Ras na mBan Stage 6

Another very wet morning. There was a pretty "upbeat" atmosphere as we set off into the mist, slipping and sliding along the shiny roads. Thankfully the pace was fairly gentle from the start, allowing the legs to warm up and Iona to launch a solo attack in the direction of the first climb, where she took the first "Queen of the Hills" points with a gap of a minute. A number of other riders attacked up the road but the main bunch (including the leaders) stayed together until well after the first climb.

 
Eventually (after a good 20 miles) we caught sight of Iona and co. up the road and the pace picked up significantly. Passing through the town of Waterville for the second time, the pace picked up again, as we started the second ascent of Coomaciste. Unfortunately, Iona heard a twang and then some clonking (broken spoke) and had to wait for a spare wheel.

Kim (as ever) remained with the leaders for the remainder of the race and contested the bunch sprint as the race finished in Sneem. Sarah and Steph tried their best to hang on up the climb, losing contact with the bunch near to the top. They eventually formed a group with a couple of Dutch girls and despite both losing their chains on the gallop for home, finished just over 4 minutes behind the leading bunch. (Not at all bad considering Sarah had nearly not been allowed to start the final stage, owing to a nasty chest infection). Iona was not far behind.

Stage 6 results: Kim 14th, Sarah 24th, Steph 26th, Iona 31st
Final GC after 6 stages: Kim 4th, Iona 24th, Steph 26th, Sarah 32nd
Squadra Donne finished 5th overall

This has been a fantastic week: hard work, tiring but incredibly fun and so special to be so many other female cyclists. Special thanks must go to Jon and Steve - in particular to Steve for his endless encouragement, superb massages, expert bike fixing and for washing Irish road off our bikes after at least 3 stages.

Big thanks also to Valerie Considine for organising an awesome week of racing; Louis Moriarty and all at Sneem Hotel for giving us a super base for the week and for looking after us and feeding us so well. Thanks also must go to Kim, who rode for the team this week. What a brilliant result. We wish you all the best for the future...

(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Ras na mBan Stage 5

Wet, wet, wet! Steph went for a pre-race swim in a small bog, whilst Iona and Sarah attempted to warm up in the torrential rain. In the end we all took shelter in the team car: at least our legs would be warm even if they weren't "warmed up".

 
The rain had just about stopped as we set off. The 3km, predominantly downhill, course was rather hairy with all the spray on the road. There were a couple of narrow bridges to negotiate, as well as some slippery drain-covers, before finishing in the town centre.
Stage 5 results: Kim 18th, Iona 22nd, Sarah 25th, Steph 30th. (1st and 51st places were separated by just 58 seconds).
GC: Kim 4th, Iona 21st, Steph 26th, Sarah 33rd
Team in 5th place overall


(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Ras na mBan Stage 4

It was a very wet morning! Stage 4 took us four times around a 10 mile circuit with a two mile climb on each lap.

The pace was fast from the start and remained brisk as the bunch hit the first climb. Kim, Steph and Iona remained in the lead group for the first three laps. Steph punctured on lap 4 but managed to rejoin a group of riders fairly swiftly. Iona lost contact with the main bunch at the top of the final climb. The finishing straight was rather hairy, as a number of cars got in the way of riders but thankfully there were no accidents. Kim contested the rather dangerous bunch sprint and finished 15th overall.

Sarah, struggling to breathe with a nasty cold, admits she nearly gave up before the first climb but soldiered on and completed the stage.

Stage 4 results: Kim 15th, Iona 18th, Steph 29th, Sarah 38th
GC: Kim 2nd, Iona 21st, Steph 26th, Sarah 33rd


(Photo taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Ras na mBan Stage 3

It was pouring with rain when we woke up. The cloud hung low over the hills. Beautiful in a wild sort of way!

Today's 50 mile stage lay ahead of us: some kind of giant beast to be conquered. Three major climbs: Knockanoughanish (cat 2), the Healy Pass (cat 1) and then Caha Pass (cat 1). This was not going to be an easy ride!!

Sarah was feeling sorry for herself, having come down with a nasty cold and not having slept at all well. She was determined not to let this stop her from racing.

The race started in the town of Kenmare and after a neutralised section out of the town, we soon found ourselves on the first climb. The bunch stayed pretty much together until the descent, where the slippery, windy roads allowed those with guts and "no fear" (or maybe just better descending skills) to get ahead. Then it was straight into the next climb. Iona, Steph and Sarah found themselves chasing the lead riders for the first couple of miles up the climb. Kim was sitting firmly with the leaders and this is where she stayed for the rest of the race, finishing 3rd overall. Another superb result.

Iona enjoyed the descent off the Healy Pass but found herself riding alone for several miles before she was joined by four other riders (including Steph). They formed a strong, cohesive group, which worked well together until the end of the race. Iona was the first to cross the finish line. Sarah ended up riding with a group that finished a few minutes later.

This was a challenging stage but probably one of the most beautiful, epic races we have done. If only we could have more races like this in England. Oh - and despite getting drenched just warming up, the rain mostly held off for the duration of the race, which was a bonus!

Stage 3 placings: Kim 3rd, Iona 22nd, Steph 23rd, Sarah 29th
GC: Kim 2nd, Iona 21st, Steph 24th, Sarah 29th
Team 5th overall


(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Ras na mBan Stage 2

After a fairly leisurely breakfast, the bikes were loaded onto the team car and Steve drove us to the start of the stage, in the town of Waterville.

This 56 mile stage took us over "Mick Murphy's Hill" - a Cat 3 climb, around Valentia Island and over a shorter, Cat 2 climb up to the Geokaun Mountain Centre, before crossing the bridge back onto the mainland.

As we passed through the towns and villages, the locals (including large groups of school children) had come out to watch the race and cheer us on. Very special :-)

The bunch fragmented early on in the race after a strong attack up the first climb. However, a number of riders who had been "dropped" up the climb (including Sarah) chased for seemingly miles but eventually caught the main bunch again. Crossing over to Valentia Island, there was a strong headwind and a crosswind made the race around the island rather challenging.

The bunch split up again over the second climb. Guest rider Kim stayed away in the break of five riders for the rest of the race and finished second overall. Chapeau!

Iona, Steph and Sarah did varying amounts of chasing but all ended up in the main bunch as the race crossed the bridge back onto the mainland. There was a moment of drama as the bunch split in two different directions. Which way were we supposed to be going? Yet more chasing before a feisty bunch finish in Waterville.

A fantastic course and a great race with some fantastic riding from all members of the team.

Positions for stage 2: Kim 2nd, Sarah 19th, Iona 21st, Steph 27th
GC: Kim 2nd, Iona 16th, Sarah 23rd, Steph 30th
Team: 3rd overall


(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Ras na mBan Stage 1

The team has arrived safely in Ireland. Steve heroically collected Steph, Sarah and our guest rider (Kim) from the airport, taking his mileage to 650 miles in 24 hours. We were very grateful to arrive at the hotel before midnight and to get a much-needed good night's sleep.

The day started with a hearty breakfast and then a gentle spin to check the bikes over. The stage started at 5pm - rather a lot of time for nerves to build up.

The stage took us over Moll's Gap - a cat 2 climb, around 6km in length. After a steady "spin" for the first half of the climb, someone attacked and a break got away. Iona and Kim stayed away in the break. Apparently it was hard work - "hard as nails" according to Kim, as attacks were launched every few minutes.

Steph was in the second group along the road, which was eventually caught by Sarah's group about 5km from the finish.

This is going to be a tough week of racing... now for dinner, massages and a good night's sleep.

Positions: Kim 15, Iona 16, Sarah 27, Steph 33. The team is in 4th place overall.


(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)

Team win for Squadra Donne in Coalville

It was a windy day for racing. Thankfully the rain mostly held off. This was a rolling course with some short uphill sections to test the legs. The biggest challenge of the day, however, was the 18mph head/cross-wind for 2/3 of the course.

The bunch split after the first lap. Iona was clearly in the break. Sarah chased for 2.5 miles or so to catch the break. Steph was racing with her head and intelligently decided to let the break go, so that she could try to control the bunch and keep her team-mates away. Iona stayed firmly in the break to the end of the race, finishing in 6th place. Sarah managed to hang on for 2 laps before sliding off the back.

Back in the main bunch, passers by probably thought we were out for a leisurely Sunday ride. Only two or three girls were really doing any of the work and there was not much racing going on. Disappointing. It was a bit of a challenge to know whether to push the pace up and do some hard work or conserve our energy for the final climb and sprint for the finish.

Despite riding on the front for the final five miles, Sarah managed to find the energy to tank it up the final climb, distancing herself from the rest of the field, and sprint for the finish line. However, having let the break go earlier on, Steph was even more determined to win the bunch sprint and she just pipped Sarah to the line with Tracy not far behind.

I think we were all a bit surprised to find that we'd won the team competition. What a great end to the Team Race Series season. Now for Ireland...

Ras na mBan 2011

We'll be heading out to Ireland next week to race in Ras na mBan. This year marks the race's 25th anniversary and for this reason, it has been lengthened to five days, six stages and 400 km of racing around the Ring of Kerry.

Keep checking back on our blog... we'll try to update you on our progress each day.

(Photo courtesy of Nadia Gativa)

Naseby: Women's Team Race Series

I was feeling really tired as we drove up to Naseby in the team car for the next round of the Women's Team Race Series. Clearly running around the hospital until 10pm the previous night wasn't the best preparation for the race!

Thankfully the sun was shining and the rolling Northamptonshire countryside looked beautiful and lush. Unfortunately, despite pointing out numerous inviting country pubs, Steve refused to stop the car, so my hopes of a hearty lunch and an afternoon spent sitting in the sunshine were soon diminished.

The Naseby course is tough, with some short sharp climbs and lots of rolling ups and downs in between. After a few nervous "wobbles" before the race, the steady roll out from the HQ allowed me to relax a bit, warm up properly and settle down.

There were several attacks throughout the race but no one managed to stay away. Iona put in a couple of attacks over the hills but even her Tour-ta-Malta-podium legs weren't strong enough to stay away from the rest of the bunch.

It was a real encouragement to have Peter B and co. from Shutt VR cheering us on at the finish line each lap, having ridden out from Oxfordshire to watch the race.

This felt like a harder race than last year's (on the same course), despite the average speed being slower. Tracey, who was guesting for us, sadly pulled out after cramping up on the second lap. Iona and I continued to finish with the bunch.

Sarah

Photos taken by Heather Barnett.

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 8

From Naomi:

So Team Shutt Velo did it - all 8 stages of the transalps successfully completed, with Sam continuing to trudge on in my absence. For my part, I wasn't able to join him in person for the last 2 stages but did so in spirit, riding 10 solidarity hours on my road bike back in Oxford and pretending I was with him.

Apparently in the awards ceremony one of the medics leaned over to Sam as the winners were being presented, and said, "They didn't suffer as much as you did". And boy did we suffer.

 
There are many many things we would do differently. Here are some starters for 10.

1. Make sure you get an early flight. Arriving at registration at 9pm with your bike still in bits and missing out on an evening meal is not a good start to any race, let alone an 8 day endurance epic.

2. Don't stay in 'camp'. No matter how short of cash you are feeling, there is nothing quite as horrendous as having to bed down in 2 foot of personal space in 30+ degree heat, surrounded by hundreds of snoring cyclists, with no use of shower or toilet unless you're willing to queue for a very very long time. And if you must subject yourself to this insanity, remember to pack a swimming costume because there's no experience quite like being the lone female in a pack of hairy German men, everyone clutching their bits as they attempt to get showered.

3. Don't take your bike to the AVID man. He will leave you with brakes that will bring you to tears as you drag the equivalent of a horse and cart's worth of resistance over the mountain tops and down again.

4. Whatever you do, eat a proper dinner the night before the stages. Glumly munching on half a powerbar cross-legged on your carry-mat the night before the event kicks off does not constitute dinner. Neither does a Schnitzel and mayonnaise - all they had left because you were too busy getting to the hospital to make the pasta like everyone else.

5. Bring your own energy food. Yes the High 5 bars are free and on tap but after 8 days of the little blighters, just looking at the wrapper is enough to make you heave. 

6. Do bring a Smart phone. It is quite useful to be able to locate the local hospitals off your own bat since the Race Office - aka the Chocolate teapot brigade - would rather send you asking round the local bars for this kind of information - as the blood drips from the gashes in your arm - than interrupt their dinner.

7. Do bring your E111. You never know when you might need it. Of note, Austrian and German hospitals are exemplary - try to injure yourself in these countries for preference.

8. Bearing in mind the grime that you will end up getting covered in, Black Shutt Velo kit is recommended over white. Surprisingly, not even 5 pumps of the best "Tea Tea Oil shampoo" will restore the pearly white of your Squadra Donne top when you've hauled it over 5 mountains in sheeting rain. And your wrists are too shafted from braking to be able to give it the rinse and rub effect it needs.

9. Bring as many waterproof items as you have in your armoury. You do not want to be facing 3500m climbing in sheeting rain dressed in a paltry waterproof with seams that fail after a light rain shower. Wrapping your limbs in an assembly of plastic bags and elastic bands is not a good look, nor is it very effective.

10. Make friends with the Maxxis Tyre man, the Rescue team and the Craft Support riders. It is the kindness of people like these that get you through this kind of suffer-fest.

From Sam:

Can I add reports on the final two and a half stages. Feels only right that I should continue her penning.

Day 7

Naomi’s departure leaves an emptiness and sense of pain that hurts to the core. However, failure to continue is not an option. Too much time, effort, and suffering left on the road already, too many people back home routing for us. The fight must go on. Outlook for the stage was daunting, 120km with a killer mountain ascent slotted right in the middle. Climbing up to 3000m into lung busting thin air, touching the snowline, and then descending for a hair raising 30 kms. My company, an Irish guy with bronchitis, the ever dependable Craft support team, and the imagined outline of Naomi 50yrds ahead of me grinding out a steady pace.

At the 80km feed station the Irish guy calls it quits from exhaustion. Later I hear he was strapped up to a saline drip. The stage finishes with a long drag along grape lined valley floors into a stiff headwind. Rains hard, but the air temperature is a balmy 25 degrees…just like the UK. At 8pm in the evening hell ends after an epic 11hrs on the trail. The longest day and I wonder how my body will recover in time for the last day.

Day 8

After another sick inducing breakfast, the final stage begins with a terribly steep climb – equivalent height gain to Snowdon. Steepness that can only be attacked by demounting and pushing the bike in the posture of an Alpine mountaineer, legs resisting the weight of gravity pulling the bike down.

At no point is there a sense of this being an easy ride to the finish, no glorious procession. The fear of failure weighs heavy. My mind creates scenarios of passing out, mechanicals, and crashes. Offset by the positive thoughts of pushing on for the people supporting us back home. Each passing climb, assigned to friends and loved ones, the force of everyone pushing behind.  The stage continues with a series of stabbing accents and a mixture of gravel and single track downhill. At the top of the last climb we catch sight of Lake Garda, our final destination. The decent is steep and narrow, but we reach the bottom without incident. 30kms to go and Marcus, the super human Craft support rider, decides to punish us more. He says we will hate him now but love him at the finish. He also offers to sell us his legs – this is German humour at its best.  He sets off in blazing time trail pursuit of the finish. The suffering takes on a normality, and even some degree of pleasure. Forcing the physical limit feels appropriate, a norm that must continue a while longer. We hang on, realising now that we will make the end.

And what an end. Rounding the final corner, we see the finishing banner. There is applause, there is celebration, there is raw joy, there is emotion. Everyone who supported us, willed us on, was there at that ending moment, in our thoughts. Naomi is there with me.

Trans-Alps 2011 was an adventure, but more than that it was the rawness of the experience that will stay with us forever. We were reminded of what it is to feel truly alive. The clutter of our daily routine stripped away, the people most important in our lives brought to the fore, new friends met, a reminder to search for future challenges.

Thank you to everyone one who supported us. We wouldn’t have been able to continue to the end without you.

n.b. if you feel nauseous from reading this entry, then think how our stomachs felt after the 100 or so High 5 bars we stuffed down our throats.

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 7

I'm sitting on a minibus on way to finish in floods of tears. Heading home for my sister Stephanie's wedding while Sam rides on flying the flag. I couldn't finish the stage and be sure to make my flight. Today is probably the hardest one yet with 2k of pushing up what can only be described as a rock climbing route. And another 3400m odd of climbing.

Sam is by now the support team/ broomwagon's celebrity. They can't believe how determined he is to fight on against adversity. My hero rides on, I hope they look out for him as well as I did :'(

So there we go. Transalps adventure almost over. Not exactly a pleasant experience but one we will never forget. And I didn't crash. Something of a personal record. Hope you enjoyed reading about it, ciao

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 6

We woke to sheeting rain.

Today's stage involved another 2800m & the forecast was grim. We joined the other panicking cyclists in pilfering plastic bags from supermarkets (feet) and purchasing 15 euro boil in a bag jackets from the hiking shop counting their lucky stars.

What was mildly pleasing today was that for once we are not the only people in pieces, at least 15 had to push most of the way up the first mountain (not me though but this is largely related to my deep antipathy to pushing my 'steel-esque' bike). 5 retired today & we suspect a lot didn't start as field vastly reduced.

Very wet, very cold, very muddy.We learned at first refreshment stop that course had been reduced due to 5" snow on mountain top. In the end we only had to do 700m more climbing & 20k.

So we live to die another day, very excited about rolling into finish at a sensible hour for once :)

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 5

Today was hard beyond belief.

Sam is so exhausted he can only turn his bottom most gear, riding in a permanent bonk zone of about 7kph. I am reduced to a jibbering wreck when it gets too steep to ride & I have to push - more & more frequently as our legs give up the ghost.

I really don't know how we managed to finish today, 3500m ascent over 10h30 pushed us both to breaking point...

...but not with each other - fortunately. We battle on hand in hand :)

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 4

Today we went soft.

But before you despair we've thrown in the towel and not finished a stage, let me put your minds at rest. When 'camp' aka the place we are supposed to sleep 2 days ago turned out to be a 40 degree sardine furnace of bodies, we skulked out and pitched our tent on a patch of grass by the neighbouring cemetery. Last night we were dumped in a fire station with about 2 square foot of personal space & 1 cold dirty shower for 150 people. We went on a treasure hunt & eventually found a small stairway space which we promptly bagged by pitching our tent. Tonight we have pushed the boat out & are staying in a hotel. Couldn't face another night of it.

Today went mildly better in that we had no crashes & no mechanicals. We did however have to climb 1200m and then push our bikes up the equivalent of snowdon. And then descend a mountain in driving rain and near zero temperatures. And then ride another 50k of muddy trails to the finish. But we made it, even knocked a whopping 15 minutes off yesterdays time and rolled in at 8h45.

Last again but not least. The support guys have called us heroes for being brave/ mad enough to carry on.

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 3 - Just when we thought it couldn't get worse...

Stage 1:

The bikes arrived but just when we thought things couldn't get worse...

Cable snapped on my rear brake, had to get emergency repair before we even started. Replacements binding, 20 mins in HR at 170 bpm going downhill. Only gets worse, rear brakes rammed on for 95 k. Sam crashes, needs stitches in elbow but no mechanic or doctor until finish. Sams rear brake now also binding. Hell on earth but we finish in 8h43. In hospital waiting for him now. No dinner for second night running. Can barely walk, not sure if we can continue tomorrow.

When I was still smiling...

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 2

Today's issue is a tale of woes. Having been charged the obscene sum of £40 overweight charge per bike on top of the £30 we'd already paid for the extra bag because they were 2 kg over the anorexic 21kg limit, BA proceeded to lose our bikes altogether & left us dangling on the one remaining frayed nerve for 5 hours in Munich airport. To add insult to injury, having missed all our ongoing transport connections, we now have to pay out for a €150 taxi to the start and will probably still be putting bikes together at midnight. Just when things couldn't get any worse, a fellow transalper with the good fortune of having had his bike arrive seamlessly says to Sam with pity, "Ya, you in mixed team. How unfortunate to have to ride with slow girlfriend". The perfect start. Not.

Naomi and Sam's Transalp Adventure - Part 1

3 days to go before Sam and I embark on this: eight stages covering a distance of roughly 600 km (385 miles) and a vertical gain of 19,500 m (65,000 ft.)

From 16. –  23. July 2011 “teams of two” take on a complete traverse of the magnificent Alps
MTB routes through the most beautiful mountain ranges of Germany, Austria  and Italy
race - catering to pro riders as well as ambitious amateurs wanting to gauge their performance.

Are we ready? Um, pass. We have the all clear from wonder-working physio John Gibbons (despite Peter Bragg's best attempts to destroy Sam on a 17mph rollercoaster back from Oakley - on mountain bikes into a headwind)... we have successfully prized one bike into a box and lovingly sealed all the cracks with gaffer tape... we have converted our spare room into "operation kit zone" ... and dutifully printed off a small tree's worth of confirmation emails, boarding passes and instructions.

Suddenly our most impressive achivement to date - riding from Lands End to John O'Groats - seems quite pedestrian in comparison to this. Indeed, the conversion from "roadie" to "baggy shorts" wearer has not been an easy one, not just because of Sam's deep-rooted affection for his Dynamo lycra ;) Fortunately long-suffering, equally wonder-working coach Pollyanna Fitzgerald has put me right on my cornering technique. Apparently ramming hard on the front brake and turning your handlebars through 90 degrees as you corner on a loose gravel descent is not a winning combination - and there I was wondering why I spent so much time spread-eagled across the trail in my first forays on knobbly tyres. Sam of course had all the skills in bucket loads before we started but acquiesced, to quote wise brother Tom that "natural talent is all well and good but sadly the only way to get good on a bike is to spend a whole lot of hours riding around in big circles".

But ready or not, on Saturday 16th July we will line ourselves up on the start line, flying our Shutt Velo colours and hopefully not doing them too much of a disservice. Wish us luck!

Photo courtesy of Craig Fletcher and Shutt Velo Rapide

Oakley: Women's Team Race Series

There were heavy grey clouds in the sky as we drove to Oakley in the team car for the next round of the women's team race series. It was great to have Peter and co. from Shutt on the sidelines cheering us on.

The flat course lends itself to fast, aggressive riding and this was certainly a fast, aggressive race!

There was a strong headwind for part of the course. The rain mostly held off until the final 2km when there was a very heavy downpour!

This time, it was Sarah's turn to mess up the finish - riding on the front for the last section, putting the power down as the pace slowed in the rain (aka starting to  sprint far too early) and being passed by most of the bunch before the finish line. Oops! Iona had a great race and finished in 10th place.

It was a fun race with some good, strong riding from the Squadra Donne girls and our guest rider Tracy Dresch. 

Big thanks to the support team (especially Steve Wright for checking the bikes over before the race) and to our sponsors for coming out to watch the race.

(Photo taken by Craig Fletcher)

Stratford: Women's Team Race Series

Tough race in Stratford on Sunday - lots of leg-burning hills!

With 1km to go I was well placed.  I went too early for the sprint, Tam on my wheel, she came by me and I just had to salvage what I could after mis-judging the sprint.  Meanwhile, Sarah came past both of us to finish in the bunch. The rest of race was pretty uneventfull, but I really liked the rolling course.

Iona

(Photos from Mike Adams: www.redkitecycles.ocm)

First place for Steph!

Steph competed in the Southern Cross-Country Championships, held at the Wasing Estate on Sunday and won the Expert Category race.

Congratulations!



(Photo courtesy of Joolz Dymond)