Will be racing again very soon // Da Cooley Thriller Marathon

It has been only very short time since I'm back on the bike. But I can't help it: I'm egager to compete as soon as I can! I need the buzz & the adrenalin that I get from XC racing and I don't want to wait too long before I get another shot of this sweet feeling! :)

So, the target is there and I'm getting ready: Da Cooley Thriller XC Marathon (click here for more info on the race) on the 18th of August. It is truly just around the corner so I better to do some preparation if I want to have good time on the bike. 

I will try to split some time inbetween family time and work to get some useful training hours in before I travel to the race. Well, honestly I have no high expectations about this one mainly because the lack of training I've been doing in the last 2-3 months, however I wont be myself if I wouldn't approach the race like the way I always do: it's a race, I'm not there to hang around!!

Testing the XC National's course // Savage 1st spin

So, there I was: all geared up and ready to start my first spin after havin' a bit more than 6 weeks break from cycling. The morning was nice and bright and the excitement was over the roof about getting back on the bike! :)

The plan was the next: get out to Djouce on the road, test out the upcoming Irish National XC Championship race course to see what I am actually missing this year and ride back home on the road. I wasted no time, rolled out of the carpark just about 7:30 am.

The route was the usual:

Milltown - Dundrum - Stepaside - Enniskerry - Djouce - XC course - Djouce - Enniskerry - Stepaside - Dundrum - Milltown

To be honest I had some concerns in relation of my fitness but I felt absolutely great and managed to get out to Djouce with pretty good time considering I was on the XC bike. Once I got to the carpark I hopped on the singletrack and started to enjoy my time on the trails. 

Nice view!

Now, since I got the a little bit too early the race course wasn't fully marked yet so I have to say that I must have skipped few sectors unfortunatelly but I have covered most of it anyway. And there is only one thing I can tell: I'm surely missing a savage XC race that would be amazing to ride tomorrow!!! Great course design by Robin Seymour with lots of real sweet technical bits! Amazing! :)

After I finished my off-road spin it was time to head back home but before I left I met with few friends from ThinkBike.ie CC and Epic MTB as well. It was great to chat to the lads and wish them all the best for tomorrow's race. 

The way back home is always faster on this particular route so I got home nice & quick just before lunch. I was very happy to be on the bike and absolutely satisfied with the way I felt today. I have covered the distance of 50 km just under 2 hours and 30 minutes with the total elevation gain of 800 m along the way. 

I really enjoyed myself and loved the way I was out on the bike. Felt great to push myself and let the adrenalin kick in on the technical & slippery trails! Riding my bike again is just simply fantastic but what's even more great is to know that my son Rhys is waiting for me when I get back home! :) 

Happy time with Rhys after the spin :)

 

Look what I found! // It's time to get back on the bike!

Look what I found in the back of the shop the other day: my XC bike! We did not have any contact whatsoever in the last 6 weeks, so it was time to dig it out from the storage and get it back to life! After a quick wash and some TLC it runs like a dream again and it will be tested tomorrow big time!

All packed, ready for tomorrow!

The bike is in good shape but I'm afraid I don't think I can tell the same about myself though...I feel good but I guess the last month and a half non-cycling time will have it's own effect on my fitness. 

But hey! Worry no more, just get out and ride! :) I gain back everything in no time and will get ready for Da Cooley Thriller in August indeed! From tomorrow I'm back on the bike, bring it on!!!

SRAM XX1 // I LIKE :)

I need to write about this some other time when I actually have time to do so, but until then I just have to say: I can't wait to get my hands on this new SRAM XX1 groupset! Excellent idea, would be super cool to test it out! It'll be on my bike upgrade wish list indeed! :)

It's time to...

          ... get the bike dusted down
          ... dig out all my cycling gear
          ... get the legs shaved again
          ... get out and ride my bike
          ... get myself back into racing!

After the massive 6 weeks of bike-less time things started to settle a little bit with my son Rhys, which is definitely a good thing. It means I can start thinking about riding my bike again very soon and that leads straight into one thing: find an XC event for myself. :)

I've never done the famous & popular event called Da Cooley Thriller, so I've decided to team up with the ThinkBike.ie lads and give this XC Marathon a shot! 

And the best thing is that I have absolutely no expectations. I will take the most of the day and do my best to have good time on the bike. Can't wait to race again and be there with all the guys and the rest of the Irish XC racing field! Will be class but until then I have some cycling to do to get some sort of shape and fittness going for the race!