RACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCING... Time to get our act together.

[Beancounter]

Super cool effort all round Well done team Weeksy’s.

I think if we do i may even race too.

Sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread but have you raced in many of these enduros? I'm tempted to try a couple next year but I'm not exactly competitive.

[weeksy]

Super cool effort all round Well done team Weeksy’s.

I think if we do i may even race too.

Sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread but have you raced in many of these enduros? I'm tempted to try a couple next year but I'm not exactly competitive.

Yeah matey, a fair few.

We race the Enduros with 2 gangs up to now.
https://southernenduro.co.uk/
http://minienduro.tv/

I've raced in both the 40-49 and the 50+ now. The Haibike series i finished back 1/3, the Southern Enduro was propping up the back of the field, sometimes i'd beat 2-3, mostly not though. They both run Ebike cats, so you can easily do it on your current bike.

they're ace fun and great courses, all of them have had proper tricky features, not the whole course, but certainly sections where you're doing your best to survive. Milland is closest to you and was an excellent course, tricky techy descents, with some jumpy droppy stuff thrown in, but nothing completely outside of your comfort zone from seeing you ride many times... but some bits that will make you think for sure.

The enduro guys seem pretty handy that's for sure. I'm happy holding my own with most of my mates, but as i say, i'll be propping up the back end.

https://southernenduro.co.uk/events/sou ... o-series-1

I'm picking up the full series ticket which are released on the 4th Dec. £220 for 5 events... it sounds a lot, and indeed it IS a lot... but the Enduros no matter who you do it with isn't cheap... Well, i think Pedalhounds is cheaper, but IMO not as exciting for us to ride.

[Beancounter]

I think if we do i may even race too.

Sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread but have you raced in many of these enduros? I'm tempted to try a couple next year but I'm not exactly competitive.

Yeah matey, a fair few.

We race the Enduros with 2 gangs up to now.
https://southernenduro.co.uk/
http://minienduro.tv/

I've raced in both the 40-49 and the 50+ now. The Haibike series i finished back 1/3, the Southern Enduro was propping up the back of the field, sometimes i'd beat 2-3, mostly not though. They both run Ebike cats, so you can easily do it on your current bike.

they're ace fun and great courses, all of them have had proper tricky features, not the whole course, but certainly sections where you're doing your best to survive. Milland is closest to you and was an excellent course, tricky techy descents, with some jumpy droppy stuff thrown in, but nothing completely outside of your comfort zone from seeing you ride many times... but some bits that will make you think for sure.

The enduro guys seem pretty handy that's for sure. I'm happy holding my own with most of my mates, but as i say, i'll be propping up the back end.

https://southernenduro.co.uk/events/sou ... o-series-1

I'm picking up the full series ticket which are released on the 4th Dec. £220 for 5 events... it sounds a lot, and indeed it IS a lot... but the Enduros no matter who you do it with isn't cheap... Well, i think Pedalhounds is cheaper, but IMO not as exciting for us to ride.

I'm definitely tempted. Pippingford is quite close though Milland and QECP are reasonably easy to get to as well. The other three locations are just too far.

[weeksy]

Depends how you look at it, we'll stay over in Minehead etc the night before and it makes it into a cracking weekend when you do that. This year Minehead we went early doors, i think it was 2hr 30 from us, which was a chore... so we'd kip over the night before this time.

This is pedalhounds for example.



I've just been chatting with the boy as to whether this would be our number 2 series as we're going to try and do 2 full series next year... his answer after watching was 'errrrrm no'

the below is the Haibike series which was a blast.

[weeksy]

Last one is Milland in the Southern Enduro series.

[Couchy]

2021-11-28_05-08-14 by Steve Weeks - Flickr2BBcode LITE

Pedals level in the corner, there’s a discussion

[weeksy]

2021-11-29_06-13-22 by Steve Weeks - Flickr2BBcode LITE

[weeksy]

Ah sod it.... we're in for the 19th Dec at 417Flup.... I've entered the boy this morning...

I'll have a debate in the next week or so as to whether i enter it too. I know it's only £33... but for my levels of expectation of where i'll finish, is it worth £33... Not sure... it'll be fun to ride though. My lad is away this weekend at Pete Tong @ the O2, so i may head up there and pre-ride the course and see how much fun it is...

[weeksy]

Ah sod it.... we're in for the 19th Dec at 417Flup.... I've entered the boy this morning...

I'll have a debate in the next week or so as to whether i enter it too. I know it's only £33... but for my levels of expectation of where i'll finish, is it worth £33... Not sure... it'll be fun to ride though. My lad is away this weekend at Pete Tong @ the O2, so i may head up there and pre-ride the course and see how much fun it is...

My lads mates blew us out, so I guess after making my Enduro debut at 49 years old, I'm doing my first DH race at 50

[weeksy]

Well today was practice day at 417 flyup for next weekends race. I'm in the Over 35 class and it's not a massive field and I'll be as usual propping up the back of it.
But I went today as I've not ridden the particular trail before so did 7 runs on it. Mid morning I was 2min 21 and gradually went down to 2.19, then 2.17 and lastly a pair of 2.16s on it.

It's only really put into context when my lad put in a 1.56 on it. But in all honesty being 20s off him I'll take, I know it sounds rubbish but it's all I've got and I honestly was pushing harder all day, letting off the brakes more and trying for more speed. Lol.

Let's see what race weekend brings on the 19th.

[Taff]

only 20s off your lad's time sounds good to me

[weeksy]

only 20s off your lad's time sounds good to me

Getting closer now and i'm now on a rest period for the next few days. I don't see it making a massive difference but hey, if it means i'm a bit more 'ready' then it's all good. Still debating on whether i'm doing full face or not, probably not on this one.

I did pick up a set of goggles, but a few issues there with them,
1. I don't like them
2. I see better with my glasses.

So i'll be giving them away after 1 ride lol

[weeksy]

Brrrr 417 today for final DH race of the year. Cold cold foggy dark. Lol

Been out for 1 run in practice, went ok I think but wasn't exactly flying

Let's see what run 2 brings

[weeksy]

Fp1 was a 2.14
Fp2 was a 2.10
Fp3 was a 2.08

Got to be happy. Trying to pump the kickers and let off brakes earlier.

Kept my lad honest for the first 45s of that run until he gapped me

[weeksy]

Meh, crap run I thought.

But I am officially a DH racer now ha ha

[weeksy]

Well the day ended with i guess disappointment for me and mid-pack race status for the boy.

He went from a 1.51 last race we were there to a 1.49 finishing in 7th place, but once again only 2.2s off the podium, he just needs to find that smidgen more ! Again he was up against the 16 year olds, so was i think the youngest in his Cat, but i'm not making excuses there, he did ace.

Me, i struggled, whatever i found in the morning, i clearly lost in the afternoon and only recorded a 2.08 in the races. Which was on a shortened course than the strava segment due to timing beam position. If i'd ridden in the races as i had, i think i should have been a 2.05... but i never.

It's all immaterial though as i needed to be in the sub 2.00 bracket for anything other than propping up the field. So i'm left in a bit of a spiral of despair with the results... However, i had an excellent day out, chatted with loads of people and had laughs, rode as hard as i could and played out there with my lad..... which takes the results into context of completely (but not quite COMPLETELY) irrelevant.

[Taff]

Give the lad a massive well done from us, that's a brilliant result

You were out there having fun, living a shared experience that your lad will treasure, imagine him telling this story to his kids in 30 years time, 'your grandad used to race downhill, and we didn't have any of this modern technology back then.....'

[lostboy]

Well the day ended with i guess disappointment for me and mid-pack race status for the boy.

He went from a 1.51 last race we were there to a 1.49 finishing in 7th place, but once again only 2.2s off the podium, he just needs to find that smidgen more ! Again he was up against the 16 year olds, so was i think the youngest in his Cat, but i'm not making excuses there, he did ace.

Me, i struggled, whatever i found in the morning, i clearly lost in the afternoon and only recorded a 2.08 in the races. Which was on a shortened course than the strava segment due to timing beam position. If i'd ridden in the races as i had, i think i should have been a 2.05... but i never.

It's all immaterial though as i needed to be in the sub 2.00 bracket for anything other than propping up the field. So i'm left in a bit of a spiral of despair with the results... However, i had an excellent day out, chatted with loads of people and had laughs, rode as hard as i could and played out there with my lad..... which takes the results into context of completely (but not quite COMPLETELY) irrelevant.

Top work to James.

You need to stop being so hard on yourself. You're a bit younger than me but I realised a little while ago that I'm not competing against anyone other than myself in anything that I do (sailing, where I'm part of a crew, is the exception!!), you'll realise that soon and enjoy the successes - which are clear to see!! Your times showed constant improvement throughout the weekend, that's a massive tick in the box and it's another experience that will only stand you in good stead for your next outing and getting faster/better.

[weeksy]

you'll realise that soon and enjoy the successes -nd, that's a massive tick in the box and it's another experience that will only stand you in good stead for your next outing and getting faster/better.

Oh i do, honestly... but if i wasn't a competitive person, then i wouldn't go racing. By nature, being competitive also brings a desire to actually BE competitive within the events... which currently i'm not.

But by fuck i'm trying... as with back in the old days of club racing, i was really pushing as hard as i could, yesterday again was no exception to this and i left everything i had on the hill every time... i just wish i had more to bring lol.

[weeksy]

As always, leaving myself open for discussion and tearing apart, but hey, it's how we learn.

Yesterdays race seems to have brought some pics, which i've stolen for now until me and the boy go through them and pick the ones we want. But in some ways they're the best pics we've had for showing riding position so i've put them up here.

I think it's fairly apparent the differences in him to me and also just in me to what the perception is that i should be doing. Getting into the correct position though, that seems harder.

J417 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

j4172 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

old1 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

old2 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

old3 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr