New Title Sponsor and Bikes for 2016, plus....

2016 sees some big changes for the team that we can now announce!

Number one, we would like to say a huge thank you to Wilier and Göran at Cykelmagneten for their support over the last two years. We have enjoyed riding Wilier, and have a great respect for the brand with an amazing history behind it.

Secondly, we would like to give a warm welcome to our new title sponsor and bike supplier for the 2016 season BMC Bikes. The team will have an amazing choice of racing and training bikes from the wide range available. BMC have a great history, especially in Mountain Bike racing, our team's sport. Riders like Julian Absalon have helped to develop some of the most advanced and speedy bikes on the market today. Special thanks to Glenn and Magnus, we look forward to working with you!

And Finally, we would like to welcome some new riders to the team!

Alexander Lapajne - Alex will be continuing with his assault on the Swedish MTB Marathon series in the H40 category, various local Southern Swedish and Danish races, plus some very exciting international stage and marathon races. His race results from 2015 have been impressive, which you can see from his Palmares on his page on the blog to be updated soon.

Sandra Backman - Sandra will also be concentrating on the Swedish Marathon series in the Elite category, plus challenging to win some some of the most exciting stage and endurance races in Europe either solo, or as a pair with Alex. Sandra has had an impressive second season in the Elite class, with some great rides to podiums in the Swedish Marathon series, wins in European races and strong results in every other race she has entered. Again her full Palmares will appear later on the blog.

Jonas Nilsson - Jonas has been racing both XCO and XCM events, along with more local events in Southern Sweden and Denmark. He has had several strong finishes this year in almost all disciplines. Next year sees an increase in training for him, and a more serious approach to his racing in general. Next year will see a mix of races around Sweden and Denmark proving his credentials as a real all rounder.

Philip Nilsson - For Philip 2015 has attended a broad range of events, both in Mountain Bike and Road Cycling. He has had some great battles with Jonas in local MTB races, strong finishes in road races, and generally improved his results over 2014. He also wishes to step up a level, and will even be tackling some Cyclocross races this winter.

Anders Wall - Anders has had another strong season in the Swedish Marathon series in 2015, and looks to continue and improve on this for 2016. He will also be competing in some local races as part of the team, and we look forward to riding with him in training also.

Alina Johansson - Alina was a first year Elite racer in 2015, and is still new to the sport after only 1 year racing in the Junior category before that. A strong first season with some impressivley consistent results saw her take the Västgöta series overall in Maxi Klass, and also the Swecup series. She also took 5th place in Swedish Championships XCE and 5th place in the Nordic Champs XCO. She will continue her assault on the various Swedish XC series as well as joining some other team riders in the Danish National series (SRAM Liga). We look forward to seeing the progression and development of this up-and-coming rider.

Anton, Jessica, Malin and Warren will continue with the team as in 2015, and look forward to riding with their new team mates during the 2016 season.

The team is now looking for more local and national sponsors going into next season who wish to spread the word about their brand. So if you know somebody who could be interested in helping us out, please get in touch.

Racing Updates!

It's been a crazy few weeks for the team that has seen a fair few podium finishes, and some well earned wins. There are a few championships at stake now going into the final rounds, and we have also seen the Swedish Marathon championships take place in Örebro. Our bikes have been tested to the limit, not only by riding them, but by people deciding to reverse over them in car parks too! A testament to the strength of our Wilier frames was that the frame survived to tell the tale and take a great result the following week!!

Warren:
A total of 6 races have flown by in a flash since my last update. 2 XCup races, 1 Swe-Cup and 3 Västgötacup to be exact. After deciding to not take the expensive trip to Andorra in August, I shifted focus to trying to instead win both the Swe-Cup and Västgötacup series here in Sweden.

First I attended a relatively local XCup near Hässleholm on 2nd August. The course was great fun as usual, and I had a great battle with Johan Malmsten. Fighting for the first 2 laps to close down the good gap he had pulled not long after the start. Going into the third lap I caught him and we rode together. At the beginning of the last lap I could feel the first twinges of cramp, and knew it was going to be tough to get the win now. Going into a left-hand bend with about 2km to go I took a bit of an awkward line and my leg seized solid from cramp as I flailed in a strange position on the bike. Johan took the opportunity to go up the inside and attack straight away. I managed to close down on him again until less than a 1km to go when he attacked again and I couldn't go with him due to the cramp. I then hobbled home to finish 2nd, happy to know that I had pushed him hard.

Next up was the CK Master weekend in Gothenburg 22nd/23rd August, first a normal XC race on the Saturday, then a shorter Criterium on the Sunday. The weather was looking great, and the track was dry and dusty. The race was going to be a long one, with an estimated race time of 01:30 for H30. Going into the race I was a little worried about being able to last after the cramp in Hässleholm. I tried to pace it, and had a good battle with eventual winner Jens, but his attack on the last climb of the last lap was enough to pull away from me as I once again started to cramp. I then rode my own pace to the finish where I came home 2nd to lick my wounds and reload ready for the shorter criterium race on the Sunday. Sunday's race was to be more my cup of tea, closer to an hour and flat out all the way. I took the lead early which I then extended all the way to the finish. An intense but fun race.

The next event was a weekend later, and was again an XCup. This would be my last of the year, and I was looking forward to what has become my favourite XCup course at Bockatorpet near Kristianstad. The first row of the grid appeared a little sparse compared to some other XCup races, but I still had some tough competition from Björn & Stefan (Team Roslins) and Martin (Team Ruby Project - Suunto). The tough tarmac climb at the start strung the field out, but Björn and Stefan stuck like glue all the way till the woods. Here I tried to ride smooth and fast, but couldn't shake Björn for the whole of the first lap even after a couple of digs. Deciding to settle in on the second lap I could hear him breathing down my neck close behind all the way to near the end of the second lap where he attacked on a fast open section. I had to pull some extreme faces to hold his wheel which I did for the rest of that lap and the third. Seeing that the 4th would be our last lap I tried a dig on the first short, sharp climb of the lap and then into the first tech singletrack continued to push. The gap from that first attack was then consolidated wherever I could in the singletrack knowing that Björn could close the gap on the gravel roads if I didn't push on. Into the finish for my first XCup win of the year. No cramp either, which was satisfying. 

Last race weekend for this post was 12th/13th September - Hallbyrundan and Landehofs MTB race. The race on Saturday was to be on the Swedish Nationals course from 2014, so I was keen to try it out having heard the reputation. I wasn't disappointed as the course proved to be tough with lots of climbing and tough descents. The race started chasing a storming Jens who was riding in the top 5 elites for the first couple of kms. Eventually I caught him and attacked straight away to try to open a gap on the steep climbs. I held the lead throughout feeling strong into the finish but easing off on the last lap and a half to try to save some juice for Sunday! A tired but happy Tobbe sneaked in a great result coming third behind Jens too, so we had a satisfied couple of riders going back to camp.

The course for Sunday proved to be a little slippy and damp, with less climbing, but with more old school singletrack interspersed with gravel roads. I managed to get a great start and pushed ahead of H30 and up into a good position in the elite field. Then just before the first singletrack I was passed sneakily on the outside, realising quickly it was World Cup racer Emil Lindgren I decided to try to follow his wheel and inventive lines as long as possible. Amazing to see how effortless it looked! Jens and a flying Tobbe were on my wheel for the whole of the first lap, and I remember smiling to myself as I looked forward to a tough battle between us. On the second lap I pushed as hard as I could in all the singletrack sections, and by the end of that lap managed to pull out roughly 10 seconds on Jens & Tobbe, plus overtake one of the elite guys to put a bike between us. The gap grew similarly on laps 3 and 4 and I continued to push as hard as I dared. All went well up until lap 5 where I slipped and fell on a wet root knocking my knee and losing my drinks bottle. My ~50s gap disappeared to around 10s to the now 5-strong group behind. Worried they would catch me I pushed hard for the whole of lap 6 and managed to push out to around 50s again, perhaps helped by the group behind sitting up and watching one another. Going into the final lap of 7 I tried to keep the pace high and smooth, but I could hear that someone was closer than the lap before after a hairpin. Into the last climb and the realisation that someone was on the attack and close behind hit as a spectator began to cheer on the rider behind. A sprint to the line ensued which ended up being about 800m up to and around the arena. I crossed the line 1st with a 4s gap to 2nd place, a result which also would have placed me 4th in Elite. No cramp, pushing to the end, last year's form is finally back! Tobbe made a small mistake in the slippy singletrack meaning he lost contact with the group and could never get back up to them, but some solid points for 4th were still appreciated.

Saturday Podium

Jessica:

Jessica's run of 4th places and podiums at Långloppscupen continued strongly with a fifth place against some strong competition at Finnmarksturen, a superb 18th place (total women) at Cykelvasan and then onto her best result of 2015 of so far, a win at Bockstensturen! The race in Varberg was hit by some pretty appalling conditions, and Jessica rode a strong race climbing up through the field to take the win in style. It appeared that the conditions took their toll on a lot of riders with mechanical problems, and others just not managing to last the full 100km. A perfect day was unfortunately spoiled when a fellow racer decided to drive their car over Jessica's bike in the car park. A week before the marathon national championships caused some panic, but amazingly the frame was intact, and only the rear mech and rear wheel needed to be replaced. A testament to the strength of our Wilier bikes!

Bockstensturen would have been Jessica's best result of 2015, had she not followed it up with a superb ride to at the Swedish marathon championships on the 13th September, just a week after Varberg. Tired legs thwarted her early progress on the tough start climb and she lost contact with the leaders. As usual her strong will overcame and eventually the legs awoke. Pushing on and passing several women during the last 40km, but not knowing where she was in relation to the others in her class, she crossed the line in an amazing 4th place. Who knows what 2016 will bring with 2015 being Jessica's first proper season of Mountain Bike racing since she started riding!

Update Mid August

A few races and weeks have gone by since the last team update. During that time we've had some great results and podium finishes from a few of the team. 

Jessica finally got to stand on the podium in the Swedish marathon series (långloppscupen) after a well deserved third place at Engelbrektsturen. Also a couple more strong 4th and 5th position finishes in Eksjö and Rättvik. It was a muddy race of attrition and she did well to come through after some mechanical problems. 

Warren and Anton both had planned to race the Västgötacupen/Swecup double header weekend in Mariestad and Tibro as warm up for the national championships. The weekend didn't really go to plan for Anton as a crash in practice put him out of action. The weekend wasn't completely wasted as he dropped in to Isaberg for a few laps of the Nationals course on his way home. 

Warren had a more successful time taking the wins on both Saturday and Sunday. Most satisfied after those wins was Warren's daughter Hilda as he won a balance bike for her in Mariestad. 

The XC nationals weekend didn't really go to plan again for Anton after mechanical issues slowed him down for most of the race, leaving him feeling a little deflated after all the build up. Importantly he finished, but understandably not where he wanted to be. 

After finding some form Warren had a good race on the 2012 Olympics course for the British nationals, taking home the bronze after a long battle with eventual silver medalist. The gap to gold was less than a minute too, so he came home to Sweden feeling satisfied. 

The season draws to a close with a flurry of races in quick succession up until the beginning of October. More news soon. Thanks to all our great sponsors for your much appreciated help!

Summer Break

Anton and Warren have had a bit of a rest from racing for a good few weeks now, as is normal for the XCO calendar there is a break leading up to the National Championships on the 19th July. This has allowed a good solid block of training for both of them. This included some team training too and Anton made a trip down to Lund to ride with Warren on a classic Skåne loop from Genarp out to Sjöbo and back covering nearly 90km of fast flowing singletrack, open gravel-roads and a short stretch of asphalt. Great weather made for a fantastic ride.

For Anton, the Swedish nationals will take place in Isaberg on a fantastic partly man-made course with a classic XC style big climb, followed by a big descent and a very spectator friendly layout. Some fun jumps and drops add to the excitement without the course being too technically challenging. The organisers have done a great job, and we look forward to seeing how Anton gets on with one of his big season goals.

For Warren, the British nationals will take place on the 2012 Olympics MTB course at Hadleigh farm in Essex. The course is man-made with some rocky drops, bermed corners, jumps and an arena style layout that makes it fantastic for spectators. This is the first of Warren's two main goals for this season, the second being the Masters World Championships in Andorra in August.

Before that they have one more chance to fine tune the form with a visit to Mariestad and Tibro for a double-header weekend 11th/12th July.

Jessica conversely has had a more busy time since her last update from Lida Loop, with races in Eksjö and Rättvik. Rännelsättsturen and Mörksuggejakten are both tough races, made even tougher by the heat wave that has swept Sweden in the past couple of weeks. Racing in 30degC plus weather and tackling some bike problems she took home a 4th and 5th place respectively. She will be hunting for that elusive podium position at her next race; Engelbrektsturen on the 26th July in Norberg. 

A huge thanks to all our sponsors!

Lida, så blev det!

Lida Loop är en del av Långloppscupen. Jag hade egentligen inte tänkt köra Lida. Men efter en bra helg i Falun bestämde jag mig för att köra Lida Loop i alla fall. Caroline och Mattias bil var ju redan packad så det var bara att hänga på!

Vi kom fram till Södertälje i god tid så vi hann ut en sväng i det fina vädret. Vi hade tur och hittade några fina stigar att trampa på. Hade inget vidare flyt i cyklingen men det spelade inte så stor roll, det blev en fin runda i alla fall! 

Så blev det söndagmorgon. Vi åkte ut till Lida i god tid eftersom jag skulle efteranmäla mig. Kände mig inte riktigt på hugget och tävlingsnerverna gjorde mig påminda om att snart är det dax. Lida är ett friluftsområde strax utanför Södertälje. Vacker natur med utmanande terräng. Klipphällar, sten och rötter. 

Starten gick och det var rätt maffigt med 1000 cyklister som trampade upp för den första backen- en slalombacke!

De första 15km är mest grusväg och enklare stigar. Sen börjar det. Sten, sten och lite mer sten, det tog liksom aldrig slut. Strax i slutet av 1a loopen så hände det något. Det gick så fort att jag inte riktigt hängde med. Jag krockade med en stor sten. Snabbt konstaterar jag att min cykel är hel, så jag kör vidare. Men det tar inte så lång tid innan jag inser att jag faktiskt slagit i ansiktet och att det blöder.

Jag stannar i depån och Caroline kommer springande med vatten och papperservetter. Hon hjälper mig att skölja av såret på ögonlocken. Hon tittar fundersamt på mig när jag säger att jag måste cykla vidare nu. Efter en kontroll av hjälmen, så ger hon ett "ok" att köra vidare. Min målsättning blev nu att komma runt och tiden 3.15 kunde jag glömma. 

Stundtals gick det inte så fort. Ett tag trodde jag faktiskt att jag skulle komma sist av alla. Så blev det inte. Kom in på 3.28 vilket känns rätt ok trots allt! Väl i mål kunde en läkare tejpa i hop jacket på ögonlocken och redan idag känns det bättre.

Lida Loop har en utmanande terräng. Sten, hällar och rötter kan vara ok så länge det är torrt. Men efter en regnig Maj så är det en helt annan historia! 

Tack Mattias och Caroline för all support under och efter loppet & tack Magnus på BikeItaly för hjälp med cykelmeck och allt annat fix och trix!

Nu blir det Långloppspaus i ett par veckor!

Jessica

Långlopp i Falun!

Idag har jag kört Långa Lugnet i Falun. 62km i varierande terräng och med många backar. Upp och ner för Berget både en, två och tre gånger. De sista  15km var riktigt tuffa. Det känns i benen! 

Det var ett speciellt lopp idag. För första gången testades en start med bara tjejer från Elit, D 30& D40. Det kändes lite extra pirrigt. Plötsligt var det väldigt enkelt att mäta sig med de andra tjejerna. Annars tenderar vi att försvinna bland alla herrar och man har dålig koll på hur man ligger till. 

Eliten drog i väg i starten sen var vi ett gäng från D30&40 som körde ungefär lika snabbt. 

Kände mig stark och bestämde mig för att göra ett ryck efter 25km. Det lyckades jag utmärkt med. Men.. några dåliga spårval och en vurpa, och vips så var de om om igen. Jaga jaga jaga. Kom i kapp men det räckte inte hela vägen. 70sek från 3an. 

Måste ändå säga att jag är nöjd. Lite mer effektiv träning och rutin så ska det nog gå vägen! 

Testade mina nya däck från Vittoria. Det kändes som jag fick bra grepp på rötterna samtidigt som de rullade lätt på grusvägarna! 

Mtb-tjejer skriver historia i Falun! 

Stan's Valor

Wheelset Review

I have owned, and ridden carbon wheels before. So if I am wholly honest, I was expecting these wheels to be good, but nothing over and above what I have ridden before. When they arrived we weighed them, as one does. A little lighter than advertised, but that could be differences in the scales used. But still, they were a full 100g lighter than my previous wheels as a set when directly compared. At under 1300g, we are talking super xc-light wheels here. The finish looked nice on both hub and rim. The lacing felt tight and the wheels ran true when checked in the stand. They also looked pretty pimp, which is of course what most of us are looking for in wheels. :-)

The wheels came already fitted with 15mm thru' axle front hub spacers, and a 142x12 rear hub as that is how I ordered. But in the box were spacers to run standard 9mm QR both front and rear. A neat pair of skewer bags plus some instructions and registration documents were also in there. Stan's recommend that you register your wheels ASAP, and they offer a superb crash replacement service to customers who have done so.

First ride impressions were the eye opener I wasn't expecting! The wheels felt extremely stiff in cornering and in acceleration. They of course felt light, they just are. But the cornering stability was a real reassurance. Then I hit a series of roots on a local loop that I ride quite often. I was so confused at the feeling I got over the bumps that I had to ride them again. No, no noise, no pinging of spokes, no bouncing, and no change of direction of the bike. Just a dull tyre against root thud and it was over. Smooth, quiet and true tracking. I am not sure how they have done it. But Stan's have built a super stiff wheel that absorbs bumps and doesn't feel too stiff.

I have now also raced with the wheels several times, changed tyres a couple of times and run with both tubes and tubeless. As usual with Stan's rims, the tubeless set-up was fantastically easy. Helped in no doubt by the new Vittoria Barzo and Peyote tyres that were going on. But still, the rims must also work. The rims are still running as true as the day I fitted them, and are still looking as good as new after several sticky and muddy rides and races. I have had real confidence in throwing the bike into corners, and the extra width of the rims seems to really help to get the most out of the tyres. 

The only sticking point to a purchase I can see is the price. Carbon wheels are almost exclusively expensive. In some cases very expensive. If we talk about tubular wheels, then the price can be even higher than the Stan's offerings. So, if you're looking to spend a lot of money on wheels anyway, and are thinking of going down the 'super-light' XC tubular route, I advise that you first look at the Valors.
1. Clincher wheels don't usually come this light. The ease of tyre change and set-up is not comparable in any way to tubulars. I also like the feel and broader range of tyres on offer to clincher users.
2. Tubular wheels can be very stiff. In some cases too stiff. While I agree that the stiffest wheel possible is beneficial on a road bike, MTBs do not have the same requirements. The built-in bump absorption of these wheels is something I didn't expect.

If you're looking to spend a little less, and will accept a little extra weight, then these wheels are obviously not for you. In which case I can also highly recommend the Stan's Crest wheelset, or alternatively a Stan's Crest rim built onto another hub. The weight penalty to Crest is minimal, and you will be hard pushed to find a more reliable, lighter and better value wheel on the market.

Updates - 18th May

Updates!

Been a while since the last post due to lots of travelling, racing, training and child illness!

Since the first round of the SRAM Liga in Viborg I have raced every weekend, plus several mid-week time trials also. All the racing, travelling and sick babies has been tough, so I have decided to take some rest.

In Summary:

25th/26th April saw us travelling up to Varberg for Varbergs MTB meeting. We drove up on the Saturday after a week of illness for Hilda, Malin, and eventually me. Although I think the pollen count also played a roll for me. Saturday was wet, cold and pretty miserable to say the least. We met up with Tobbe (Tobias Olsson) when we arrived and we went out on a practice lap. Wet, muddy and slidy fun! Course was tough, but good. Race day saw a front row start for me in elite, not sure why, which I squandered immediately by missing my pedal and ending up near the back by the start of the first climb. The weather was better, and the track had dried somewhat, but straight away I could feel I wasn't in the best form. I decided to push through and try to stay up with the leaders, if not in elite, then at least in H30! I rode in 5th position for 3 of the 5 laps before the fatigue set in and I started to lose pace. First being overtaken by the H30 eventual winner, and then a last lap battle for 5th place saw me finish 5s back in 6th.

29th April would be my first road Time Trial since around 2008! The Skåneallians races are held by various clubs in Skåne and are mainly time trials with some criterium road races thrown in, but all are held on workday evenings. I warmed up by cycling to the start in Södra Sandby, and was glad that I had. The 14:31 that is took to complete the 10km course felt like an eternity, and I struggled to find a good position or cadence on my standard road bike with no TT bars. Finishing in almost last position was all I could expect from a MTBers point of view arriving at a road time trial, but I enjoyed myself and the camaraderie was fantastic!

3rd May would be my XCup debut for 2015, having missed the first TT event due to a clash with SRAM Liga in Denmark. The course was pan flat, with lots of open fire-roads and no technical difficulties, so not exactly to my strengths. A reasonably strong start saw me sitting in the lead group with Johan, Roger and Per-Ola. Per-Ola and I started to lose the other two early on and so rode together for the majority of the race. Mainly with me pulling a small gap in the singletrack, which he then closed down on the open fire-roads. The battle went down to the line with me taking an early sprint on the last straight after the last singletrack. I knew if I had of waited for a real sprint he would have ripped my legs off, so I was pretty pleased when my tactic paid off and I rolled over the line in 3rd spot behind a flying Johan and Roger.

6th May was the next Allians TT. This time on a hilly 10km route in Söderåsen. 3km flat, 1,5km steep uphill, then onto the finish with rolling up and down terrain, but a mainly upwards trend, relatively steep up to the finish. Most said that a TT bike would still have the advantage, especially on the flat start and rolling middle sections. I warmed up nice and long again, knowing the climb would hurt. This time I found my TT legs, and hit a good steady cadence on the flat before hitting the climb. The climb was tough but I managed to maintain a good pace all the way up to the finish. A 6th place finish was my reward and I felt pretty pleased with that knowing I had beaten some of the lads with their expensive TT machines, aero helmets and skin-suits. I think the hill actually helped me more than the fact that I 'found' my TT legs. The pace however seemed to take it's toll, as I struggled to hold Robban's pace back to the car after the race. I was feeling pretty tired now.

10th May was round 2 of the SRAM Liga, and as with the other races leading up I had not planned a taper for this race. The fatigue was present already on Saturday. Pre-riding the course with Anton, he was pulling away from me on the climbs and I struggled to raise my HR at all. I was thinking already of not starting, but convinced myself that if I could get around then the points would be worth it. After the first lap of 7 I realised that this course was not one that you just take yourself around. I struggled to stay with people I know I can beat, and dropped time on every climb, long or short. After two laps I called it a day, and decided a week off the bike was now needed.

The week was only 3 days, as we had already planned to head up to Isaberg to ride some of the trails there and test the SM course, as well as have a mini-holiday in the caravan with some friends and their families. Come Thursday we were already riding, and the legs felt heavy to start with although after 30mins or so I started to feel better. The two days riding with friends was both fun and stress relieving. Saturday saw almost all of us driving up to the first Swe-Cup race of the year at Huskvarna Mountain. I even managed to convince a couple of marathon specialists to give XCO a try!

The course turned out to be pretty technical, and I felt a little guilty about convincing the others to come along. But it seemed like they enjoyed themselves anyway, and came away with some impressive results (and injuries....). My race was pretty good for the first and second lap, then the fatigue started to set in. I had a pretty good pace on the first lap, which held for the second. Then small mistakes crept in, and the hills started to hurt. 3rd place in H30 with a battle for second early on was still a pretty good result.

As for Sunday at Vårgårda, practice on the course showed that the legs were still tired from Saturday's efforts. I started from row 9, meaning a crowded start loop passing H30, H40, H50, and junior riders. I never caught the lead group on the start loop and instead put in a big effort on the first lap to get to within 100 metres of them. Unfortunately I never came closer than that, and then fell away with a laughable pace on laps 2, 3 and 4. I didn't feel so dead as the SRAM Liga race the week before, and managed to crawl into a fourth place. So some more rest should have me back on track for the rest of the season.

SRAM Liga 1 - Viborg

View from the pack - near the back....

This would be my first XC race in elite since I competed in the British National XC champs in 2008, where I narrowly managed to avoid being lapped by Liam Killeen (my personal goal for the day). Since then I have raced mainly in age-related categories, masters in the UK, H30 in Sweden, and Herre B in Denmark, although in Denmark we are mixed with the 'Expert' riders. With the rule in Sweden that one can change licence once in a year, I decided to move it up a step in terms of racing/training and apply for my Elite licence for 2015. Having won Herre B in the Danish series and H30 in the Swedish series, I thought it would help my development before this years big goals - Swedish Nationals in H30 (or British again depending on citizenship status) followed by the World Masters Champs in Andorra. Requiring a change of licence before the nationals, obviously.

I thought that the step up would be tough, and having only raced once so far this year, I knew this race would be hard. What I didn't know, was how hard! The pace was frantic from the start, with elbows out riding from all the Elites, plus all the Juniors who started with us but only rode 5 laps to our 7. The whole of the first lap I felt like I was clinging on with my eyebrows to not be spat out the back of a peloton akin to a rider in the Tour who has been in a breakaway all day and the hungry sprint pack catch up with 10km to go. The usual feeling of the pace settling after a lap didn't come either. People around me were still standing and sprinting out of corners on lap 3, with me flailing behind and having to catch up again in the singletrack. I remember thinking to myself several times how strong these guys were. Having been pushed out on corners a few times on the first lap, I also started to gain ground and pass people, and became more aggressive also.
Lesson no. 1, sharpen elbows ready for round 2.

The swap to a Small frame size for this year from the Medium of last turns out to have been a good decision. The bike felt more agile and responsive underneath me when compared to last year. Having only ridden the bike for the first time during practice on Saturday, it did still take some time to get used to. But after two laps I found my flow and was able to push harder into corners. Lesson no. 2, I don't know better than the manufacturers when it comes to frame sizing.

The race continued at a blistering pace, and I started to feel better until my 5th lap when the legs started to feel tired. But no cramp was present which was a nice surprise so early in the season. The most fun part of this race was the fact that I was fighting with people the whole time, from start to finish. Not riding around alone for most of the race. I smiled a lot, and even had time to laugh to myself as people at the side of the track dived out of the way of a riders flailing leg in a descent. 'This is racing, I'm enjoying myself!'. The top riders in the category are obviously a world apart from me, them being professionals who are able to train ridiculously long hours on the bike, something I cannot compete with. I was reminded of this 'light-year' gap as I came round to start my 6th lap, but was not allowed to continue due to the 80% rule. A little disappointment flooded with adrenalin had me eye-balling the official and asking rudely what the 80% rule was anyway before I realised how close the leaders were to lapping me. Only a minute I think. 
Lesson no. 3, need to train more.

Lessons learned, fun had. On to the next race - Varbergs MTB race next weekend. Will be good to catch up with the Swedish race boys.

A huge thank you to all our sponsors, but this time especially Magnus at Bikeitaly who stayed at the shop rather late with me to build my bike on the Thursday evening before the race.

Anton was also at the race and competed in the Junior class, starting just behind the Elites. I will let him tell his story himself.

Creaking knees?

You know that annoying creaking noise.

Just a pre-warning, this post gets a bit geeky. :-)

The whole of 2014 and part of 2013 (two different frames from different manufacturers) I was plagued with a creak from my bike. If you, like me enjoy a ride in the woods with little or no noise apart from the rush of the wind, the crack of a stick, the rumble of your tyres and the noises of exertion , then you have probably felt my frustration with creaks and noises from your bike.

I cannot say that the frames were at fault, as I had the same noise on two different manufacturers frames during this time. The bottom brackets were from different manufacturers, and towards the end of last year I also changed the crankset to the Rotor Rex 1 I now run. So what is the common denominator I hear you ask? The press-fit.....

As an engineering solution, I can see why the manufacturers would want to go in this direction, but from the point of view of large-scale production and using materials such as carbon-fibre with open tolerances, press-fits become a head-scratchingly difficult thing to get right.

My Whyte from 2013 was a PF30 design, which is a larger OD, narrower system for MTBs. The Wilier was/is a BB92 design (Shimano) with a smaller OD, and wider spacing, but also for MTBs. In the Whyte I ran the following combinations:

• Original FSA BB with original FSA crankset (30mm axle).
• Original FSA BB with adapter and Shimano XTR (24mm axle) crankset.
• Wheels Manufacturing PF30 BB with FSA crankset (30mm axle).
• Wheels Manufacturing PF30 BB with adapter and Shimano XTR (24mm axle) crankset.

In the Wilier I have had the following combinations:

• Chris King PF92 BB with Shimano XTR (24mm axle) crankset.
• Rotor Ceramic PF92-30mm BB with Rotor Rex 1 (30mm axle) crankset.

All these set-ups suffered with some noise of differing levels, mainly when applying more power, but in some cases just during normal pedalling. The result of this lead me to researching alternatives for the Bottom Bracket. I liked the solution offered by Hope, whereby the press-fit was present, but the bearing carriers on both sides were threaded to one another to increase the stiffness of the system by applying a pre-load over the two halves either side of the frame. Due to my choice of crankset however, I could not find a Bottom Bracket that would fit the BB92 frame dimensions, and the BB30 crank dimensions that I required. That was until a visit to the Copenhagen Bike Show in March this year. There I met with Henrik from Atakama Bike who had a range of BBs on display from Tripeak. They seemed to be nicely made, well thought out, and ultimately had the same design cues as the Hope I had seen previously, plus the compatibility that I needed for my frame/crank combination. 

I spoke to Henrik briefly at the show, and he recommended I look at his webpage www.atakamabike.dk to find the product I needed. A few clicks later and I had ordered one for both mine and Malins bikes. Having now arrived in the post I can report that the BBs are very high quality, with smooth bearings. Looking at the design in more detail they have included tandem bearings on both the drive and non-drive sides in order to try to increase the lifetime. The fitting was a joy, and way easier than the usual press-fit faff. The threads are machined with tight tolerances meaning that they are very smooth. The crank fitted snuggly into the bearings and pre-loaded up nicely. So far on the short test runs I have no noises at all from the bike! I haven't had a chance to ride any super long distances yet, but judging by the build quality I am hoping for many trouble-free miles.

An adapter tool is available to screw the two halves together using the old style (Hollowtech II) tool that you probably have at home.

I will be reporting back later in the year to update the review and let you know that the creaking noise was in fact my old knees all along....

Pictures of Antons race bike

Some pictures of my Wilier 101xn.

Specs:

Frame: Wilier 101xn - medium

Drivetrain: SRAM X01 11 speed

Crankset: FSA - comet

Wheels: Stans notubes ztr crest

Tyres: Schwalbe racing ralph 2.25 front+rear

Brakes: Tektro Auriga pro

Saddle: Selle san marco-aspide

Fork: Rock shox sid xx

/Anton

First Race of the Year

First Race of the Year

The first race for some of the team’s 2015 campaign was to be a marathon event in Denmark. The race is called ‘FitnessDK MTB Marathon’ and is held in Slagelse in Denmark. Malin and myself have both raced 4 times and have always enjoyed the event and course. This year we managed to fool Jessica into coming with us with the promise of dry trails and a fun course. J

After some illness Malin decided not to take part, and instead would be cheering us on with the help of our daughter Hilda, friend Helen, and her daughter Isabel. Both Jessica and I would be competing in the 57km (3 lap) event, a more fun training event for me (the men’s full race event being 78km – 4 laps), but the full distance race event for Jessica and the other female competitors. Strange that the female category is shorter, as most other marathon events the women ride the same distance as the men. Our new race bikes having only just arrived were not ready for the race, so I was on my 29” steel training bike, and Jessica on her 27,5” Wilier 401XB from 2014. We had lots of Swedish company at the race this year, from the Fridhems Cykel crew, Jonas Nilsson plus Benny and Carina. Always nice to see some familiar faces before the start!

In the days leading up the race, the weather had been abysmal, and the forecast for race day equally depressing. Plenty of rain leading up, and then during the event would mean for a greasy course, regardless of the fast draining soil in the area. On the journey from Lund we were not so hopeful as the rain pounded the van, but to our surprise the weather did start to brighten up a little and by the time we were stood on the start line just before 10, there was no rain, just a little mist in the air.

I had a late toilet trip due to the queues which meant I started quite far back in the 57km group. After the gun I passed lots of people moving up to the lead group of roughly 6-8 riders by the end of the 4km gravel tracks before entering the first singletrack. The pace wasn’t so high, and I decided to sit in to start knowing that lasting the distance would be the problem for me having trained mainly for XC distance races again this year. The group stayed together apart from one guy who was keen to lead out alone at a high pace, and he duly disappeared from sight.

The course had been changed in a few places since last year, but was still a fun blend of fast, open gravel tracks, tight, twisty singletrack and more open, fast singletrack. The course was quite muddy, but I thought had held up well considering how many wheels were now rolling over it, and how much water had fallen in the past 5-6 days.

Slippy, slidey, muddy fun

Near the end of the lap comes several short sharp climbs, and going into the singletrack before this on the first lap I found myself at the front of the group. I decided to ride the windy trails at my own pace, and then try to keep my pulse as low as possible on the steep ups. By the end of the lap I had inadvertently pulled a good gap back to the group, and went through the start/finish in 2^nd place, not knowing how close my nearest rival was. The plan from now was to try to hold a steady pace that I thought I could keep up for what I was expecting to be 3 hours of racing. To me this feels painfully slow when you know that you can go faster if you just push a little harder on the pedals. Malin was not at the normal feed zone, and I could not see our bottles, so I was forced to start the second lap with the same 750ml bottle of Zipvit electrolyte that I started with.

The majority of the second lap was spent overtaking people in the 4 lap event, and not really knowing who people were. Malin found me by the second feed zone about halfway through, and I now had a new bottle of Zipvit energy drink , plus a couple of Zipvit gels to keep me going. Just after the feed I was caught and passed by a very young looking chap at quite a pace making think that perhaps he was competing in the 2 lap event, so I let him go without chase. It soon dawned on me when nobody else caught me that he could have been in my race. A realisation that was confirmed at the end of the second lap when the commentator announced that I had now dropped a position to 3^rd place!

Beginning the third and final lap I thought I would have to forget my original planned pacing, and try to push and catch the young rider again. No bottles were in view again, so I continued with the same one. Upping the pace and missing a feed soon paid its toll, and after about 8km of the last lap I started to feel cramp in my hamstrings. First in the right leg, and then in the left. The long open fire-roads would then be taken at a somewhat reduced pace, and I longed for the singletrack to start so that I could change position on the bike and stretch out.

During the second lap I had caught and passed Benny Andersson who was competing in the 4 lap event, he then caught up to me again as we approached the steep climbs for the last time (for me at least!). We rode together for some time, yo-yoing a little in the technical and/or pedally sections. Me passing him where grip was scarce, him coming back where power was needed. We then rode together to the finish line where I pulled off, and poor Benny continued not realising that I was to finish this lap.

I crossed the line in 3^rd, relieved that I had managed to hold out with the cramps to the finish. Race time was 02:50 for me, so not far off of my 3 hour guess. Altogether I was pleased considering that this distance is not my strength, and in the XC time realms I felt like I could push harder if I wanted to. I am now looking forward to building up the race bike, and then competing in my first XC race to see how the form really has built over the winter.

Podium mens 57km (3 laps)

A big thank you to all our sponsors!

Bikeitaly

Wilier

SRAM

BONT

PRINTLOGIC

ZIPVIT

STAN'S NoTubes

Borgwarner

Moogio

Lundabyggdens Eltjänst

Vittoria

Team Meeting

The team had a meeting at the shop last week to take delivery of some products from Zipvit and Bont, plus to look at our new Wilier race bikes that had just arrived. Magnus at BikeItaly will be carrying out a Bike Fit and honing the machines before we take delivery before our first races in April! 

Everyone was in good spirits, and looking forward to the year ahead. 

Pictured left to right is Warren, Malin, Jessica and Anton with Anton's Wilier 101XN. 

It was great to meet everyone, chat about our plans for the year ahead, which races are our highest priorities and to discuss clothing, etc. See you on the trails!! 

Modern Road Bikes

Modern Road Bikes

I took delivery of my new road bike recently. I have ridden a lot more road this winter, but almost entirely on my Wilier cyclocross bike. Then a week on a hired road bike in Mallorca, so I was excited to finally be able to get out on the road at home and feel that old sensation of speed on road tyres.

I sold my last carbon road bike in 2013 as I just wasn’t using it so much. It was also getting a little long in the tooth, and technology has moved on since 2007 when I built it. What I didn’t realise was just how much! The bike in question is a Wilier GTR, fitted with Shimano 105 11-speed (2015). It is a good value carbon road bike, and sits roughly in the middle of the Wilier range. By no means the most expensive bike that Wilier produce, but with the 105 fitted, I think it is probably the one that offers the most bang for your buck.

I have intentions to buy some nice (maybe carbon) wheels and do a few road races this year on the bike. But the first ride was in a completely original spec with the original Shimano RS10 wheels. The bike was a revelation! At 8,5kg, it’s not the heaviest, nor the lightest road bike in the world, but it feels light when riding (maybe I am comparing to a cyclocross bike!). The first thing I noticed was the seemingly effortless speed. I looked down at the Garmin to see that I was cruising along at 33-34kph, instead of the 27-28kph more common on the cross bike. There was no noise and the bike seemed to glide effortlessly over bumps in the road. I was expecting a little bit more of a ‘Sportive’ geometry from the bike before I received it, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the head tube was quite short, and the geometry definitely more tailored to a racy feel. I set up the saddle position as usual based on my original figures, and left the stem in the position set by Magnus at Bikeitaly, thinking maybe I would make some adjustments after the first ride. But no, it felt perfect out of the box. The drop on the bars is quite shallow, which I like as it means I can use them more. The 2015 105 hoods are comfortable and perfectly shaped. The sitting position felt both stable and as aero as possible without feeling any back pain. What I really liked was the confidence I had in cornering after only 2-3 corners. Compared to the bike I hired in Mallorca (a Spanish brand called Vipera), the bike felt so assuring and stable. I wished I had received the bike a few weeks earlier and taken it with me now. The riding would have been way more comfortable and enjoyable, especially on the long, winding descents!

That first ride was sprint intervals with short ‘jump’ sprints to improve power. Starting in a hard gear, and giving all you have for only 12 pedal revolutions. This is a really good way to feel if a bike is stiff or not. Working both your upper body and legs it is really possible to feel if the bike is flexing underneath you. I could feel nothing after the first couple of sprints, but that was mainly as I was concentrating on form and wasn’t really pushing so hard. After that the sprints were all out, and I could start to feel a small amount of flex from the wheels. But the frame and fork, they seemed to remain perfectly true under the load. The next time I rode the bike I changed to some carbon wheels to test them out, the difference as usual was night and day, but went to show just how good this frame is! I still cannot believe that for this money I can get a bike with such a great feeling.

Having only ridden the bike out on my own so far, I am now looking forward to a few group rides and to see how it feels on some proper hills!