Douglas F Shearer

Cycling Catchup

Not had a post for too long, so I’m going to do a quick catch up on what I’ve been doing cycling wise…

SXC 2007 Round 2 – Dalbeattie

The second round of the SXC series was at Dalbeattie, one of the 7 Stanes best known for it’s rocky singletrack and steep slabs. True to previous form, the race course avoided most of this, and instead used a large amount of steep natural singletrack. Super dry conditions meant that some corners were deep sand instead of the slippy mud of previous years.

In the Expert/Elite race I got off to a good start, though lost a few places on the first descent when I ended up behind the tape after a bit of mis-direction. I also had cramp for the first 2 laps, so had to ease off the pace a bit. Once the cramp disappeared I was flying again, really enjoying the course.

On the last lap I decided to give it everything, locking my forks out and stomping on the pedals up the main climb. I passed several people here, and caught Andy Wardman, who I passed on a later section of fireroad to put almost a minute into him before the finish.

I was 13th overall, which compared to the top fives I was getting last year is a little poor. No doubt the field is stronger this year, as my form is definitely better than last.

Ingliston Crit Series

For the second year in a row I was riding the support races at the Cycling Scotland Ingliston Criterium Series. A bit of a mixed bag of results here…

1. First round I got stuck behind two crashes, losing me decent position in the field. Low 20s finish.
2. Second round I lost a contact lens on the 3rd last lap, making things slightly difficult. Low 20s finish.
3. I missed the third round due to the SXC race the next day.
4. Round 4 – Sat in the front of the field for the first few laps, helping to chase down breaks. Came back to the front near the end and held my position to take 10th in the sprint.

A Century

On saturday Tom and I went on a big hilly loop round Innerliethen, Biggar and Lanark. It ended up being 100miles, not bad for a 6 hour day in the saddle. I’ve never done 100miles before, but as with the other long distances I have done, I find that after about 70miles my legs just keep going.

Borders Trail Trip

Three days of 30C heat, tents, and some bikes. What else do three lads need for a short biking trip? Steven, Murray and myself packed our bikes and our bikes, and headed to the borders for a few days.

Day 1 – Drumlanrig Red

First up was Drumlanrig. I’d raced here before, so had a good idea what t expect. The Premier Series races the weekend before had left the trails a ittle cut up, but they were still super fun. Tight and rooty, it’s a lot like riding at home back in Stirling. the only complaint I had was that the signs weren’t the most obvious, and were often quite a distance away from the previous piece of trail and obscured by long grass. ALl good fun though.

Kirroughtree Red

Want to ride something challenging and amazingly good fun? This is for you! The red route at Kirroughtree makes other red routes look like a 4 lane Sustrans route with jumps (You all know which one I’m talking about!). Lots and lots of fast twisty, technical singletrack, all linked by very little fireroad. A few challenges along the way, but overall just super fun, definitely making it worth the drive down. One middle section and the last section are a blast, and you’ll find it hard not to smile all the way down them.

Day 2 – Kirroughtree Black

Following much of the red on the way out and the way back, the black route has had lots of press in the last year or so. McMoab is good fun, but is possibly over-hyped by the press and general chatter. I rode it with my saddle up on a 80mm travel hardtail, and my only fall was on a flat section where you loop back on yourself, landing on my hip and my elbow as the front wheel rolled backwards while turning tightly. The rest of the trail is good fun, although somewhat tiring on a hardtail.

Ae Line

Ae Line was definitely the most hyped trail of 2005, perhaps this is why I was left somewhat disappointed. Some parts are great fun, but any time the trail gets more than 500M away from a fireroad it was as if the trail builders could no longer be bothered.

The section named ‘The Face’ was particularly bad. The berms before the bridge were no more than a steep, twisting, rocky chute as though it had been damaged by water and riders skidding down rather than using the berms (I won’t go off on a rant about the no-skills weekend riders on 2k+ 6inch travel bikes, many of whom frequent STW and talk-the-talk but don’t walk-the-walk). After that you have the climb, which wasn’t just steep, but was covered in loose rocks that ranged in size from tennis balls to bricks, making it very hard to climb, I almost thought about using my granny ring! To be fair a trail is always going to weather and maybe they just don’t have the resources and manpower to repair these bits.

Day 3 – Ae Line: Take 2

After riding Ae Line in the evening in 1hr 40min (Including riding too and from the campsite) I decided to give it ago in the 30C+ heat of midday. No surprises it took exactly the same amount of time, although I did enjoy it a bit more as I could let go on the descents and time my efforts on the climbs knowing what was coming up.

All in all it was a top few fays on the bike, and I certainly enjoyed riding on new trails. I’m sure lots of you will disagree with what I’ve said, so feel free to leave some comments.

Glentress + Inners Mission

Last monday I had a bit of a nasty crash at Grizedale in the Lake District. This crash resulted in me losing quite a bit of skin from my right leg, and stretching the tendons in the back of my left hand. This prevented me from being able to grip anything with it, as it had no strength, and was painful to move.

By the thursday it was OKish again, so Adam and I decided to ride the Black Route at Glentress, before cycling down the Tweed Valley a bit to ride the XC at Inners. Pretty mad, especially as they are the two rockiest trail centres in the UK.

In total it took 5hours and 20minutes, included an hour wasted for lunch, collapsed on top of Minch Moor, and Adam having two punctures 1 2. Not too bad. I did have one over-the-bars on the big rocky section at Inners, but the worst that gave me was a cut elbow, two bruised palms, and cramp in my leg meaning I had to lie on the ground for several minutes.

Despite my crash on the monday, I had no demons on the thursday, and even cleaned the ’shore at Glentress with the saddle still up my backside. Was a great day out (25C, small breeze), and despite the odd tan lines from wearing a tubey-grip on my wrist, it was great pre 10 Under The Ben experience. Bring it on!

The gallery for this trip will return once I sort out a new gallery for it.

Knee Warmers Rule!

Yesterday I went to meet the uni guys for the usual wednesday afternoon ride around the Pentlands. Being sensible I didn’t take a jacket, hoping that the sunshine would be out for the rest of the day. Sam turned up with his car, and had 3 free spaces in it heading for Innerleithen. Quick off the mark, Adam, Tim and I jumped in with our bikes and off we went.

So we get to Inners, it’s raining, bah! Sam and Tim went to play on the DH tracks while Adam and I went round the red route XC. Was really good fun despite the driving rain, and Adam’s front brake giving up the ghost. We were soaked from head to foot by the time we got back to the car in a fairly impressive 1hr 28mins.

Was the first day I properly wore my knee warmers, and despite being blue, they keep you really warm and comfortable around the knees (Duh!). Well worth having for those days where it’s not quite warm enough to wear longs.

In the evening we met up with the rest of the bike club, and had a rather healthy pub crawl. The highlight was undoubtedly Sam and Matt downing 9 shots of Tequila in a row! Each! Crazy peoples.

Thanks again to Sam for the lift.