Yes its the National XC Championship this weekend at Wasing Park Estate Berkshire. The weather looks to be more settled for the races tomorrow Sunday 22nd July. Mike Thompson is showing great form at the moment and has been doing well in the National Series. British Cycling are tipping Mike or close rival Iain Paton for the win but the Junior field is strong this year so their are other riders who could get the win.
Fellow team member Sam Roper is also racing in the Junior field and his form looks good at the moment and had a good ride recently in the CRC Marathon event in Shropshire where he rode the 45km circuit as fastest junior. His goals are to get into the top 20 which are well within his grasp.
Missing this weekend are Scott Woolley who is away in Germany with School. Scott rode the Clifton CC 13 mile TT on his road bike and came 15th overall and 1st Junior. Nick Wilson remains out of action due to injury and Bob Hewitt has a new addition to the family.
Closer to home Frazer Clacherty new Youth rider rode in the Pedal Sport Mid week cyclo cross race in leeds last week with Mike Thompson both rode on mountain bikes against the cross riders. This was purely a warm up for the weekend for Mike and a chance for Frazer to ride to gain race experience. Both these riders also rode last weekend in the Olivers Mounts Road Races in Scarborough again to get some racing in.
Frazer is also road racing in Middlesborough on Sunday at the CDNE at Prissick Circuit. Although we are a MTB team its still important to gain other race experience as this helps to mentally and physically prepare for racing. Also can help with perfecting nutrition intake for race days, warm ups and race strategies.
HERE HOPING SAM AND MIKE HAVE A STORMING RIDE AND WE GET A NATIONAL JERSEY IN THE TEAM
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Hope Series Round 2
Sunday 1st July was round 2 of the Hope Series - we had two team riders at the race after we missed round 1 as this clashed with the British XC Series. If ayone is familiar with Lee Quarry its an unusual and unique venue. Its as the name suggest an old working quarry and with some investment and some great local volunteers mtb trails were put into the quarry and there is a maze of single track, descents, ascents, pump tracks and drop offs in just a 1km area.
The only downside to the venue is that it is on a hilltop and therefore exposed to wind and rain. Sundays race was no exception and the rain and conditions were harsh for the days racing. TEF rider Sam Roper was in the Racers category so the field with the most experienced racers. Sam was also racing alongside our home club Richardsons CC rider - Steve Hopper. The start was hectic with numerous riders in the start from different categories and even some youths sneaking into the race (they were later DQ'd) Sam came 10th in his category and from RCC rider reports going well.
Meanwhile we had a debut for new signing Frazer Clacherty (14yrs) who was in the lads Category with 10 riders. Again a confusing start for his race and Frazer thought he had come 2nd but was told he was 3rd - a podium in either case.
Scott Woolley was not racing due to a recent illness.
Results for the series came out today and we confirmed that Frazer was 2nd after all - a great result for the team though.
Next up for the team will be British XC Series in Essex. We will also shortly be setting our training dates for the team once the season has finished.
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
BMBS Round 4 and season so far...
Kirroughtree was a fast and dry track back on April fools day when the Scottish MTB round was there but this weekend it was far from those conditions with a couple of days of heavy rain the track turned into a very muddy and unpredictable affair!
Race day I got up to watch first race of the day at 9.30 to see what the course was riding like and to cheer on a rider who will be joining the team in 2013, Frazer Clacherty who put in a brilliant ride, finishing in 12th place and racing the majority of the race in contention for a top ten place! And for a first year youth in only his second national round it is a result that he should be proud of and one that I think he can definitely improve upon, so a rider to keep an eye on!
My race was at 12.00 and starting on the first row and with the course conditions being sketchy I knew how important it was to get into the first piece of singletrack in a good position, I had a good start and got off the line first and after a long fire road climb I entered the singletrack in 3rd position, after the 1st lap Alex Welburn got away with me and Harry Franklin in pursuit around 20 seconds behind with riders just behind me and Harry so we knew we had to push, as the second lap went on me and Harry were catching Alex and the gap was around 8 seconds, we both knew we could catch him and as we hit the descent to the arena he was at the side of the course with a ripped front tyre, he did manage to get a new wheel and finish the race in a respectable 15th place. It was then down to me and Harry, I had done all the pace making throughout the race and knew at some point Harry would attack, we got close to the finish and he attacked before the final swooping descent, he got in front and couldn't get around him even in the small finishing straight so he took the win by a second, he deserved the win as he rode well from the gun. I was really pleased with the result.
I now have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in the series with one round to go, and with 4 out of the 5 rounds to count to the overall series it is still all to play for with many riders in contention for the overall series title.
This season I have also been very proud of being selected to ride for GB in the junior ranks at 3 rounds of the UCI MTB XCO World Cup Series, I rode in the 2nd round in Houffalize, Belgium which was a shock to the system, starting 105th on a grid of 140 riders, the start is absolute madness, i eventually finished 88th on a challenging course, an experience I loved, just to be riding round in practice along side the best riders in the world! The next two rounds were just a week apart and after finding out I had being selected I was delighted. The 3rd round was Nova Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, voted the best round in the 2011 season and home to the World Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy! The course was truly incredible and the temperature was really hot, Race day I woke up to pouring rain and at breakfast the coaches had to break the news to all the Junior riders that all the bikes had been stolen, we were so shocked! with hours before the race we all had to make do on borrowed bikes that we had never ridden before! Again the race was mad, with over 120 riders, I rode feeling strong to 49th after being gridded 65th. The week after i was racing in France and after a couple of days at home Debbie and Ian at Richardsons were on it, to get a bike ready for me, one which I was familiar to and one that would be up to standard for the race in France and the British round a week later and after hours searching and working for me they could not find a solution within the few days that I was going to fly back out to France. Luckily the owner of Godleys cycles owned a bike which would do the trick for France and would give Debbie and Ian time to get a serious race machine ready for the British series a week after France. The race was mad again, 128 riders took to the start and gridded 78th, with some mad descents and gruelling climbs under such high tempertature under a beating sun I managed to ride up to 54th, again a result I am very happy with!
I know have 2 main objectives left of the shortened MTB season due to the Olympics, Firstly the last round of the national series on the 15th July near Essex and a week later the MTB National Championships at Wasing Hall near Reading, with around a month to these two important events I will now enter a few weeks of very hard training!
I would like to make a special thanks to Debbie and Ian at the shop as otherwise I would be seriously stuck, the bike they have managed to put together is truly a beauty, a very nice bike which I will keep riding to its limit to get the results it deserves! The support from both of them has been more than I would ever have expected and I hope I can do them, the shop and the team proud in the remaining races.
I will write up after the National Championships in July.
Mike Thompson
Race day I got up to watch first race of the day at 9.30 to see what the course was riding like and to cheer on a rider who will be joining the team in 2013, Frazer Clacherty who put in a brilliant ride, finishing in 12th place and racing the majority of the race in contention for a top ten place! And for a first year youth in only his second national round it is a result that he should be proud of and one that I think he can definitely improve upon, so a rider to keep an eye on!
My race was at 12.00 and starting on the first row and with the course conditions being sketchy I knew how important it was to get into the first piece of singletrack in a good position, I had a good start and got off the line first and after a long fire road climb I entered the singletrack in 3rd position, after the 1st lap Alex Welburn got away with me and Harry Franklin in pursuit around 20 seconds behind with riders just behind me and Harry so we knew we had to push, as the second lap went on me and Harry were catching Alex and the gap was around 8 seconds, we both knew we could catch him and as we hit the descent to the arena he was at the side of the course with a ripped front tyre, he did manage to get a new wheel and finish the race in a respectable 15th place. It was then down to me and Harry, I had done all the pace making throughout the race and knew at some point Harry would attack, we got close to the finish and he attacked before the final swooping descent, he got in front and couldn't get around him even in the small finishing straight so he took the win by a second, he deserved the win as he rode well from the gun. I was really pleased with the result.
I now have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in the series with one round to go, and with 4 out of the 5 rounds to count to the overall series it is still all to play for with many riders in contention for the overall series title.
This season I have also been very proud of being selected to ride for GB in the junior ranks at 3 rounds of the UCI MTB XCO World Cup Series, I rode in the 2nd round in Houffalize, Belgium which was a shock to the system, starting 105th on a grid of 140 riders, the start is absolute madness, i eventually finished 88th on a challenging course, an experience I loved, just to be riding round in practice along side the best riders in the world! The next two rounds were just a week apart and after finding out I had being selected I was delighted. The 3rd round was Nova Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, voted the best round in the 2011 season and home to the World Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy! The course was truly incredible and the temperature was really hot, Race day I woke up to pouring rain and at breakfast the coaches had to break the news to all the Junior riders that all the bikes had been stolen, we were so shocked! with hours before the race we all had to make do on borrowed bikes that we had never ridden before! Again the race was mad, with over 120 riders, I rode feeling strong to 49th after being gridded 65th. The week after i was racing in France and after a couple of days at home Debbie and Ian at Richardsons were on it, to get a bike ready for me, one which I was familiar to and one that would be up to standard for the race in France and the British round a week later and after hours searching and working for me they could not find a solution within the few days that I was going to fly back out to France. Luckily the owner of Godleys cycles owned a bike which would do the trick for France and would give Debbie and Ian time to get a serious race machine ready for the British series a week after France. The race was mad again, 128 riders took to the start and gridded 78th, with some mad descents and gruelling climbs under such high tempertature under a beating sun I managed to ride up to 54th, again a result I am very happy with!
I know have 2 main objectives left of the shortened MTB season due to the Olympics, Firstly the last round of the national series on the 15th July near Essex and a week later the MTB National Championships at Wasing Hall near Reading, with around a month to these two important events I will now enter a few weeks of very hard training!
I would like to make a special thanks to Debbie and Ian at the shop as otherwise I would be seriously stuck, the bike they have managed to put together is truly a beauty, a very nice bike which I will keep riding to its limit to get the results it deserves! The support from both of them has been more than I would ever have expected and I hope I can do them, the shop and the team proud in the remaining races.
I will write up after the National Championships in July.
Mike Thompson
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Weekend for Round 3 of the National Series
This weekend is the 3rd round in the National XC Series at a new
venue at Hopton Woods in Shropshire. Once again our sponsored riders on
the TEF Richardsons RT will be competing. Unfortunately its not a full
team fot his one with Riders Nick Wilson and Bob Hewitt unable to make
the journey down due to Nicks family wedding and Bob suffering from
illness.
Also the support team is unable to make it with Mark working away in Manchester with British Cycling and team mechanic Alex committed elsewhere.
The venue is not known to any of the riders but with this recent good weather set to remain the team are expecting a dry and fast course however the technicality of the course features is the biggest unknown. The riders will still be calling Mark on Sat night to discuss their individual race plans and goals.
Mike Thompson is riding to win the Junior race and this is welll within his grasp - he will know be on his brand new 2012 Giant hardtail (thanks to Debbie for sorting this quickly after the theft).
So Good luck to Scott, Sam and Mike for the weekend.
Also the support team is unable to make it with Mark working away in Manchester with British Cycling and team mechanic Alex committed elsewhere.
The venue is not known to any of the riders but with this recent good weather set to remain the team are expecting a dry and fast course however the technicality of the course features is the biggest unknown. The riders will still be calling Mark on Sat night to discuss their individual race plans and goals.
Mike Thompson is riding to win the Junior race and this is welll within his grasp - he will know be on his brand new 2012 Giant hardtail (thanks to Debbie for sorting this quickly after the theft).
So Good luck to Scott, Sam and Mike for the weekend.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
UCI World Cup
Well done to Mike Thompson 55th in Round 4 of the UCI XC World Cup in La Bresse today.
He was also riding a borrowed bike after his 2012 bike was stolen in Czech Republic.
He was also riding a borrowed bike after his 2012 bike was stolen in Czech Republic.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Nutcracker ASKE Round 2
Sunday 13th May 2012 ASKE Round 2 of the Nutcracker. Mike Thompson was missing this one for his GB commitment in Czech Republic. However the rest of the team were present at the event. The course was a mixture of roots, some deep mud and steep hills. Added to the course charateristics was the days high winds.
Scott Woolley was well gridded and started on the front it was a head wind for the start and Scott put in an attack on the first hill and struggled to get into big chainring. this dropped him to 5th place and lost contact with the front 3. Scott managed to take 4th place after passing Rob Armstrong.
Sam Roper had a bad race with a snapped mech hangar in the first lap. He retired extremely disappointed and decided to ride from Leyburn home on his cross bike with ahead wind all the way - I think this was some self inflicted punishment!
Bob Hewitt in the expert had another good race and held 3rd place until a nasty crash late on in the race and dropped to 4th place. Still a good result for Bob.
Nick Wilson in the Vets was unable to get into the top 10 as anticipated and he was another TEF rider to crash on the slippy root section. He snapped a buckle off his shoe and finished 11th.
TEF Team will be riding on 27th May at the next round of the British XC Hopton Woods, Shropshire.
Scott Woolley was well gridded and started on the front it was a head wind for the start and Scott put in an attack on the first hill and struggled to get into big chainring. this dropped him to 5th place and lost contact with the front 3. Scott managed to take 4th place after passing Rob Armstrong.
Sam Roper had a bad race with a snapped mech hangar in the first lap. He retired extremely disappointed and decided to ride from Leyburn home on his cross bike with ahead wind all the way - I think this was some self inflicted punishment!
Bob Hewitt in the expert had another good race and held 3rd place until a nasty crash late on in the race and dropped to 4th place. Still a good result for Bob.
Nick Wilson in the Vets was unable to get into the top 10 as anticipated and he was another TEF rider to crash on the slippy root section. He snapped a buckle off his shoe and finished 11th.
TEF Team will be riding on 27th May at the next round of the British XC Hopton Woods, Shropshire.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Mike Thompson in Round 3 World Cup
TEF Rider Mike Thompson has been away this weekend racing as a Junior for GB in round 3 of the World XC Series. The round was being held in Czech Republic. Mike kept his cool after all the Junior Team Bikes were stolen before the race. All managed to compete on borrowed bikes and Mike did a good ride finishing 49th.
Report from British Cycling:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/article/gbr20120508-UCI-Mountain-Bike-World-Cup-XCO-Round-3--Nove-Mesto-Na-Morave--Czech-Republic-0
Report from British Cycling:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/article/gbr20120508-UCI-Mountain-Bike-World-Cup-XCO-Round-3--Nove-Mesto-Na-Morave--Czech-Republic-0
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