Norway World Cup finals

The final round of the 2013 world cup series was held in Hafjell, Norway. This was the first time I have been to Norway and one thing's for sure, it’s an expensive place! We headed there early in the week to get ready for my race which would be on the Friday afternoon at 5.00. Norway was a beautiful place and some really quite roads for riding on during the week running into the race. The course was very open with a variety of features such as a jump section and some open rocky sections. I was looking forward to my race as I had put some more work in after the world champs and I was hoping I could get a good result to finish the year. I was number 9, so gridded as first man on the second row which was a nice place to be. I had a good start up the wide fire road and was able to settle somewhere in the top 20 before moving forward to around 10^th place. From here I tried to take someone each lap of the 6 lap race and to make sure I kept moving forward throughout the race. It started to rain mid race which provided some excitement in the slippy sections.  I raced all the way to the finish and managed to roll in 5^th place which I was pleased with and a nice way to end my season! So that was my final race of a very busy year starting with national Cyclo-Cross Championships in January followed by a full World Cup season and lots of exciting British races. It was great fun with a lot of learning and lots of new experiences!  I’d like to say a massive thanks to the GB team and Bart Brentjens and the superior- Brentjens team for their support throughout the whole year, it is massively appreciated! I’d also like to thank my Coach Phil Dixon and the team behind, family and friends, Braveheart Fund and everyone else who I have forgot to mention for supporting me this year! Now I plan to take some time off and make some big plans for next year!

Thanks for reading, Grant.

Photo thanks to Keith Valentine.

2013 World Championships South Africa

The 2013 World Championships were being held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. I was happy to get selected to represent Great Britain in the under 23 men’s cross country race.  My preparation had gone well running into the event having won the final National round at Hadleigh on the 2012 Olympic Games course and putting together some good training in the weeks prior, I was looking forward to it. 

We headed to South Africa a week before the event to give us time to get ready to race and have a look at the course. The course was dusty with some nice technical features such as rock gardens and drop offs, I had raced the course previously the year before so I knew what to expect and had an idea of how a race could unfold. We spent the week running in to the race doing nothing special other than practicing the course.

Race day was Friday and it eventually came around and I was excited to race. I had number  11 so I would be on the second row for the start which I was happy about compared to the year before where I was number 86, which is about row ten. This meant I had a much better chance for the start which is important. As I lined up I was slightly nervous but ready to go. I started well and did about 5 pedal strokes into the race before I found myself top tube riding and looked down to see a missing chain! This is not an ideal situation as I looked up to see the front of the race disappearing into the distance. The race isn’t over when you snap a chain but the chances of a good ride go out the window. There was a technical zone just after the start so my mechanic nick was able to fit a new chain to my bike which takes about 2-3min and then I was able to start the race. It was a 6 lap race and I was now last man so I tried to settle into a good pace but this is hard as I started to catch people and trying to overtake is a challenge on narrow single-track. I also had some gearing issues due to the new chain which provided some challenge’s but I pressed on the best I could and started to move through the field. I rode through to finish in 32^nd place but obviously quite disappointed as I knew I could have done a lot better, on the plus side I must have some power to be snapping chains on the start line ha-ha. After this we competed in the XC sprint eliminator on the Sunday, I was looking forward to this as I have never done one before and they consist of a short 2min sprint race. The reason I have never done one before is usually they are the day before the XC race and for a skinny man like me a sprint competition is a bit of a challenge. I gave it everything I had to try and qualify but finished in 44^th which was not good enough as the top 32 go through so that was my World Champs over. I had a great time in South Africa and learned lots; it was especially fun to spend some time with GB downhill squad and obviously the fellow XC’ers Kenta Gee, Mikey T and Alice Barnes. I would also like to say a massive thanks to everyone in the GB support team for supporting me throughout the year in bike races and especially away from the bike races, it is much appreciated. Finally massive thanks to my coach Phil Dixon for all his work! Next up I have the final World Cup round in Norway with Superior-Brentjens which will be great fun.

Thanks for reading, Grant.

Hadleigh British Round

The final National round of the year was being held at Hadleigh which was the Olympic Games course from 2012. It was exciting to race on the course and with some international guys coming across to race I was looking forward to it. With fresh new British Champs kit from Superior Brentjens and Endura It was going to be a fun weekend. 

We arrived on the Saturday to do some course practice; the course is technical with lots of rock features and lots of climbing which should make for a great race. Before the race I was sitting in 3^rd place in the overall British series having missed a round earlier in the year so that was on my mind for the race but the main plan was to try and win the race. I was gridded on the front row and after fast start I settled down in 3^rd wheel before moving to 2^nd wheel after the first lap. I was feeling good and made a move after 3 laps of 7 which was quite early but I opened up a 30sec gap which I managed to hold through the rest of the race. I was happy to cross the line to win the race and to with the overall British series! My team mates Kenta and Hans also finished in 3^nd and 4^th place so superior Brentjens had a good day out! Next stop for me is World champs. J

British Championships 2013

The British Championships this year were being held at the new Commonwealth Games course at Cathkin Braes in Glasgow. I had been excited and nervous about this race since I heard the champs would be taking place in Scotland for 2013. I raced on the course earlier in the year for the SXC round so I had an idea of what the course would be like, the only difference this time was I tuned up to race in 20degrees which was a nice change from the rain and sleet from last time. Scotland had provided us with a fast and dusty course. My preparation had gone well leading into the event and I was excited to race although I was still nervous. One of the main reasons I was nervous for the race was because I had made the decision to race in the Elite category compared to racing in the under 23 category which would provide a big challenge for me. There was a couple of reasons for doing this but the main one was that I thought I had a chance so I took the risk to step up and have a go. We headed to Glasgow on Friday then on Saturday we arrived at the course and put together 4/5 laps to get used to it before Sunday’s race.

I lined up front row for my race on Sunday to complete 7 laps of the course. It wasn’t long before the race was underway and I took a relaxed start and kept myself towards the front of the race and tried to stay out of trouble. It was a narrow course with minimal chance for overtaking so I had to keep aware of my position throughout the first part of the race. The race stayed together early on with a big group forming of all the main contenders, after about 3 laps the race started to kick off with some small moves from Oli Beckingsale, Gareth Montgomery and David Fletcher. This split the group and me Gareth and Oli opened up a gap on the rest of the race. I stayed here for the following lap before deciding to have a go on a couple of the descents on the course and try to give myself a little gap into the two harder sections of the course. My plan worked well and I opened a small gap on Oli who was very strong and from there I had to chew my stem and hold onto the gap throughout the final laps of the race. I felt good on my bike and I managed to do this well and came round into the finish of the race very happy to win my first Elite British championships! I was very pleased to win and it was great to do it on a course in Scotland.

The rest of the podium was filled up with Oli in second and David in third place. Thanks to the people that cheered me round and thanks to the people off the bike that support me and allow me to perform to my best, it’s much appreciated. Next up I have the World Championships in South Africa in couple of weeks where my main target will be the Under 23 cross country race.
Thanks for reading, Grant.

2013 World Cup season so far.

Albstadt, Germany World Cup round 1 (may)
The opening round of the world cup this year was in Germany, Albstadt which is a new world cup course, so I was looking forward to what it would have in store for us. We arrived at the venue a couple of days before my Under 23 race and got to have a look around. I joined a new team in the winter called Superior-Brentjens racing team and they have some of the coolest pits around so it was exciting to get setup and ready to race. It was a late start to the World cup series so we had done plenty of national racing and there was some excitement to start World Cups. The course was steep and technical which was nice and then it rained which added another challenge into the mix. I lined up for the race on the third row and had a reasonable start into the first lap inside the top 20. I worked my way through the field during the first couple of laps and spent a lot of the race in the top 10 which was of my goals for the race. Then in the final laps I dropped slightly off the pace and finished in 14th place which I was still very pleased about as it was the first world cup of the year.

Nove Mesto, Czech World Cup Round 2 (may)
A week after the opening round of the world cup in Albstadt I headed to the Czech Republic for round two. I had raced the course before and it is a twisty loop based around a biathlon complex, they had added a couple of new rock features that livened up some of the wood sections in the course. I was still gridded on the third row and I had a good start and moved myself towards the front group of the race, the first couple of laps of the race went well and I was able to make time on the technical section’s which is always nice. I then struggled later in the race and dropped from the top 10 to finish in 16th place. I felt okay but not my best and since I was still working towards a top 10 I went away to try and make some small improvements before the next round.

Val Di Sole, Italy World Cup Round 3 (June)
The third round of the world cup this year was being held in Val Di Sole, Italy. It was a course that I had raced before a couple of times and featured lots of climbs and some dusty descents, not to mention it was going to be hot race of around 30 degrees. We had done a good amount of prep running into this race and I was confident that I could race for a top 10 place. I had an okay start, it was a fast and scary start as everyone was trying to move up and get in position befor the single track. I rolled round there trying to stay out of trouble around 30th place before settling into the race and trying to move up. I was feeling good and was able to keep moving through the field all the way until I settled in 4th place, I raced here for a couple of laps before breaking away on the final lap and chasing after third place to try and reach the podium. It was close in the end but I finished in 4th 20seconds down but very pleased to have made my goal of top 10 and very happy to be racing at the front end of world cups! 
A week later I raced the European championships in Switzerland and finished in 6th place! 

Vallnord, Andorra World Cup Round 4 (July)

The 4th round of the world cup this year was held in Vallnord, Andorra. The race was at the top of a mountain around 2000m high and it was a new experience for me to race at this level of altitude. We arrived and got some course practice in and found it to be an old style of track with grass climbs and long rough descents. It was going to be a hot race and we raced at 5 o’clock in the afternoon so it meant there was a lot of sitting around before we could take to the start. I was gridded on the second row and ready to go. I made a small mistake in the start and missed my pedal which allowed a lot of people to come around me and before I could get going I found myself outside the top 40. It is always hard in the first couple of laps when you are in this position because the first sections of single track block up and people have to walk and you lose a lot of time to the boys racing at the front. So once I made it through this I settled down and managed to move my way through the field and eventually finished in 16th place.

Next up I have World Championships in South Africa at the end of August.
Thanks for reading, Grant.

NPS Round 2 Cornwall

My latest race was the second round of the national series which was taking place in Redruth, Cornwall. It was a big drive to get down there but we found the course and had a quick look around to see it was mostly in an old quarry with lots of little technical features and short climbs. We did some course practice on the Saturday and then headed to the hotel for a good night’s sleep before race day.
There was no international competition for this round so I had a gridding of 5th and that allowed me to start on the front row which is nice. The race began fast with a bit of a battle to get into the first descent before it settled down and a group of four of us formed at the front. It was a windy day and with it being 7 laps of a short hard course I decided to be careful not to use too much energy early on in the race. Four turned into three after about halfway through the race which was me, Kenta Gallagher and Hamish Batchalor. It stayed like this until just over a lap to go where I decided that I needed to have a go early before it came down to a sprint, I managed to open up a small advantage on an small climb on the run into the finish and from there I was able to build up a small lead into the final lap. I went hard through the whole of the last lap but also careful not to make any mistakes which might cost me and I managed to hold it to the line and take the win. It was my first mountain bike win in the Elite category so I was very pleased. Next up for me was a training camp with Oli Beckingsale which was very good and enjoyable camp before I head of to the first rounds of the World Cup next week.
Thanks for reading
Grant

NPS Round 1 Sherwood

I started my season at the first round of the national mountain bike series in Sherwood pines, Nottinghamshire. I have raced there lots before so I knew what the track would be like with its fast and twisty single track but that was not to be the case this year with lots of cold weather and snow forecast for the weekend. So after an eventful day of travelling to get to the race I found it under 6 inch of snow which meant it was going to be an interesting race weekend. It was going to be my first race in snow and with temperatures around 0 degrees it wasn’t what I was expecting for the end of march but considering the weather I have trained in at home in the past I was well up for it. I figured that the amount of time I had spent riding in snow and telling myself that one day it might snow in a bike race and all the big boys who had been living the dream in the sun all winter wouldn’t know what to do, this was a good time to test my theory. So I did a couple of laps the day before the race then went and found some big jackets and kept warm until race day.

I headed to the race in the morning to sort my bike and get a warm up in before my race started at midday. It was a Uci cat 1 race which meant there was quite a big field with some international guys who had come across as there was good points available. I was gridded on the second row and ready to go. The race started straight into a snowy field with people everywhere trying to move up and get good position for the first single track. I started well around 8th place then slowly moved up through the first lap to come round in the front group of 5. It split up over the next couple of laps and I managed to ride across to the front of the race and ride at the front with a Matthias Wengelin who was a Swedish cyclist. I stayed here until the last lap where we were joined by Paul Oldham from hope and it all kicked off. Paul attacked straight away with me and Matthias chasing before he went over the top and on to win the race and me an Paul raced it out for second place with Paul being stronger and taking 2nd and me rolling in to finish in 3rd place which I was pleased about as it was my first podium in an Elite race. Next up I have the second round of the national series in Cornwall later in April.
Thanks for reading Grant.

Winter Adventures

It has been a busy winter with lots of training, some cyclo-cross racing and some cold weather. I am now into my second year as an Elite and have lots of big races planned for the up and coming season which will be very exciting. I have joined a new team for 2013; Superior-Brentjens Mountain Bike Racing Team which is an Elite level world cup team managed by ex Olympic gold medallist Bart Brentjens and should be great fun with plenty of new experiences and things to learn. The new team means I have some great new kit such as a 29er mountain bike from Superior bikes and brilliant new clothing from Endura which has been keeping me warm and dry during the winter.
 I started my training last November with some general road training and some gym work which went well. I then did three cyclo-cross races towards the end of December; the first two were national trophy rounds at Shrewsbury and Derby and the final one was the national championships at Bradford early in January. I was hoping the races would go well as I had a much better gridding this year compared to last year which I was looking forward to. The first national trophy round I did at Shrewsbury went well with a front row gridding I was able to make the front group and race hard in the muddy conditions to finish in 4th place behind the winner from Belgium. I then went on to the next round in Derby where I got another good start and finished in 8th which set me up great for the national championships a week later Bradford.

The national cross champs were being held on the Sunday so we headed there the day before to get some laps in and have a look at the course, it muddy loop with some steep banks and hurdles to run up which would make a great course. The under 23 men’s race was a separate race from the Elite men's which would provide some close racing with the race starting early in the morning in cold conditions. I was excited to race and a little nervous before the start as I was hoping to improve on my 3rd place from the year before. I was gridded on the front row for the start. The race started fast as everyone was trying to move up and get to the front; I kept my position during the first couple of lap and was in the front group that formed of about 6 people. The pace was hard early on with people trying to get away and split the race up but I followed the moves and kept a good position. About halfway through it began to split up with me and Ben Sumner getting away for half a lap before getting joined by Steve James with a couple of laps to go. The last lap approached and I felt good so I went for it with just under a lap to go and got a small gap straight away which I held trying not to make any small mistakes, soon the gap opened and I was able to ride my own race and cross the line to take the win and become national champ which I was very happy about. Steve went on to finish in 2nd place with Ben Sumner coming in 3rd place.

Since then I have had a couple of training camps, one with Oli Beckingsale and the other with the new team in South Africa, both were great fun and allowed for some quality training for the new season. I start my mountain bike season in a couple of weeks with the first round of the national series at Sherwood pines followed by some international racing.

Keep up to date with my new team through there website: http://www.mountainbikeracingteam.com/

Thanks for reading, Grant