The Helper (my helper)

Very remiss of me not to post this earlier....

Dave Haygarth followed Mark, my ever faithful 3 Peaks supporter around on race day. Here's his short film about Mark and those other 'backroom' folk that make it all happen for riders like me...

The loneliness of Penyghent Lane

Hands down my favourite shot of yours truly at the Peaks this year. Geoff Waugh has form with the Peaks already, though he is best known as a multi award winning photographer specialising in mtb and pro road cycling.

His dark film of 2012 superbly captured the epic conditions of last years race and contrasts nicely with this sunny, though somehow lonely, shot of me on Penyghent Lane shortly before Crampgate. Geoff concurred about the loneliness, commenting that he felt it was a 'solitary race with lots of riders'. Sure feels like that...

Holcombe Moor

Dave Haygarth has been filming again  - both mtb and cross, all with friends, all on the big hill where he lives.

Holcombe has something for everyone, all year round and also doubles as the venue for the infamous Bull Hill Cyclocross Reps we use to prepare for the 3 Peaks Cyclocross.

Watch for a 'flowered up' yours truly with Dave in the second half of the film.......

Update on the Cyclocross Disc and Canti Pro Carbons

I've had the opportunity to get out and about on the Planet X Cyclocross Disc and Canti Pro Carbon wheels properly now - I've had some nice long rides across the moors as well as sharper blasts round my local cross training grounds. There hasn't been much proper mud as such (despite the fairly miserable summer) but their performance on a range of surfaces, from grass, to moorland tracks to a purpose built mountain bike trail has been surefooted and accurate.

I realise that a carbon cyclocross wheel isn't necessarily designed to ride rough tracks or even the Red route at Gisburn Forest, but actually it's a great test of how a wheelset performs under stress, and in challenging conditions. I've loved the fact the the only thing holding me back on these rides has been the nagging worry of puncturing a nice FMB tub and not the worry of the wheels going out of true or breaking a spoke.

Planet X say they would be suitable for fast mountain bike use and with a fatter 45mm tub they clearly would be. Even with a 32mm cross tub they soak up bumps and rocks without deviating from the line. This stiffness will translate well to mud in the winter cross season and comes from the 24 hole 2 cross build on both front and rear. They accelerate so quickly too, even when the ground is bumpy - something some wheelsets struggle with as the bumps can sometimes feel like they suck energy out. Not so with these.

Their lightness and strength mean I have no qualms about using them for the 3 Peaks cyclocross in September. Crazy? Well not really - they feel perfectly strong enough and the Peaks is all about avoiding punctures, and not taking crazy risks on the descents. Mechanical sympathy wins every time over blinding speed that flirts with a puncture on every rock. Tubs help hugely in this respect too. The fact that they are very light for a cross wheel means they will also help considerably on the never-ending climbs in the Peaks.

Watch out for a forthcoming video on tub gluing featuring these wheels.

A day on the Peaks big dipper.

4 hrs 6 mins - a full 7 minutes slower than last year. After all that training, all the work on technique, the cunning changes to equipment,  the no-boozing (mostly), the positive self-talk......

Pic: Ed Rollason

See that above - that's a grown man's lip quivering that is. This year, the Peaks was and still feels, like an almost overwhelmingly emotional challenge. OK, and a bit physical too.

From the incomprehensible shock at the steepness of Simon Fell (despite being there many times before), to the heart-rending sight of training partner and confidant Dave Haygarth so obviously broken but persisting on, with a dose of utter loneliness on the road to Penyghent sandwiched in between - heck it felt like a hard year. A rollercoaster of emotions, up and down often in diammetric opposition to the angle of the terrain.

Down but not out - Dave nurses his broken collarbone before gathering himself and walking/coasting to the finish. In 4 hrs 10 mins!
Pic: Andy Holden

At the finish, all talk was of the tough conditions, windy on the road, boggy off it. Of crashes, and near misses - usual Peaks stuff. It was a hard year no doubt, but as ever I kept things smooth and controlled, mostly.

And I was faster, I 'know' I was. The splits tell a different story - slower on the descents, slower on the road - but that is only half the picture. I flowed more, I took more risks that were calculated and that paid off. The mojo was there going downhill, something I had worked on all year.

Pic:Martin Henson

Ultimately, however I was undone by wind, wheel sucking bog and a shocker of a transition from Ribblehead to Horton, riding alone and hesitant over how much to save for the final climb to come. Salvation came late in the form of the fast and consistent Isla Rowntree (2nd Lady and current Vets National Cyclocross Champ) and she led me steadily up much of PYG before forging ahead. Some time saved.

Pic: Neil Coverley

Not much left then, other than to make it down safely and quickly. It felt fast down PYG, it was fast, well for me but it wasn't enough to clip under the magic 4 hours like last year. And hence the disappointment. Few were faster this year in the tough conditions, though fellow Belgian and perennial running mate, Richard Allen improved significantly to ride home in 3 hrs 55 mins - a superb effort, the foundations of which were laid as he walked away from me at the very steepest section of Simon Fell. Chapeau, through gritted teeth.

So in true emotional Oscar-winning speech style, I would like to thank Dave for his sharing of the pain of Bull Hill reps and many many wise tips, and Konrad Manning (Rapha) for his co-operation on the road out of Ingleton - now there were two well dressed riders if ever I saw them. Thanks too to my wife Margaret, who indulged her paranoid husband beforehand, cooked all weekend for our guests Greg and Pauline, and even brought the kids to cheer Dad in. And as ever, my now experienced and trusty support crew in the form of Mark who delivered bottles and a bike right on cue - thank you so much and please don't get any ideas about riding in future years..

Quicker yet slower

4:06
I was quicker up the climbs, and quicker down the descents. So why was I slower?

The physical and emotional maelstrom that is the Peaks is waning now. I shall gather my thoughts, and a few pics and debrief shortly.

Recce

I've done it in previous years, but never so close to the event. In hindsight, I don't know why.

Myself and Konrad Manning from Rapha, one of the key brains and brawn behind the Rapha Super Cross series, headed up on this last Tuesday before the Peaks to have a look-see at Whernside. On foot at a jog, of course, due to the legalities of riding in the area, though this is actually the best way to do it, allowing for a more stately perusal of terrain, and line as you progress.



We found a mixed bag of improved surfaces (from last year) and some real boggy and sticky ones due to the recent wet conditions. Make no mistake, at the time of writing this looks set to be quite a wet Peaks, irrespective of any rainfall on the day. That said, as we discussed, considering the terrain the Peaks traverses, and the annual rainfall seen there, the actual route is surprisingly dry, even in a wet year.

The race appears to go the wrong way up a one way street.....

More importantly, I have some amazing new lines off Whernside, courtesy of Konrad's eye for detail and scouting ability. These are of course a closely guarded trade secret but will ensure swift and easy progress off what is one of the more intimidating descents in the Peaks.

We also had to pause our descent down the hill to wait for the Air Ambulance to land to evacuate a casualty - a sober reminder of the severity of the environment. It looked like a precarious business as the pilot took several attempts to lay it belly down on the peat bog, having retracted the undercarriage to avoid becoming bogged down.

Incidents aside however, things are looking good for Sunday. Now, about that weather.....

The Pre-Final Countdown

Post holiday blues dispensed with and I'm back into the meat of my Peaks training this year. Plenty of Bull Hill reps, some brick sessions and a mini Peaks simulation. Or two.

I realised I had a route of almost uncanny similarity to the real Peaks just on my doorstep. At least in terms of rhythm, steepness of climb and similar terrain. Albeit a little shorter. As Bull Hill mercilessly exposes your weaknesses whilst strengthening them, this route mimics the on road/off road nature of the constantly changing effort that characterises a successful Peaks ride.

Whilst this lacks the length or severity of the real thing, it is useful nonetheless in my view for staving off the cramp attacks that sometimes bedevil my Peaks outings, given as I believe they are, to be caused by rapid changes in effort between foot and bike.

The keen eyed among you may notice that I didn't finish near my starting point - a further 40 mins on the road steady added to the useful mileage.



In terms of something rather different, I also took the opportunity of a work visit to the Lakes to get in a good run in the mountains. I parked up at Kirkstone Pass and ran up Stoney Cove Pike in the direction of High Street. It had been so long since I ran in the high fells that the feeling of space, solitude and allround 'bigness' was fresh and invigorating. I hope I can remain mobile and fit enough in the coming years to do that more often. As has been the pattern for the last couple of years making the same journey to the same conference at the same time of year, I saw Rob Jebb out riding, as I had in previous years, fresh from his altitude training in Spain.

Finally, I took an August Bank Holiday chance to meet up with Konrad Manning, Burnley born but London exiled in his work for Rapha. Konrad came up with a friend, Russ and my ever faithful Peaks support crew Mark took us all on a magical mystery tour through East Lancs moorland, bogs, quarries, ancient woodlands, mill town cobbles and river valleys. Plenty of single track, climbing and carrying all with convivial company. Bike sucking bogs and scarecrow festivals were all part of the mix in what was a great ride.

I've been finalising equipment choices too for September - more on that in a later post.

Hiatus. Or a lack thereof.

The break in posts recently is not indicative of a lack of activity, training wise. Far from it. It represents a change of venue and distance from a PC of any sort, in the form of a welcome family holiday in the far south-eastern corner of England, not far from Dungeness.

And therein lay an immediate issue - the terrain. Or rather lack of it, given the express need for Peaks training.

I needn't have worried - what the drained marshland lacked in contours it made up for in wind. Of the incessant, blasting, reducing you to a grovel variety. To this rider, used to the consistently vertiginous East Lancashire hills and moors it was quite simply, a delight.

I had previously heard traditional explanations for the late 20th Century success of Dutch climbers in Grand Tours attributed to the strength gained from training on the flat, in constant winds, and how that is akin to the kind of efforts required on long climbs. And I can vouch for its truth now. After a few days of short sharp rides, mostly into the infernal wind, my legs were battered. An even with the wind behind, the temptation to use it and pedal hard was irresistible leading to several spinning out returns to our holiday home. Note to self: cross gearing of 46x12 is insufficient, even on the flat, when the wind is blowing from behind at 30mph or so.

The Marshes around Rye, New Romney and Dungeness also happen to be peculiarly beautiful, albeit in a slightly desolete way. Flat, windswept and sparsely featured, they are anything but boring with the desert like area of Dungeness popular with bird watchers, photographers, alternative communities and a ruddy great nuclear power station.

The sense of space and sky was at times quite intense, alluding to what it must be like to ride through some of the great plains areas of the US and Canada. I took a lot of black and white photos of sky and horizon, fascinated with the everchanging cloud patterns. Little farms, isolated houses and shacks also peppered the route around the marshes, with some of the back lanes taking wonderfully quirky routes around the network of drainage ditches.

Running? Nil. Cross riding? Nil. No matter, the training was good and hard in the wind, fun out of it and I feel replenished after not just a holiday, but the break from tough terrain. And as a consequence, I'm all the keener to get back into the swing of things Peak like.

Mixing it up

18 July - 31 July

Consolidation. 'Building the engine' as Greg calls it. I've been plugging away with some threshold/sweetspot efforts, some Bull Hill reps, some easy riding and a bit more running. Finished off this period with a custom designed Peaks session - a double hill reps brick session.

In previous years in the Peaks I have been a cramps sufferer. Now I know pretty much everyone gets cramp in the Peaks at some point, but we are talking cramp on the road out of Ingleton that lasts till the finish, lying in the Penyghent track unable to move cramp, cramp that has caused almost complete meltdown and a grovel to the finish. Admittedly, last years sub 4hr ride was largely cramp free so I may have found ways of reducing its pernicious effects, but the spectre of cramp still haunts my preparation and race each year.

I've thought about this long and hard. Now the scientific literature is less than conclusive on the causes and even the remedies for cramp, but in a Peaks context, I think I know what does me in and reduces me to a wooden, immobile wreck - the constant change in effort.

I don't mean going up and down hills, that isn't too bad in and of itself. No, I mean the constant change between bike and run, between up and down and bike and run and between saddle and foot and saddle etc etc etc..... It just does me in for some reason.

So, by way of remedy I have set about reproducing this in training to a large degree. Obviously long rides that mix on and off road and carrying and riding are important, but more than this I am trying to get my legs used to the change whilst working hard. Cue the most brutal session known to Peakers outside of Bull Hill..... the double brick.

I have a lovely tough climb just at the top of the road, soon to be in 100 Climbs Vol2, and it fits nicely into a little circuit with 5-6mins of climbing, a steep descent, some rolling and then back into the climb:

a few reps on this for around 25mins of hilly riding and straight into the running shoes for...

supersteep hill reps in the woods behind the house (think Simon Fell steep). 15mins of that till feeling slightly giddy, then repeat the bike loop and the running reps as before.

Result? Broken legs after just two sets and about 1hr 20mins training time. If I can face it, 3 sets will be awesome. I think.

By way of fuelling the anticipation, Greg reminded of this great film that encapsulates last years Peaks very nicely:

Go long

Sunday 17 July

Dublin based friend, sports science researcher, part time triathlete, full time cross enthusiast and cake-eater Greg May has been giving me some Peaks training advice this summer. Obviously most of this a highly guarded secret, but I can reveal exclusively that he has told me to 'go long'.

No not a reference to socks a la Wiggins, but a 'you also need to just do some prolonged running' type suggestion. Now some of you love running, some of you hate running. I don't mind it, well quite like it actually but have always banged on about the fact that the Peaks doesn't really have much running in it unless your name is Jebb with an initial 'R'. Shuffling agonisingly upwards is more apt a description,

However, Greg has letters after his name and threatens to get even more soon, so I thought I had better do as coach says. So I went for a long run. By that I mean an hour round the woods near Arnside Tower, in South Cumbria. And very nice it was too - the monsoon rain meant bike riding was less than desirable and therefore a run a more comfortable option. I spent the hour pleasantly and confusingly, getting hopelessly lost not once but twice and nearly being late to pick up my son and friends from a weekend long Scout camp in the area. They had been in the woods all weekend and were unsurprisingly caked in reddy orange mud, the effect of which was to give my son a 'you've been tango'ed' look. Much to my amusement.

Anyways, the effect of all this running, apart from a mild case of DOMS (look it up) on Tuesday was to make the weekly Bull Hill efforts with Dave Haygarth and Carl Nelson feel vaguely doable. Not that you would have gleaned this from my expression captured by Dave, just as hostilities were about to commence:

So, more longs are planned - with or without getting lost. But solo, as I still shuffle round rather unglamourously rather than striding athletically. Ah well.......

Get Cross - cx skills course

Thinking of riding the Peaks this year? Already riding but want to go faster? Wanting to get into cross? Myself and Dave Haygarth are teaming up with MTB legend Ed Oxley to help you brush up on those cross skills - Get Cross:

Get Cross: A one day course to improve your cyclocross skills

Ed Oxley brings his extensive knowledge from countless mountain bike skills courses to teach betterbike handling.  Ed has taught hundreds of riders better bike handling and brings out the best in everyone.

“The best money I’ve spent on a mountain bike was learning to ride it properly. By the end of the morning I was riding stuff properly that I would previously have balked at. Highly recommended”

Alan Dorrington and Dave Haygarth join Ed to look at applying those skills to a race day.  Shaving seconds off every bend, climb and descent is not just about being the fittest. This part of the course will look at the recce, the race line, and how to apply Ed’s flowing riding skills when under the pressure of a race. Shaving five or ten seconds per lap in a ten lap race is worth a great deal, so put the turbo down and let’s learn to ride smart.

To book please contact Ed ed@great-rock.co.uk or 07939 205563

Saturday 10th September at Lee Quarry, Bacup

Cost £70 

Bull Hill

Friday 9 July

In terms of synonymy, Bull Hill and the 3 Peaks have one of closest relationships present in my cluttered mind. Geographically apart, diverse in scale in all aspects, they still manage to have this peculiar intertwined relationship for me - the one giving rise to the other in so many different ways.

Let me explain further. Whilst Bull Hill has been there for some time longer, an innocuous moorland hill on the first of the northern hills above the Manchester basin, 'Bull Hill' is the slightly more recent invention of blog regular Dave Haygarth. In looking for somwhere to train and replicate the demands of the 3 Peaks (or so I assume), Dave looked out of his house at the glowering hillside above him and went out to uncover a small circuit of unsurpassable simplicity, relevance to Peaks terrain and sheer pain.

What it lacks in length, the Bull Hill circuit makes up for in intensity. I wrote about it's peculiar charm last year describing the circuit thus:

'...a warm up on a monster climb up onto the moor – a descent down a shattered river bed (under 6 inches of water) but posing as a track – a walk/scramble up a 45 degree slope easing off into water logged peat bog caressed by a howling gale – an attempt to shuffle into a run and summit up further steep slope onto Holcombe Moor – before an exhilerating career down the other side, wiping sweat from my eyes and trying not to crash before turning left to go down the shattered river bed again and repeat.'

And so Bull Hill has for me almost become part of the Peaks experience itself - not just a means to an end. The Peaks means Bull Hill and Bull Hill means the Peaks - the two have become almost inseparable in my mind, and in their stomach flip inducing status. Dave has been doing Bull Hill reps for some time already this 'summer'. Cue some nervousness from me then on Friday as I pitched up for my first session, even though I had tried to do some preparation for it in the past couple of weeks.

To get to the circuit and by way of warm up, there is a rocky bridleway climb followed by a grind up through moorland that is actually bigger than the circuit climb itself. If I am honest, this part fills me with more dread than what is to come - on this first session, I think I probably hit my max heart rate trying to stay with Dave and 'clean' the greasy slabs and rocks on the way up. Not an auspicious start before being forced into a shuffle after the top gate onto the moorland:

Pic: Dave Haygarth

Christ, those ensuing laps messed with my head - pain, self doubt, fear, humiliation all featured on the next two 15min or so rounds. Character building stuff indeed, but I had a moment of clarity for myself proving just how tough mentally you need to be to perform at the highest level in an endurance sport - to banish the self-doubt in face of the discomfort and the difficulty of your chosen activity. And that is why I remain a commited enthusiast rather than a high performing athlete. I simply don't have the strength of character it takes (as well as the genetic ability of course) to reside in the upper echelons of the sport. No matter, I enjoy what I do, in the way that I do it. And will continue to for some time yet.

Dave on the other hand was on fire. Here is the final, steeper than it looks climb to the summit on his last lap:







His 3 laps (to my 2) were consistent, measured and within 10 secs of his lap record. A fine effort, indeed. There will be more of the same for the next few weeks including a push to 3 laps in the very near future. That's more of a mental barrier than anything else but crucial nonetheless.

The relief on getting back down after that particular experience, and in the worsening weather, was strong:

Pic: Dave Haygarth

Recovery and preparation - 2 lessons for the week

Monday 4th July

Less celebration (for our American bretheren) and more survival (for me) after a tough weekend of training, running around and eating/drinking too much. Need to knock that on the head over the next few months for sure... the eating and drinking I mean.

Cue a recovery ride with the CycleSport Pendle kids, including my 10 year old - a new regular Monday night club run for the kids based around the picturesque Leeds-Liverpool canal marina at Foulridge. Quiet lanes, and a coffee after makes for a lovely easy ride. With hills. And a mad 400m long ford....

Tuesday 5th July

I've resolved to get more off road riding in this summer in the run up to the Peaks. The reasons for this are twofold - one to hone and develop my technical skills off road and secondly, to toughen myself up and condition my upper body.

Gym work feels like a bit of an anaethema, especially in summer, and in any case is not overly specific to the battering your body takes in the Peaks. So, plenty of bumpy off road battling is the key to get the strength and endurance required on race day.

I commuted to work on the cross bike with a cheeky off road section thrown in, but the main plan was a big ride home incorporating some good long road efforts at threshold and some technical riding in between. Cragg Quarrry and Lee Quarry in the Rossendale valley are premier mountain bike trail centres and not too rough for cross bikes too. Mostly.

My ride was cut short by user error - an untimely puncture in Cragg Quarry conspired with a valve of insufficient length compared to rim height to force me into a long jog/walk carry down to the Valley and a rescue call to Mark who kindly stuffed tea down to come and get me.

I shall be better prepared next time with the correct tubes and some CO2 canisters too.

The 3 Peaks Cyclocross starts here

1 July - a red letter day for many reasons. Summer really underway, Tour de France to start within a day or two and..... Peaks entries.

I feigned a casual approach to the registering of my interest in entering through the pre-registration system. As  many who called me out on that one correctly observed, I was anything but relaxed. I had my first (of many) stomach flip on that Friday, as the reality of the pain and pleasure of the Peaks took but one small step nearer.

Do a label search through these blog pages and you will find a multitude of references and posts to this unique event. By way of developing this resource further, I thought that this year I would post regularly (perhaps not every day) my approach, preparation and practical application to this years race.

So expect a sort of of 30 days of Peaks except it will nearly 3 months long. Tune in, tune out as you wish. But I guarantee that if you have an entry in you won't be able to stay away too long. If you are anything like me, your own growing obsession/preoccupation (delete as appropriate) with the race will have you checking in on others progress, training, whingeing, misfortune, satisfaction etc. It's just that kind of event - a massive personal battle against terrain and gravity but one in which we are all in it together. And genuinely, unlike our egregious politicians in power would have us believe......

So by way of avoiding a political shit storm and by dint of taking the conversation off in a different, more positive direction here is the first offering:

Saturday 2 July

Long hill reps - well 2 actually, but nearly 20 mins long each, on the Alpine like gradients of the Deerplay climb up from Burnely. Good for those long, dragging efforts albeit on foot, that characterise the Peaks.

Sunday 3 July

This is more like it.....

Nice Peaks like profile on those climbs there....

Thieveley Pike is a hill of two sides. One approached from a nearby road that even the most exercise averse sofa lover could manage, the other a brutal, grinding plod up from the Mary Townely loop as it is passes through Home Chapel, Cliviger.

Done as my first Peaks specific training, on a sweltering day, it is a real calf burner of a carry, not quite as steep as Simon Fell nor as long but still well worth doing as a 2 lap 'hurter'.

Tough but satisifying as was the blast back into Burnley to listen to my lads Brass Concert in the a fine local Victorian Park and its bandstand.

it is what it is

As a fifteen year old boy I spent the night alone, high on Penyghent in a Gore-tex bivvy bag, living my dreams as a rough tough outdoor person. Well, that was the plan. In reality as it got dark I became more and more anxious - the beautiful summers evening gave way to murky dusk and I was acutely aware of every rustling of the vegetation, every sighing of the wind and every conceivable animal noise.

Predictably I cracked as night fell, and scuttled off down the Penyghent track with my tail between my legs, stopping to make the embarassing call to my mum from the Crown pub in Horton to come and provide a rescue service back to Long Preston. I had been coming up to the area since I was born, staying at my Grandparents just outside Long Preston, and although I was a London kid, the Dales and in particular the 3 Peaks were in my blood from the start. Further escapades as a young teen involved walking/jogging the Peaks solo, extricating myself (just) from a bog near Penyghent, having seen only sheep all day on my mid week jaunt. I lived to be out and about in those hills - it was such a release from the urban suffocation that was my Wimbledon home.

Fast forward 27 years and the same boy finds himself high on Penyghent again, this time in daylight but equally in a state of anxiety - riddled with cramp in the back of my thighs and facing the unnerving descent back to asphalt at the bottom of the PyG lane. It isn't so bad really, that descent, but in a strung out state it can take on a significance beyond its actual difficulty. I got down of course, and in one piece and puncture free - my preparation these days is fairly meticulous and technical skill improving year on year. But the brief flirtation with danger and actually bodily harm magnified the experience all the more.



Each year I do the Peaks, I fall in love with it more and more. This year was no exception and lighter and fitter I PB'ed with ease, squeezing under the golden 4 hour time barrier. I've listed the technical and physical preparations for that attempt at an elusive 'float' ride elsewhere - what I hadn't bargained for was the emotional effect of what was a nigh on perfect Peaks ride. It wasn't just that I was 'racing' rather than surviving the event for the first time in years - I had produced a top ten finish nearly 20 years ago, but that was in an era when the field contained far less strength in depth and I was a student and therefore full-time athlete. For me this year, it was the resonance with the event as a whole. The atmosphere, the terrain, the weather which allowed stunning views all the time. As I have become older, and perhaps less blase about some things I have begun to acutely feel and not just know, how special the event really is.



Photo: Nic Betrand - who I am sure will be wanting to enter next year....

The descent down to the haven of the road was difficult as ever but interspersed with people shouting my name and encouragement. And not just spectators either but other riders enduring their own private hell just as I had done shortly before, but still drawing breath to shout encouragement. Often I was too absorbed to look up and recognise the callers but it was all most welcome. Earlier on the climb to Penyghent, at the dogleg right before the final summit ramp, I had been distracted by a chorus of shouts calling my name and urging me on. I looked over to see what looked like a family of about 5 or 6 - I have no idea who they were but their support was most welcome.

This year I got to stick around a little longer after the event, hitting the Helwith Bridge ale and meeting and re-meeting some of those that had made the trip to the event, either to ride or support. It was the perfect end to a perfect day, and the comedown post-event is all the bigger as a result....

peaks bikes set up

The Saturday before the Peaks is always a big day - last minute prep and eating and for most a little shakedown ride to ease into the race the following day. Sat here this Saturday evening, I am quietly confident - I have been healthy all summer, lost 10lbs on last years weight and feel measurably fitter. Training too has been really Peaks specific this year and will hopefully pay dividends.

For my own Saturday preparations, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Konrad Manning, peaks devotee and columnist, and a local Burnley lad in days gone by. Konrad is now exiled to London but was back in his old hometown for the race and kindly showed me some offroad parts of the town I had never found, even in nearly 10 years of riding around.

Easy, ride, easy chat - a great way to get into full Peaks mode. I spent the afternoon prepping the 2 bikes I will use, so here for the record is what I am using for 2010:

Bike 1



Planet X Oom Johan XL frame, carbon forks
46/36 chainset with 12-27 cassette
Xero XR-1 clinchers with Kenda Cross Supreme at 65psi
Double bar tape
Bottle cage on seat tube

This will do Ingleborough and Whernside before being swapped at Ribblehead. Though I normally use tubs in the Peaks, I've been training on the Kenda £10 tires all summer and haven't had issues with punctures. They are as tough as Landcruisers but with very good side knobs that work well in stickier conditions, similar to the ones we usually get on Ingleborough early in the morning. The descent to Cold Cotes can also be peaty in places and the extra grip over say Landcruisers doesnt go amiss for me.

46 x 12 is fine for the swoopy downhills to Chapel le Dale. The bottle cage doesn't affect my carrying on such a large frame and is sensibly positioned very low down to keep it out of the way.


Bike 2



Planet X Oom Johan XL frame, carbon forks with less clearance
48/34 chainset with 12-28 cassette
Pair Wolber Profil 20 tubulars, 36 hole and handbuilt by Alan Gornall, with 34mm FMB Grifo file tread tubs @65/psi
Double bar tape
Bottle cage on seat tube



This is the Penyghent bike - fatter tires, lower gears and double bar tape to aid tired and sore hands. The fat white Grifo file treads might seem like an odd choice but there is no appreciable mud on this section, they are surprisingly grippy in wet, even muddy conditions and have a soft compound for gripping on any wet sections of the rocky PYG descent. They roll almost like road tires on the road too despite their large volume. Comfort is armchair-like.

So nothing fancy, apart from the FMBs and all tried and tested. The forecast is good, with temperatures nice and cool and I suspect the terrain will have dried out quite a bit despite soakings about a week ago. Good luck to everyone - see you in the pub for a well earned pint.

final prep

Bull Hill, Rossendale.



Final, for me at least, 3 Peaks specific session. Cross race tomorrow then rest up and stay healthy.



Got the mechanical voodoos out of the way with punctures and brake block failures for 3 out of 4 of us.



Feeling good. I hope.

2 weeks to go

I blame twitter. Even facebook can't cop for flak on this one. This year, even more than last, there is a buzz around, soon to build to feverpitch.

#3peakscx and #3pcx are the culprits as various Peaks entrants hone their form and reach new heights of anticipation.

In amongst this, nay right up there in the thick of it, is myself, one of a merry little band. (Others include @tikahuna, @aviemoron, @twinklydave, @steverile, @PhilHaygarth and @Mr_Terrahawk.) @DaveHaygarth's preparations though are even better documented with public Peaks sessions to whip him into shape, expert as ever and given spice this year by a slightly tongue-in-cheek but still relevant weightloss blog.

Dave knows how to 'Peak' for this event like few others and will no doubt toe the line in top condition. As for myself, this could be the year, actually. By 'the year' I mean a good ride, sub 4 hours and hopefully without a grovelling crampfest. Well, at least not one from the base of the Whernside climb onwards anyway.....

More running, more running with the bike, more walking with the bike and even, dare I say it, more riding the bike full stop have pushed me into new territory weight wise (yes me too) and form wise. I'm still not going to threaten 3 and a half hours but for a domestically and genetically constrained 40something, I may just surpass myself.

I returned to the theme of my last post on Sunday morning. Nearly Saturday night actually given the 5.30am alarm call to get up and sorted to meet with the keen Wheelbase duo of Dave and Lewis Craven. 'Intervals on a 40min lap' Lewis called it. More sufferance then. Crawling up the steep uneven Simon Fell-like bank toward Whittle Cross/Scout Moor summit, I once again mused on what is required for the Peaks. The ability to shut out discomfort/pain for long periods, mechanical sensitivity to avoid breaking both bike and subseqently self, technical ability on skinny and unsuspended tires and a keen understanding of pacing, measuring of effort and intimate local knowledge. I love it for all these reasons and many more.




Meanwhile a Whernside that was beautifully dry less than 2 weeks ago (above) will have no doubt turned into a boggy washout with not much sign of another significant dry period coming at the moment. Darn, I knew I was tempting fate when I glued on those 34mm file treads for Ribblehead onwards.

Expect more ramblings over the next fortnight as I attempt to calm myself, cram last minute training in and stay healthy for the last weekend in September.

sufferance

Noun: sufferance - patient endurance especially of pain or distress

I sat about this Friday afternoon just gone, somewhat dazed and confused after ‘specialist’ 3 Peaks training with Dave Haygarth. It only lasted a scant hour but – ooof!

I say ‘specialist’ as it involved a warm up on a monster climb up onto the moor – a descent down a shattered river bed (under 6 inches of water) but posing as a track – a walk/scramble up a 45 degree slope easing off into water logged peat bog caressed by a howling gale – an attempt to shuffle into a run and summit up further steep slope onto Holcombe Moor – before an exhilerating career down the other side, wiping sweat from my eyes and trying not to crash before turning left to go down the shattered river bed again and repeat. And again if really strong.

This is the essence of 3 Peaks training then - specificity and mental torture. Oh, and a fair degree of pain too. It certainly was a shock to the system but a welcome one too. Being able to zone into the steady but multiple outputs of effort on foot and bike, interspersed with boneshaking and slightly nerve-wracking descents is a key ingredient for a successful Peaks. It's not fast and furious like normal cross - more a long concentrated effort where mental preparation can be key. Ease off and drift off in the Peaks and you lose minutes at a time. Not to mention, skin if you lose concentration on the descents.

Dave was, as ever generous with his advice and tips - I've ridden the Peaks a few times now but still have much to learn and as my powers wane with age, need every last trick to make up time.


Good things to salvage from the experience:

We did only 2 reps as it is early yet and we are fresh into this type of training….4 reps is the goal by mid Sept?


I could see Dave for a lot longer than last year on the descents before he disappeared… getting better at going down.


I could nearly match him on the walking climb bits and lost less time than normal on the running….strong legs at the moment.




Bad things:

I am still way off the pace of the top riders like Dave when it comes to descending….he has ordered me to get chicken levers. Or else.


My shoulder is killing and has instantly developed '3 Peaks bump'.


The mental torture of doing this is nearly as bad as the physical pain – seriously.




Still, I am definitely ahead fitness and technique wise compared to this point last year and hopefully will toughen up over the next few weeks.

An hours cross is going to feel like cheating compared to this nonsense.



All the photos are from 2004/2005 including evidence of my own near abortive attempt at a Peaks comeback in 2005, 13 years on from 10th place in the 1992 race.....