Today was my 1st XC MTB race of the season and it gave new meaning to getting a sore bum from cycling!
Tomrefjord IL Sykkel cancelled their road race last week due to snow and ice (yes, in May!). I went for a training ride on my road bike instead and have to say that they made an excellent decision. I was 50kms from home when I got hit by gale force head winds and a driving snow storm - scary stuff on the road with heavy snow, poor visibility and on thin road tyres!
Fortunately, the trail was clear of snow and ice for Tomrefjord's XC MTB race today. 9 degrees centigrade, a moderate breeze, and lots of snow-melt meant that it was going to be a cold, wet & muddy ride but I was thoroughly looking forward to getting back on the MTB for the 1st time this season. The course is only 37kms with about 700m elevation. It sounds easy but the course is undulating and exhausting. I tend to struggle in tough terrain so it's not a great race for me but the course is great - awesome fun and a really well-organised race.
The course
Fun in the water-crossing!
Eldar Kurseth (Sykkylven) & Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite) 
I managed to stay in the top 15 or so early into the race, which was fine given that I tend to struggle on the first half of the course (and considering that I had forgotten to unlock the suspension on my front forks for the first 15kms - no wonder it felt bumpy!!!). However, I realised after just a few kms that something wasn't quite right with my seat. It was obviously coming lose but I tried to ignore it and keep cycling. Eventually, it got so bad that I stopped to tighten it and then chased my way back to the group I was with. This happened five times during the first 25-30kms. At this point, the seat decided that it had had enough and ran off into the forest. The bugger had snapped off!
OK, 10kms or so of racing with no seat. I had considered stopping to let the seat post down as I kept catching my shorts (and arse!) on some sharp edges hanging out where the seat had snapped off but I didn't want to lose more time and kept going. It was a painful experience - relentlessly catching my arse on the post and the sharp edges hanging out of it, and standing for 10kms. I didn't realise until I got home that my shorts were shredded around my arse - not a good day to race without pants on!!!!
I couldn't reach for my water bottle while standing over bumpy terrain or check the mileage on my bike computer to see how far I had left to go so I simply went for it. I gave it everything I had and was surprised to find that I was actually passing a number of riders in front of me. I passed 6 riders during the last 10kms. 2 riders managed to get on my wheel as I passed them with about 5kms to go and sat on my wheel all the way to the finish line. Fortunately, I stayed in front of them as we crossed the finish line.
Those 10kms without a seat were possibly the toughest time I have ever had on a bike. Not so much through exhaustion but because of the suffering that my legs went through. I was very happy to finish the race in 1.54:41. I was 12th overall and 4th in my age group. I was slightly quicker than last year and with tougher conditions (and no seat!) this time round. Some race stats: average speed 19.1km/h, max speed 50.8km/h, average HR 170bpm, max HR 180bpm.
A video of the 'saddle-less' cyclist and his pathetic effort to get over a small hump with a tree root can be seen here (I'm rider number 2). Of course, it looks easier that it was......!?!: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=414794985211014#!/photo.php?v=414794985211014. And this is how the winner did it on his 29er: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=414794985211014#!/photo.php?v=414723168551529.
Happy to have finished the race!
The overall winner was Johannes Reiten (Trollheimen CK) in an impressive time of 1.35:53. More than 5mins faster than the rider in 2nd place.
Overall winner: Johannes Reiten (Trollheimen CK)
On a different note, 29ers have arrived in Norway! A few people were riding 29ers last year but it was quite rare. This year, everyone seems to have one, except me! I felt like I was on a BMX compared to the other riders, especially after my seat had buggered off. I used to BMX when I was younger, and riding on 26" wheels without a seat brought back memories of my Piranah from about 1980. I used to have the seat so low that I would never actually sit on it....... By the way, the Piranah was way superior to the Mongoose and Diamond Back!!!
The Mighty Piranah
The 26" v 29" debate is an interesting one, and until I have tried a 29er I am not able to add too much to the debate. However, the speed that riders (that I have competed against for a few years now) were going on the 29ers as they blasted past me on any flat or downward facing technical sections was ferocious. I am never too good on the technical sections but used to hold my own when descending at speed. There is a clear speed differential with the 29ers on technical descents - they are fast! Fortunately, the race had a number of steep, muddy sections where we needed to keep getting off the bike and do some uphill running. Having an 8kg hardtail with 26" wheels definately helped here as I clawed back the time that I lost on the technical flat and downhill sections and that was with stopping to get my allen keys out to tighten my seat each time we had to get off the bike and run. This again, was a noticeable difference from when everyone was riding 26" wheels. I also found my 26" set-up to be much faster on the few sections of tarmac that we hit but then I used to find that was the case when everyone was on 26" wheels as my Felt the Six has awesome speed on the road. I guess the 26" v 29" debate will continue to roll-on. Hopefully, I'll get to try a 29er soon.
Race results
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