I had had the usual rest and rich food over the Christmas period but felt strong and fit ready for the New Year cross racing.

I arrived at Top Barn for the first time to be met by my worst nightmare, a flat non-technical course.  After the practice laps were done I was still feeling good and warmed up.  At the start line there were all the usual faces plus a few that we all recognise, Liam Killeen and Roger Hammond.  Off we went at the usual blistering pace but something clicked and my riding was together and going to plan.  I found a pace and one by one was picking them off.  Three laps in and going well the worst happened – I hit the first bank of the off camber section with some gusto and ‘bang’ the tubeless tyre went.  With no spare bike on this occasion my race was over.  Hey ho, bring on Aldersley.

A massive thankyou to  Ian at ROBINSON & SPROSON opticians Hagley and Oakley . For my custom jawbones and split jackets. check them out here http://www.robinsonandsproson.co.uk/

The best event I’ve ever been to started with a 10km time trial on the Friday evening which (for anybody that knows me) is not my strong point and it absolutely killed me.  I was riding with Dave from Singular whose just finished a sub 20 hr South Downs Double effort on his single speed.  We were both feeling quietly confident with a few miles in our legs.

Saturday was quite an early start with a 65km loop around and over some of the best trails in the Black Mountains.  At the end of Saturday’s ride we were sat in quite a comfortable lead with ½ hour advantage over 2nd place.

With our bike prep done from Saturday’s riding and our stomachs full of well-catered food (from the Bearded Man Crew) we were ready for Sunday’s ride.  We had read the description and studied the maps of the course and I had decided to up my gearing as the long fire road climbs suited my style of riding.  We went up and over the Gap which included some of the most technical riding in the area and then brambly corridor of doom.  This course was very challenging but we rose to the challenge and finished the 3 days in 1st position in the teams.

Thanks to Sam from Singular for enabling me to take part in such a great event and a big thank you to Dave – who is such a strong rider.  Once again thanks to the Bearded Man Crew for organising and I hope to be there next year and would recommend this event to all.

Singular Cycles - www.singularcycles.com

Brotherton Cycles - www.brothertoncycles.com

Osprey - www.ospreypacks.com

Exposure Lights - www.exposurelights.com

MT Zoom - www.xcracer.com

Torq - www.torqfitness.co.uk

Jo's Woolies - knittingwebsitecomingsoon

One year on and one position closer – that podium still feels so far away.

The race began with a 2.5 km run which took my feet by surprise with my new carbon soul shoes!  Two laps in and feeling fast and strong but had to change my shoes to the old faithfuls as the run had caused quite a blister.

Each lap felt like it had a lot more climbing than previous years which suited me as I love a good climb.  A few more laps in and I was still feeling strong – the race was going to plan.  Ant White was riding as strong as ever and I knew my main competition was Dave Powell and Jason Miles from Ragley if I wanted to reach my goal of getting podium on a single speed.

Going into the night I was sitting comfortably in third but knew that Jason was close on my tail.  I rode hard through the night but at around 5.00 am I hit the proverbial wall.  After the dreaded long pit stop that every 24hr solo rider fears, I had lost a full lap and dropped back into fourth.  After tea, porridge and many words of encouragement from my superb pit crew I went out again with the words “ok I’ll try one more lap”.

Photo courtesy of Kate Williams (Kathleeeeeeeen)

Half way into this lap, something clicked and my focus returned – I decided I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.  My next few laps felt as strong as my first with my quest for podium at the forefront of my mind.

At the end of the race I was one step closer to my goal but podium still feels so far away.  I’ll be back next year, fitter and more stubborn than ever.

Well done to Ant, Dave and Jason – you all rode so strong.  Well done also to Rosie who rode singlespeed solo for the first time and reached double figures getting 2nd in the Veteran Teams!

Thanks to everyone who supported me – a special thanks to Jase and Matt who worked hard (especially through the night).

Thanks to:

Brotherton Cycles - www.brothertoncycles.com

Singular Cycles - www.singularcycles.com

Osprey - www.ospreypacks.com

Exposure Lights - www.exposurelights.com

MT Zoom - www.xcracer.com

Torq - www.torqfitness.co.uk

Jo's Woolies - knittingwebsitecomingsoon

This weekend saw me back at Bristol to defend the Single Speed 12 hr Solo title from 2010.  Arrived on Friday evening to set up camp and caught up with friends.  The 9.00 am start meant an early alarm call to sign on and finish my pre-race fettling!  The race started with the usual scramble to the bikes and around the campsite into the first bit of fast, rocky singletrack with the faster riders jostling for position.

This year’s course took in some of the best singletrack from last year but also included the new quarry section which was fantastic.  Coming out of the first lap my legs felt strong but I was determined not to push too hard as I had to remember I had another 24 hr race in 2 weeks’ time.


It was all going well until lap 4 when I lost a cleat a third of the way in which made that lap quite interesting!  After this my motivation took a dive until I saw Phil from Morvelo who lifted my spirits and gave me someone to chase.

The weather stayed dry and the course was riding very fast.  With a few hours to go until the end I found I was still smiling and loving the berms and pump bumps in the new quarry section.  Each time the course led me through the camp site, I received loads of encouragement from spectators.  Even Matt over the PA was giving his wise words of encouragement.  There were a lot of riders on the course who were giving encouragement to me and the other solo riders.  Thanks again to the Team Single Speeder on my last climb of the day.

As I took the last corner into the finishing straight I was handed a can of cider which went down well I can tell you (cheers buddy).  I did 24 laps in total and came in first in the Single Speed category in 11 hrs 40 mins.  Interestingly, had I been in the Open category I would have placed 2nd overall.  Maybe next year I will dabble with the gears!!!  Well done to Mark Goldie and Dr Jon who both had a very strong event.

Again I couldn’t have done all this without the support from my sponsors:

Singular – www.singularcycles.com

Brotherton Cycles – www.brothertoncycles.com

Osprey – www.ospreypacks.com

Torq – www.torqfitness.co.uk

MT Zoom – www.xcracer.com


Thanks to the organisers for another great event – see you in October.

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.

SSEC 2011 was held in Belgium in Maredsous.  We started out at 22:30 on the Thursday before and took the Channel Tunnel at 04:30.  We drove straight to Maredsous and arrived 4 hours later to set up the Singular camp.  A few people were already pitched including Alex and Charlie who had ridden all the way.  Soon after the site filled up and the organisers took some of us on a guided ride around the area.  There was a guided night ride on offer but I was busy fettling with the new Pegasus.

The race started on Saturday at 10:00 and the course took us through some beautiful Belgium singletrack and up bigger climbs than I knew they had in Belgium.  The course even included a tunnel and a river crossing.  It all started well, the first lap I was on a flyer and we all settled into a very quick pace.  The French winner soon put the rest of us in our places with his immense climbing skills and left the rest of us to fight it out for ourselves.

I was coming into the end of the final lap in 7th place but on the last descent I managed to pass 2 people to take 5th.  The winner was a full 10 minutes infront!  Jo (my wife) was guest riding for Singular on her Hummingbird - she took everyone by surprise and finished in a fabulous 4th position out of the ladies (despite falling off twice).  Also in the Singular camp was Jason Billett who rode his Pegasus, unsure of his finishing position but he rode strong.

Thanks to everyone in the Singular camp for all their support at the event - especially Jen and Jackie who were there cheering at every lap.  Thanks to Sam from Singular for making this all possible (the Reynolds rims and the Pegasus frame came together at the last minute and rode fantastically).

This was a good warm up and I am feeling strong for the 24hr Solo Champs this weekend.

After a chat with Osprey at a trade show, they have agreed to throw some bags my way.  Went out for my first ride with one of my new bags (the Raptor 10).  After using such a great bag I gave away my old Camelbak.  This is possibly the most comfortable bag I have ever used.  I really like how easy it is to fill the bladder and to put it back into the bag - this is to do with the hydraform back panel and this also makes the bag more comfortable.  The magnetic bite valve is fantastic.  There was plenty of room for all my stuff and the separate compartments make for easy access.  I would recommend this bag to everyone.  Looking forward to using their other bags.  A big thanks to Osprey for their generosity and support.

This lot will look a lot better attached to my new Pegasus.

Getting ready for the start of the new season, after a hard winter's training.

Been out ridng with Ant White, who runs the XC Racer shop.  He is just launching the new range of MT Zoom products, probably the lightest in the world.  Thanks to Ant for sorting me out with some finishing kit - see picture and check it out on his website: www.xcracer.com