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New School BMX 2004 - Now => New School Racing => Topic started by: Mikku on January 01, 2017, 08:23 AM
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Happy New Year Radsters! :bow:
So having caught the racing bug again, as first described here:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,189149.0.html
and then here:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,189263.0.html
I've decided to give racing a go this year and thought it might be interesting if not fun to hang out my dirty washing for all to see share the experience with my fellow Radsters! I can't promise anything very exciting but if nothing else, it'll be a record of a newbie's exploits and something to look back on at the end of the year to see what a fool I made of myself!! Watch this space! :daumenhoch:
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So let's get this blog underway with a New Year's Day post! :daumenhoch:
Just before Christmas I contacted the local race club that runs the Midoriyama track. I spent a while penning a Japanese email, only to receive a reply in English, and I might add, better English than my Japanese!! However, they were very welcoming and recommended that once I kit myself out with a bike, full-face helmet (which I can rent if need be) and long-sleeved shirt, I should join one of their practice days. Their website also lists the BMX/MTB shops that support them, so I visited the 2 nearest ones to get a closer look at some new school bikes and gear. I couldn’t try out any bikes but did get to try on some helmets. As is often the case, sizes vary between the brands, with the most comfortable fitting being the most expensive!! I want to do a bit more research before I part with my cash, but am quite tempted by the white and black 661 on the left in the 2nd pic, which is an older model and therefore a bit cheaper than the funkier camo version on the right!
Back to bikes, I have a few irons in the fire, but have so much to learn about new school rides that I am happily reading all about them online. Also, the first race of the season clashes with a snowboarding trip, which means that I’m aiming for a Spring rather than Winter debut. That gives me a few months to get fit, buy a bike, kit myself out with some essentials, practise and try to sell some of my old school stuff to fund everything! Well that’s the plan as at 1st January!
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:daumenhoch:
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Look forward to hearing how you get on Mick :daumenhoch:
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Sounds like you've got the bug Mick. Kuwi racer? ;)
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Thanks guys! :daumenhoch:
Sounds like you've got the bug Mick. Kuwi racer? ;)
A new school Kuwi racer would be great to have alongside my Laserlite, but I'm not holding my breath! ;)
As for the bug, you're bloody right mate, plus it's had an unexpected side-effect which is that I now find myself looking more at new school race bikes than old school bikes! Of course, old school is where my heart is but if nothing else good comes of this, at least it's going to have forced me to sell some old school framesets, which I have to do to free up some money and space for a race bike. :D
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Happy New Year Mick,
This thread has already caught my eye and for sure 2017 sounds like a very focused year of BMX for you. Interestingly the track you show looks more like the tracks of the 80's, a little more forgiving than some today, which I think is a good thing for a returning racer.
I had a short spell back into racing in New Zealand some nine or ten years ago at the Upper Hurt track near Wellington.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Kąty+Rybackie&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSkwEJgqPPjhePfEMahwELEKjU2AQaAAwLELCMpwgaYgpgCAMSKJ4LjB6NFoAWix79FfwVgRaMFtgV0DjROMIi4yKMOa0q5CL5PuUiiTkaMExTK1HL0hs_1qCYOUp0yMe8jP_18Q6QSlPqF75VIi2uc7N18jy_1UqAixCdq4cb32ofCAEDAsQjq7-CBoKCggIARIE5Mce8gw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5_smuhaPRAhVJXSwKHRn8C80Qwg4IFygA&biw=360&bih=512#imgrc=PLuj86GOtCOL5M%3A (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Kąty+Rybackie&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSkwEJgqPPjhePfEMahwELEKjU2AQaAAwLELCMpwgaYgpgCAMSKJ4LjB6NFoAWix79FfwVgRaMFtgV0DjROMIi4yKMOa0q5CL5PuUiiTkaMExTK1HL0hs_1qCYOUp0yMe8jP_18Q6QSlPqF75VIi2uc7N18jy_1UqAixCdq4cb32ofCAEDAsQjq7-CBoKCggIARIE5Mce8gw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5_smuhaPRAhVJXSwKHRn8C80Qwg4IFygA&biw=360&bih=512#imgrc=PLuj86GOtCOL5M%3A)
It's such a buzz. I was immediately sussed by some old school guys who new the track inside out and were clipped in on New School bikes. They could tell by my style and that I was riding flats. Good to know that if I was riding crap back then that I maintained my standards. LOL.
Looking forward to your progress.
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looking forward to seeing the updates about your adventure into racing this year.
as for the helmet, pick the one that fits best, and if that's the slightly older one then go for it.
am keen to see what set of wheels you end up debuting with.
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Hey Mikku, great thread, and good on you :4_17_5:
I never usually journey into this section of the site but your title grabbed my eye.
Good luck bud, I will be following with interest to see how your exploits progress.
More please :popcorn:
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Thanks for your comments and words of encouragement - all much appreciated! :daumenhoch:
Interestingly the track you show looks more like the tracks of the 80's, a little more forgiving than some today, which I think is a good thing for a returning racer.
I must admit that the forgiving nature of Midoriyama was one of the main factors behind me wanting to give it a go, as the modern tracks I've seen on tv look scary as, and a world away from Eighties' ones!! The Upper Hurt track looks fun though, despite the name! ;D
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Well spotted Mick, off course it's Upper Hutt. :LolLolLolLol: just North of Lower Hutt or shall we call it Bottom Hurt. :LolLolLolLol:
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With some time off work over the New Year, I’ve been spending far too much of it online reading about new school racing and searching for a suitable bike for this year's exploits. However, finding the right bike at the right price is proving difficult, so today I decided to take a break from looking at BMX and actually get out and ride one, albeit only my Laserlite. As I leave my house, I’m faced by the view in the first pic below. The sharp-eyed will have seen this parking area before, as I often use it as the backdrop for photographing my old school builds. However, what caught my eye on this occasion, and for the first time, was the potential it presents for BMX racing! What the hell am I taking about? Well…with the steepish slope and the fixed cage for rubbish, I can now...
...do a bit of start gate practice 10 metres from my front door - sorted!! So long as the neighbours don't mind! :daumenhoch:
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don't stress too much about finding the right bike for now, if you are happy to, and you enjoy it, have you thought about just riding the Kuwi for now? Will be a lesser hit in the pocket for the meantime.
and nice idea with how you have found a way to learn to balance on the gate. Definitely a great way to learn
If it helps, it can be slightly easier on a steeper angle (but not too steep). so if you have any issues with balancing, try adding a brick under a plank of timber or similar to change the angle.
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Thanks for the tip! :daumenhoch:
As for the Kuwi, I did think about doing that originally but didn't know if I could run an old school bike and tbh, am not sure I want to risk damaging it! Plus I get the feeling that it would be like turning up at, say, a WRC event with a Mk 2 Escort! ;D
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Ooh I do love that Laserlite mate ... Loving the updates on this one mate fistblump
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Don't worry about that Mikku, as Lance said, "It's not about the bike."
Which reminds me, have you started your interval training?
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Don't worry about that Mikku, as Lance said, "It's not about the bike."
Which reminds me, have you started your interval training?
& we can always believe what Lance says! :daumenhoch:
Interval training!?! Is that how fast you can run to the bar, order and then a drink a beer during the intermission at the performance of a boring play that you've been dragged along to watch? :D
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A snowboarding trip, going back to work, and trying to get the Ross finished, all temporarily took my focus away from the racing but since this is supposed to be a blog, it’s time for a bit of an update! :daumenhoch:
First off, and as mentioned elsewhere, I’ll finally pulled the trigger on a bike, though won’t get my hands on it for a couple more weeks, so will say no more ‘til then, save that I’m super excited!!! :-X :D
Other than that, I’ve been getting out on my bikes more, and doing some more gate practice on my makeshift setup. As advised, I made the angle steeper (by putting a concrete block under the back wheel), which made balancing a lot easier!! I’ve also had more contact with the local race club, and actually met the guy I’ve been emailing today on a return visit to Midoriyama, where there was a race meeting. Watching the racing just cements my desire to give it a go, and to that end, am planning to attend a lecture/riding technique session that they’re running there next weekend. They’ve confirmed that I can use my Laserlite, which I’m happy to do until my race bike arrives, though was warned that I’ll probably be the oldest attendee by about 30 years!! Talking of which, as and when I actually see some race action, I’ll be put in the Over 30s class, there being no Over 40s class. In all likelihood, I’ll therefore be racing against younger guys which will add to the challenge but I’m up for it and tbh, can't wait, though will no doubt feel different when I'm lined up on the gate in my first moto!!! ;D
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looks like you are all set and ready to go racing.
We just had our "come and try day" which had about 25 people give it a go. Many from all ages, although we know that once the kids get started the parents often follow suit over time, so the older classes do end up gaining numbers.
Best thing you can do is to have a few skills sessions and get to be smooth.
how did you end up going with all the clothing requirements? get your helmet and gloves all sorted?
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Actually, I tried on some TLD upper body armour this very evening! That said, I haven't parted with any cash yet but have been narrowing down my options and am hoping to pick up stuff over the next fortnight!
Am excited about this weekend but have just learnt (and I may have misunderstood this, being in Japanese!! ::) ) that one of the coaches at Midoriyama is the Japanese Olympic team coach!!! Maybe! :daumenhoch:
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So I’ve finally put my money where my mouth is and attended a lecture/technique session at Midoriyama on Sunday morning. As suspected, I was the oldest rider there with most of the 20-odd participants under 10!! Thankfully there was also a thirty-something MTB rider, so I wasn’t the only adult but it was still a bit surreal. After a few basics, we practised how to roll/pump some jumps, then did a bit of berm practice before practising the gate. Overall it was bloody good fun BUT I definitely need to work on 2 things (there’s a lot more but I think these are the main two):- my fitness and how to manual!! My legs were shot by lunchtime (in my defence I had ridden 1 hour to get to the track!), so I only did a few extra laps of the rhythm section but watching the regular racers in the afternoon’s open practice section, the fast guys were all manualling the rollers. I know anyone who’s good at anything makes it look easy, but manualling seemed to be the fastest and smoothest way through the section! I'm not expecting to do that soon, but it's a definite goal! :daumenhoch:
Below are a few pics from Sunday. The first two show my fellow beginners on the start hill but don't let their size deceive you - most of them were nuts, with little or no fear and a similar level of skill!! There was also plenty of banter, with me trying to psyche them out practise my Japanese! & the final one is of the biggest (and oldest) kid on the block! ;D
So with my first official training under my belt, it's now time to focus on a bike, and next weekend I’m due to pick up my new toy. My plan is to spend as much time riding it as possible, and hopefully start to feel as comfortable on it as I do with the Laserlite. I also want to get on that manualling bandwagon asap!! Watch this space!!
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Excellent stuff Mick! :4_17_5: ..and once again some nice pictures! Thanks or sharing! :daumenhoch:
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That`s great Mate..
Little steps at a time..
i cannot wait to see what new beast you have bought.. fistblump
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So after a few months of to-ing and fro-ing between secondhand bikes and new bikes, pro size and XL size frames, buying from the US, Blighty or Japan, I’ve finally got myself a (new school) race bike, namely a custom build from Hong Kong!!! Yeah, yeah, not quite what I envisaged either but bear with me for a moment! Fellow Radster and all round top bloke Dan (“x600se”) offered me a deal on some NOS that I just couldn’t refuse, even though it meant a trip to Hong Kong. So with the bit between my teeth, I managed to snag some cheap flights from Tokyo and “quicker than the human eye”, brought back a BIG box of goodies!
So that’s the background story, here’s the lowdown on my Crupi custom build! Based around a NOS 2011 Pro XL frame, it’s built with a mixture of largely Crupi, Promax and Sinz parts. With a limited choice of colours, and inspired by the 1988, 24-carat gold Hutch Trick Styler, I went for a white theme with a splash of gold in the form of some matching, gold ano parts from Promax. I've posted a few pics below.
Today was the first day out on the bike, so it was more of a shakedown run than anything else but it was super light and responsive. It was definitely a gamble buying a bike without trying it first but sometimes you've just got to go for it, and thankfully my instincts proved right. Now I can’t wait to get out on the track!! :daumenhoch:
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That looks lovely mate.. :smitten:
Such a clean look and those weld.. 8)
The cranks are awesome
Love it
explosion
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Very nice Mick :daumenhoch:
Dangoose is a very good egg fistblump
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Glad you like it! Took a while to get there, and along the way I very nearly pulled the trigger on that black PK, then the yellow Lachesis, but I think it was worth waiting for the Crupi to come along! :slayer:
Yeah, Dangoose is a good 'un, sorting me out with some race gear as well, including Leatt chest and back armour, 661 Rage knee pads, some One Industries Battalion gloves & a No Fear lid, which is rated for motorcross, so should hopefully be good enough for my needs!
Although I gambled with the bike, I was able to try all the race gear on before parting with my hard-earned, which was invaluable, especially with the helmet which although being an S size, actually fitted me better than some M-sized ones I've tried! :daumenhoch:
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:4_17_5: loving the Crupi , just from the pics is the top headset cup seated correctly? looks like it could do with squashing in a bit more, may just be the photo angle?
also ad some some shin pads to your kit, full wrap ones are best, especially if your going to wear shorts, , you will slip the pedals at some point , now the front shinner will hurt like tooth ache, but a pedal pin ripping through the soft fleshy bit on the back ruins your day :daumenhoch: :LolLolLolLol:
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Very tidy. Sounds like it suits you well and will be some fun to ride.
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Thanks for the comments gents! The top headset cup's in fine, so it must be the photo angle. However, some shin pads are definitely on my wish list! :daumenhoch:
Along with the bike and race kit, I've also received my club membership card, as shown below, so I celebrated my new status by putting on my race gear for a few snaps including a bit of gate practice!
There's a regional race at Midoriyama this weekend, so I'll go along for a butcher's then start practising for some race action of my own!!
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Mick, pleasure to meet u the other week mate. Looks like ur all ready to get into it. Good luck with the racing, great crack and loads to learn once u get into it. Plus ur little local track looks sweet as well with that nice OS club feel to it. ;)
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Cheers Dan! :daumenhoch:
Went to the regional yesterday and spoke to a few more people, which was good. Yeah, it definitely has that OS club feel to it, probably due to the fact that the kids classes have full gates, so there's plenty of parental support. There were also 9 starters in the "Over 30s" class, aka my class, so they had to run two heats, which meant that I had double the chance to check out the competition. Not that I'm expecting anything great, of course, I just don't want to be left 20 metres behind the pack, so it was useful to be able to check out their level! :daumenhoch:
The two things that really struck me yesterday though were:-
1. There were quite a few wipe-outs! I'm therefore glad that I've invested in some protection because I'm pretty sure that I don't bounce as well as I did bitd! ;D
2. I've had enough watching and now want to ride!
Right, I've the day off today, the weather's good, so I'm going to get off here and get out there! :D
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Defo one of my all time favourite threads! :4_17_5: Always a great read, funny and your exitement is very catching indeed.
Have a brilliant day Mick! :daumenhoch:
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Thanks Andy, glad you like the thread! I started it mainly as a personal record of my exploits but I must admit, it’s nice to have some words of advice and encouragement along the way! :daumenhoch:
So today I made the most of a sunny national holiday and took the Crupi to Midoriyama! I have to start off by saying that I already love this bike! I rode the 2-hour round trip on it, and it's a great rider. The only thing I’ve yet to find is the manualling sweet spot, so am going to have to spend some more time experimenting with that. Back to Midoriyama, I was there for about 3 hours, probably half of which was spent catching my breath, sipping energy drinks and fannying around with photos. However, I did have the place to myself so was able to go at my own pace, which was nice! The track is basically 4 straights and 4 berms, as can be seen in this satellite shot below (the start gate's on the bottom right).
After a knackering couple of attempts at full laps, I decided to break the track up into 4 parts, which I could practice one at a time. Having already been there twice and got a feel for the place, this time I really wanted to focus on the ol’ pumping technique and slowly but surely, I seemed to get better at it. Not sure what it looked like but I was more or less able to keep the momentum going to the end of each straight, with a few sneaky pedal strokes thrown in if not! However, I still have a real problem with the last straight, which is the rhythm section full of fairly evenly sized, closely packed rollers. I've posted a few pics below so you can see what I’m talking about. The section in question is in the foreground, on the right hand side in the 2nd pic, with the 3rd pic showing what it looks like from the tabletop at the beginning of the straight.
Manualling is currently not an option for this newbie, so at the moment I’m having to grab the bull by the horns and try to pump my way through the section, which I have to say is more difficult and scarier than the much larger rollers on the rest of the track. The feeling is much like I imagine riding a rodeo horse, namely I feel like I’m going to bucked off at any moment! Any suggestions on how to survive and/or deal with this section would be gratefully received!! The 4th pic shows the spacing between the rollers.
Overall though, it was good session. The Crupi felt great, my pumping improved and I'm generally feeling more confident. Perhaps most importantly, I didn't injure myself, though my wrists and knees are now bloody sore! Onwards and upwards! :daumenhoch:
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Ill try to explain the technique as best as possible. It is hard to describe at times and much easier to show it, but lets give it a go.
So as you'de probably know, it is more then just using the arms, you need to use the whole body, especially the legs to get good backsides on the rollers.
As you approach the roller you lift up as such the front end so your arms are bent, depending on the size of the roller the bars can be super close to your chest.
As you go over the "peak" you need to push down the front end, so this is where you can be over the front of the bars quite a bit. At the same time, and this is the trickier part, you are "pulling up the rear of the bike so your legs are staring to "compress" for lack of better words.
Once the rear wheel is over you now also use your legs to push down the backside of the jump to get the full speed.
It is as you can see not the easiest to explain without a picture. But hopefully will give you a rough idea of how you use the whole body to almost unload the bike on the way up the face of the jump and then load it up on the backside. basically lightening and then making it heavier.
Once you do get the skills up you can kind of float over the rollers and will gain some very big speeds out of it.
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That's excellent mate - appreciate the help! I've just watched a few youtube clips to cement what you said, and will try to put it into practice when I head back to the track this weekend! Whilst I was on there, I had another look at the manualling vids and am going to have a crack at that again tomorrow!! This kind of takes me back 35 years to when I was first learning to bunny hop! :daumenhoch:
Just found this pic, which I think captures the "peak" you mentioned. I also like their choice of forks! :daumenhoch:
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Well on that front, this may help.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/How-to-Manual-amp-Bunny-Hop-Your-Bike-2012.html (https://www.pinkbike.com/news/How-to-Manual-amp-Bunny-Hop-Your-Bike-2012.html)
Next weekend I've been entered to update the coaching accreditation to what you would call an intermediate level (so wheels off the ground). If I pick up much that might be of help then i'll put them up. It will probably be more about conditioning and training methods but should involve teaching jumping an manualling.
Im at that stage with manualling aswell. Can get most jumps pretty sweet, but trying to find that balance point for the real long ones (either on track or on the street). Still have a goal for one day, maybe during peak hour to go through one of the city streets on the back wheel.
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Thanks mate! Reading and watching that, I definitely need to practise driving through more from the hips. That might also help to prevent the lower back pain I've got today after just 10 minutes trying to manual yesterday! ::)
Good luck with the coaching course! I look forward to seeing your "How to" vids on Youtube in due course! :daumenhoch:
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haha, my how to vids would look like,
"how to turn on dirt, but not manage to stay upright on bitumen" haha.
and yeah manualling is more about keeping the arms straight and using the hips to push out and balance.
give it while and over time you start to pick up on how much you need to move about for how deep or long the jump is.
Just saw the pic, and that's probably a bit extreme but could be because of the track set up.
its definitely how the kids can get it done, but you would have a bit more size behind you so it wont be quite so exaggerated. for example you wont be down quite as low down.
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just my opinion here and from experience, there are a lot of us on here been down the same path your on,
tbh i wouldn't worrie about manualling for the moment ,getting fit enough and the skill to get round the whole track as fast as you can without falling is probably more important at your stage, manualling will come on it's own as you get faster round the track, looking at the size of the rollers pumping will get you over them pretty quickly ,
you can practice as much as you want but for the first couple of races it will all go out the window by the time you've got to the end of the first straight, it's a whole different game when you've got seven other nutters all hacking down the track aiming for the same point on the berm :LolLolLolLol: as to finishing behind everyone else then thats a triumph on its own, it wont be like that , keep up with the guy in last place if thats where your are then try to pass him , you never know in a race, people fall, make mistakes so the opertunity to take a few places is never far away,
by far the best practice for racing is to race , i can pretty much guarentee by the end of the day your face will be hurting from the big smile you've got :daumenhoch:
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Thanks for your advice guys - really appreciate it! I have a tendency to overthink things, so yeah, will put manualling on the backburner for the time being and concentrate on getting fit and ready for the my first race in mid-April, in 3 weeks time. To that end, I'm planning to get back out on the track again this coming week. :daumenhoch:
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Sounds like a good plan. Definitely good to focus just getting around for now.
The hardest thing to develop and teach is racecraft as oldtired has mentioned in a different way.
Basically the ability to do things that require a lot of thought without thinking.
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With today off work, I decided to head back to Midoriyama for some mid-week practice. However, things didn’t go quite to plan! I made it there ok and was putting my knee pads on when a security guard pulled up on a moped. 30 years ago I might have pegged it but the times they are a-changin’, and I had a chat to the guy instead. As suspected, my unofficial practice sessions were just that, and after trying to explain that to me in Japanese, he produced a note with “Private Property – No Trespassing” clearly written in English, so that I was left in no doubt as to my wrongdoing! :police:
So my planned pumping practice didn’t pan out but on the plus side, I wasn’t arrested, and I also put another 2 hours of riding on the Crupi. Admittedly not on track but still productive, as I'm normally too knackered to do anything on the way home, so this time I did half a dozen or so sprints, and rode up the hills that I normally get off for! I also wore my new elbow pads throughout the whole time, just to get a feel for them, and after 5 minutes I forgot I was wearing them, so that was good.
The next official practice session at Midoriyama is on 9th April, so I will head back there then. In the meantime I do have a Plan B, namely another track to check out, which I shall be doing, albeit as a spectator, this coming weekend. Report and pics to follow! :daumenhoch:
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best not upset the locals :daumenhoch: :LolLolLolLol:
although it may be worth finding out if or where they practice, there must be an open track somewhere , see if you can tag along with them ,
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although it may be worth finding out if or where they practice, there must be an open track somewhere , see if you can tag along with them ,
I'm on the case! :daumenhoch:
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So I carried out Plan B on Sunday and visited another track:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,190197.0.html
However, my mid-week misdemeanor at Midoriyama caught up with me because as soon as I arrived, I was called over and spoken to by the club officials, who had been contacted by the Midoriyama security staff. Given the embarrassment that this would have caused them (loss of face is a HUGE thing in Japan), a suitable (well actually, probably an insufficient) amount of apologising and bowing followed, but I’ve undoubtedly blotted my copybook. Oh well, this blog is all about trials and tribulations, so from that point of view I’m still on track, as it were.
Anyway, cultural faux pas and reprimands aside, the trip to Kawaguchi was well worth it. I met and chatted to a couple of the Japanese guys I’ll be racing with in the over 30s class, as well as a few other people who now recognise me. There's a full description and some photos of the track in the other thread but I liked the look of the place. The race meeting was a much smaller, lower-key event than those I've seen at Midoriyama, so would probably be a better place for my first race outing but unfortunately the next meeting there isn't until June, therefore Midoriyama it is. However, I definitely want to go there to practise though, as I don’t have a car, this is going to mean manhandling the Crupi on the 75-minute train journey to the nearest station and then riding there! I have some time off work this week, so watch this space!
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Have bag, will travel (and practice)!! :daumenhoch:
I've been meaning to get a bike bag for a while, as you can't take bikes on Japanese trains without one. Then when I saw that Tioga made a BMX-specific one, the deal was done! I should end up looking like the guy in the 3rd pic if I can work out how to follow the instructions!
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So I made it back to Kawaguchi today. It was a day of firsts and seconds – first time taking a BMX on a Japanese train (courtesy of the "BMX Cocoon"), first time on my second Japanese BMX track, and my first and second falls! I spent a couple of hours at the track, cutting out the first straight to create a loop, so that I could practice the two rhythm sections. The more time I spend on them, the better I’m getting, or least the more comfortable I’m feeling riding them! I’m not sure how that translates from a speed point of view but I feel I’m making progress. I've posted a pic of the rhythm section on the finish straight, with the start hill and doubles on the right.
I also practised those doubles and getting faster each time, ended up on the dirt! The first turn was quite damp after some overnight rain and on my third or fourth run through, my front end washed out and I got the chance to check out the integrity of my left knee pad, left elbow pad, the G-Force padding on my left shoulder and the left side of my helmet! Thankfully all came through with flying colours!! :daumenhoch:
Later on I tried jumping the tabletop at the beginning of the finish straight and after half a dozen goes, was nearly getting it right when I got it completely wrong, and hit the dirt for a second time, again falling on my left side. I’m so grateful for wearing the TLD guards as even with those on, I still scraped the skin off my elbow. As far as I’m concerned, the money I’ve spent on buying the race gear has already paid dividends as without it all, I’m sure I’d have more than a sore shoulder and bloodied elbow. & if you're not falling, you're not trying, right?! Anyway, despite the falls, I had a good day and learnt a lot.
This Sunday is an official practice day at Midoriyama, so I’m planning to head back there, though there’s currently a threat of rain, so we’ll see what pans out.
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it may sound silly but it's good to get a few falls out of the way, there will no doubt be more to follow , the thing is , the fear of falling affects your confidence to push yourself faster round the the track , now you know the padding works you can forget about falling, and concentrate on building up your speed :daumenhoch:
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Yeah, definitely! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all that! :daumenhoch:
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Sadly, rain stopped play today, which is a bloody shame for 2 reasons. Firstly, this afternoon’s official practice session at Midoriyama was my last chance to get in some track time before next Sunday’s race debut. Secondly, I was due to join a “skill-up clinic” this morning, where I would have got some tips and pointers from a Japanese coach. There are some other clinics during the year, so I will make sure that I go to one of those, though this one was perfectly timed!! :'(
Also, I’ve discovered another track, albeit further afield and probably necessitating a hire car rather than my newly acquired BMX Cocoon to reach it! It also looks much more like the tracks I’ve seen abroad, with bigger jumps and non-dirt berms, so I think I’ll be leaving that one on the backburner for a while, or at least until I’ve got a few races at Midoriyama and Kawaguchi under my belt, the first of which should be this time next week!!! Weather (and rider confidence) permitting, of course! :daumenhoch:
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Thats a shame about the weather, although can completely understand about not riding to stop damage to the track etc.
Had a muddy weekend actually, as for our bigger events they go ahead no matter the weather.
Couldn't tell which bikes were which. So luckily the correct ones came home haha.
I'd say the bigger track with the bigger jumps could actually be easier than you think.
as strange as it sounds, if it is quite a rolly track and isn't "lippy" or "peaky" it should actually be good for riding on as it shouldn't throw you around.
Do look forward to seeing your progress on that though.
Been back to Kawaguchi yet for another ride?
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So I carried out Plan B on Sunday and visited another track:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,190197.0.html
However, my mid-week misdemeanor at Midoriyama caught up with me because as soon as I arrived, I was called over and spoken to by the club officials, who had been contacted by the Midoriyama security staff.
How on earth did they know it was you?
Are there now photofit images of you at every track as a man to look out for?
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I bloodywell hope not! :2gunsfiring_v1: Nah, I have to admit the fault was all mine, as during my chat with the security guard we got talking about bikes and when he told that he had a Brompton folding bike, I let slip that I was British. :idiot2: There being no other BMXing Brits in the area (apart from Clint's brother that is!), the club staff put 2 and 2 together and ended up with me, which I confirmed when they asked me if I'd been there, as I didn't want to dig a bigger hole for myself by lying. :angel:
Yeah it was a pity about last Sunday, and it's raining again now, so I'm not sure what's going to happen this weekend either! I haven't had time to go back to Kawaguchi, so haven't been out since then, which is not ideal but such is life!
Below is a pic of that other track I mentioned. There's a pump track to practise on too, so I'm definitely going to check it out over the next couple of months. First off, though, I need to lose my cherry at Midoriyama!! :daumenhoch:
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The weather forecast's ok for tomorrow, so I've picked up the hire car, planned my route, given the bike the once over and got all my gear together. :daumenhoch:
Must admit that I'm sh*tting bricks, but it's time to stop talking and start racing! See you on the other side! :D
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So after 4 months of thinking (lots), talking (lots), asking questions (lots), posting stuff on here (lots), spending money (a fair bit) and practising (a little bit), I’ve finally had my first BMX race in over 30 years. In no particular order, it was an adrenaline-filled day of nerves, excitement, exhaustion, disappointment and satisfaction!! Pics below.
Results-wise, there were 7 guys in my class (over 30s novice) and I finished 7th, 7th and 6th in the three motos. Not the most impressive of stats but on the plus side, at least I didn’t fall and/or injure anything other than my pride! Things I learnt include:-
1. I’m unfit. I knew this already but it was really brought home to me on Sunday. The other riders weren’t that much faster than me but I was definitely running out of steam more quickly, to the extent that I was almost coasting by the end;
2. How important the start is. I was so focussed on not messing up my 2-pedal starts (which, thankfully, were ok), that I wasn’t thinking about the lights or when the gate might drop. As a result I was last out of the gate each time and couldn’t catch up with the pack, apart from the 3rd moto when there was a tangle in the first berm.
Things I therefore need to work on before the next race (next month) include my fitness and starts. I can only practise gates on the official practice days, so will make sure that I go to them, including the next one this coming weekend. In the meantime, I’m going to ramp up my training regime starting with some uphill sprint training!
Racing aside, the day was really productive in that I spoke to a few more people and made some more contacts, which was great. That included finding out about two more practising/riding options, in the form of a small-ish dirt track that has a couple of rhythm sections and a larger, UCI-sanctioned track further afield, both of which I aim to check out over the coming weeks. So despite my less-than-impressive results, I enjoyed my first day of racing and am looking forward to improving and generally getting faster, so that I can start mixing it more with the other over 40s, if not over 30s! In any case, I will continue to share my exploits here. :daumenhoch:
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:4_17_5: well done first one out the way :daumenhoch: don't worrie about where you finnish for the first few meetings getting over the nerves and gaining experiance is the important bit, not falling is a bounus :daumenhoch:
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Thanks man! :daumenhoch:
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This is as good as any build thread. Great story and progress!! fistblump
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This is as good as any build thread. Great story and progress!! fistblump
Thanks mate! I'm trying, and will hopefully be trying some more at a practice session on Sunday!! :daumenhoch:
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I'm Really enjoying this thread thought about having a go myself so I went along to look at a track in Manchester changed my mind straight away to scary the speed some of the kids where flying round I've already had one heart attack didn't fancy another so hats off to you
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Looks like its going well :daumenhoch:
Do as many starts as you can, I used to do as many as I could in one session, pretty much only rode the full track a couple of time each time I went.
Get the start and 1st straight down and you have a much better chance. :daumenhoch:
Everyone is different on starts, some listen and some look, I always used to go on the 2nd beep, worked for me. :)
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Thanks gents! :daumenhoch:
I'm Really enjoying this thread thought about having a go myself so I went along to look at a track in Manchester changed my mind straight away to scary the speed some of the kids where flying round I've already had one heart attack didn't fancy another so hats off to you
Yeah, some of the tracks I've seen on tv/online look way too gnarly for my liking! I've been lucky in that the jumps at Midoriyama aren't too big and the track still has an old school feel about it, apart from those bloody rhythm sections! :2gunsfiring_v1:
Looks like its going well :daumenhoch:
Do as many starts as you can, I used to do as many as I could in one session, pretty much only rode the full track a couple of time each time I went.
Get the start and 1st straight down and you have a much better chance. :daumenhoch:
Everyone is different on starts, some listen and some look, I always used to go on the 2nd beep, worked for me. :)
One of the guys I raced with at the weekend said he goes on the first beep, so I think I'll get myself up on the hill and watch/listen to the sequence before trying, as the last thing I want to do is go over the bars!
I really like that advice about practising the start and 1st straight though!! The other guys weren't that much faster than me, so if I can stay with them by the first berm hopefully I can get in amongst them a bit more. I'm still a bit apprehensive about taking the first jump/roller at full speed, so need to get that sorted as I lose a bit of momentum there too.
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Rooski is spot on , i know i followed him round the track a few times :LolLolLolLol:
one thing, and you may not be aware your doing it, is not pedaling, again sounds silly but it something almost every one does when starting to race , usually on the aproach and exit of the jumps , you tend to freewheel on the approach ,getting set up ready to get over the jump, over the length of the track this can be quite a distance where you're not actually going forwards , or rather gaining any ground , the theory being if you not pedaling your slowing down ,it can feel a little odd aproaching a jump and still pedaling at it, getting someone to film you can help with this , again it's something to put into practice as your confidence and skill builds
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And one of the best things when it comes to improving is to work on 1 thing at a time rather than multiple at once.
Like gate starts. Don't try to change everything in 1 hit.
Get the basics right. So wrists up, cranks level with the chainstay (or up a couple of clicks like 2 or 3), back straight, legs slightly bent and butt back a bit. It is pretty much the combo we teach to the beginner riders
Then when it comes to modifying the technique, then only change 1 or max 2 parts of it and only in a minor way. Big changes can really throw out your ability in a non conscious way (ie so you aren't thinking about it).
Sounds like you had a blast though. It does get addictive though and white line fever does take over :whistle:
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Thanks so much for the tips and advice guys - I really do appreciate it and am trying to take it all in and put it into practice. :daumenhoch:
Sunday's practice session at Midoriyama was rained off, so with a sunny day today and more rain forecast for tomorrow, I sought out an alternative, namely Umikaze Park down on the coast. More info and pics here:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=190313.msg1912976#msg1912976
I'm not a big dirt jumper, but the Umikaze track had some rhythm sections which I spent a good hour or so practicing. I'm slowly getting more comfortable and hopefully a little faster over them, even without manualling, though that's still a long-term goal! :D
My plan is to get some sort of track practice once a week, so next week I'll try to head back to Kawaguchi, before the next official practice session at Midoriyama on 14th May.
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Time for a bit of an update. Last Monday’s planned trip to Kawaguchi was also rained off but Midoriyama slotted in an extra practice session today, which I went to and really enjoyed! Not too many people were there, so I got plenty of track time, including start gate practice. I took onboard the advice above and concentrated on practising starts and the first straight, and slowly saw an improvement in both. On the gate, I’m going somewhen between the 1st and 2nd beeps, and am trying to be more “explosive” than I have been to date. I also made a conscious effort to pedal more (and freewheel less) before and after jumps, which I now realise I was doing! ::)
I also got the chance to meet and talk to a few more people, some new, some not, but overall, I’m definitely feeling more part of the scene now. There’s another practice session scheduled there for next Sunday, so am hoping to continue then where I left off today. :daumenhoch:
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Another weekend, another Sunday practice session at Midoriyama! :daumenhoch:
Again, not many people were there, I’m guessing due to the damp track, it having rained throughout the day before. However, by the time I arrived after lunch, the track was drying out and apart from a few slippy patches on the berms, it was perfectly rideable and I was able to practise the main sections as much as I wanted. However, the main reason for me to go was to get more start gate practice before next weekend’s race, and I managed a good twenty plus starts over the two afternoon gate sessions. I definitely feel that I’m getting better, both in terms of my timing and the speed I’m hitting (and carrying through) the first triple roller.
However, one thing that’s happened a few times is wheelieing out of the gate. When it happens I lose a bit of acceleration not to mention concentration trying to get the front wheel down, so any suggestions as to why I might be doing this and what I can do to stop it, would be gratefully received. :daumenhoch:
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Alrighty. Hopefully we can explain without too much excessing wording. If you have any issues with it let me know and I will try to reword the following.
Lifting the front wheel isn't always bad. If you have the right technique it is actually a natural part as it means you are producing a lot of torque with your legs. Just look at the elite level riders, they snap back and the force forwards lifts the wheel without them trying, without lieing that does happen at lower levels so don't be afraid if it does happen naturally.
I have a feeling that your gates could be you pulling up or leaning back from the start which causes the front wheel to lift. Which you want to save for the manuals youll be doing soon enough :daumenhoch:
Onto the basics of the skill though.
Pedals should be level or about 2 clicks up (think 10 degree or so)
Wrist should be forward like you are on a moto ready to rip the accelerator.
Arms straight (they shouldn't be used during the start technique, something to keep in mind)
Legs slightly bent and your Butt back a bit
Back Straight and not curved.
As silly as it sounds, this is a pretty good silhouette for how it looks.
(http://is5.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple49/v4/5f/f4/0c/5ff40c31-7dec-0c90-5dd6-d790bc7d27f3/source/1200x630bb.jpg)
Then comes the gate drop or snap.
There are lots of advanced ways and minor changes in technique you can do but the most basic one is to explain as follows.
You don't pull up with your arms but instead for lack of better words, try to get your old fella towards the gooseneck (avoid contact though haha). Basically you are extending out and using the whole of our body as if it was a wound up spring.
You want to push the front pedal all the way down and follow through.
If you do it right then the front wheel will come up but with the weight forward it will naturally come down.
The following pic will hopefully show you what I mean.
(http://www.leelikesbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/082015bmxstart.png)
Hopefully that makes a bit of sense.
Best way to go about it though is if you can get some video footage and review it. See if what you are doing is right or have someone else there to do so.
For example I am currently working with a mates kid on this, and am almost ready to go to video footage to help explain and show him what he is missing or could change.
Any questions though ask away. or ill try find some video or pictures to help you out.
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That's flippin' brilliant mate!! I've been reading some stuff and watching videos online, and between all of that and what you've said, I think I'm pulling up on the bars too much and not thrusting forwards enough, so I'll focus on that the next time I'm on the gate, which'll be during the pre-race practice/warm up this coming Sunday! :D
Thanks again for the help, much appreciated as always!! :daumenhoch:
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^ this is good advice from Drawn Mick. Ill add my take on it.
Going by that silhouette image above with the rider in the start position. I always go for a 'locked out' posture where your body can only do one thing to get the most explosive start. Ill come to that one thing in a minute but going back to that posture its pasically chest up, bum out, straight back, arms straight, wrists rolled forward, most of the weight on front foot pressing the wheel into the gate, and finally legs slightly bent. Sounds like a lot but every practise gets u closer to a natural feeling of this stance.
Now youve got this locked out position Ill go back to the 'one thing'. Throw the head and shoulders forward at the first beep. This will do a couple of things. First it will force u into that explosive first pedal stroke. As all your weight goes forward and u naturally straigthen out all of he power will transfer downwards into the first pedal stroke. A by product of thrpwing ur head and shoulders forward is that the front wheel comes back off the gate (as Drawn said above when the Elites snap back) by a couple of inches and by then time the power is loaded up and you boost forward the gate is already down.
If ur doing this correct it is the torque u are generating that is lifting the front wheel, this then needs controlling by adjusting weight further forwards as u practise. In all honesty, I think its quite hard to lift the front wheel in this way if ur not clipped in yet. The wrong way to do it is if your throwing your weight backwards and trying to slingshot out the gate that way, this will also pick up the front wheel escpecially if u pull up as well, but in the wrong way. Thats why I think of it as a locked out position where your body cant go backwards but only forwards.
Keep it up Mick :daumenhoch:
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Thanks Dan! That all makes sense, the question is can I a) remember it; and b) put it into practice when I'm wobbling away up on the gate on Sunday! ;D That said, I can practise that position on my makeshift start gate (aka the rubbish bin cage outside my front door) beforehand!! :D
Tbh, I probably won't be able to make much progress at this Sunday's race, but will definitely work on everything in the more relaxed setting of a practice session, the next one of which is early June, I think. :daumenhoch:
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So armed with all the advice and fired up with enthusiasm, I did some gate practice this morning on my "rubbish bin" gate! Although I couldn't practise the snap, I could practise my positioning. With the above pictures in mind, I immediately realized one thing I was doing wrong. I've been focussed so much on balancing/2-pedal starts that my weight has been too far forward/over the bars. You can see this in the photo below that was taken a couple of months ago.
I therefore practised getting my backside both further back and lower over the bike. That actually felt less twitchy and more comfortable than before, as well as (hopefully) giving me more leverage to thrust forwards for the snap. All sounds simple now, but seeing those images really helped! :daumenhoch:
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Spot on and good pick up from your own evidence.
Over time you will eventually figure out what works for you as everyone will have a slightly different style for the start.
Also wanted to add, you'll soon know when you get it really good.
Have probably in the past month had about 2 of these that have felt right on.
The joys of having a slow reaction haha.
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Popped outside the front door for a quick 10 minutes of gate practice this morning and can't believe how much easier it is to balance with my backside further/lower back over the bike! I knew I should've paid more attention in my school physics lessons as that center of gravity theory really does work!! :daumenhoch:
It was also bloody hot this morning - 26 degrees C according to my iPhone, so with temperatures in the high twenties forecast for Sunday, I think I'm going to fry!! Another good reason for me not to hang about up on the start gate!! 8)
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So yesterday saw my 2nd return to competitive action at Midoriyama. I say competitive because I’m gradually becoming more so! The last 2 weekends focus on practising starts paid off because I’m now coming out of the gate a lot faster, and at about the same time as a couple of the other riders. I definitely need to work on the snap, but I’m making progress! That was shown by my first bit of rider contact in 30 years, as in the 2nd moto the guy to my right nudged into me as we hit the first roller together! He did apologise at the finish, though.
There were 5 riders in my class, 3 of whom I was riding against last time out. Although I finished 5th in all three motos, I was much closer to the others than before, being at the back of the pack rather than lagging behind the pack. So results-wise, I did about the same but my on-track performance was much better, which I was well-pleased with. As an added bonus I made the main. Yes I know, not from a qualification point of view but as there were less-than-full gates in many of the classes, the organisers decided to allow everyone to qualify, which included me! So having started to relax and wind-down after the motos, I had to gear myself up again to race. It was well worth the effort though because I actually enjoyed the main the most. The other riders were in lanes 1-4, and I could choose my lane, so went for (lucky) 7! This meant I could focus on my start and not worry about the others to my left. I made quite a good start and was level with a couple of riders over the first set of jumps, then slotted in behind them after the first (left-hand) berm. I had a sniff up the inside of one at the next (right-hand) berm but didn’t have the energy to do anything else. So again I finished 5th/last, but that was my most competitive race to date, and I loved it! :daumenhoch:
Overall, it was another good day at the races. Again, I need to work on a few things to get myself into the pack but I definitely feel that I’m not too far away from that. I’m also thinking about a slight change of gearing – more about that here:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,190490.0.html
The next race at Midoriyama is mid-June but there’s a race at the Kawaguchi track at the beginning of June, so I’m thinking of entering that and therefore plan to go there this weekend to get some practice in! Report to follow! :daumenhoch:
I was travelling alone this time, so don’t have any race pics to share but did take the following ones of my class moto sheet (no prizes for working out who I am - yes, I'm the rider with no team!); my non-team, race transportation (a hire car, I hasten to add!) and a record of how hot it was, which was taken in the lunchbreak after the motos and before the main. God help us in the hotter summer months!!! :'(
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great stuff Mick - keep it coming :daumenhoch:
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Thanks griff! Was planning to go to Kawaguchi today (Sat) but it rained all day yesterday, so the track would've been damp. Bearing in mind what happened when I was last there, I'm heading up there tomorrow instead. :daumenhoch:
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After stopping off at the Happy Bike Meeting en route (pic below), I spent a few hours at the Kawaguchi track in Saitama yesterday afternoon. Like the last time I was there, the track was a bit damp in places but unlike last time, I didn't fall, which was handy because neither did I have the place to myself! This time there were about a dozen other riders there, including a few I've seen at Midoriyama, so it was useful to watch the regulars and see how they tackled the various sections. As well as trying to get to know the track better, I was really focusing on my pumping, trying to be smoother on what is quite a fast, little track. I must admit that I'm looking forward to racing there, though the weather forecast is currently showing a bit of rain for the weekend, so fingers crossed Sunday's race is not affected too much.
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Have just been notified that this weekend’s race at Kawaguchi has been cancelled. No clear reason has been given (this is Japan, afterall) but am gutted, as I was really looking forward to racing there. Oh well, such is life, and I may go there anyway to get some extra practice in.
On a side note, for the past month or so I’ve been looking at used wheelsets to replace the generic set that came on the Crupi, and I may have some news on the front in the coming weeks, which Dan will be pleased with as I'm forever emailing him for advice - thanks/sorry mate! :bow: In the meantime, check out the latest, high-tech mod to the bike in the pic below! I was fed up with the handlebars slipping on walls and scraping the plastic bar ends on the ground, so dug out some rubber bar ends from my spares box. I think these were on a racer that I had 35 years ago! Not the coolest addition but hey, they do the trick and they were free!! :daumenhoch:
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With Sunday's race at Kawaguchi cancelled, I decided to go there anyway to get some more practice in. It was a bit windy but otherwise the track conditions were great with no damp patches to worry about sliding out on. There were about ten riders there, many from the previous weekend, which made for a very relaxed session. I also found out the reason for the race cancellation, which was a clash of schedules with another, larger race at Chichibu (the track I mentioned and posted a picture of on the previous page), so the organisers were expecting a poor and I guess not financially viable entry. Oh well, I still went and still had a good time! Again, I spent the most time practising my pumping over the two rhythm sections and am definitely picking up both speed and confidence. :daumenhoch:
I also spent more time on the first set of doubles just after the start hill. You can't really see them that well in the pic below but when I first rode them I was quite wary but I have to admit that I now love 'em! I'm not jumping them but it's a real buzz pumping over them at speed, as they really chuck you up. :D
So after 2 Sundays at Kawaguchi, this weekend should see me return to Midoriyama for an official practice session where I can hopefully continue to work on my gates as well as prepare for the following weekend's race. However, the rainy season is going to start soon (June normally has monsoon-like cloudbursts, before the largely dry but extremely hot and humid July and August) which will obviously affect track conditions, so I'm taking nothing for granted.
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Made it to the official practice session at Midoriyama today. After spending the previous 2 weekends at Kawaguchi, I could really notice the difference between the two tracks. In athletics terms, Kawaguchi is like 110-metre hurdles whereas Midoriyama is more like the 400-metre version. I like both of them but definitely run out of steam over the longer track.
Anyway, I spent a lot of time today up on the start gate, and must have done about twenty gates. A sign that I'm getting better, or at least faster out of the blocks, is that I'm now getting out of shape on the first set of jumps, sometimes worryingly so! ::) In an ideal world, I'd have a nice balance between smoothness and speed, though at the moment I don't have much of either, so will take what I can!! :daumenhoch:
So next Sunday is race day, and after last weekend's cancellation, should see my 3rd race of the year. Am looking forward to it, and will have course post what happens here!
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Just got back from my 3rd race at Midoriyama. :daumenhoch:
As you can see from the moto sheet below, there was a full gate of 8 riders in my class, so it was a fun-packed morning. I say morning because rain was forecast from mid-afternoon, so the organisers ran an earlier schedule to beat the rain. Enough about the weather, let’s talk racing! Although my starts are getting better I’m still comparatively slow off the line, though thankfully I’m no longer alone, being the same speed as a couple of others. That means I’m now having to learn something else…. racecraft!! That was particularly brought home in the 2nd moto when I was 6th going into the first berm but came out 8th, the result of taking the wrong line, losing speed and being overtaken. Grrrrr! >:(
Then in the 3rd moto my nearest two rivals tangled over the second set of rollers, so I again entered the berm in 6th, and although I couldn’t catch up with 5th, made a conscious effort to keep on the gas and therefore ahead of 7th and 8th, which I did. This made me realise that I need to be a lot more aggressive than I’ve been to date. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that beginners tend to stop pedalling before jumps and although I’ve tried to stop doing this, I still find myself doing it, or least taking my foot off the gas. I was also watching one of the mains (having missed the cut for mine) and there was one with just 2 riders, including one of my favourite riders, a young lad who rocks a Haro in jeans, baseball shirt and Vans, and flies, literally, as he likes to jump. Anyway, my point is that he rips around the course, seemingly flat out on every berm, with no let up until the finish line. He did this in the main, even though he was well ahead of his rival, as you can see in this pic below. Yes, he’s a fit, young teenager but I’ve no doubt that he’s giving much more on track than I do. Easier said than done I know, but I could really do with taking a leaf out of his book. :daumenhoch:
So that was my 3rd race. Again, nothing great from a results point of view but I’m getting faster, and above all, am still really enjoying it. Next race is at Midoriyama in 3 weeks, so I'll try to get some practice in at the Kawaguchi track before then.
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Took advantage of a break in the rainy season weather and went to Kawaguchi on Sunday for a practice session. It was a little quieter than on recent visits, though one of my fellow competitors from last weekend was there plus I met another guy who races in the over 30s class. Both of them are faster and smoother than me, plus they manual through the rhythm sections. I really want to get that down but tbh it’s a low priority at the moment – maybe a project for next year!! I therefore continued to work on the ol’ pumping and a sign that I’m getting better is that from a slow start I can now pick up speed through the rhythm section. :daumenhoch:
With the pumping coming on I also want to work on my jumping. When I say jumping, I’m not talking about clearing big sets of doubles but smallish table tops and the smaller doubles in the rhythm section. The trouble is my bottle, or rather, lack of bottle, as I’m wimping out from properly giving it a go. This is definitely an age thing, as I loved jumping as a teenager, though now is a different story, especially after I wiped out when I tried to clear a tabletop on my first visit to Kawaguchi. As a result, I now find myself landing rear wheel first on top of the tabletop rather than nose-down on the downward side. What I need is a riding buddy who’s about the same level as me to egg each other on, just like bitd. Alternatively, I just need to man up and get on with it! ::)
It’s the Japanese National Championships this weekend at a UCI track a few hours away from me, so if I can work out how to get there, I’d like to go and check it out. Alternatively, I’ll head back to Kawaguchi to see if I can clear that bloody tabletop!! :slayer:
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Pay for the plane ticket and i'll come egg you on haha.
Not going to lie. The hardest part is fear factor, as a kid you don't have to worry or care about going to work the next day.
Am at the same stage in those regards, speed isn't an issue, but some technique and fear.
If you can try hit it with a bit more speed or try to lift up more. Sounds like you could just be casing it a bit.
A good way to describe is almost trying to bunnyhop off the lip. Compress before and then extend as you leave the lip.
Just keep trying and youll eventually get it.
Fear is certainly the hardest thing to get over, but once you can tame it back it will make progression that much easier.
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Thanks mate! I know you've been working hard recently, so the least you can do is to treat yourself to a little cycling holiday in Japan. I think Jetstar do cheap flights from Aus! :daumenhoch:
Back to reality, I definitely think I'm bottling it from a speed point of view, as evidenced by the coasting before jumps. I know that this is counter-productive, as speed is your friend. It's the same with snowboarding, as it's easier to turn the faster you're going, but most beginners don't want to go fast for fear of falling. Likewise if you tense up, your technique goes to pot. I should just follow the lead of the kids I see every weekend, attacking the jumps at max speed without a care in the world, the crazy idiots! :crazy2:
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Sorry about the loss of photos, courtesy of our friends at Photobucket! :2gunsfiring_v1:
Will try to reload them over the weekend! Keep it :radbmxsmilie:
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Having just resized and reloaded all the photos on here, I realise that it’s been 6 months since I started this blog! Doesn’t time fly!!?? Thought I’d therefore do a quick recap on what I’ve done during the last half year:-
1. Joined my local BMX club;
2. Went to a track induction day;
3. Bought a race bike and race gear;
4. Attended half a dozen practice sessions (some official, some not);
5. Fell over a couple of times;
6. Had three races;
7. Checked out two other tracks;
8. Took lots of pics;
9. Posted lots of stuff on here;
10.Had a blast!!
In school report terms, I think I’d give myself an A- grade for effort and a C+ for achievement. I’ve done quite a lot and am making progress, but need to continue progressing if I am to see an improvement in my results. Manualling can wait, but I want to be more aggressive on track, so hopefully I can work on that during the half a dozen or so races that I plan to do during the second half of the season, starting next weekend at Midoriyama. I'm also looking to upgrade the wheelset on my Crupi! :daumenhoch:
Overall, though, I’m so glad that I decided to go racing again and am really enjoying the experience, both on and off the track. Thanks to all the Radsters who have read and/or commented upon my exploits to date - I really appreciate the interest and support, and will continue to post my experiences, questions and photos here for the remainder of the year! Fook Photobucket - keep it :radbmxsmilie:
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Yesterday was my 4th race of the season and it was a big one, for various reasons. Following my own advice in the previous post, I was more aggressive than I’ve been to date, with the result that I was the most competitive I’ve been to date. As a reward for my efforts, I spent the rest of the afternoon in hospital!! Thumbs down
Starting off with the racing, there were only 4 of us on the gate, all of whom I’ve raced against before. In the first moto I found myself in the unusual position of 2nd place coming out of the 1st berm. However, the guy behind dived inside me on the next berm, and the 4th placed guy followed him through, forcing me high and wide in the process and I lost speed as well as my position. No complaints though, it was a fair move but it taught me a lesson and I vowed to be more aggressive in that berm next time. Moto 2 saw me 4th into the first berm but I came out in 3rd, though he out-dragged me to the next berm and that was that. With the temperature hitting the mid-30s, I ran out of steam in the 3rd moto and finished 4th again, though a little further back than before. After all that excitement I was grateful for the lunchtime break, and was thinking about starting to pack up when the sheets for the main were posted up and I saw my name on there. I therefore had to gear myself up both mentally and physically for the final, as the thought of a podium finish had sneakily crossed my mind!!! Yes, a fatal mistake I know!! :idiot2:
So out of the gate in the main, I found myself fighting for 3rd but lost out in the 1st berm and slotted in behind him along the next straight. I then decided to go for it in the 2nd berm but as I cranked hard to get some momentum for the next straight, my front wheel slid out and I went down hard on my left side. I tried to get back on the bike but quickly realised that wasn’t going to happen, as my shoulder was buggered. To cut a long story short, I went to hospital where they diagnosed a dislocated and fractured shoulder, with the possibility of surgery. However, I saw a specialist today who thankfully said that I probably won’t need an op, though won’t be able to race for at least two months. :crybaby:
So that’s blown a hole in my summer race schedule but on the plus side, I wont have to ride in that heat again, and more importantly, up until I went down, that was the best day’s racing of the season. I was also reminded that I’ve met a lot of really good people at Midoriyama, ranging from those who came over to see how I was, the woman who rang around to find the best/nearest hospital for the treatment of shoulder injuries, the kids who loaded my bike into the car, the guy who took me to and waited for me at hospital, the guys who drove my hire car back to the hire car place then delivered my bike and gear back to my house, and the guys who drove me home from the hospital. Some of these people I know quite well, some hardly at all, and some I’ve never spoken to before but in all cases, words cannot express my gratitude enough, which is no exaggeration given my level of Japanese, though hopefully a few bottles of wine will do the trick when I next see them. That’ll be the next race day on 6th August, when I won't be racing as planned but which I’ll go along to watch and support those who helped me. :daumenhoch:
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Sorry to hear you took a tumble Mick... them dislocated shoulders don't half knock the stuffing outta ya. Done both mine... my right on my local track then once id recovered done my left at a skatepark in Warrington. Makes you think twice when you need time off work to recover with no pay. :-\
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Sorry to hear you took a tumble Mick... them dislocated shoulders don't half knock the stuffing outta ya. Done both mine... my right on my local track then once id recovered done my left at a skatepark in Warrington. Makes you think twice when you need time off work to recover with no pay. :-\
& they bloody hurt too. My only previous experience of dislocated shoulders was watching Lethal Weapon!! What I hadn't realised and nobody warned about beforehand, or if they did I missed it, is they that try to pop the shoulder back in without any anaesthetic!! I nearly punched the guy holding me when the doctor suddenly tried, so they decided to drug me up before having another go! :daumenhoch: Mine's complicated by the fracture but the main thing is that I don't need surgery. Pic below shows my current state! :daumenhoch:
I've already taken unpaid time off work to study Japanese, so thankfully there's no difference there but yeah, I'll probably be a bit wary the first few times back on track, especially that 2nd berm!
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Hope your on the mend real soon buddy :daumenhoch:
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Aghhh what a b****r to have happened! But at least it's only 2 months, sounded like it might have been a lot more. Two months will probably fly by. And now at least you have got the first decent injury done and out of the way!
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Get well soon Mick!
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Thanks guys! :daumenhoch:
It could have been worse so yeah, I'll focus on getting the shoulder back into shape (pun intended!) and will hopefully learn from the experience!
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Sorry to hear about your tumble mate, sounds a real pain, just as you were starting to get your arm in with the racing ( honestly, no pun intended)
Would suggest you still go to the races and observe what others are up to. Knowledge is power ;)
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Sorry to hear that Mick, thats a shame I know you were getting well into it and putting a load of effort into it. I popped a shoulder for the first and only time a couple of years back, was one of the most painful things Ive done I reckon. I think 2 months sounds about right from my experience.
Have a good rest up mate and looking forward to seeing u back on the track :daumenhoch:
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That sucks.
Was going really well and the improvement was going nicely.
Hope you still get down there and will be back out riding soon.
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Thanks gents! :daumenhoch:
Below are a few pre-crash pics. I was going to include some x-rays but can't work out how to open the files! :loser: However, I did find something very apt yesterday whilst reading a BMXTalk interview with Brit pro racer Kyle Evans.
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Healing vibes dude :daumenhoch:, which used to be a common post on the forum during the os race seasons ;D , don't let it knock your confidence though, rest up and get back on the bike as soon as your medically fit to do so. :daumenhoch:
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Not good Mick!
Get well soon mate :daumenhoch:
At least you'll have no more trips to the post office now :-X ;D
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Cheers guys! I think I've found the perfect solution to my problems! It's definitely lighter, possibly faster, and arguably safer than the Crupi. Yes, I give you my new ride, as found abandoned by my rubbish storage start gate!! :daumenhoch:
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That looks lovely Mick! :) I hope you're not after pink break cables now ;)
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No, but I have found a matching outfit! :daumenhoch:
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:2funny: "help" :2funny:
Can't wait to see that :LolLolLolLol:
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Went back to Midoriyama on Sunday for the latest race weekend, though spectating rather than racing for obvious reasons. Lots of people came up to ask about the shoulder including some I hadn't spoken to before, so that was nice. I also met a 17 year old rider who'd just returned from competing in the World's at Rock Hill in the States! He was a quiet, down-to-earth kid and needless to say was bloody quick, so it great to watch him.
On the racing front, it was another hot, energy-sapping day, so in that respect I was actually not too unhappy to be watching from the sidelines. Another race elsewhere also meant there was a low turnout of riders including in my class, which was merged with the much quicker over 14s!! It was nonetheless a good day of racing, and an interesting point to note for me was that 2 riders (both much better and quicker than me) went down in the same berm that I did, which made me feel a little bit better about my wipeout!
So I'm now typing this update from BC, Canada. The shoulder has bombed my car rental, mountain-biking and watersports plans but in between my lakeside R&R, I'm hoping to check out a round of the Canadian National BMX Championships this weekend! :daumenhoch:
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So over the weekend I returned from my trip to Canada and the US, and made the most of the free shipping opportunity by bringing back some goodies in my suitcase. Most of these were for my Crupi, and of those the biggest and most important was a new set of wheels! I’ll start a separate post about those babies but suffice to say I’m stoked, having been searching for a decent wheelset for a few months! I also picked up various other parts, some new, some used but all much cheaper than I would have paid for them in Japan, assuming that I could have got them here! These include a Maxxis tyre, a Rennen chainwheel, some DMR V12 pedals, a Crupi chain, some Promax brake pads, a Promax seat post clamp and a Halo Clickster freewheel. Below is a pic of my early Christmas presents! :D
I also went back to hospital today to see the specialist. Updated X-rays confirmed that the shoulder’s healing ok, though is still unstable which explains why I can’t do much without it bloody hurting. I was also able to get some more details about the injury itself. The dislocation was the less common (as in less than 5% of cases) posterior dislocation, which is where the humerus is pushed backwards out of the socket. In my case this also caused a fracture of the head of the humerus, and apparently there’s still a small bit of bone floating around somewhere inside my shoulder! However, the doc reckons I should be able to ride again in a month, though the next step is to regain a full range of movement before building up the muscles again. So this week I’m hopefully going to start some physio treatment. Bring it on baby! :daumenhoch:
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So having now had two sessions of physio and started doing various exercises at home, I’m seeing some improvement in the shoulder, with increased stability and range of movement, though it still bloody hurts if I push it too much. However, as part of my rehab I have, for the first time since the accident (which was 2 months ago today), been out on the Crupi again! Only on a short, 15-minute ride on flat-ish roads around my neighbourhood but man, it was great to be back in the saddle again. :D Before going I also gave the bike a quick once over, having not touched it for 2 months. The dirt from the crash was still caked on but apart from a few battle scars, everything looks to be ok, and I didn’t notice anything untoward on the ride, so that was also good news. :daumenhoch:
Next steps are to continue with the physio and start getting some more mileage on the bike. My goal is to race at Midoriyama on 15th October, which is 5 weeks away. Not too unrealistic I think, though there are 2 more races thereafter, so if I don’t make it then, I’m sure both me and this blog will be back on track before the end of the season. In the meantime there’s the Midoriyama “Night Race” next weekend, which I’ll go along to watch and I also need to play with the new parts for the Crupi, as pictured above. :)
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Not sure how it works over there, but in the meantime while recovering have you thought of getting involved with the club in another way?
Could you possibly be an official and assist them on race days, ie do they use flags to say if someone is down?
Good to see you're back out there on the bike.
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That's a good idea mate! I usually help to prepare the track on race days (by sweeping and removing stones, etc) but yeah, I could also help while I can't ride, with flags and so on. That's assuming both my shoulder and Japanese can handle it!! Will definitely give it some thought before next weekend. :daumenhoch:
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A big typhoon is due to hit Japan this weekend and this has unexpectedly presented me with the possibility of an earlier return to racing! This is due to the postponement of Sunday’s Night Race to 8th October. As mentioned above, I was planning to hit the track that weekend anyway, albeit as a trial run for the following weekend’s race. The calendar has now been changed, with those weekends switched, so if I can get my backside into gear, or rather, my shoulder back into shape a week earlier than I was thinking then I may actually be able to do the Night Race instead! With that in mind, I got up early this morning for a pre-typhoon ride!! This time I went out for an hour, again on a fairly flat route but giving my shoulder more of a workout and also doing a few sprints. I also did a bit of gate practice on my makeshift rubbish bin gate! I’m continuing to have a weekly physio session and with the exercises I do both at home and work, the shoulder’s definitely on the mend. The million dollar question is will it be ready to race in 3 weeks’ time? Finger’s crossed!! :daumenhoch:
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Am continuing to aim for the Night Race, which is now only 11 days away! Have therefore been riding more including some uphill sprint training, though still not at 100% as I don't want to put too much strain on the shoulder too soon. Plus I've definitely lost some fitness over the last 11 weeks! ::)
However, with an eye on the following weekend, this Sunday I'm going to try to get up to Kawaguchi and have a spin round the track there. I'm not planning to go crazy, just see how the shoulder holds up to the rhythm sections and some of the smaller jumps. That should be a better measure of my recovery, and if I come through that ok, I'll enter the Night Race on the 8th. :daumenhoch:
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It’s a funny old game, this bmx lark! This wasn’t supposed to be a race report but I realised yesterday that my planned practice at Kawaguchi coincided with a race meeting, the last one of the year there. At first I thought I’d watch the racing then practice afterwards but it gradually dawned on me that I could race myself. My shoulder’s still not 100% - it’s still painful to put a shirt or t-shirt on - but I figured that as I was going to there to practice, I may as well practice in race conditions! :daumenhoch:
Being a last minute decision, I hadn’t booked a hire car, so got up at 5.30 this morning, packed my rucksack, put the Crupi into its train bag and headed off for the station! Three trains and 2 hours later, I was at the track, asking the organisers if I could join the pre-race practice session before entering, which they agreed to, so I spent about 20 minutes taking in a few laps and practice gates. I was really wary of the damp, first corner, which was where I came a cropper on my first visit to the track, so was taking it slow and easy there as the last thing I wanted to do was go over again. The shoulder felt ok though, so I decided to enter my first Kawaguchi race! :D
I hadn’t noticed before but Kawaguchi only has a 6-man start gate. There were only 3 of us in the over 30s class but since there were 5 in the over 14s, it meant we wouldn’t be able to run together, which is what would have happened at Midoriyama. That was a bloody relief because I was dreading the thought of a full gate for my first race back. So how did I do? Well, not too bad. I was obviously rusty after 12 weeks out and was also mindful of the shoulder, so was focussing on survival as much as anything else. I was a bit slower out of the gate that the other 2 and those first corner concerns meant I was losing time there as well but I kept station with the 2nd placed guy for the majority of the time, so I was happy with that. With only the 3 of us, we all went through to the main where I once again finished third aka last, though a bit closer than in the motos. As a reward for my efforts I ended up on the podium and picked up a medal. Yes, I know, there were only 3 of us but bearing in mind what happened in my last race, I’ll take anything I can get! >:D
Post-race they kept the start gate up for another hour, so I was able to practice a dozen or so starts. That gave me the chance to work on a couple of tips given to me by another rider plus watch some of the faster guys, which is always good. Gate practice over with, I was going to stay on for some more track time but my legs and back had had enough by then, so I decided to call it a day and head home.
So in the end it was a bloody good day! Unplanned and unexpected but a success nonetheless. The shoulder held up, I got some more mileage under my belt, I survived my first race at Kawaguchi and walked away with a medal. All in all, great preparation for the Midoriyama Night Race next weekend. That's going to be a different kettle of fish but I'm definitely in a better position after today. :)
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:daumenhoch: top stuff dude
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Thanks mate! Have added a few pics below. :daumenhoch:
So tomorrow's the postponed Midoriyama Night Race. The hire car's booked, provisions had been bought, I've given the bike the once over and my gear's all ready to go. Although the forecast is for fine, sunny weather, we had a good 12 hours worth of heavy rain overnight, so I'm expecting the track to be on the damp side. I'll see how it looks and rides when I get there but I may switch out the front DTH for something knobblier! There's a couple of practice sessions either side of lunch and racing starts mid-afternoon, with a late evening finish, so it should be a fun if long day. Looking forward to it, though must admit to feeling the nerves! :D
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So a week after my inaugural race at Kawaguchi, I found myself back in action at Midoriyama for the postponed Night Race. This was the biggest meeting I’ve been to to-date, with a large turnout for the chance to ride under floodlights plus Monday was a national holiday, so most people had a 3-day weekend and could recover on the Monday, me included. :daumenhoch:
As anticipated, it was a much more challenging day than at Kawaguchi. The practice session highlighted how unfit I am, with the longer and more demanding track really taking it out of me. I was also really nervous before the races started, maybe due to the memory of my last race there or the 3-month gap since that day, or a bit of both. Whatever the reason, I had to work really hard to keep control of my nerves, not helped by the over 30 class having a full gate and me drawing lane 1 for the first moto. Somehow I managed to keep it together for the start, which saw me fighting for 6th going into the first berm. However, my lack of fitness and racecraft, not to mention a bit of pre-accident confidence, led me to bring up the rear as we crossed the line. That result was repeated in the next moto, though I gradually gained in speed and confidence, managing to put the nerves to bed by the 3rd moto. It was also a real blast racing under floodlights for the first time.
Unsurprisingly, I failed to make the main though that gave me the chance to watch a bit of racing. I’ve posted a few pics below (with apologies for the poor quality) to give you an idea of the conditions. With night drawing in, the track started getting slippy during the mains and a few leaders came a cropper on the final berm, literally going from hero to zero! There were also a couple of crashes in my class, leading to an ambulance being called and a hospital visit for one of the riders, thankfully with no serious damage being reported.
I had to leave before the end in order to get the hire car back on time, so missed the final few races but it was certainly an eventful evening by all accounts. Significantly for me, my shoulder once again held up, which was great, though my whole body was aching for 2 days afterwards!! Thumbs down
So that was my 6th race of the season. There are 2 more to go this season and I’m planning to enter both, with some practice sessions in between, though the one scheduled for this weekend is likely to be rained off. Tbh, I could do with a break after the excitement of the last two weekends, so I’m not too disappointed, though I do need to work on my fitness so will try to do something one way or another.
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Nothing to report here due to not 1, not 2 but 3 rainy weekends!! Thumbs down
On the plus side, it's giving my shoulder more time to recover but I really want to get out there and ride! :(
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The sunshine finally coincided with a day off work last week, so I headed off up to Kawaguchi for a practice session at Gorilla Park, as per the pic below. It was a bit damp, so I was taking it easy, but gradually got faster and a bit more confident over the jumps, though the bottom line is that I'm still worried about coming a cropper and damaging the shoulder again. I guess that concern will ease over time, well at least I bloody well hope it does! :daumenhoch:
Anyway, this weekend sees me back at Midoriyama for the penultimate race of the season. Having hardly been out on the bike since the last race a month ago, I'm not expecting any miracles, though as always, I'm looking forward to getting back out there. Report to follow on Sunday night. Hopefully! :D
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So Sunday saw my 7th race of the season at Midoriyama. The previous 2 practice days having been rained off, I hadn’t ridden there since the last race last month. There were only 3 other riders in my class but I knew from previous races that they were all faster than me, which proved to be the case during the motos. Basically, I lose a little bit to them in all sections of the track - they’re faster out of the gate, carry more speed over the jumps, pedal more through and out of the berms and don’t run out of the steam by the end! I therefore really need to train, with a focus on building up both my power and stamina, which weren’t great to begin with but have definitely decreased since my accident. ::)
Anyway, the final race of the season is next month, as per the flyer below. That gives me a few weeks to work on everything, and hopefully I can make a start at the official practice session at Midoriyama next weekend. :daumenhoch:
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Sounds like you have a good plan and are on the way to your goal.
Any thoughts on what you want to work on?
A gradually increasing sprints set up (build up over a few weeks) would help with the power side and will also have some effect on the stamina.
If you want any assistance on that side just ask.
Also good to see youll be back on the bike properly.
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If you want any assistance on that side just ask.
Yes please! :daumenhoch:
By way of background, before my injury I was doing a little circuit near my house, which was basically sprinting full-speed up a 200-metre long hill then cooling down on a few, smaller side roads which loop back down to the bottom of the hill. I used to do that half a dozen or so times, 3 times a week, and could definitely feel the difference on the track. However, since I started riding again, I've only done the circuit a few times and not at full-speed, for fear of putting the shoulder under too much strain (I'm still having physio on it). That said, with a few races under my belt I now feel I can give it some more wellie, so will try to do that this weekend. That's another thing, my work schedule has changed and realistically, I can now only ride at the weekends. & I hate gyms! Thumbs down
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I packed the Crupi into the ol' train bag yesterday and went back to Midoriyama for a practice session. There was a UCI event elsewhere, so attendance was down but that meant it was very low-key and relaxed, plus I didn't have to wait for track or gate space. I practised the various sections of the track (it was too knackering to do them all at once!) and managed about 25 gates over the 2 gate sessions. I'm still a long way from sussing out the bloody snap but did see some progress with getting the power down after the gate drops and sprinting to and over the first set of jumps. :slayer:
Having got the train there, I decided to ride the hour home and man, my legs were shot! All good for building up my stamina though, so no complaints! :daumenhoch:
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Did some sprint training last weekend. Only around my local roads but they’re nice and quiet, so I could get my head down and push myself. Not sure what the locals thought of a middle-aged, foreign guy sprinting backwards and forwards past their houses though!! ;D
Am back at Midoriyama this weekend for the official pre-race practice session. Will continue to work on increasing my speed and stamina around the track, as well as getting some more, much-needed gate practice! :daumenhoch:
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:daumenhoch:
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Spent another sunny Sunday at Midoriyama yesterday, for the official practice for the season finale. Unlike last time, this one was busy meaning track space was at a premium. On the plus side, there were three gate sessions, so I could really work on my starts and that seemed to bear some fruit, as a couple of riders commented that I was looking faster, which was good to hear, though I know I’ve got a long way to go. That was brought home when I shared a few gates with some expert and elite riders. Man, that’s a different world!! They’re a bike length ahead of me before I’ve blinked, and are almost over the third jump before I’ve hit the lip of the first! Unbelievably impressive, even riding behind them! :bow:
Anyway, this coming Sunday sees the Final Race of the season. I’ve a couple of friends coming along, so am under additional pressure to perform, but will try to keep my head and concentrate on getting round in one piece. Race report to follow next week! :daumenhoch:
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The “Final Race” of the season and my 8th of the year finally saw some closer action on my part! The fine weather helped to swell the numbers and my class had a full gate. I also had a few supporters with me, so was keen to put on a good show. In the first moto I got away quite well but had to back off over the first jump to avoid a rider drifting my way. I therefore entered the first berm in 6th place but chose to dab the brakes and hold the inside line rather than keep the power down and take a higher line. This proved to be a mistake, as I lost momentum and was overtaken by first one, then both of the riders behind me. Lesson learnt, I vowed not to make the same mistake again. That chance didn’t come in the 2nd moto as I got a slow start and was therefore playing catch up all the way round. The 3rd moto, however, saw some of my best racing of the year. I entered the first berm in 7th and this time took the line that I should have taken in the first moto. The result was that I kept my momentum, held my position and also started to gain on the 6th placed rider. In the next straight one of the riders in front of me had a wobble on a jump, so I slipped by into 6th, with 5th in my sights. Entering the final berm I had a sniff of 5th place but as you can see in the 3rd picture below, I was squeezed high and had to settle for 6th. I wasn’t too disappointed though, as I was just happy to be mixing it at the end of the race for a change!! I didn’t think I would make the main but one of the riders dropped out and I found myself lining up on the gate. Sadly, there were to be no more heroics on my part as my legs gave up the ghost and I came in 7th. Despite that, however, I really enjoyed the day and after everything that’s happened, it was a great way to end the year. Since my friends were there, I also have a few pics of me for a change! :daumenhoch:
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:daumenhoch: top stuff,
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Merry Christmas from me and the Colonel! :daumenhoch:
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Obviously I had no idea what would happen back in January when I started this blog but it’s certainly been an up and down ride! 8 races, 2 tracks, a dislocated and fractured shoulder, a bronze medal, new friendships, plenty of Japanese language practice and a whole lot of fun! I’d be the first to admit that I’m not as fast as I thought I would be. I always thought of myself as pretty handy on a bike but this year has proved how much effort, practice and training is required to be on the pace. Not to mention skill! I could definitely do with a bit more of everything but on the plus side, I’ve learned a lot and am slowly getting better and faster. & hospital visits aside, I’ve loved every minute of it! :D
Thanks to all of you who have read, commented on or followed the blog over the year, with a special thanks to those who have given me the benefit of their experience and helped me along the way with advice and suggestions, both on here and via PM. :daumenhoch:
Finally, a big shout-out to Dan. Not only did he sort me out with the Crupi but he’s been spot on with all the advice he’s subsequently given me about the bike, gear and racing. Thanks mate – really appreciate it!! :bow:
So that was my 2017 Race Blog. See you in 2018! :slayer: