Burn Series Adventure Race Bath

Burn Series Adventure Race Bath

On Saturday I stepped way out of my comfort zone and did an adventure race. The Burn Series in Bath was made up of mountain biking, trail running and kayaking. All whilst navigating to check points marked on a map!

This was my first race since having Ffion and the nerves well and truly set in from around Wednesday leaving me feeling very unsure about whether I could actually do it.

Race day came, the car was packed, and we set off for Bath at 6am to start racing at 9:30.

The first thing I had to figure out was my route for each activity – something I’ve never had to think about before. In cross country mountain biking you just follow the arrows and stay within the tapes this was a new challenge and one that made it quite tactical as it turned out!

Everyone was given a kayak slot and mine was in the morning which meant I would run first so I could run to the kayaks. I had always wanted to bike first as that is my strength, but soon switched the gears in my head to feet first then pedals as we set off from the start line.

I had highlighted the route on my map but soon found running, looking at the map and trying to look for check points was rather a lot for my brain to compute. The result was me missing my first check point and ending at the canal… Oh well, this is where I wanted to get to anyway right!?

The kayak section was fun, having not been in a kayak since I was about 14, I found my body seemed to remember what to do and the Pilates certainly helped with the core strength. The main challenge with the kayak leg was actually a very angry swan who stopped me from getting my third checkpoint! I decided being dry and not bitten by a swan was better than trying to battle my way past it.

Once back on dry land I did procrastinate about doing more running. After a minute or so of procrastinating (I really must stop doing this) I decided to stick with the plan and go get my bike. In hindsight this was silly as I retraced my steps when I could have run past more running check points back to my bike on a flatter route.

Back at the main transition I got my bike and headed out to collect as many bike check points as I could. I decided to go for the highest scoring checkpoint first and made my way up some super steep hills to get there. Quick picture at the top and a text to Emyr to say there was a nice park for Ffion to run around and then I remembered this is a race – I should probably get on with it! Back on the bike and into a long spooky tunnel that reminded me of a similar one I had raced through in the Alps. The cold air surrounded me and every now and then you would see an eery shadow and have to dodge dog walkers. At least in the alps all the bikes were going in the same direction.

This was a great cycle route which took me all the way to the furthest check point from where I had just been, only to realise I had missed one and you guessed it! Retraced my steps again… I started to realise I needed to be more tactical and just head for the bigger point check points so with this in mind amended my route. This would have been fine but in my rush to do so a trail I thought was bridleway turned out the be footpath so once again I back pedalled.

All in all, I managed to get every bike check point bar 4 so I was happy with that! During the ride I rode down streams and up steep gravel bridleways, down awesome muddy descents and at times a few technical downhills. The riding was awesome if not slightly hillier than I expected!

After six hours racing, I made it to one last check point before crossing the finish line. Completely exhausted but riding on a high from what I had achieved.

I learnt a lot in these six hours, route planning needs more attention, look to get to the big scoring check points and I need to learn to run uphill!

Thank you for a great day out!

If you would like to find out more about these races go to www.burnseries.co.uk for more information on the other race sin the UK.

Get on your bike this summer, join our mountain bike camps

Get on your bike this summer, join our mountain bike camps

Hit the trails this summer with our highly qualified and passionate coaches. Ready to take your young mountain bikers skills to the next level. We have camps for all abilities and our aim is to deliver a fun
filled session which builds confidence and ability riding off road.

Get on your bike this summer, join our mountain bike camps for children aged 6 to 15. The aim of our camps is for children and teenagers to learn in a safe and fun environment. Enjoy time outside and get to meet
new friends all whilst learning how to be a better mountain biker.

Mountain bike kids camps based from Queen Elizabeth Country Park, we offer fun filled coaching sessions for children 6+. Bookings open now.

Beginners Camps – on these mountain bike camps for beginners we look at the principles of riding a bike off road safely from body position, pedalling and gear selection. Our beginners camps tend to be for riders aged between 5 and 8 years old. However if you have an older rider who is not used to riding off road we would suggest starting here.

Intermediate Camps – these are perfect for riders aged 7 to 11 who are used to riding off road single track trails graded green and blue. On our intermediate mountain bike camp we shall build on their skills working with each young rider to improve their bike handling and confidence. Techniques they may learn could include front wheel lifts, manuals and track stands.

Advance Camps – For riders over 11 years old riding blue and red trails with confidence. On these camps we may include the fundamentals of jumping, race practise and drops. These camps are sometimes run from a private location near Frimley or from Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

All sessions are designed to be fun and challenge all abilities of cyclist. By keeping the groups small we will work with each young rider to help them achieve their full potential.

Adventure Rides – Come and explore the South Downs National Park with us, mountain bike adventures for the over 8’s. Rides will include basic map reading, plenty of rest and snack stops, mountain biking related games, basic map reading and trail skills as well as the chance to have a real outdoor adventure. Our 3-hour adventure rides are suitable for competent riders, able to use their gears effectively, over 8 years old, riding blue trail centres with confidence on both the ups and the downs.

How To Keep Safe When Mountain Biking In Winter

How To Keep Safe When Mountain Biking In Winter

The idea of mountain biking amongst snowy landscapes may seem very attractive in your mind. Why wouldn’t it? It looks like something out of a film!

But the realities of mountain biking in the winter are less than cinematic. In reality, it can be very dangerous. Whether it’s snow, sleet, ice, or simply the freezing temperatures, there are plenty of ways you can get into trouble when biking in the winter.

However, you don’t want to stop biking over the winter just because of some cold weather. When you look out at the below-freezing temperatures, it can feel tempting to stay in and catch up on the latest rugby union scores, but you know you’ll love it when you’re out on the roads.

For that reason, ensuring you know the dangers and take preventative measures to avoid trouble is essential to keep biking no matter the season.

Check your roads beforehand

When it’s icy out, you need to check the roads you are going to take before you set off. It is imperative that you only stick to roads that have been treated already. This should ensure your safety when biking in icy conditions.

Even when following these routes, you need to stay alert. Large, exposed sections of the road can become icy again as the wind chill affects them. When you see icy patches, you should always try to go around them – that’s only if you have time to manoeuvre it and if the route around the patch is safe.

If you find yourself in an icy patch, the best course of action is to ride it out. But, whatever you do, don’t make any sudden movements.

As with all winter weathers – snow, ice, rain – be aware of increased stopping distances.

Lights

In the winter, it gets light later in the morning and gets darker earlier at night. Even during daylight hours, it can get pretty dingy and dark on a cloudy day. Because of this, keeping on top of your lights is essential. Both so you can see, and so you can be seen by others.

The best way to keep your lights safe is to ensure your lights are USB chargeable, not battery chargeable. With battery chargeable lights, you’d have to stop to switch out batteries if your lights go. Plus, if you find yourself caught out with no replacement batteries, you won’t have any lights at all. This is simply too dangerous during the winter months.

Goggles or Glasses

Wearing goggles might make you feel a little silly, but they are a necessity during winter. The rainier season means the tracks you’ll be biking are much muddier. Keeping your eyes protected from the splatter is key to keeping your vision clear (and your face clean!).
Goggles will also keep the wind out of your eyes – and keep your eyes moist. However, ensure your goggles are clear so you can see your route perfectly.

 

Mountain Biking adventures for kids

Mountain Biking adventures for kids

Over the summer holidays we ran our famous mountain bike camps for kids, these 90 minute sessions are all about building trail skills for young riders in a fun and relaxed environment where they can learn at their own speed and have plenty of time to practise their new skills. All camps take place from our base at Queen Elizabeth Country Park in Horndean, Hampshire.

Every child gets a medal as a well done at the end of the session.

Our mountain bike camps are suitable for riders as young as 5 providing they are able to use their brakes properly and have no stabilisers. We split the children into ability categories as much as possible because this means they learn with those at a similar level. We run three groups beginner, intermediate and advance. Our advance camps take place from Queen Elizabeth Country Park as well as a secret location in Surrey.

All of our coaches are British Cycling qualified making sure we deliver the best in grass roots coaching and beyond. Our camps run in every school holiday and dates can be found on the website as well as our social media channels. If you would like more information on camps or any other riding query please get in touch.

Here are a few pictures from our camps.

 

 

Summer Camps off to a great start!

Summer Camps off to a great start!

The first week of the summer holiday was full of adventure and fun as we ran beginner, intermediate and advanced camps as well as our first ever adventure ride for kids.

Since 2013 we have run mountain bike holiday camps for kids from Queen Elizabeth Country Park in Hampshire, our favourite local riding spot. Over the last two years we are also used a great location closer to London for our advance riders to give more variety and depth to our coaching.

For the first year we have also started running adventure rides, these three hour long rides are full of trail time giving the kids optimal opportunity to practise their mountain biking as well as pick up new trail skills and ride in new locations around the South Downs.

Here are a few pictures from the first week!

 

Fuel your ride with great tasting coffee

Fuel your ride with great tasting coffee

After what feels like a lifetime of being stuck inside our homes and restricted from non-essential traveling, we are now finally allowed to step into the great outdoors once again. Get rid of those odors coming from your biking clothes, give your bike a good clean and get ready to hit those trails again!

There are a few things that we’ve deeply missed when it comes to the thought of getting out on the bike once again – The view of surrounded forests from the top of a climb, the feeling of the wind rushing past your face, and doing all this whilst the rest of the country is still waking up. Now that we’re feeling that extra appreciation, let’s talk about how we fuel these early morning starts on a full day of mountain biking.

First up, let’s talk about equipment. You don’t need anything fancy to make an amazing cup of coffee, an Aeropress is perfect for making great tasting coffee without the faff so you don’t need to wake up any earlier. Overall it should take around 3 minutes including boiling the water.

Aeropress

In recent years there have been world championship recipes brewed with an Aeropress that are so simple to make, you can prepare a cup before you set out or take it in a flask for the journey to your trails. Try the below method:

  • Heat some water over your stove or fire until near boiling point
  • Weigh out 20-25g of good quality coffee, you want a coarse grind if you’re using whole beans and grinding yourself.
  • Add coffee to the press and use 150ml of hot water
  • Stir for around 30 seconds using a spoon and then apply the press and push down slowly, don’t stop when you hear the bubbling, we actually want this to happen and create a nice compact coffee disc when we’re done with the brewing. 

You should now have a fresh cup of coffee which you can dilute with hot water to get your preferred strength and taste. The smell alone from a freshly brewed coffee is enough to wake you up and give you that boost to tackle the day ahead. Take a deep breath in and savour the moment. 

Author: Rave Coffee

“Quality beans. No jargon. No BS. Great coffee made simple”.