Tag Archives: Racing

Saracen British Downhill Series – Round 2 – Fort William – Sunday 12th May 2013

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For round 2 of the Saracen British Downhill Series the team headed north to the Scottish Highlands and the UK’s Outdoor Capital Fort William. Widely regarded as one of the toughest downhill courses on the World Cup Downhill circuit, this race was seen by many of the world’s top downhill racers, as the chance to get some time on track a month ahead of the opening round of the 2013 World Cup Series which takes place in Fort William over the weekend of the 8th and 9th June.

Fort William’s 3km downhill course winds its way down the slopes of Aonach Mòr and is punctuated by unforgiving rocks, jumps, drops and steep rooty tree lined sections. All of this before the riders are fired out of the woods and onto the final section of the track known affectionately as the motor way which see riders launching over a series of massive jumps before dropping down a steep shoot and jumping into the finish arena.

As with round one the weather was a big factor and the riders were in for another wet and windy weekend. However the Fort William Track is designed to handle the worst of the weather and aside from the short sections through the trees the track conditions were a lot better than round one.

However as the riders get to the top by cable car the wind was a major consideration and with this in mind seeding which normally takes place on Sunday morning was brought forward to Saturday afternoon. With only a morning’s practice on track Blockhead Downhill team rider Josh Lowe was still getting up to speed as he recorded a time of 5.27.24 in his seeding run which was still fast enough to seed him in 9th place.

With the racing starting at 11am it was an early start for the team on Sunday morning. Josh was the first rider down as practice got underway and he focussed on getting his lines dialled and the Fox Suspension on his Trek bike set up for his race run. By the end of the morning’s practice session Josh was feeling confident that the seconds he’d been looking for had been found and that he was ready to improve on his seeding run time.

Racing at National Level is never easy and at the top of the course you could cut the atmosphere with a knife as a heady mix of nerves and adrenaline filled the air. Not only were the racers against each other and the clock but they were against the course too and Fort William course is renowned for being unforgiving for those that don’t treat it with the respect it deserves.

Josh was more than up for the challenge though and made the perfect start to his race run launching out of the start house. Carrying speed is all important when it comes to making time through the challenging fast rocky top section of the track and Josh wasn’t hanging around.

However Josh’s chances of repeating his win at round one were soon gone along with the air in his front tyre as he rounded one of the many corners only around a minute into his race run.

Not the result the team had all hoped for but there were a number of positives to take away from what had been a very productive weekend. “Unfortunately punctures are an element of racing. We do all we can to prevent them and this was the first of the weekend. Josh had done 8 runs of the course over Saturday and Sunday with no problems. It’s unfortunate that this happened on his race run, especially as we had every chance of being on the podium again” said Team Manager and Performance Coach Ian Warby.

“I was feeling confident and riding well, so to puncture as high up on the course as I did was frustrating. The changes we’d made over night and this morning had made a big difference and I was feeling confident of putting in a good time.  There are lots of positives from the weekend and I’m looking forward to getting back on the podium at round three in Innerliethan in a few weeks’ time” said Team Rider Josh Lowe.

Blockhead Energy Chewing Gum launched on the 1st May 2013 – made from a brand new gum technology, Blockhead energy gum delivers an increase in cognitive and physical performance which is digested 5 times quicker than an energy drink. One pack of 10 gums is comparative to 4 energy drinks, so at £1.95 per pack they are great value for money. For more detail see www.block-head.com

Tesa Tape is the number one protective tape in the automotive industry. It’s perfect for protecting bikes too and preserving that show room look for longer.

Firecrest Mountain Biking provides skills and fitness consultancy providing a range of mountain bike skills courses on Aston Hill for riders of all ages and abilities along with fitness and performance coaching for keeping fit through to racing professionally.

To find out more about Blockhead Energy Downhill Team and Firecrest’s range of MTB Skills courses click over to the website www.firecrestmtb.com

The Blockhead Downhill Team is sponsored and supported by Blockhead Energy Chewing Gum, Firecrest Mountain Biking, Speedsport, IMB Magazine, Trek Bikes, Kali Protectives, Shoretrax Portable Mountain Bike Trails, Whackjob Clothing and Nomad Portable Power Washers.

Saracen British Downhill Series – Round 1 – Combe Sydenham – Sunday 14th April 2013

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Blockhead Downhill Mountain Bike Racing Team

Saracen British Downhill Series – Round 1 – Combe Sydenham – Sunday 14th April 2013

It was the new kids on the block who took first place in the opening round of the British Downhill Series on Sunday 14th April

Josh Lowe - Blockhead DH

Josh Lowe drops into the the finish at the opening round of the British Downhill Series taking the win for Blockhead DH

Josh Lowe, riding for the brand new Blockhead Energy Gum DH Team scored his first win at national level, making it a dream debut for his delighted team who are now off to a flying start to their 2013 campaign.

Conditions at the Combe Sydenham course at Exmoor national park were challenging, following heavy rainfall the previous day, but newcomer Josh finished in the fastest time in the Expert Category, taking his place on the podium only four months after graduating from the Junior Category.

The Combe Sydenham course presents the racers with a number of challenges from the tight and twisty wooded sections that punctuate the hillside through to big jumps and high speeds that are a fans favourite through the open middle section of the track.

“I’d felt great coming into the weekend, my training (with Firecrest MTB) over the winter has gone really well and my new Trek bike performed brilliantly in the tough conditions,” said Josh. “With the weather making things so difficult so I am even more thrilled to take the win today.”

For team manager and performance coach Ian Warby, the result was a dream start to the season. “When we sat down and talked about setting the team up at the start of the year this was a dream. For Josh to be on top of the podium is a fantastic result and it’s great to get the season off to such a good start. I can’t thank our sponsors enough for working so hard to get the team here for round one and their support for our 2013 race programme.

Now The Blockhead team are looking forward to more wins as their riders compete at events across the UK and Europe over the summer.

Results

1 Josh LOWE Blockhead Energy DH Team 2:57.969 (1)  
2 George BELK Maxim Bikes 2:59.944 (2) 1.975s
3 Nikki WHILES Team Skene 3:01.290 (3) 3.321s
4 James STOCK   3:01.836 (4) 3.867s
5 Josh LEWIS StevePeatSyndicate 3:02.592 (5) 4.623s

Blockhead Energy Chewing Gum launches in May 1st 2013 – made from a brand new gum technology, Blockhead energy gum delivers an increase in cognitive and physical performance which is digested 5 times quicker than an energy drink. One pack of 10 gums is comparative to 4 energy drinks, so at £1.95 per pack they are great value for money. For more detail see www.block-head.com

Tesa Tape is the number one protective tape in the automotive industry. It’s perfect for protecting bikes too and preserving that show room look for longer.

Firecrest Mountain Biking provides skills and fitness consultancy providing a range of mountain bike skills courses on Aston Hill for riders of all ages and abilities.

To find out more about Blockhead Energy Downhill Team and Firecrest’s range of MTB Skills courses click over to the website www.firecrestmtb.com

The Blockhead Downhill Team is sponsored and supported by Blockhead Energy Chewing Gum, Firecrest Mountain Biking, Speedsport, IMB Magazine, Trek Bikes, Kali Protectives, Shoretrax Portable Mountain Bike Trails, Whackjob Clothing and Nomad Portable Power Washers.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

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We like to wish all of our clients old and new and those yet to join us a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It’s been an exciting year for all of us here at Firecrest Mountain Biking. As a pioneer of the Mountain Bike Skills Instruction (can you believe that 2013 is our 15th year) it’s great to see the growth in the mountain bike skills training sector and so many people getting out there and  looking to improve their skills through training and instruction rather than trial and error. However this brings with it a new set of challenges for us as here at Firecrest MTB. Not least how we make sure that we a) stay ahead of the competition, and b) let our customers know that we have the passion, knowledge and experience to ensure that they’ll have a great time on our courses and come away with the skills only ever dreamed about having.

For 2013 we’ll continue to innovate and take our programmes to the next level. We’ve been piloting a range of training aids including live video feedback on all courses and live timing (for our Race courses). I won’t begin to go into what we’ve learnt through the hours of training with video with our clients some of which race with the fastest racers on the planet. It’s been yet another road on an incredible journey to take mountain bike skills training and instruction to the next level.

What we do know regardless of whether your going mountain biking for the first time or looking to challenge at the highest level of competition across the disciplines we’ll share our years of knowledge, experience and passion and work as hard as we can with you to make those goals a reality.

So as 2012 draws to a close and our thoughts turn to 2013 we look forward to seeing you out on the trail soon. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like discuss your requirements for mountain bike skills training and/or Fitness and Performance.

Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ian and Mark – Firecrest Mountain Biking

Firecrest Fitness and Performance – 1-to-1 No Obligation Consultation Offer

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Here at Firecrest Mountain Biking we have a depth of experience across the mountain bike disciplines of Downhill (DH), Cross-Country (XC), 4X and Enduro we know what it takes to take your performance to the next level combining the best in Skills Training and Instruction along with Fitness and Performance Coaching.

We’ve worked with riders of all ages and experience so we also know how important it is to have a training programme that’s aligned with your goals and ambitions. It’s also important to focus on making the most of the time you have to train. Balancing these factors is the key to getting the results you aspire too.

That’s where working with the right coach can make all the difference!

The good news is that having a coach might not be as expensive as you think and you’ll find that having someone to work with as you train towards your goals will make all the difference when it comes to achieving your ambitions.

We also know that spending hours browsing websites looking for the right training package can often leave you just as confused as when you started. That’s why Firecrest MTB are offing the opportunity to speak to our fitness guru Mark Baines for free with no obligation.

The best bit is that we’ll even call you at a time that’s convenient for you.

This enables us to do the following:

  1. Make sure that you’re going to benefit from our coaching and that we’ve identified your short, medium and long term goals and know they are achievable.
  2. Make sure that we are going to deliver the right programme for you to achieve those goals. We will talk you through the benefits of our core packages and tailored elements.
  3. Make sure that if you choose one our programmes you only pay for what you need, ensuring that you get maximum value from the training package we’ll create for you.
  4. There’s no cost to you. You only start paying when you sign up to one of our Fitness and Performance programmes!

If you’d like Mark to give you a call to discuss your Fitness and Performance requirements send an e-mail to Mark at baines_mark_@hotmail.com with, your name, contact telephone number, and the best time to call and Mark will be in touch.

Remember the seasons not as far away as you think! Make that first step to achieving your goals and drop us and e-mail.

Let’s take your performance to the next level in 2013!

Mountain Bike Worlds Countdown

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UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships 2012 to come

Greg Minnaar

South Africa's Greg Minnaar in Downhill Action

Salzburger Land, Saalfelden Leogang Austria, August 2nd 2012 – The summer of sports 2012 has some big events in store. At the moment all eyes are on the London Olympic Games, but for the MTB community the actual highlight is still to come: The UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships in Saalfelden Leogang. From August 29th to September 9th the two venues in the Salzburger Land will be the epicenter of the mountain bike universe. Alongside big names and top class bike action there will also be big celebrations, appropriate for such a Mega-event as the world championships. These 2 fantastic weeks will offer great athletes, competition premieres like the cross-country eliminator as well as a diversified side program packed full of action.

Of course Saalfelden Leogang is also excited about who will take home the medals from the Olympic Games. But there is another, obviously high contagious virus raging in the Salzburger Land: The worlds-fever and the pleasant anticipation for the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships are becoming more and more noticeable throughout the entire region. Stefan Pühringer, director of the Saalfelden Leogang Touristism GmbH describes the ambiance on site as follows:  “The worlds is the ultimate supreme in the discipline of Mountain biking and it is a great honor for us to organize it. We are all very proud to host such a prominent collection of events. What started over ten years ago with a small pioneering project – the Bikepark Leogang – has become one of our core touristic markets. We are especially happy, that Saalfelden can continue to branch out in to the endurance discipline of cross country and establish itself as a true sporting city.”

And endurance is what we will need to see this major event through. In order to help you plan in advance, here is the final schedule with a selection of the most important events at the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships 2012:

Friday, August 31st:

  • Men and Women 4X Qualifying Round (5:30pm)

 Saturday, September 1st:

  • Men and Women 4X World Championships (5:30pm)
Aaron Gwin

The USA's Aaron Gwin is hot favorite for the 2012 title.

Sunday, September 2nd:

  • Women Juniors and Men Juniors Downhill World Championships(10:30am)
  • Women Elite Downhill World Championships (1:00pm)
  • Men Elite Downhill World Championships (2:00pm)

Wednesday, September 5th:

  • Women Trials World Championships (10:00am – 2:00pm)

Thursday, September 6th:

  • Cross-country Team Relay World Championships (5:00pm)
  • Men Juniors Trials 20’’ World Championships (7:00pm  – 8.45pm)
  • Men Elite Trials 20’’ World Championships (9:00pm – 10:45pm)

Friday, September 7th:

  • Women Under 23 Cross-country World Championships (11:00am)
  • Men Under 23 Cross-country World Championships (2:00pm)
  • Women Juniors Cross-country World Championships (5:00pm)
  • Men Juniors Trials 26’’ World Championships (7:00pm – 8:45pm)
  • Men Elite Trials 26’’ World Championships (9:00pm – 10:45pm)
The top cross-country riders in the world in action

The Cross-Country riders will be looking to settle the score post Olympics

Saturday, September 8th:

  • Men Juniors Cross-country World Championships (9:00am)
  • Women Elite Cross-country World Championships (11:00am)
  • Men Elite Cross-country World Championships (2:00pm)

Sunday, September 9th:

  • Cross-country Eliminator World Championships (1:30pm)

Please find more detailed information about the world’s schedule on: http://www.saalfeldenleogang2012.at/en/

The opening ceremony for the World Championships takes place in the city center of Saalfelden on August 29th. We will see a parade of participating nations including all participants on the Rathausplatz starting at 7:00pm. Salzburger Land’s official delegate Mag. David Brenner, the mayors of Saalfelden and Leogang, as well as an official delegate of the UCI will begin the ceremony with some welcoming words. Afterwards, the region will present its finest performers offering a full hearted Austrian experience: traditional folk music and Jazz, as well as Schuhplattler (well-known from the Oktoberfest) and Goasslschnalzer (a “gaudy” specialty from the German-speaking Alps area) will underline the cultural heritage of the region.

The celebrations are expected to carry on throughout the 2 weeks with numerous parties and live music, for example the big Ö3-Party on Friday, August 31st with the Funk & Soul Combo „The Jackson Eleven“ (located at the Leoganger Bergbahnen event hall, entrance fee 8 Euro, 6 Euro in advance sale). On Saturday, the Leoganger Bergbahnen will be hosting the ‘Override Afterparty the Second’ (some of you might remember the ‘First Override Afterparty’ at the Out of Bounds Festival), featuring DJ Grandheight. The party starts at 9:00pm, guests must be over the age of 16.

The Trials Nights is an evening activity highlight at the worlds’: On Thursday September 6th and Friday 7th the Trials finals will take place at floodlight in the city center of Saalfelden, supported by hosts and DJ. Entrance is free! (from 7:00pm to 10:45pm)

To end the worlds in a spectacular fashion the closing party ‘BIKE Vibration’ will feature BUZZ CLUBBING on Saturday, September 8th in the „Congress“ of Saalfelden. This party will be open until the early morning. Since the big final is on Sunday, the Cross-Country Eliminator World Championships will start at 1:30pm so that everybody can get enough sleep after the closing party.

The organization committee, the UCI as well as all participating athletes are looking forward to the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and hope to see a great turnout from the entire MTB community!

Become a fan of the worlds 2012 on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SaalfeldenLeogang2012

The British National Championships Weekend – Cross-Country and Downhill

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Josh Lowe - National Champs

Josh Lowe flat out at the National Downhill Championships 2012

There’s one weekend on the UK’s domestic calendar that for most athletes everything pivots on. It’s the National Championships! It’s the big race of the year and the chance to put your name in the record books and a National Champions Jersey in your wardrobe.

From a skills development perspective the work never stops and although it’s hard to fit in sessions during the busy race season I’m always reviewing the races with riders and looking at new techniques for the riders to try. Mark’s also busy with the Fitness Training side of things, peaking at the right phase in the season is and art and at Firecrest we are fortunate that Mark seems to have the magic formula to ensure that riders are on form come the time of their targeted races.

From a coaches perspective you’re working on making sure that all the work is done and that the athlete is ready coming into the weekend. As Seb Coe used to say “the hay is in the barn” there’s nothing you can do in the week before your race what will be will be. It’s also a challenge to maintain a perspective and focus from an athletes. You can go into the Championship in the form of your life, you’ve worked hard but so has the competition all you can do is the best you can on the day.

Here at Firecrest we are committed to working hard to make sure athletes reach the championship in the best possible condition to the do the best they can do.

Cross-Country Nationals – Wasing Estate

Firecrest skills and fitness trained rider Maxine Filby went into the weekend after a strong showing to date. A third place finish at the last round of the National Series and World Cup in Canada and the States under her belt Maxine was in confident mood when I saw her last week for a skills session in the run up to the Champs weekend.

At one of the National XC Series races earlier in the year she’d struggled with her breathing and to her frustration the problem returned on lap one. To Maxine’s credit she doesn’t give up easy and after nearly a lap gasping for breath she found her rhythm and came home in a creditable 8th place. A little frustrated at the time having struggled with her breathing, but that soon passed when I reminded her of her goals at the beginning of the season. Ok she was a couple of places behind the top five placing she was targeting but it was still a great result and it give’s Mark Baines (Firecrest’s fitness expert) and I plenty to work on for the rest of the season and into 2013!

The season continues and Maxine heads out to France for the next round of the World Cup in Val d’Isère France to continue here international campaign.

Downhill Nationals – Moelfre

Firecrest works with a number of downhill riders on the UK and World Cup Downhill scene. From the skills on the bike to the mindset off there’s far more to getting things right on the downhill bike than people first think. Control of your bike and more importantly control of your emotions, particularly the fight, freeze or fight response are key to putting together the perfect run.

 Junior Men

Firecrest Skills Coaching

Ian from FirecrestMTB reviews Josh's practice runs in preparation for seeding.

Since the days of Junior Development Firecrest MTB has always worked with up and coming talent in the junior category. This FMTB Skills Trained Athlete’s Josh Lowe (Madison Saracen) and Mike O’Brien (Speedsport) racing have been working with Firecrest.

Unfortunately a combination of a shady transition and gust of wind too Mike over the bars, landing heavily in the 4X jump section of the track ending his day and his chances in practice.

So for Firecrest the focuss switched to Josh, coming in off the back of a strong performance at the last BDS race in Glencoe Josh was ready to give it his all. Seeding in 6th showed he was on the pace and in the finals he shaved 4 seconds off his seeding run to finish seventh on the day.

Phil Atwell (Madison Saracen)  just missed out on adding to his medal collection, second in seeding and fourth in the finals left Phil a little frustrated but as a first year junior he’ll be back for revenge in 2013. Phil got into mountain biking through Firecrest’s Junior Development program back in the day and it’s always good to see him putting in great performances and doing his selection for the 2012 Junior World Championship  Team no harm in the process.

National Championship Men

Harry Molloy - National Champs 2

Harry Molloy on his way to 9th place at the National Downhill Championships

Firecrest have been working with Harry Molloy (Madison Saracen) for the last three seasons. Harry comes to us for skills coaching and to work on his mental preparation. With a big team around him and lot’s of support we provide a little consultancy and insight from time to time. Polishing his skills and tuning up his mindset.

Harry’s had another stellar season both domestically and internationally as the 21 year old builds continues to build his experience and reputation. Fifth in seeding underlined his confidence on this track. Setting off just in front of Steve Peat in the finals Harry came home to take 9th place. Not quite what he wanted coming into the finals and based on his form in seeding but enough to put him inside the top 10 against some of the fastest riders in the World.

Olie Burton

Olie Burton on his way to 14th place on the day.

Olie Burton was on form too, coming home in 14th place to underline his form of late. Olie was another rider targeting a top 10 performance but with times as tight as they were he’s looking forward to the remaining international races and a strong finish to his season.

Dave Kynaston continued his come back after his arm surgery over the winter. As with all recovery’s it’s been a long road. But Dave starting to find the pace of a couple of seasons ago and we are working hard to get him back up to full speed for the remainder of the season and into 2013.

So that’s the 2012 Nationals rapped up for another year:

Here are your Cross-Country Champions:

Cross Country

Espoir Female: Annabel Simpson
Espoir Male: Kenta Gallagher
Grand Vet Female: Kim Long
Grand Vet Male: Pete Harris
Junior Female: Bethany Crumpton
Junior Male: Samuel Stean
Juvenile Female: Emily Wadsworth
Juvenile Male: William Gascoyne
Master Female: Fay Cripps
Master Male: Luke Smith
Senior Female: Nikki Harris
Senior Male: Liam Killeen
Super Vet Male: Victor Barnett
Vet Female: Helen MacGregor
Veteran Male: Lewis King
Youth Female: Lucy Grant
Youth Male: Billy Harding

Here are your Downhill Champions:

Juvenile Men: James Purvis 2:54.061
Youth Men: Taylor Vernon 2:38.184
Grand Veteran Men: Howard Stuttard 3:06.178
Veteran Men 45-49: John Cobb 2:50.396
Veteran Men 40-44: Nigel Page 2:41.051
Master Men 35-39: Christopher Whitfield 2:39.785
Master Men 30-34: Richard Cunynghame 2:41.117
Senior Men Non-Championship: Jake Ward 2:35.040
Women Non-Championship: Kerry Wrigglesworth 3:14.295
Elite Women: Rachel Atherton 2:39.012
Junior Men: Joseph Connell 2:31.718
Championship Men: Gee Atherton 2:25.938

Download the full Downhill results here

Download the full XC results here

Thanks to www.twitter.com/robbiedevery for all the photo from the Sunday.

 

Firecrest Mountain Biking on Facebook

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It’s been a long time coming but Firecerst Mountain Biking have joined Facebook. Our Facebook page is the one stop shop for all the latest on all the Firecrest Athletes and news on our range of mountain bike skills courses, races and events that we are working on 2012.

We’ve been busy searching the archives too for some features from back in the day. With the old Firecrest/Aston Hill Website holding some real gems.  Facebook is perfect for showcasing the events from yester year. From the early races through to Mountain Bike World Champion Fabien Barel dropping into promote the Codemasters Computer Game Downhill Domination with Rob Warner.

www.facebook.com/firecrestmtb

AnaNichoola Sping/Summer collection – Women’s MTB Clothing

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When it comes to female specific cycling clothing and female specific mountain bike clothing in particular there’s one brand that’s mixing functionality with style.

Endorsed by Firecrest Skills and Fitness Trained Athlete Maxine Filby for the 2012 race season. AnaNichoola has launched it’s Spring/Summer clothing selection collection.

The first arrivals from the AnaNichoola Sping/Summer collection can be found on their website. The Diva Range, which encourages ladies to Ride Loud with hard wearing, statement pieces includes the Star Jersey and an updated version of our popular Kestral Cycling Gloves.

The range includes a number of jersey designs that compliment a range of shorts, armwarmers and the stunning cafe range all designed by women for women with cycling in mind.

 

Team Madison Saracen Rider Josh Lowe training with FMTB on Aston Hill

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Josh made the most of the half term holidays and time out from his A-levels to come up to Aston Hill for some training with Ian.  After a stella first season on the  Madison Saracen Team Josh’s focus shifts to his aspirations for the 2012 season as a second year Junior. The skills session focused on a the key areas Josh had picked up on at the races and these will be the focus of the first phase of his autumn/winter training program.