On the subject of coaching....

I started my musical training at a relatively early age, around 8, going down the common route for kids starting out - recorder, bit of piano and then later, after a dose of choral training, a search for a more mainstream instrument. The bassoon looked like me in shape, it sounded kinda funny, you needed big hands and no-one else played it at the school. Sold.

And so continued a journey that would last 14 years or so. Mentors, supporters and teachers came in and out of my life as I developed as a musician, working my way up through school, borough, county orchestras and then the National Youth Orchestra. Music college followed, some professional engagements and a career as a professional musician beckoned. That it all ended there is the subject of a completely different story, but it is only now that I have realised the relevance of a big part of that story to my cycling exploits.

Pic: Bob McMinn

This realisation has come about through working formally with a coach around my cycling exploits for the first time. I've posted already about mentorship, and my connection with Greg May who runs Stoic Focus Coaching. This relationship just got more formal, in the latter part of my cross season and to good effect, taking Greg's advice and direction around training over the past couple years to it's ultimate end - the relationship of coach and athlete.

Now there is a part of me, the insecure, ego affected, middle-aged family man that finds the whole idea of having a coach for my cycling activities faintly ridiculous. Embarassing even. Coaches are for elite athletes, for winners, for Olympians. Or least wannabe Olympians and winners. Sure I've won a few races in the past, had some good results in the past, flirted with the National Cyclocross Development squad as was but...... I'm not setting the front of any race alight now, even an age-group relevant Veterans race. Why should a coach be of any real benefit and relevance where I am up to now?

Here's the key - it's because I have a passion, a drive, definitely a little bit of an obsession, with 'cross and cycling. Just like I did with music. When I was starting out, and as I went along in music, I just wanted to be better. Perhaps even to be the best. At the very least, the best I could be.

This is how it is with my 'cross - as a 40-something with kids and a non-cycling wife, a job and all the trappings of modern, settled family life my ambitions are not to attain the kind of success I had in music, or even the moderate success I had earlier on the bike. More mundane, more limited, my ambitions now are simply to be the best at what I love with the resources I have available. Because I enjoy the work, because I enjoy the journey. It gives me focus, direction, an inner calm even, to be thinking about a part of my life where along with being a parent, a husband, a worker, I can enjoy developing.

And like my career in music, I've recognised that I could do with some help. Can I enjoy riding and racing without this help? Of course, and I have done for years. But developing a relationship, a coaching relationship with someone has given me a new lease of life and a new enjoyment of something I already enjoyed. Key to that relationship for me is working with a coach that understands my time limitations, my physical limitations but is prepared to push in areas where I can stretch, where I can control what I do or don't do. It would be pointless trying to follow a schedule that the 20-something I was once might have done - I'll end up ill, in marital strife and generally out of balance. All in, I'm keen to look at what I can do, how much I can progress, where things can go with the time I have and that's why I'm particularly revved up to be working this year with Greg and his stoically focused approach.

National Cyclocross Championships Bradford

The blue flowers of the Planet X 'Veldrijden' team were highly visible at Peel Park, Bradford at the recent National 'Cross Champs thanks to our crack team of photographers - Jo 'Hanglebads' Allen, Phil Haygarth and Dave Haygarth.

Kit:

Warm up:

Dave racing:

Alan racing:

Introducing Captain Cross...

More details to follow soon, but for now enjoy this fab little film:

Cyclocross: all of the faff

Here's a little film from Dave Haygarth featuring the two of us faffing. A lot...

It’s the National Championships at the weekend, and time to reflect as the season approaches its finale.

Cyclocross is a strange sport. It breeds and harbours obsessives. For a discipline that involves belting around muddy fields, there is an inordinate amount of fine-tuning, preparation and finesse… from the meticulously exact tyre pressures for the conditions in the correct tubulars with the correct tread, to the perfecting of the right line on the course recce at 8am in -2°C. The right clothes, the right food, just enough sleep, the right warm-up… the training, the bike fettling, and even the Dirt Bags to make sure we clean off properly after a play in the mud.

This short road movie is about all of the faff of cyclocross for team mate Alan Dorrington and I as we covered the northern half of England in the final three rounds of British Cycling’s National Trophy series.

Yeah, we raced, too. But that was just for a few minutes every fortnight.

Hackney GT

There's something interesting going on down in that there London. Part 'cross, part music and part style statement, Hackney GT is pioneering a unique and fresh approach to the 'cross scene by blending music and fashion with grass roots 'cross racing.

It's the brain child of DJ and racer Russ Jones who has recently premiered a debut collection of cycle clothing and bespoke cycle-cross racing framesets.

  Fat tyres or thin, day or night, mud or dust we ride bikes, we love bikes they move us forward with a rush we are addicted to. We dodge cars we swerve trees we see graffiti we see leaves we are Hackney GT we are all city we are outdoors.

  Unashamedly bold, vibrant,and alternative with strong designs not too be ignored. Casual to lycra, on-trend and reflecting the burgeoning cycle scene from the fixed gear culture to the racing hard core fraternity Hackney GT isn’t frightened about being spotted in the crowd.

I first met Russ when he popped up with a London friend to stay at mine on a racing trip to a northern National Trophy 'cross round, and subsequently have ridden with and competed against him a number of times. Gently spoken and with a distinctive London accent, Russ' cycling and sporting activities have led to him being sponsored by Brixton Cycles, ranked 2nd in the London Cross league 2011/2011, ranked 3rd in the London mountain bike series Beastway for 2009 and multiple finisher of the legendary and gruelling 3 Peaks cyclo cross race.

Hackney GT has been birthed out of Russ' passion for cycling, an eagle eye for fashion and trends and with a quirky edge which he lends to anything he is involved with. Russ originally wanted to make a jersey for his music production company Hackney Globe Trotter and what was originally only one design has now turned into many this has now spawned the new label and collection with big plans for the future.

Hackney GT offers new styles combined with a reflection of Russ' beloved Hackney and East London, currently the cultural and creative centre of the world according to Russ - "fact: there are more artist in Hackney Wick per sq. mile than any other space on the planet". On the music front Russ has DJed all around the world and has had guest mixe spots on BBC Radio 1and 6Music. He currently has a weekly podcast on www.SOASRadio.org and he still hosts a monthly tropical warehouse party Arriba La Cumbia in the East end of London. A busy man in other words. 

Russ and Hackney GT in conjunction with Push Cycles has also launched an official racing team that comprises of current winner of the London & SE cyclo cross league Matt Webber amongst many others.. I love this blending of 'cross, music and fashion - for me it's a breath of fresh air from the narrow focus that cycling and 'cross can sometimes have, but make no mistake - Russ and his team are serious racers. They just know how to party and dress on and off a 'cross bike too.

Check out their on-line store at www.hackneygt.com

Mentorship

Pic: Dave Haygarth

I realised the other day that I'm lucky enough to have two 'cross mentors. They'd been there a while but I hadn't quite noticed the impact they were having for the good, on my 'cross endeavours.

Now I'm no elite athlete - I had some success with 'cross in the early 90s when a full time student, I mean athlete, winning quite a few local League races and getting a top 25 position at the Nationals - but although the results have significantly tailed off of late, 'cross is still my passion and I want to improve simply for improvements sake. A big gap in 'cross particpation from 1993 till a few years ago has meant a steep re-learning curve, as well as a bafflement as to why my body does not respond the way it used to. The first point is easy to document, the second is a little harder toe explain but that's for another day.

Anyways, I've been fortunate to hook up in recent years with the effervescent Dave Haygarth, who whilst nearly wrecking me many times with his superior fitness, technique and ability in countless training sessions together, has been kind enough to pass on much of his hard earned race-craft and technical skill to my benefit. Don't underestimate the value of riding and training with someone who is better than you, particularly if they share what they know. My ego crumbles at times but I bounce back, determined to get a little closer to him next time. And it's coming....

My other 'cross mentor is Greg May - a (not-for-long?) Dublin based exercise physiologist and coach with a no nonsense, slightly old skool approach backed up with heaps of science. Greg and his partner Pauline (a talented IronWoman) have been regular guests at mine on Greg's racing forays outside Ireland and during these trips, and between he has regularly passed on nuggets of training advice around intensity, structure, technique and a lot more.

Greg's approach can be summed up in this superb article on 'cross training. I won't repeat it in full - go read it for yourself - but a couple of bits jump out for me:

CX is not a pretty sport. If you don’t train in the suck you won’t be able to race in the suck. 

'I can’t corner in mud' – Well no one can…you just get less bad at it. Practice...

Sometimes the best advice is the most simple - you can dig out an entire seasons success from that small article but better still, go find yourself a mentor, a training partner, a 'cross soulmate and learn together the only way there is - by getting muddy.

Prototype Planet X Pro Carbon XLS Cyclo Cross

I've been lucky enough to have been riding around on a sample Pro Carbon XLS for a good while now, and now it's on sale can finally spill the beans.....

UPDATE: new production version of the XLS

Constructed from 12k carbon it's a full carbon disc cross frame that is aimed fair and square at the race-savvy cross rider. It's the sharpest feeling cross bike I've ridden with snappy handling and a very stiff response to hard out of the saddle efforts. A large (PF30) bottom bracket area contributes to this stiffness, as do the boxy rear chainstays and the tapered headtube (1.25 - 1.5") that keeps things solid upfront too.

Cable routing is all internal across the top tube with no under bottom bracket cabling to keep things clean and tidy, as well as helping to cut down on maintenance after drownings with the jet wash. The top tube itself is one of the most comfortable I've ever carried with, being unencumbered with cables and perfectly flattened to lay neatly across your shoulder. The rear disc tabs are at the rear (rather than in the rear triangle), allowing easy access too for pad fettling.

Clearance is great up front and rear, despite the 'racy' tolerances between rear tyre and bottom bracket area, and during mudfests has presented no significant problems despite some build up in that area. The absence of cantilevers and bosses more than makes up for any build up of mud there and my bike has kept working fine even when conditions are really bad.

The beefy headset, stiff bottom bracket and boxy stays mean this frame just flies under pressure - compared to alloy cross bikes I've had the difference in stiffness is startling. It's not a harsh ride on rougher surfaces, just purposeful, giving you lots of feedback about what surface conditions are like. It builds up light too - with higher end components and carbon wheels it's happily threatening sub 18lb territory and so carrying feels superb on that comfy top tube.

It's just too tempting not to make comparisons  between the XLS and it's sister company's One One Dirty Disco that I've also been riding. Both are superb race bikes with surefooted handling, good behaviour in the mud and light, practical (ie robust) carbon frames. Whilst the Disco also makes for a good all-round off-road riding bike, eminently suitable for 3 Peaks duties and long off road rides alike, the  XLS perhaps veers a little more toward an out and out racer, feeling sharp and edgy and just itching to be ragged round a lap.

Pic: Jo 'Hanglebads'

It is worth pointing out the difference in sizing - my 56cm Disco has a longer top tube and taller head tube than my 57cm XLS which partly contributes to that planted, stable feeling compared the smaller, more chuckable XLS. It's horses for courses - I've raced both on cross laps, ridden both on long rambling off road rides, and 3 Peaks trained on both. I don't have a favourite - they both do the job, whenever and  wherever. You takes your pick....