It’s that time of year when most peoples racing seasons are over, and new training plans start. Weight training is supposed to be important at the start of winter – for me, it’s got to be simple and easy, and something I can do at home.
I made up a routine loosely based on the No Gym, No Problem – Mountain Bike Strength Training (from the MTB Strength Coach), not just because it’s dead simple, but also because “Bodyweight training also offers the added benefit of increasing our body awareness and control.” You might be dubious about just how much you can increase your strength by using only your bodyweight. But you might surprised how hard this workout can be. A really important aspect of the routine is to pay attention to the time you take on each exercise. “Tempo allows me to assign a rep speed which will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the workout. Tempo is communicated via a three number sequence such as 3-1-3. The first number tells you what speed to lower yourself down in the exercise, the second number tells you how long to pause at the bottom and the third number tells you what speed to raise yourself back up.”
This is a typical workout I might do (the videos are for illustration only – so don’t give me a hard time about their content!)
Set 1 (x2):
- Jumping Box Squat x6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSACII6VxWo
- Feet Elevated Push Ups x8 (3-3-3): (pretty obvious)
Set 2 (x2):
- Bulgarian Split Squat x8 (3-3-3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jam1mzKAx3Q&feature=related
- Inch Worm x8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ncHhj4FjFE
Set 3 (x2):
- Uni Stiff Leg Deadlift x8 (3-3-3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtevN0SWp-o
- Step Ups x8 (3-3-3): (self explanatory)
Set 4 (x2):
- Ab Sequence: http://www.bikejames.com/ipod-videos/mountain-bike-core-strength-sequence/ (this is probably worth doing every day!)
And that’s it. The only thing left to do is explain to the rest of your house why you’re jumping on the furniture!
Other workout options here: http://www.bikejames.com/category/demos-and-routines/
This year’s winter bike began with an Orange R8 frame. Why? Because it’s steel (nice Reynolds 853 steel) so it’ll be more forgiving than aluminium, last forever, and require less maintenance than a full-suss. I’ve just bodged it together with bits I had lying around – it’s only going to get abuse anyway.
Orange R8 winter bike
I was pretty pleased to find an old (new) XT front mech for it.
Mmmm... classic XT
Now if I can just sort out the rest…
It’ll get it’s first thrashing in the forest tomorrow morning – and judging by current conditions, it’s going to be wet.
I am determined to commute to work through the winter. Last year the faff of putting on the necessary lycra to ride my Orbea road bike the 5 miles in, to then change again at the other end kept putting me off. Well, the cold didn’t help either! Anyway, this year I might just manage to keep up the winter commute with my new Marin San Anselmo Alfine commuter. With some very sensible SKS mudguards (they might stop the bike looking quite so sleek but when the road’s wet you won’t complain about them!) and some decent lights and clothing I have no excuses! So far, so good. It’s a fantastic bike to ride – not hugely slower than the road bike but a more comfortable position. And no derailleurs to clean!
Testing the San Anselmo in the Yorkshire Dales
I have a problem with cold feet, particularly on longer rides. This year I’m determined to keep myself warm, with the Pearl Izumi Barrier GTX winter boots:
Keeping Warm - Pearl Izumi Barrier GTX winter boots
So far, they’ve been almost too warm! But the real test will come on a long winter ride when it’s really cold. They’re certainly comfortable, and well made.
This was a trial event for a three race series early next year. It was different from the usual duathlons in the forest, in that the bike section was on loads of singletrack instead of just fire roads. The course used quite a bit of the Dusk ’til Dawn course, which was lucky for me – I knew it well!
The winner was Sam Gardner, who’s just recently won the Japanese edition of the Xterra World Tour (basically an off-road olympic distance triathlon). He was way ahead of the rest of us! After the first run I was sitting in about 12th, but managed to pull myself all the way up to 2nd place by the end of the bike. I thought I’d lose a place on the 2nd run, but managed to hold off the 3rd place man.
Sarah had a storming race, leading the field from start to finish.
Sarah in winning form
1st Lady, and 2nd Male
… and our B team comes in 11th!
Winners of the 209 Dusk 'til Dawn
Our race report in the Newmarket Journal:
On Saturday night, 3rd October, two mountain bike teams from local Newmarket cycle shop, Revel Outdoors, took part in the Dusk ’til Dawn 12 hour race in Thetford Forest. This premier annual night event attracts over 1000 riders from across the country. Starting at 8pm Saturday evening and ending at 8am Sunday morning, the course covers more than 11 miles of fire roads and flowing singletrack, combining the challenges of endurance, mountain biking in the dark and sleep deprivation. Both Revel Outdoors teams were competing in the 80 strong, 3-man team category with team members riding alternate laps.
A rapid start from shop owner Jamie Wightman put Revel Outdoors team 1 in the lead after the 1st lap. James Dyke was out 2nd with Mike Stoveld, the Revel Outdoors workshop manager, riding 3rd. After a few laps the team slipped down into 3rd position but some strong, gutsy rides in the early hours of Sunday saw the team make up time and claw back the lead. Stoveld, finishing the 15th and last lap for the team, managed to just hold off local rivals ThetfordMTBracing, finishing only 12 seconds ahead to secure a hard fought victory.
Revel Outdoors team 2 was led out strongly by the experienced Garry Houghton, followed by Rob Balaam who rode a quick first lap to put the team up into 7th place. With 3rd member and night race newbie, Neil Payne, getting quicker as the night wore on, the team moved up into 6th position. Around 5am, disaster struck as Balaam’s tyre blew. Balaam’s cool-headed repair minimised the time lost, but the team lost several places. Completing the 15th lap, Payne brought the team home in a highly commendable 11th place, pushing through the cramps in his legs as he crossed the finish line.
Superb teamwork and absolute dedication from all the Revel Outdoors riders achieved these fantastic results which further highlight their credibility on the region’s mountain biking scene. The riders will now be preparing for more good performances in the upcoming Thetford Winter Series mountain bike races.
Using the MRP 1.X chainguide with a 36T Renthal chainring.
MRP 1.X Chainguard and single chainring
I’ve been amazed how well this works, particularly for riding around Thetford Forest where there aren’t any great hills.
- Less weight (I’ve removed the l/h shifter, front mech and 2 chainrings)
- Less to think about: gears are simply up or down (9 of them), and no need to “prepare” for a hill
- The chainline is much better, I’m typically in the middle of the block now.
I’ll move up to a 38T chainring when my legs get as strong as national champ Oli Beckingsale 
.
