We arrived at the Rock UK site a touch too early so we HAD to sample the tea and cake at the local café.  At 12.00 we started to set up camp and as soon as we were sorted went to talk to Torq and get my new energy products.

I did a practice lap with Ant White and Rich Rothwell in the afternoon – which was fast (and wet).  I was surprised by the quality of the course, the singletrack was endless and the climbs were fantastic which was great as it suited my riding style.   After signing on we had a big pasta fest and an early night.

It had rained hard through the night but in the morning the sun was out.  The race started from Newcastleton village at midday at which point there was a lot of attention on my new Singular Pegasus with its Reynolds rims and MT Zoom finishing kit.  As soon as the lead out van pulled away the field erupted into what seemed like a short cross country race.  For the first lap I managed to sit in the top 10 and settled into my usual pace in lap 2.

Up until my puncture in lap 6 there had been some friendly jostling of positions with Mike Hall.  By this point my pit crew had informed me that I was already creating quite a lead in front of my main challengers for the Singlespeed Jersey.  As I came through the pit there was a quick bottle change but I was well hydrated thanks to my Osprey Viper Pack.

A few more laps into the race and they all blurred together.  The rain was constant and had turned some of the singletrack climbs into mental and physical battles.  My hard winter training had paid off but I was struggling with the cold.  A clothes change and a waterproof jacket soon got me back on track.

My pit crew were on form with Sheldon Attwood providing my technical support which was much in need by the 4th brake pad change.  Mandi Attwood and my wife, Jo, were on hand with food and changes of clothes.  Thanks to my change of energy sponsor to Torq, I didn’t suffer with the usual cramp.

Towards the last quarter of the race, I realised I had the Singlespeed title in the bag as long as all went well.  I still felt strong so decided to see how well I could place in the Open category.  By the end of the race I had won the Singlespeed category and came 5th in the Open category.

I really enjoyed the race, the facilities at Rock UK were outstanding and once again the organisation from SIP events was second to none.  Thanks to Sam at Singular for all the support – this result would not have been possible without Singular’s help.  A big thank you to my pit crew for all their support, to Exposure Lights for the loan of the Six Pack, to Jon Hobson for the loan of a set of brake pads and to Osprey and MT Zoom whose products helped me immensely.

Photographs courtesy of Sheldon Attwood.