pair: 1^st (7 hour lead on second place.)

In May 2010 I entered the first ever UK National 24 hour solo championships.

The race was the hardest yet; massive hills, long laps with blistering 30’ heat through the day making hydration difficult.

I managed to ride 132 miles through the mountains of Scotland clocking up over 6000 meters of climbing (the equivalent to cycling ¾ up Everest and down again from sea level)

This feat qualified me to represent the UK at the world solo 24 hour championships to be held in Australia this October.  I will be cycling against the worlds best and I cant help but feel amazed, proud and a little bit- ok a lot nervous!  

If I had time to stop and think about it I would realise what a massive challenge I have undertaken. But I have not stopped. Stopping and thinking risks you putting up false ”I might fail” barriers to hamper your progress. Im a “yes” kind of person and I have never even considered that I might be too old, too fat, too unfit, too inexperienced….It’s amazing what you can achieve if you ignore the negatives.

I have to stop, only to say thank you to all those who have made it possible so far. My parents for not getting me a car for my 21^st! Olly Townsend from Cloud9trails who taught me how to ride a mountain bike, Kate Potter, Elite Mountain bike racer and skills coach who inspired me to race. Simon Usher my partner and pit manager who willingly helps sort out the domestic stuff and stays awake all night to look after me while I race, Petra Cycles in Oxted, who look after my bike and make sure it works, The boys from Oxted MTB who ride every sunday morning, making me ride faster than I really want to, Natterbox, and Candela Capital who have sponsored me to go to Australia, AQR holidays and Cotic who have lent me a KP24- a protype 24 hour race bike to take to Australia,  Westminster Physiotherapy and Pilates Centre where I work, for supporting me with time away from the office to train and treatment from the very talented Sudhir Daya to keep my muscles balanced, CC Tweaked for re building my wheels (what an amazing job they did!), for Goodness shakes for their recovery drinks, Maxxis tires for donating enough cross marks to keep us riding for ever! Lastly to my kids for giving me ability do anything despite being exhausted!

My initial goal of ‘perform to your potential’ has allowed me to get to a place I never even dreamed of.  If I had said I would like to run a marathon, I might have stopped there because it was a dead end goal- my open-ended goal called potential has allowed me, via inertia to continue achieving. 

My next goal? To inspire more ‘ordinary’ people to reach their potential wherever it might be, to finish the world championships with a smile on my face! Then, who knows?