Primera have a great team of athletes who they support. We now have a team diary so you can follow the progress and latest news.
Alex Croucher
Gorrick Autum Classic Round 1 - 17th October 2010
The 17th October 2010 saw me make my first venture of the year back to the competitive cross country mountain bike world. I would choose the first frosty morning we have had this season! Add to that being convinced to race the super masters category made it an even more entertaining start to the day!!!
While others had told me to take it steady and not go mad, I don't know any other way to ride......its either all or nothing! It was a four lap course for the super masters, lap one......mmmmm not the start I had hoped for - pedal + tree stump at high speed equals a intimate encounter with the ground but with 3 laps to go, there was not a lot to do but get back in the saddle and ride, the next 3 laps went without incident. The new Cannondale Flash exceeded my expectations - crisp handling with fast acceleration, I haven't raced XC for years and it was nice to have a good course with plenty of tight, yet fast downhill sections mixed up with some steep technical single track climbs. 8th place was the final result and for a first outing which I am happy with. One thing i do know - the November race will be colder, wetter and harder work, I can't wait!!
Alex.
Katrina Grimmett
FRENCH GRAND PRIX - posted 8th April 2010
Well my first French Grand Prix race, done and what an experience. When I arrived in Paris with my bike bag I suddenly thought, I have no telephone number for anyone and no idea where I am going and then four friendly French faces arrived with warm welcomes to me to join their team.
A 4 hour bus journey later and arrival at the team’s hotel we made it after a few interesting moments along the way. Jean-Baptist (JP) a fellow team member decided he wanted to “pee in the nature” and was chased by a shopkeeper; JP found a hosepipe and was jokingly threatening to squirt the shopkeeper with water, which was not to his amusement. A good fun team I thought I have joined, great.
Race morning I met Stefanie Bouma the Holland Elite Duathlete and had a good warm up with her. She gave some excellent advice on tips for me, which was greatly appreciated.
The race was in Chateauroux and was a two lap run circuit (5km) five-lap bike draft legal (20km) and final one lap run (2.5km) for both the women and men. I was at the front on the first run pacing with French athlete and Silver World Duathlon medallist Sandra Levenez. Four of us got on the front pack in the bike and I sat at the back learning and watching. They shouted at me to do some work (I think that was what they were saying as it was in French, but one of the moments you just understood what they were saying) so I got on the front and pushed on and stayed on the front and whacked myself out, when I began to tire I saw out of the corner of my eye the three athletes pushing hard wide past me and dropped me, wont do that again. Dam it I cursed and swore at myself and gritted my teeth to get back on but they dropped me well. So I decided to bike the last two laps on my own and hoped I would not get caught by the group behind which I did not.
Another learning curve, I stupidly rode into transition as did not see the line and did not understand what the marshals were saying to me in French! A French official came up to me and shouted in French and waved a yellow card in my face, luckily a team mate had explained the yellow and red card rule to me (a bit like football I guess) I had to stand still until I was told to go again as a time penalty, during this time 4 or 5 girls came into transition past me and were off. I had a good hard second run and got my places back so I was really pleased about that.
What a great atmosphere and race experience and could not help but think that a race series like this would be great in the UK. I am really looking forward to the next race for me in the series, which is at the end of May.
Things seem to have turned for me now after the challenging winter and I am very happy about this. I had an invite this week from England Athletics for my first England Vest to race in Denmark at a half marathon in May, which I grabbed with both hands to be on the team.
Saying for me this week, “when things aren’t going that well, learn from them, work at it and get back up there”.
Darren Shepherd - Posted 20th April 2010
Here is my race report for the 1st round of the SAMS, held at Wasing, Berkshire:
"The first round of the Southern Area Mountain Bike Series 2010 was held on Sunday 11th April at Wasing Estate. The estate boasts 4000 acres of woodland, farmland and lakes and is situated between Newbury and Reading. The Southern XC crew had created a great 4.8 mile course, although not hilly was a very tough, relentless course with very little chance for recovery
Having ridden the first round of the National Points Series and coming 9th, at Sherwood Forest on 28th March, which I was a little disappointed with, I knew I had to up my game. I knew this new venue was also going to be the 2nd round of the NPS so it was a good chance to preview the course.
A SAMS race these days in the Veterans you could argue is like a National Points race with the majority of the main contenders in the field.
The usual very fast start to a mountain bike race developed from the off, everybody riding frantically to get to the front to be in a good position for the first piece of single track. In the Veterans race a lead group emerged after half a lap, consisting of Paul Hopkins, Mark Hutt, Mark Chadbourne and myself. We all matched each other for the first two laps wheel to wheel with only slight gaps opening between the riders when overtaking back-markers, but soon coming back together.
Going in to the third and final lap the other three started to pull a little time on me as I started to struggle to hold the pace. Also Paul Hopkins and Mark Chadbourne were able to pull clear of Mark Hutt. As we came to the finish line Paul Hopkins managed to get a slight gap on Mark Chadbourne to take the win with Mark Hutt coming in third and myself fourth.
I was happy with this result. The leaders weren't far ahead of me and I felt much stronger than I did at Sherwood Forest. I am now looking forward to the next round of the National Points at this same venue on May 9th hopefully a little sharper again
Sherwood Forest had around 650 riders and Wasing had over 400 riders to prove that cross-country mountain bike racing is on the up. At Wasing Olympian Liam Killeen made an appearance and won the Elite race.
Those of you who have never done a mountain bike race, or who have, I would definitely recommend doing one as the races are very well run and are becoming increasingly more popular with classes for everybody of all abilities. There should be something for everyone. The person who comes last in the fun race will enjoy it as much as the person winning the elite race (well maybe!) in a very friendly and rewarding sport.
Series to follow for those interested are the Gorrick Series, the Southern Area Mountain Bike Series (SAMS) and the National Points Series to name a few."
Elizabeth Gilmour - Posted 20th April 2010
Yesterday (Sun 11th April) was my first big race of the season.
It was the first round of the Southern XC Series at the Wasing Estate near Basingstoke. I took 4th place in the Masters Category, which I was quite pleased with because the competition was strong although I had been aiming for a top three finish. I was consoled by the fact that if I had entered the Expert Category (which was essentially the same race, with the same number of laps and start time) I would have taken third place.
It has now been 7 years since I have raced seriously at mountain biking (I know this precisely because that's how long I have been a
Mum!) but I am pleased to say that it seems that not everything has gone downhill since then! I am not quite as fit as I was before (yet!) but my technical skills have definitely improved and I like to think I am wiser in my old age (!) and tend not to panic as much as I used to when things go wrong. Yesterday, soon after the start, I had two falls one after the other - this is when I noticed my front wheel was not properly tightened up - actually, it was wobbling around in the drop outs! (my fault - ok, not so wise after all maybe!). Still, I managed keep cool, stay positive and gradually make up the places lost in the fall and also in sorting my wheel out.
Oh yeah - and the other thing was - it was great fun! (I reckon I have also learned the art of not taking the whole thing too seriously).
Bring on the next one!
Liz
Last Sunday (23rd May) was the 2nd round of the Southern XC at the Pippingford Estate in East Sussex.
It was baking hot and a technically challenging but great course.
There were big drop offs, a great bermy descent, a river crossing, swoopy single track through the forest and a long hot climb back to the start/finish area. What more could you ask for? I would say that it was the best Southern Series course I have ever ridden in terms of pure enjoyment. Ride it if you get the chance - there are lots of races there including the national championships in July.
Here is a You Tube link to a Video taken of the race if you want to get a flavour of the course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fiyicZ72NA&feature=player_embedded
I had a good steady race and even managed to stay reasonably hydrated which was one of the big challenges of the day. I took 3rd place behind Jo Munden and Ruth Mordant who are strong riders so was pretty pleased with my race though, for a change I didn't end up with a single bruise from falling off so maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough?
My little girls, Eve and Charlotte did the kids' race (under 8s) in the morning and loved it so the whole family was happy. Eve (7) got a third place but didn't realise she had crossed the finish line and went careering off down a very steep hill with a big grin on her face to her parent's horror! She was OK though. Charlotte enjoyed her race too. She was most insistent on having her energy drink before and her recovery drink after. It's good to see that at 5 and a half years old she takes her sports nutrition seriously!
Liz
Joanne Bailey - Posted 13/05/2010
New Forest Triathlon 2 May
After a long cold, dark winter of training it was great to eventually get to race season, although after the lovely weather it was a bummer to wake up to single fig temperatures and heavy rain.
Training has gone well this year although I have put more emphasis on strength and swimming (to the detriment of my running) so I was keen to see how I would go in a race, particularly on a new bike.
The New Forest triathlon is a 1.1k,36k,10k, with an open water swim at Ellingham lake near Ringwood. I’d been for a dip the previous Friday so knew the lake was starting to warm up.
I was pleased to be in the first wave as hanging around just increases nerves, and decided to keep to the centre of the lake and close to the buoys. I managed to find clear water and get in a rhythm and was really pleased with the swim .Thanks to Alex for recommending the Aqua Sphere open water goggles. The visibility was brilliant and they stick to your face like a limpet to a rock.
Richard’s advice was to cover up for the bike leg and not take risks in the cold but I have never bothered to wear anything other than a tri suit in a race, even in December, but being the first race of the year I thought I’d be sensible and put a thermal top on. Old habits die hard though and I put my helmet on first and then realised I’d have to take it off to put my top on. Doh…. Once out on the bike, I thought ‘I’m going to enjoy this’. It’s a great advantage knowing the course and it was too early in the day for traffic. I was expecting cyclists to surge past me being in the first wave but that didn’t happen so I knew I was going well on the bike. The bike went really well, and I felt strong and comfortable.
I passed a lot of people mending punctures which is a real shame but often happens on the forest roads after a lot of rain. It seems Richard didn’t sweep the whole course (standards dropping Richard!!!).
Back in transition, I racked quickly and tried to put my running shoes on. I had brought some zoot shoes because they are quick entry, but my feet were frozen and getting the shoes on was harder work than getting my wetsuit on, and it might have been quicker to have tied double knots in laced trainers.
The run started on roads but soon led into the forest on gravel tracks. Not my favourite surface. It was also hilly and my legs seemed to be taking a long time to adjust from the cycle. Either not enough running or not enough bricks. It was great relief to get to the turn as I was being passed by quite a few runners including some females. Grrr. I normally hold my own more on the run but not today. Just before the finish we had to run through a ford that was quite deep and that completely sapped the last ounce of strength from my legs, so it was a relief to see the finish.
The age groups for this event were every 10 years and I was in the 40-49.As I’m 50 next year I decided there was little chance of an age group position so rather than wait for the presentation I rushed off in search of a hot bath and cup of tea. So I was extremely surprised to find when the results were posted that I had won my age group. Definitely wasn’t expecting that so , a really good start to the season. Next event is Salisbury in 2 weeks. Don’t really like pool swims… not worth getting wet for 400m … but it will be a good sharpener
Joanne Bailey
Race Report
Swashbuckler Triathlon (Beaulieu Middle Distance)
23nd May 2010
Beaulieu was my first middle distance event last year and this time I was back hoping to improve a little. As last year, it was a scorcher of a weekend with not a cloud in sight and temperatures reaching 28.
As Richard Iles says, this has to be the best transition area in the Country and Bucklers hard really is a stunning venue. However at some point you have to stop admiring the view and get down to business….. At 6.00 am, you’re still too asleep to appreciate what lies ahead
The 1.9k swim takes swimmers up the River from Bucklers hard on a double lap negotiating all shapes and sizes of boats. I was a little surprised that the race went off in one wave (400 plus) and as I’m a middle of the pack swimmer it was busy and chaotic. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the sun was very strong and in your eyes looking up the course seeing nothing till you bumped into it. On the plus side the water was warm but it was also muddy, slimy and green. Apparently the tide was very strong and some swimmers got in, and abandoned 5 minutes later realising they would probably not make it to the first buoy. I just aimed for clear water and a steady rhythm
There’s then a 400m run uphill to transition. At 7.00am you could already feel the sun on your back. I set out on the bike and what a treat for my bike and me. I know the course quite well and it is flat and extremely scenic passing through some of the loveliest parts of the New Forest and even taking us past the beach for 200m.
The course is ideally suited to the Argon 18 being fast and rolling and I enjoyed spending so much time on the tri bars, relaxed and enjoying the view and a bit of banter.
I’ve taken a few months to get used to the Argon but it’s fair to say we really ‘bonded’ at Beaulieu and I really felt at one with the bike. That’s is except when I took a massive pot hole head on the tribars and have no idea how I managed to stay on the bike. The Course is inevitably full of cattle grids and the first one was littered with water bottles that had bounced out on the grid and been left. However I knocked 9 minutes off last years bike split so happy with that, particularly as I held back for the run.
Back at Bucklers hard it was out on a 2-lap 14 mile run which again is very flat on a mixture of quiet roads and tracks. Last year I can remember starting the run and feeling great. This year my legs were very tight but they eased up after 4 miles and then I was into my groove. My aim was to keep running at a consistent pace. The sun by now was very strong so I took a good stop at every watering hole and had a couple of drinks. I calculated that I’d rather lose time keeping hydrated than slowing to a crawl. On the second lap a lot of people were slowing but I managed to maintain my pace, and I was making up quite a few places. The last mile or so is always hard but it is on lovely shaded tracks, however the finish is once again uphill through a tunnel of spectators lay on the grass enjoying the sun. I mustered myself for a sprint even though there was no one behind me (good practice) and collapsed in a heap just over the finish.
My time was slower than last year by a little, but the swim was a different beast than the previous year. I was third in age group but felt I’d had a solid race, particularly in the heat.
Quite keen to do Beaulieu again next year and get below that elusive 5 hours which is possible