I like to think that I am pretty meticulous when it comes to my sport and racing. I like to go into an event knowing that I have done the necessary training and gone over my equipement more than once to ensure everything is where and how it should be.
That is why, lining up for the Highland Fling 100miler MTB event on Sunday, 13th November, frustration, generally sums things up for me. Having gone over the bike before packing it into the car for the trip down to the race the day before, everything was sweet. However, taking the bike out of the car the next morning (race morning), I no longer had any rear brakes!
Nothing, zip, zero... [More]

Like the swim start of any triathlon I have done, the start of mtb races can be a bit of a bun fight to say the least as people via for the best line or position on the track. The start of Husky 100 held at Callala bay last Sunday, 7 August, was a prime example.
From the gun, the pace was cranked right up and I was almost immediately scrambling to stay in contact with the lead bunch. Puddles, branches, bushes, etc; flew by and it all seemed a blur but what was clear was that I was not going to hold this pace for very long. Surely, soon, they are going to come off the boil a little?
They didn’t and after hammering my arse off for 15km, the lead bunch o... [More]