2013 in numbers

Another year is over. Huh, it was quick, wasn't it? Time goes by so fast these days that's not even funny...anyway, I was checking out some of my bike related data for the year. So here it is, my 2013 year in numbers.

Distance:                             4105 km

Training time:                      213 hours and 29 minutes

Elevation:                            67796 m

Rides:                                  87

Longest ride (distance):      202 km

Longest ride (time):             7 hours and 42 minutes

Races:                                 5

Well, this is not a lot I know, but I also know that I have to work with the time that I have on my hand. Balancing family life, work and cycling is not an easy task but I think I managed somehow to find the right balance this year. Did as much as I could and had absolutelly brilliant time on the bike everytime I went out. And that's what counts I'd say! :)

Murphy's Law...again...

Getting sick is never a good thing, but when I'm on my Festive Holiday and have tons of mountain biking planned getting sick is worst than anything. So, here strikes Murphy's Law once again! I'm grand all winter long (so far) and of course I'm picking up some manflu sort of nonsense when I actually would have time to ride my bike...grrr...

Need to get rid of it and I need to do it fast! I'm on it, I'm on it heavily! Getting my faithful home remedies going to shake this little uninvited "guest" off asap. 

The magic potion: honey, lemon, ginger & garlic. Taste a bit funny but it sure works! Real immune system boost it is!

And here's the other one: real home dried, organic rose hip tea (thanks to my friend Csaba and his grandpa back in Hungary). There's about a ton of Vitamin C in this bad boy! :)

So, all I need to do is getting these things into me like there' no tomorrow. I know they'll work, they always do. And after that I'm going to hit the trails and make the most of my remaining winter holiday. Yes, that's what's gonna happen! :)

Christmas in my home // Photos can say it all! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Yes, it's that time of the year again: putting up decorations around the house, wrapping presents, trying to undo the knot on the lights from last year, eating gingerbread & mince pies 24/7! Yes, it's Christmas again! :) 

This year will be fun indeed 'cause my son Rhys is 1 and a half year old, so he is going to like all the Christmas fuss around the house! This is his first real Festive Season, can't wait to see his reactions in the coming days! :)

Merry Christmas everyone, have a great time!

The last spin before Christmas

I had my last spin before Christmas, in the next few days there will be 100% preparation for the Festive Season! I took out the Anthem and the main destination was the new trail up on Threerock. I've seen photos, heard about it, so there was no way out: had to check it out! 

Today was absolutely miserable (just like many days in the last one week). Strong wind and proper heavy rain. I got soaked by the time I hit the end of the road...

Got up to the trail there and had my first test ride on it. The feedback is 100% positive! Great little trail, very well built. Nice flow to it and great mix of turns, rocky sections and also some amazing views along the way. Simply brilliant! 

Had a great time out there despite of the weather, but when the rain turned into sleet first then snow about ten minutes later I decided to leg it and get home as fast as possible. It was possibly the best decision 'cause by the time I got home I was freezin' to bits. 

After nearly 2 hours out in the miserable weather nothing is better to get the life back into the body than a good aul' hot bath and a massive mug of tea with lemon & ginger! Oh, yes! :)

So here it is, the last pre-Christmas spin. Was savage, was great, was everything that a winter spin in Ireland can be! Roll on Christmas, happy out! :)

Got a proper fright today!

It doesn't happen too often, but every once in a while I get a good fright on the bike. The kinda moment, that makes me stop and makes me glad because everything has worked out well. One of those lucky moments! It could be a sketchy situation on the trails, weather related or simply the madness in the traffic.

Today I went up to Threerock to do my nice Saturday after lunch off-road spin. The weather was absolutely miserable with rain and mega-strong wind. The higher I got up on the side of the mountain the worst the wind got. I knew it is far from being a fun bike ride but I kept going higher anyway. Even just to keep the bike rubber side down was a serious task!

From the top I was heading towards the Schizeile Loop and as I was riding up the first part the wind pulled down a tall tree right in front of me. Luckily I still had a bit of a gap, so I stopped and waited until everything settled.  

Shortly after I decided not to go any further I had a short stop. Just as I hopped on the bike and left a mammut size tree came down again...the wind broke the thing like it was a freakin' chopstick... The whole thing sounded like a mini Earth quake, I stopped and watched the big tree falling to the very spot where I was standing about 10 seconds earlier. I was about 50 meters away when it all happened, so I'm happy I didn't hang around longer!

The second tree landed exactly where this photo was taken!

At this point I just thought the best is if I simply get a hell out of there! Quick descent back to the carpark and then back home. Wasn't happy I had to cut my spin shorter then it was planned but on the other hand I didn't want to push my luck and I was more than happy to arrive in one piece.

Today was absolutely wild out there and the lesson of the day is that never underestimate the power of nature.

Relaxed XC spin up in the Dublin Mountains

I've been spending most of my time on the road bike in the last few weeks and I just couldn't resist no more, I had to get out on the trails and enjoy some lovely mountain biking at it's best! I went to the usual "never-fail-destination" and had a brilliant off-road spin around Threerock yesterday.

There was a lot of riding up the hill and riding down the hill with a massive smile stuck on my face. It was a very civilised, easy going spin. Pure fun, nothing else! And it was very refreshing indeed, simply loved it! :) 

Oh, and the best part is: there's no sign of the winter so far! The 5-8 °C temperature and the fairly dry trails are just the best gift that a mountain biker can ask for in December! Don't you think?

2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 3

Big news! I'm after getting a fantastic news today: I will be getting support and sponsoration from The Beauty Boudoir Beauty Salon. ( http://www.beauty-boudoir.com/ )  

Judit Török, the owner of the Rathmines based business decided to support my preparation to the European XC Marathon Champs with some very valuable sport massage. This will be a huge help for me during the upcoming months. 

I'd like to take the opportunity here to say thank you for the support! I'm very happy and truly thankful for everything! 

2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 2

Since I started my winter training, there are two important things also that I'm trying to pay attention for. They are essential I know but for some reason they have been pushed to the background for long time...

Although I fully understand how important it is to stay well hydrated, I never had enough to drink throughout the day. So, I decided to force myself into the habbit and drink a lot of water!

I got myself a nice 500 ml Bobble bottle ( http://www.waterbobble.com/ )  and have it refilled and emptied out 4 times a day. My water intake has been increased from about 0,5 L/day to about 2,5 L/day (including other drinks such as tea). I feel more energetic and more fresh. And the best thing is that I got used to drinking water just after a few days! 

The other thing is the foam roller. Yes, I am part of the foam roller revolution indeed! I have been reading about them and talked to lot of my friends about their opinion about this simple self-massage "device". Long story short: I got one from my lovely wifey. Happy days! :)

So, there I am. Rolling away and suffering...suffering a lot. I have to say that it is a rough enough thing now! But once the session is done & dusted it really gives a nice and good feeling to the tyred legs. Doing it every day and I am getting used to it slowly. It seems like it does help in recovery, although it would be very hard to tell only after a week. 

So, besides training I'm also trying to change a few things to feel better. It took only a decision that I should have made ages ago. I don't quiet know what I have been waiting for...these things are awsome!! :)

Sun rise on the beach // A nice photo says it all!

2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 1

It has started. I have started my preparation for the 2014 XC Marathon European Champs  recently and I thought it would be a great idea to post some updates every now and again about different stages of the upcoming 7 month's work. So, here is the first update!

One of the most important part at this point is to get  tons of low intensity winter milage in during the upcoming few months. So, I put down the mountain bike for a while (only fun-filled spins here and there) and will be doing long road spins on my faithful Giant TCX.

This will be a familiar sight for a good while I'd say

The other part of my winter preparation is running. Now, this is a bit more tricky 'cause I have high risk to pick up an injury, like it happened last winter. The plan is to take it easy and steady, don't push too much too soon. If I can stick to the plan everything will be grand! :)

It's running time again, the secret is: take it easy!!

Besides all this I will start doing core excersises at home and I am hoping to go to the swimming pool once a week also. Few details still to be sorted, but I'm getting there. 

This is what's happening these days. The weather is getting cold, the days are short and there's plenty of work to do. Roll on winter, keep me busy!!

VeloViewer is the new thing!

I just came accross with this absolutely brilliant site called VeloViewer (www.veloviewer.com) and I'm very impressed I have to say! Here's the confession: I love my Strava, my segments, my PRs, my KOMs, all the virtual leaderboards and all that jazz! Yes, I'm one of those! :) 

So, if you are on Strava and you'd like to get a bit (actually a lot) more out of all that bucket load of data that you get after a decent bike ride, then all you need to do is let VeloViewer to access your Strava information and there you are. 

Just one of the many excellent features from the site!

VeloViewer gives a huge amount of additional information such as 3D graph of segments, VeloViewer Score, etc... on a very clear graphic interface. Easy to use and if you are into detailed data of your spins, then this is the website for you!

Go and ride your bike! Upload the spin! Compare & improve! Simple, what not to like?! :)

2014 Giant Anthem 27.5 2 // The first 500 km

Since I started to use this brilliant 2014 Giant Anthem 650b machine I have posted a quick first impressions post here. I'm over the first 500 km on the bike at this point (general commute excluded), so it is time to check the bike out in details once again! I won't get into the benefits of the 650b wheelsize in this post, I would rather focus on the techical features of the bike after 500 km of proper riding.

After the bike has been put through a lot in relation of trails and weather conditons, the first and most important thing to mention is that everything works perfectly on this machine! The Sram gears, the Avid brakes and the Rock Shox suspensions are doing what they ment to do: work perfectly! The wheels are also very well built, they are still running true. The bushings & bearings in the frame are well sealed, so there's no issue either ( I mean after only 500 km there shouldn't be any issues but I figured it's worth to mention anyway). The bike feels awsome and very solid for sure!

One feature that really surprised me in a good way is the internal cable routing, the rubber guide plugs in the frame to be precise. It was an awsome idea, kudos to Giant! There's no rattling noise at all, everything is nice & quiet. Lovin' it! :)

Rubber cable guide plugs, brilliant invention! :)

The only little issue that I could come accross with is the dropout design...I'm not 100% sure how durable it is. The problem is that the dropout is being held be one single (mega skinny) screw. Yeah sure, when the rear wheel is in the frame the QR axle gives the whole thing a massive support but when the wheel needs to be taken out there's a different situation altogether...

The dropout design...could have been a bit better? I'd say so.

If the screw is loose the dropout is getting out of it's place. It is an issue during transport and it is an issue out on the trail also. I mean havin' a rear puncture during a cold and wet spin is enough on it's own, the last thing I need is to mess around with the dropout before I put the wheel back in. It would have been better if they use either increased size, more durable screw or perhaps use two screws instead of one, so it won't be able to rotate. Now, it isn' the end of the world indeed, we could live with it, right?

So, the new 650b Giant Anthem is a very reliable and a truly amazing bike I have to say. I love riding this thing, enjoying every minute of my MTB spins indeed! In fact I can't wait for the next one already!! :) 

Wow, what a place to ride the bike!!

Fixx Supercross Cup Round 2. // race report

Mud, barriers, wet grass, slippery corners. Yes, it's that time of the year again, bring on some cyclocross! To be able to race today was a bit of a last minute surprise thing, I only got the news about me havin' Sunday off for the race on Wednesday, so hopped on to the organizer's website and signed up for the Fixx Supercross Cup Round 2 in Bray.

I was mega excited about the race! We got tons of rain during the week, so I was expecting some sweet cyclocross conditions with mud up to me knees. :) 

Ready to go

Wow, what a nice place to run a bike race, hah?!

After the short drive out to Bray I arrived to the coast there and got a parking spot nice and close to the registration. I cycled up to the start / finish area to pick up my race number and after that I was all set to have a sneaky practice lap before the race. 

On the way up to the registration tent, what a nice view!

Ready! Let's race some 'cross! :)

So, me and my team mates (Garry and Joe) took off for our pre-race practice lap to check out the race course. After the easy spin around it I have to say it was simply brilliant! It was tough enough now, but brilliant! Long grassy sections, nice and tight switch back turns, little burst climbs, long steady climb, little drops-offs and plenty of mud to make all this more exciting! I really think the organizers put a great race course together today!! 

The start of the "B" Race was at 11:30 am sharp. I started from the 4th row, kinda from the middle of the field.

Start! (photo by Sean Rowe)

Nice technical descent = fun (photo by Sean Rowe)

Catching some mud (photo by Sean Rowe)

Great view

Trying to chase Joe & Garry down

After the first lap I managed to settle into my own "comfort" zone and started to make my way up towards the front group. I felt great and gain lots of positions during the first 3 laps. Until...

...I got a front puncture at the end of the 3rd lap. I was pissed off, I was pissed off big time... But luckily it didn't go down straight away so I decided to take my chances and kept riding. I didn't have any spare wheels at the pits, so this was my only option anyway...

Racing with punctured wheel. Ah sure, at least it's sunny :)

The best spot on the course: got the best cheering here, no doubt about that!

It stayed up kinda ok (very flat, but still ok) for the 4th and the 5th lap, but after that it went down altogether. So, I was riding pretty much on the rim for the last 2 laps of the race that made my work even more difficult. The  bike felt super heavy on the climbs and it was all over the place on the downhills. I even ended up running some of the more techy downhill bits towards the end to avoid some nasty crash.  

Luckily I was in positive frame of mind and somehow managed to maintain my position. Now, I dropped back few places alright, but it wasn't as bad as I expected earlier on. Anyway. I finished the race (all 7 laps) and crossed the finish line with 48 minutes racing time. This was enough to scoop up the 11th place out of the 60 riders. This also means I picked up a top 10 position in Senior B Category.  Am I happy with this? Sure I am!! I'm freakin' delighted!! :) 

After the race, another one done & dusted!

:)

This made my race quiet challenging indeed

Chat with the lads, sharing some race stories, get cleaned up quickly and off to home. Today's race was great buzz, I had brilliant time racing my bike! And even with the fact I could give as much as I wanted because of the puncture, but it still has been an excellent day out! Even the weather was nice & warm with plenty of sun, so there's a nice little bonus for everyone! :)

My reward after the savage race today

Big thanks to the organizers for putting this great race together. Also thanks to John, Casey, Murt, Chris, Adrian and Eva for the excellent cheering today, it did help to stay happy! :)

The TCX is ready. I mean "Fixx Supercross ready" !

Back on the 'cross bike // Race on Sunday

I have been very busy with all my mountain biking in the last couple of weeks, so it was due to dig out the cyclocross bike and go for a good old fashion 'cross spin in the park. I believe I picked the "perfect" morning for it: cold, mud, heavy rain. Ideal conditions! :) 

Havin' fun in the rain...

Did some 'cross specific practice and some nice & intense intervals also. With all those long mountain bike spins in my legs and now being back on the cyclocross bike I feel ready for the upcoming Fixx Supercross Cup Round 2 (Bray) this coming Sunday. Looking forward to it now, I'll get some redemption after missing the previous race. :)

Chillax after the miserable spin this morning :)

26 VS 27.5 VS 29 // Does the 27.5 really work?!

I was talking to so many riders in the last few weeks about the whole new 27.5 aka 650b wheelsize saga. I heard many opinions that supported the idea and many that was against it altogether. Now, I feel I'm in a pretty lucky situation 'cause I am using the new 650b Giant Anthem since the middle of last month, so I had plenty of chance to see what's all the fuss about! 

In this post I will be writing about all the stuff that I experienced in the saddle of this amazing bike (with  the benefits that are related to the wheelsize in focus). I have been using 26" bikes since I started mountain biking. I never actually owned any 29ers, but managed to test a few out on lots of different terrains. And now I'm on a 27.5 wheelsized bike and to answer the question above: yes, it does! It definitely works for me!!

The first thing that really surprised me was the fact this bike rides just like my old 26" bike. I didn't have the feeling that I got when I cycled 29ers before. It felt right and the control of the bike was just as good as I was used to from before. The agility is there, it is a very playable bike. 

The speed is definitely there too, it feels so much faster than the 26" one (it's nice 'cause I prefer to cycle out to the trails and cycle home after I'm done with my mountain biking). 

But the most important thing is how the bike rides on trails! It rides much better than any 26" bike I think: rolls over everything better, I'm absolutely lovin' the additional traction both uphill & downhill. And the best part is that you have all the benefit that comes from the bigger wheels while you feel like you're riding your 'aul 26" machine! It's super crisp on the handling, the front is easy to lift over stuff (not like the 29ers), it's light & stiff! What not to like?! :)

In my opinion everyone should be riding whatever works the best for their needs! For me the 27.5 is the way to go, no doubt about that! It's the ultimante "best-of-both" option I think. So, roll on big wheels!! ... (but not too big of course...)     :)

Au revoir Look 986

Well, this is it. It's time to say good bye to the old machine. The Look 986 26" is no longer in use, it's going to be sold. Amazing bike it was I had such joy using it in the last few years! Amazing spins, brilliant races, great results. Au revoir, thanks for everything! :)