my first proper ranking race of the year was the welsh xc series rd1 in south wales.after getting well and truly lost right outside the venue we arrived at the top of a welsh mountain to sideways rain,near freezing temperatures,and a very muddy field.we parked up and reluctantly unpacked the car and quickly made our way to sign-on.we got back to the car wet through and got changed into our kit and headed out to do a practice lap around the very grassy hilly and off-camber course.the lap was short,which to be honest was good as i did not fancy spending ages plodding round trying to get all the lines sorted in my head.

race time came and i left the rather soggy inside if the car and went upto the start line.since my practice there had been the youth,women and vets race and it was obvious the course was ruined…and i had a slick tyre on the rear which was the main talking point of the guys on the grid.the gun went and i struggled with the conditions/tyres right from the word go….i ambled round best i could and got 5th in the elite race with 8 starters….points in the bag,sweet!

will cheaney was also 5th in the youth race after crashing on the first corner and new team member gaz fearn in his first ever race came home mid field in the sport race so well done gaz,they can only get better from here.

the next few weeks see’s the start of my main focus of the year,the midlands xc series(starts 20th march,cannock chase) and the british cross country series(starts 27th march,sherwood pines). reports to follow.

this weekend i start road racing to gain some speed,first race is 5th march at darley moor ashbourne.

this year we have support from

uvex.supplying there top notch fp1 helmet and glasses

kenda tyres.suppling full range of kenda tyres as needed aswell as kenda branded clothing for training.

lake shoes.supplying the best shoes in the business,we have mx236c mtb shoes and cx236 road shoes

jagwire.supplying brakepads and cables….stop and go well sorted

outer edge clothing.keeping us covered up in the finest garments at the best prices

joes no flats.keeping the wheels spinning and doing what it says on the box!

my bikes for the year are

giant anthem advanced sl with fox32 with american classic wheels and a giant tcr advanced sl with ultegra and reynolds carbon wheels

i thought i would start with a run down of the 2010 season,good and bad.

1st.bristol bikefest 12hr mens pairs race(with matt dennis)6.6.10 ashton court bristol

1st.marin dusk till dawn 12hr 4 man team(with salsa factory racing).3.10.10 thetford forest

1st.sleepless in the saddle 24hr elite mens 4man team(with salsa) 11.8.10catton park

2nd.overall midalnds elite xc series

2nd.margam park 50km enduro elite men.30.5.10 margam park

3rd.midlands xc series rd3 elite men.1.08.2010 dronfield

3rd.nutcracker xc series rd3 elite men.13.6.2010 dalby forest

4th.mallory park circuit race league.3/4th cat.13.7.10 mallory motor circuit

6th.southern xc champs elite.11.9.10 pippingford

7th.midlands xc champs(series rd2)3rd midlands rider elite.23.5.10 hereford

8th.midlands xc series rd1 elite.18.4.10 hanchurch

9th.shrewsbury circuit no3, 3/4cat.18.9.10 sundorne sports centre shrewsbury

9th.wiggle enduro 6hr elite pairs(with steve james).28.4.10

16th overall british national elite xc rankings(best 8 highest points scores to count)

23rd.national elite xc championships.18.7.10 pippingford

23rd.british xc series rd2 elite(uci class 2).9.5.10 wasing park

24th.british xc series rd3 elite(uci class 2).29.5.10 margam park

24th.british xc series rd5 elite(uci class 2).25.9.10 newnham park

35th.british xc series rd4 elite(uci class 1).3.7.10 dalby forest

35th.british xc series rd1 elite(uci class 2).28.3.10 sherwood forest

After the disaster that was the Gran Canaria marathon and not finding the race venue intime for the start of the race my first cross-country(xc) race of the year was round one the the British xc series held at Sherwood pines forest park,Mansfield Notts.

To say i was a little nervous about this race does not quite sum up how i felt on the day! After pre riding the course the day before my nerves had eased somewhat as i found the course quite technical rather than the fast flat out roadrace sherwood always is,meaning bike skill would play a part rather than just plain old speed.To my suprise i found myself gridded 33rd out of the 60 or so entered.This race carried world ranking points as do all the national series races this year and the gridding was done on world ranking points,luckily i had a resonable race in last years national championships and got 2 uci points…result!

The start pistol went and the lead riders were off like rockets,but there was multi olympions and commonwealth gold and silver medalists Liam Kileen and Oli Beckinsale racing along with other top international racers from all over the world chasing uci points ready for the 2012 London olympics.I myself had a good start,running in the mid 20′s for the first lap and i was very happy for my first outing as an elite,then as the laps clicked by i was getting very very tired legs and was slipping through the field rapidly.Once i had finished i found out that rushing to change my wheels before the start i did not reset my brake….what i silly mistake,i rode the whole race with my brakes on.wont be doing that again!!!

In the end i finished 35th,someway off my top 20 target but thinking what may have been if i was more prepaired.

My next race was the 1st round ot the midlands xc series at hanchurch woods,stoke on trent and i was looking forward to this event as it is a great venue with lots of technical trails and i won the midlands champs here in 2009.

The sun was bright and the trails dry and dusty,it had the makings of a great race and as i got a place on the front row of the grid i waited to here the start gun.as it went i got a super start,leading the race for the first few hundred metres then i went bang! the lactic acid had built up that much from my too fast start that my legs just would not go round at all and after the 1st half mile all the expert riders had past me as they too started with the elite race and i was pretty much dead last.Amatauer mistake #2

It was not until well into the 2nd lap that i started to gain some speed and start to catch riders,and carried on moving up the field al the way to the end of the race(barring my face plant on the penultimate lap trying to go too quick over a easy looking log).In the end i passed most of expert race and ended up 8th in the Elite race.i was 7th until my crash but was happy all the same.

The 3rd race of the season was the Wiggle enduro6 race at Caton park,Derbyshire.Myself and Matt Dennis(team mate last year)got 3rd place last year so expecations were high.my team mate this year stephen james had decided he fancied a go at the le-mans styles running start and i gladly let him.the race day was very cold and windy and neither me nor steve performed to our max,gaining 9th place in the elite mens pairs race.

My 4th big race of the season was the 2nd round of the british xc series held at Wasing estate nr reading down south.

Again this was a uci(union cyclist international,world cycling governing body)ranked race and as such i was gridded 28th…very happy.The morning of the race came and it felt more like january than may,the wind was making it bitter cold and there was spots of rain in the air.I started my pre race warm-up on the turbo in jogging bottoms and a big jacket just trying to keep warm,hen i looked across the field and seen george budd doing his warm up by sitting in his cosy warm car my morale went downhill quickly.

I took to the start line wearing full winter kit expecting the worst cold condition may had ever seen but as soon as the gun went so did the nasty weather….great.I had a pretty poor start but as i started to make up ground in the race i started to get very very hot and was overheating rapidly.for most of the race i was running inside the top 20 with George budd,Paul Robertson and Ryan Sherlock for company but as the race wore on i slipped back due to being to hot.I eventually stopped on lap 4 and took of my long sleeve warm up top and raced in my base layer which drew a few smirks.in the end i finished 23rd again wondering what may have been.

In between all the mtb races i have been doing i have started doing some road racing again to try to boost my speed a little and every tuesday have been racing at mallory park motor circuit,and although have not had any top 10 finishes yet have been active in all the races by making breaks from the bunch or chasing people who have gone on the attack.It has been fun doing something i gave up a while ago,but now fancy winning one soon…..watch this space.

Christian

The race is to ran over approx 1hour and is sure to be a big attraction for the many thousands of biking fans who attend the festival.

Check out the website for more details of other events taking place over the weekend  http://live2010.bikeradar.com/

Time to go and put some hard work in on the bike now!

Christian

I will post a race report when i return.

Christian

Christian

Firstly his cross country steed – The Moda Encore

Christian Aucote Moda Encore

I have seen this bike in the shop and it is an impressive piece of kit. It is a bit of a carbon monocoque jobby (I don’t know I ride steel!) and it is super light. If you give Christian a call at Lloyds Cycles in Swadlincote I am sure he can make sure the bike is there for you to take a look at.

More pics of his training his bike and his full susser coming soon.

Matt

I will be riding Moda bikes,and American Classic wheels….A great combination.

The team kit is on its way to be made and i already have my 3 bikes.The Canan-a carbon full suspension,The Encore-a carbon hardtail,and the Tempo-my road bike for training.All with the amazing American Classic wheels. Pictures to be added soon.

I have put up a picture of the team kit i will be wearing so if you see me buzzing about say hello,i always welcome a chat.

2010 Team kit