The Peter Estin Hut – an opportunistic trip
In a fit of passing motivation, I checked the 10th mountain division site just before Christmas to see what availability was left over the holiday period. The huts normally sell out early in the Autumn, and finding a space involves either knowing someone who booked early, or squeezing a short trip during the middle of […]
Wallowing in the middle of cross season
The beginning of November is a tough time for a cross racer. It’s never-ending purgatory; the season stretches out in both directions. I managed to stave off the midseason staleness with some good results. For the past two weekends the fields have been relatively light. Many of the faster riders away racing on the east coast, making […]
How coaching other people made me faster
I’ve been coached for a long time. It’s made me a much more committed athlete, but beginning to coach other people was a big turning point in getting the most out of my training. When you’re following a plan, the gains materialise slowly. The fitness creeps up, along with a creeping doubt that the plan […]
Thinking about the consequences of a dry autumn
Autumn has been very dry here in Colorado. Traditionally it’s the time of year where the weather most closely matches the cool and drizzly days of home. But this year the temperature has hardly budged below 20 celsius. While it’s nice to have access to the high country mountain bike trails that are normally buried […]
Colorado is past Peak Cyclocross, and why it doesn’t matter
It’s official: we’re past peak cyclocross in Colorado. The hype has faded. The crowds have diminished. But it doesn’t matter one little bit. As I drove into Valmont Bike Park on Sunday for the US Open of Cyclocross, I was prepared for the normal scrum. Cars parked everywhere, the parking attendant’s voice drowned under the sounds […]
The Missoula ProXCT – Solitary suffering on the slopes of Marshall Mountain
There’s a six foot drop approaching, and my fork is locked out. Not by choice of course. The cable is just a little sticky. Probably something to do with the gel I just spilled across my bars. What would you do? Forcefully unlock it and suffer another 4000 feet of climbing with a bouncy fork, or […]
GoPro Games – forget the marginal gains
We’re standing on the top of the car park looking at the course tape flapping in the morning breeze. The Aspen trees are bright green, the Gore Range behind us is silver with melting snow, and the pollen is flowing off the pines trees in huge waves. The pine pollen forms a bright yellow […]
La Bresse World Cup: The Nun with a chainsaw.
There’s a chainsaw being revved mere inches from my ear. The Nun wielding the chainsaw is laughing maniacally and paying little attention to the proximity of his blade to my head. Yes, the Nun is a man. Welcome to World Cup Mountain Biking in France. I’d seen said chainsaw wielding Nun earlier as I was warming […]
A View From the Back of the Albstadt World Cup
The announcer stops calling out the numbers at 130, and instead turns his attention to the front of the race. I roll up towards the back of the pack as Julien’s palmarés are read out to the baying crowd. We have three minutes until race time. The music builds. I look up and around. […]
British Series at Dalby Forest: sunshine and singletrack in Yorkshire
I’d heard about the racecourse at Dalby after the World Cup in 2010. First of the “new school” courses, the lap was shorter and more technical than anything before. Since then, other courses have caught up, but it was still the best course I’ve raced on. All this was reason enough to put the British […]