by hattenburrow | Mar 24, 2016 | Racing
On Sunday 20th March around 700 mountain bikers descended on this quite coastal country park for the UK’s one and only beach race. Now in its third year this race has grown in popularity year on year with 2016 being its biggest and best so far!
Battle on the Beach is run by A Cycling who also organise the UK’s only stage race Epic Cymru. The idea of a beach race came from the Dutch & Belgian races, although these are nearly all beach the Battle on the Beach packs in 6km of beach racing on a 15km course.
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The start line. Photo thanks to Anthony Pease @Pease971
The 3 lap, 45km course has remained fairly similar since it started with a few tweaks here and there. The battle starts on soft sand at the top of the beach, while the DJ pumps out motivational music and gets the riders ready for what’s to come with riders jostling for positions close to the front. The soft sand start is hard work with so many people in a compact space picking your bike up is pretty impossible so when the gun goes off its about pushing as hard as you can whilst watching out for other people’s pedals and flying wheels of those who have picked their bikes up!
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Photo thanks to Anthony Pease
Once on the hard packed sand cyclocross skills come in handy as you launch yourself onto your bike and charge out to catch a group moving fast, the key to the beach is to get in a bunch and work together to make the 6km beach stretch less taxing on your legs.
Lungs bursting, once you reach the MOD turn off the beach it’s another run in the sand up the hill to the dunes. From this point on its single and double track until you reach the beach once more.
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Photo thanks to Anthony Pease
The double track through the dunes is soft sand in places and the best advice is to keep looking forward and let the bike slide beneath you. It is hard going through these dunes with lots of lumps and bumps overtaking can come with the penalty of a puncture as the scrub land to the side is littered with thorns and twigs.
The singletrack sections are brilliant! Through tress with some hard sandy climbs and great loose descents which make you push harder just to come round and have another go!
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Photo thanks to Anthony Pease
The air is full of excitement at Battle on the Beach with lots of spectators cheering you on and other riders always giving their support. It is a fantastic race for riders who are looking to test their speed and endurance and also those who just want to do something different with friends. It is organised very well with sign on the day before and a well-marked course.
This year Karen Brouwer was back to defend her 2014 open title. The Dutch rider left the rest of the field in her wake finishing in an eye watering 1 hour 49 minutes showing that the women are as fast as the men!
The men’s open was a hard fought battle between Richard Jansen the Dutch beach racing champion and fellow Dutch rider Bram Imming the race was fought right up to the line with Richard Jansan taking the win by a second, finishing in 1 hour 35 minutes and 8 seconds.
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Photo thanks to Anthony Pease
For the first time the day race was accompanied by a night race. Battle in the Dark took place on the Saturday evening and was a shorter loop of the main course taken on in time trial style.
Overall I am really happy with my result (16th) it was my first race of the season and with a new bike I just went out to see what was possible. There are things I need to improve on my overall my stamina has improved so much which makes all those winter miles worth the effort!
My top tips for beach racing are:
- On a mountain bike turn your forks off
- Practice running and jumping on your bike before you arrive at the race
- Practice carrying your bike, great upper body work out and a lot quicker than pushing it through sand
- Get into a bunch on the beach to make life easier but don’t sit in a slow group push on to the next faster riders
Thank you Anthony Pease for the brilliant images! Check out his stuff here.
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by hattenburrow | Mar 14, 2016 | Snowboarding
I felt like I had been waiting ages for our snowboarding trip this year. Martyn has been checking the snow forecast for months. To start with the season had a dusting of snow with many runs closed but as we edged closer to March the snow angels got to work and the weekend we arrived nearly all runs were open and the peaks were covered if a fluffy blanket of powder. Thank you snow angels!
Sestrière lies at the heart of the Milky Way which offers almost 400 km of pisted runs. It is an alpine village in Italy, a part of the Province of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, 17 km from the French border, which means you get the benefit of boarding in Italy and France on your lift pass.
We arrived on Sunday to blue skies, cold air and great food at our hotel the Principi de Piemonte which lies to the side of the Sestriere.
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View from our balcony
Our six day lift pass started on Monday so while Martyn relaxed in the bar I decided to make the most of the spa facilities. I did Pilates followed by a swim, sauna and steam. A great way to start a holiday I think you will agree.
After only 2 hours sleep on Saturday night we got an early night ready for a day of boarding on Monday.
Getting ready for a day on the slopes is like a military operation, first of all you have to play a game of what fits in what pocket!
It is very true about all extreme sports you don’t buy the padding until you hurt yourself. I am now the proud wearer of essential padding including impact shorts, wrist guards, knee pads and elbow pads. For any first timer I would recommend wrist guards, impact shorts and knee pads you will be surprised once you get used to feeling like a medieval knight how they will improve your time on the slopes as confidence grows and nasty purple bruises decline. Sitting on the slopes are chilly and impact shorts also reduce cold impact on the gluteus muscles!
The first day I always feel a nervous anticipation of what’s to come we decided to stay in Sestriere and made our way gradually over to Borgatta which is the next village along one of the lifts was closed and the large queue seems like the ideal excuse for a hot chocolate and beer stop.
The lift to the top chilled us both to the bone, getting off the lift the snow whipped into a frenzy by the wind swirling around making any bear skin painfully cold, we were soon on the move and warming up nicely I followed Martyn trying to match his line to make myself faster. This worked really well and I felt a new confidence and enjoyed chasing him down the mountain, at the bottom we turned and went straight up again, another bitterly cold lift to the top. I hit my top speed at 36.5 miles an hour according to the Ski Tracks app.
We stopped at Du Casa for lunch which was nice and then decided to make our way back to our hotel to warm up! Arriving back at our hotel I kept my promise to myself and did Pilates and then Martyn and I went to the spa and for a swim.
Dinner was again great with a buffet for starter then a pasta course, then a meat course and then a buffet of puddings, for the second night in a row we rolled back to our room too full!
Montgenerve, France.
On Wednesday we went on a coach trip to Montgenerve in France it’s a pretty, quiet French town with a load of great slopes for everyone. There are a few greens which can be hard for boarders, but most of the runs are long blues and reds.
The best way to start is on the right hand side where the gondola takes you up half way before changing to a chair lift them from the top take the red, blue routes down to the far left of the gondola where you will cross the road and end up at the Tremplin lift, here you can then go up and explore the left hand side of the mountain.
The left hand side has a lot more to offer I terms of runs but the right hand side has some great open off-piste sections perfect for beginners as you can see the runs below and head towards them if you get really stuck.
My top tips for first time off-piste are:
- Be ready to fall over rather a lot – even experienced snowboarders spend time tumbling off-piste
- When you do fall over pack the snow in and around your bum to help lift yourself up
- Keep your weight over your board and put more weight on your back foot
- Relax
On the left hand side you can go up to the Crows Nest. This is the place where you can cross over back into Italy and ski back however it involves three lifts one after the other so ideally get a coach or taxi to France so you can enjoy the great runs. From the Crows Nest there are some brilliant long red routes which take you onto blues and then back down to the Tremplin lift these are great fun wide reds with stunning 360 views.
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View from the Crows Nest.
There are less places to eat in France, most people eat in Montgenevre. We ate on the mountain, on the right hand side of the road with a stunning view and reasonable priced good food. It’s worth carrying a bottle of water as with the food places being sparse it’s harder to get a drink too, on hot days your need to replace your fluid.
France is well worth a visit the runs are fantastic, the off-piste is vast and for those more experienced boarders there is wide open spaces to explore. For those who love gliding down the mountain there are plenty of long green and blue runs which including breathtaking views.
I find France slightly harder to navigate Montgenevre has a few runs packed tightly together and then the rest is spread out so it’s easy to accidentally take a wrong turn, where as in Sestriere most of the runs have clear starts and finishes.
Sauze D’Oulx
On Thursday we went over to Sauze D’oulx the runs over this side are longer and quite wide which is confidence boosting for beginners.
A lot of the runs lead to a massive bowl where there are loads of restaurants. The bottom run into Sauze was a bit slushy as this resort is lower than Sestriere.
We made our way back to Sestriere for the afternoon and played off-piste next to our hotel, my off-piste ability is improving, although I still spend a lot of time digging myself out of the snow – part of the fun!
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Off-Piste
We were woken by the sound of a helicopter taking people heli ski-ing, a good indication of another great weather day. We took the gondola up into Sauze but this time went down to San Cicaro on the way to France. I felt really confident and enjoyed the black, red combination.
Around this area there is also some long red runs through the trees, which are a bit skinny in places and for a boarder you need to carry speed to get up some of the inclines.
As with Sauze the sun made the bottom parts of the runs a bit slushy so after a burger stop we made our way back over to Sestriere. From this side you have two choices either a toggle lift to the top gondola or a red/ blue run to the mid station. From the mid station you can either get the gondola or there is a flat long blue run through the trees which takes you back to Borgata. We went for the blue option and then went off-piste, it was hard work at the top through lots of pine trees but soon it opened out into untouched snow we headed down to the back of Sestriere and then walked through town which was exhausting but the off-piste made it well worth it!
After a hot chocolate and beer stop we got on the lift in Sestriere back to the top of the blue and went off-piste all the way your hotel, I found it easier this time twisting through trees and only getting stuck once or twice!
Off-Piste Adventures
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what a view!
Our last day came too quick! We decided to spend the whole day off- piste, as I was improving, this turned into the best day of the holiday by far. We took the gondola up to the top of Sauze, as we got higher I felt the butterflies in my stomach rising in anticipation for what was to come. We walked around the lift and literally slid off the edge it was quite steep and the snow crunched under my board where the top layer had frozen. This off-piste was quite well worn but it was still amazing to be the only two on the slope, we made our way onto the long blue descent and then again popped over the edge into the trees, the conifers were tightly packed and I did my best to follow Martyn’s expert line through them, my skill level is not quite as good and I found myself sitting amongst the branches on more than one occasion!
We found a great little cake and drink stop overlooking Sestriere and the mountains beyond, from there we made our way into the clearing a vast space of pure white snow where no one had been I loved the feeling of making my own tracks and the complete freedom of being able to go where ever I wanted. We headed down to the back of the hotels using our boards as sledges, before walking the rest of the way.
After picking up some lunch supplies we headed back up on the gondola, Martyn casually said “let’s stop on those rocks for lunch” I wasn’t so keen on the idea of lunch on the edge of a rock but once we got to our lunch spot I changed my mind. 360 mountain views, peace and quiet, our own spot on the top of the world. Bliss.
After lunch we slid off the other side of our rocky outcrop carving our own trail into the mountain side back into Sestriere.
Stopping at the bottom for a well-earned hot chocolate and beer we planned our next descent. The plan was to go off-piste from the Sestriere to find a place to build a little jump, I had never done any jumps before so was excited about trying something new.
Once off-piste we looked for a spot where we could build a jump, Martyn found the ideal area with a good run off and a nice soft landing. Once we had built the jump (which was hard work) Martyn showed me how it was done and then we took it in turns. My biggest issue seemed to be staying pointing down the hill! The landing was soft and I was soon making a little progress getting air even if I did land on my bum most of the time!
As the sun started to dip in the sky and the last lift of the day had stopped behind us, we decided sadly, we better leave our snowy paradise and made our way back through the trees to our hotel.
The mountains are an incredible place and I feel truly blessed every time I get to visit them. They are mysterious and majestic and I love being able to make the most of nature’s playground.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by hattenburrow | Mar 2, 2016 | Training
Today was my long ride training day. I had checked out the forecast and it was sunny until about 11 and then predicted rain, as a time crunched cyclist I don’t have the luxury of being able to pick and choose so I can train in good weather. So I pulled on an extra layer and headed out towards dark clouds but with the sun on my back for now…
On long rides it’s as much about mental preparation as physical if your head is not in the game your body might as well pack up and go watch TV. So I always have a goal to keep my head focused on something other than the minutes ticking by.
My goal for the past couple of weeks has been 100km in 5 hours, after my race result on Saturday I had seen how capable I was of pushing my body further for longer, so today my aim was get over the 100km barrier.
I set off at an easy pace knowing it takes me about 30 minutes to settle in and then I pushed on trying to keep my heart rate above 150.
When you’re trying to stay in a heart rate zone on the road it is pretty difficult because of the natural rise and fall in the landscape, however hard you push up hill when you get to the downhill fitness will decided on how rapidly your heart rate falls, I am pleased to say my fitness is really good at the moment and my heart rate drops really quickly as soon as I start going downhill.
After 2 hours I was making really good progress and had worked my way up a few good hills including Butser. It was half way up Lynch hill when the heavens opened and it started to hail, yes hail, with such force that it stung my arms through my jacket. With nothing to do apart from keeping pushing on that is what I did, 20 minutes in and I was soaked through and now desperately wishing for a long hill climb to get warm! I decided to start making my way home (which was at least an hour away) and to maybe have a shorter ride, I could deal with rain but hail was a joke.
As I made my way through the backroads I could see patches of blue sky in front of me and the hail eased off giving me a new perspective and I decided to take a longer route home, I was still on target for over 100km, I had been playing games with myself to keep heading for this target for example: when I got to quarter to I would try and fit in 8km to up my score for that hour. It may sound daft but this tactic worked.
After 4 hours I had done 85km leaving only 15km to go. The last hour was hard fighting into the wind most of the way I felt like I was being pushed backwards. Rounding the corner to my destination I had 11 minutes still to go but had ridden 100km I was really happy to have beaten the 100km barrier but didn’t have any energy left to push out too many more k’s and settled with 3!
I am so happy with my achievement today; I set out with a goal and achieved it, even against bad weather and a head wind! My fuelling was good today and I have a new love salted peanuts in the same bag as jelly babies! Don’t knock it until you try it!
Thanks for stopping by. Please check out my You Tube channel for videos on training, racing and much more.
by hattenburrow | Mar 1, 2016 | Biking Adventures, Racing
Last weekend was my first race of 2016! I had a major mechanical on Friday which left me a bit apprehensive as I packed my stuff. I like to make sure everything is sorted and in the car the night before as this helps banish my pre race nerves.
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The Wiggle Southern Rough Ride sportive started and finished in Amberley, Sussex, a pretty little village nestled in the South Downs. I am lucky enough to live in the South Downs and was excited to ride in a new part of this beautiful landscape.
After registration I lined up and the organisers set us off in group. A sportive is not a ‘race’ ‘race’ as it uses public land. Instead its a mass participation event with different routes for all abilities, I was doing the Epic, a 34 mile route.Each sportive has gold, silver and bronze finishing times I was aiming for around 4 hours putting me in the women’s gold position.
I set off with a plan to let my legs warm up for the first 30 minutes and then to ride hard, consistently. The first two hours passed by and I felt good, I had stopped briefly at the first feed station to fill up my water bottle.
The course was good fun with a mixture of open trails through farmland and scenic ridge paths.
After a while the course split where the standard and epic routes divide, here I came across a bit of a stumbling block the sign-age on the route had been great but myself and a group other riders miss read the sign and ended up on a mile detour back to the course!
Back on track I knew I had lost valuable time so pushed hard, to make it back up. This part of the course seemed a lot more hilly but after the final big push the last feed station was in sight and I knew there was only 8 miles left.
This gave me a new lease of life and helped me push towards the finish line.
My nutrition routine had been very good during the race eating three homemade apricot & nut bars, one each hour with a few jelly babies, a banana and a handful of salted nuts for good measure.
The course neared the end and doubled back on itself with an exhilarating downhill all the way to the finish line.
Crossing the line I was really proud to have finished in 3 hours 46mins even with a little detour of 2 miles. This put me well within women’s gold and was the time needed for mens gold!
Thank you to UK Cycling Events and Wiggle for organising a really good event.
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by hattenburrow | Feb 27, 2016 | Kit Reviews
Here is my latest product review for Grip Grab this time it’s the high vis arm and leg warmers. Not only are these super comfy and warm in the winter but they also serve a safety purpose making you more visible on the roads and trails.
As a cyclist who trains mostly in the early hours of the morning on quiet country back roads I feel it’s important to make myself stand out to drivers as much as possible.
The arm and leg warmers have a warm fleecy lining for those cold morning rides, the breath ability of the fabric means you don’t get hot and sticky when your body starts to warm up which is great.
The silicon gripper at the top of the leg/arm keeps them securely in place even on the busiest of trails.
My arms and legs are both mediums, the legs are a little long on me (5ft5) but this isn’t really an issue the arms are also a little tighter in my upper arm than I would normally like when you first put them on, after a little while riding I forgot about this and I don’t feel it affects the function of the arm warmer, it still keeps my arms toasty!
