At the Core show  in January i noticed this out of place frame.  It was black in alloy had decals stuck on with sellotape and didnt have any dropouts fitted,  not what you expect to find at a trade show.  It got my attention so i asked what it was ?

A very excited Pat Campbell-Jenner gave me a talk through.  For those that dont know PCJ is part of I.D. and one of there 4X racers,  he had some input to the frame and this was the first pre-production rideable prototype,  so yeah PCJ was excited (i would be as well )

This is I.D.’s new all mountain hardtail,  more of an all-rounder than the racy jekyll/krisis/hyde frames,  not as stiff in the chainstays,  which is good if you like your ankles and intend to ride miles over a 40-50 second sprint called a 4X race run,  elements of the others are in the genes of the AKA with some new things.

Some nice CNC machining going on and a fat 1.5 headtube,  so more capable of all day riding but the head tube screams big hit riding

I guess the prototype worked out as other Pat (2 Pats at I.D.) sent me this the other day of the production bike,  looks good,  however i have no clue to final prices or the price (if it’s an option) of the built up bike.  It’s Eurobike next week i guess thats when we find out how much and when they can be got.

Htn catches up on a fairly new face to the UK dirt scene. But he’s made a big impact and can be found in a number of magazines pulling some crazy move or hitting a berm at full tilt. He’s recently managed to pick up a sponsorship with Ashton/Diamondback team. No doubt some of you will of seen him at one of the shows around the country. A big fella that’s not afraid of going big. He also has a brother too who also likes to “throw it down”.

So who is he?

1, Who are you?

My name is Blake Samson, I’m 25 years old and was born in Zimbabwe..

2, Where do you live?

I live on a island in the south of England called the Isle of Wight.

3, What do you do for a living?

I use to work in the Automotive industry, but now I’m doing what I love doing, riding my bike for a living. It’s so amazing!

4, Whats the best thing about your job/life style?

The best thing about my job is the life style. I get to travel around the world, riding in some amazing events, meeting loads of new people. I think the best thing is the travelling part.

5, Whats the worst thing?

I don’t think there is a bad thing about riding. Well I can’t think of anything bad about it.

6, Where do you normally ride?

The normally place I love to ride is our local step up. It’s an amazing place to ride and learn new tricks. It’s like landing a beach, great fun.

7, Who do you like to ride with?

That’s simple, my brother Raymond. Having someone that lives and does the same thing as you is so cool. We push each other to do some crazy ass stuff.

8, Whats it like being on the Ashton/Diamond back team?

It’s great being part of a great team, having a team mate/boss like Martyn Ashton is amazing. The great trails rider alive and such a amazing guy and also to have Sam Pilgrim as a team mate. When I get to ride with this guy, there is no limits.
Been part of a big company like this is so sick.

9, You were on DMR for a while. What brought about the change?

I moved due to a bigger future and for the Animal Bike tour. Being the star dirt jumper for the show, it’s made my crazy hobby into a way of life and job, Which is great.

10, Tell us about your bike?

My bike, now that is a thing of greatness. I am rolling on a Ashton Diamondback closure custom green colour, I am still riding on DMR gear so that’s all parts, team Hope brakes (Green) and one of the best things is the forks, 2011 Fox 831′s from Mojo UK.
The bike rides so good, it’s light and easy to through around.

11, Any real trick bits?

There is one trick bit on my bike. I hate it when my cranks spin when I take my feet off, I put a small piece of inner tube around my crank and BB which stops them spinning. Oh and I do spin my bars around to rap my brake cable up so I can do more than on tail whip in a run. That’s about it.

12, What do you do to relax?

Things to relax, well I don’t do much sitting around. I think one or two things I use to chill or to take my mind off of things is Surfing. I love to surf, I’m not that great but I’m NOT CRAP. I think another thing I do like to do is chill with my partner Jenna, she’s great. Oh and playing a bit of Xbox.

13, Style or Tricks?

Tricks, I love doing tricks. I get bored not doing tricks. But I love to flow around on some sick trails. So I think it’s more tricks, than style. But I love to ride with big tricks with style.

14, Wide or narrow bars?

I’ve started to love wide bars, so wide all the way.

15, Whats the funniest thing that’s happened to you?

????????????? Don’t know what to put here sorry….

16, Whats your favourite saying?

There is a few of them but the ones I mostly use are sick, amazing, crazy, EPIC!!, Braaaaaa….. And sweetness. I could go on. Hahaha

17, What can you not do without?

Hahah, my iPhone, iPad and my bike. Mostly my bike but the phone is up there.

18, What music do you like?

I’m one to like anything. But I am into a bit of Rock n roll.

19, You’ve had a pretty busy year this year haven’t you?

Arrr man this year has been a crazy one. I haven’t stopped, being the star rider on the Animal Bike tour. Every weekend since May, June to the end of September has been shows all over the UK and in Ireland. When I’m not doing shows I’ve been doing the odd Photo shoot and I have done a number of Comps as well. But it’s all been crazy fun.

20, What or who inspires you?

What inspires me is watching all of my biking DVD’s I’ve bought and watching all the big names go crazy on film and the people that have inspired me are my Brother Ray, Grant ‘Chopper’ Fielder and Cam  Macall. All great riders and people.

21, Whats the most important thing in your life?

The most important thing in my life are the people around me. My Family is probably the most important, but there is a very special girl in my life and that is my Fiancé. It might sound soppy, but hey….

22, What does the future hold for you?

Well I hope the future holds a lot of good things for me. But I do hope I get to the top of my game and be one of the best out there.

23, Apart from the demo’s and animal shows what else do you do bike wise?

For 2011, I am going to plan to do more comp’s and travel more in the US.

24, Where would you like to go that you haven’t yet?

I would love to do more in the comp scene in 2011 and I want to do more in the USA. Do some of there comp’s and ride some of there crazy country side.

25, Any thanks or wise words?

Yes! I would like to thank my w hole family for sticking next to me and to my fiancé. I would like to thank Martyn Ashton as well and to Mojo UK for there support with forks and as well as Animal clothing for the sick ass clothing.

For Wise words, just keep on practicing you will end up doing it. But always stay with in your limits and always wear a helmet..

Wise words indeed.  If you want catch up with Blake, then check one of the shows  or see if you can find him on a famous social network. If you don’t know where to look… well I reckon up would be a start.

Yep sense of humour here,  the classic home made video by Metallica and the rather more racer friendly Clif bars.

I intended to do a race food write up,  as i picked up several different types of bars and gels.  However in the heat of the Euro SS race (and it was hot) all thoughts of review went out the window and half of team Sweden ate what i had mid race with me,  trying to remember what things taste like when everyone is hungover or still drunk (ahem) is not easy,  however at the time no one complained and where most happy with the sheer amount of food i had.  Thats what happens when you go into a 34 mile race and forget things like food,  everyone had remembered there hip flasks though.

So roll on a few months and i bump into Ran from 2pure, up at the Fort Bill DhEnduro,  which i was not prepared for the event (my fault) and promptly bribed Ran with some of Frazers beer in return for a couple of Clif bars.   I got a bit more than a couple and thus was able to conduct an experiment under race conditions with Bars and Bloks

Having been riding for many years i have watched the progress of Energy bars and in the past tried them out.  Back then most where like chewing cardboard and the early gels where like drinking someone elses mucus,  that was a long time ago and i have noticed more people having a gel on the uplift at downhill races,  they have really improved.  But why proper Energy bars over say a Mars bar ? i will attempt to explain.

In biking and other high energy sports there are 2 terms i hear, “hitting the wall”  and “bonking” these refer to that point when your body runs out of fuel, you will know if it’s happened to you as it’s not nice,  you just feel instantly drained, maybe dizzy and need to stop.  Happened to me a few times, trying to get off a hill in that state is no fun.   So the difference between a Mars and a Clif,  ok the price, all energy bars are dearer but you get what you pay for, a mars bar is no good on a hot day it melts,  you also mostly just get a big sugar rush which will soon be burnt off by your body and then you “bonk” again.

The ingredients in Clif Builders bar are all natural and there is a lot of them,  and a lot of minerals and protein’s that your body can use quickly,  with normal food your have wasteage your body only takes what it needs and dosent process the rest, the bars are made to be easy on your stomach and easy to digest and easy/fast to be absorbed by your body,  so a lot of thought has gone into what goes in them,  there is a side effect to this,  which i found out the next day after eating about 10 of them.  As the body processes and use’s almost the whole of what bar you eat, well there isnt a lot of waste to come out your other end,  bit like baby food some of you will understand what i mean.   Instead of dumping a pile of sugar into your bloodstream the bars release proteins and carbs and natural sugar gradually so you dont get the quick hit then bonk again,  as they are fairly small, they are easy to carry and dont melt when it gets warm,  depending on your output you would be looking at 2 or three bars/gels an hour for constant use like trying to do a 34 mile xc sprint,  keep the body topped up and the longer you can go,  really look into what you are using and you can push harder than normal as your body gets the energy it wants.

Maybe i am not the best person to try and explain things,   there is a lot of science involved and it does work.  I munched my way through a lot of bars and Bloks and they give you the feeling of being full,  but not bloated,  i wouldnt eat a sunday roast then go ride my bike,  the food takes a while to digest and you feel like you have eaten a lot,  because they are picky about what goes in, you get the benefits without carrying the excess waste in your stomach.  Thats why they cost more than a mars bar or cheese sandwhich.

So taste then,  the Builders bar £1.99  is cake like and has 23 vitamins and minerals crammed in it, a bar for long haul races or post race top up.   The Clif Bar £1.29  is smaller and 17 vitamins in it and is aimed more at eating while racing,  oatmeal bar so think flapjacks, also in peanut butter and Raisin and Walnut and others.

Who likes jelly babies ?  i love them,  the Bloks £1.99, are similar to them,  6 cubes in the pack, Clif dont do a gel this is instead,  and they reckon that 1 pack is  equivalent to 2 traditonal Gels !  havent got any gels so cant check that one out.  They are as tasty as jelly babies but better for you,  and can also be had with added caffene for you coffee fiends out there.

Bloks get my vote (jelly babies)  but all tasty !  for more indepth information on what goes in them try www.cliffbar.com for the uk side of things change that to .co.uk  or go have a look at www.2pure.co.uk

Ran did email me about the beer i gave him,  a bottle of Exmoors finest 6% Exmoor Beast Ale,  and i quote “So dark, it reminded me of Edinburgh Porter or Kelpie (seaweed based one)”  race food and beer we like to provide a full service here at HTN

Yep maybe a bit odd to see Track wheels on here, and Cyclo-Cross race tyres,  what gives ?

Remember the Ghetto 29er i took to the Euro SS Champs, well this is what i used.   So to backtrack,  i was doing a SS project but kept bending rear axles (3) so went looking for a new back wheel.  Options are to buy a hub and build up with the old 22 year old rim i have,  maybe have done that for £40-£50,  at some point the front matching hub will need changing.  So i go off on a internet search and end up at www.on-one.co.uk  i found some rear wheels around the £60-80 price range,  now bear in mind it’s flat up Grimsby way and the Ghetto bike is my hack bike to ride across the fields to town so i dont need heavy duty wheels and a tweeked roadbike is perfect for what i want.  On sale they had pairs of own brand on-one 700c clincher Track wheels for £99.99 down from £149.99 so for not much more than the price of a single rear wheel i got a pair, all built up, with rim tape, lock rings and Q/R’s as well as nutted option.  And a Shimano DX bmx free wheel in a knee friendly 18t size.  So one stop shopping and race ready wheel set,  i dont even have to put the rim tape on, it’s already sorted.

So internet shopping can be a bit hit and miss, i belive in using your local bike shops,  but i dont have one up here,  and lets say i have had problems with mail order in the past,  so on-one gets a mention as there service was damn good.  Ok so i order late afternoon,  do it before 3pm and it should go same day,  i got the standard email saying i had paid, then the next day i got another telling me it was on it’s way and when i should get it.  I ordered,  i also get an email very early friday telling me my expected delivery time from the courier company,  and it was bang on time,  thats good service i am impressed and would be happy to use again.  Just to clarify i bought the wheels they arent “testers on loan” and on-one dont know about this yet

Bit of rear hub action and Shimano DX free wheel, you can see the hollow axle, ready to use with the supplied but not listed Q/R’s so an extra bonus.

The wheels are Track ones, as in ment for use in a velodrome, those big indoor banked circuits and are about as simple as you will get.  This is a double fixed rear hub,  that means instead of a free hub,  both sides of the hub are threaded to take screw on sprockets or a screw on freewheel like i have done,  i will be trying the fixed option at a later date,  thats what the lock rings are for.   You can buy SS/fixed bikes and the say they have a flip flop rear hub, thats the way i am going,  however they can be threaded for a free wheel only hence fixed/free,  mine is threaded for double fixed which means i can run any option,  you cant run fixed on a threaded for freewheel, you dont need lock rings for free wheel so they arent threaded for it,  hope that makes sense into the different hubs you can get.

Front hub, look close and you can see the bearing,  they are sealed cartridge bearings,  but as this is a track wheelset they dont have outer seals,  so long term winter use will kill them off,  unless you give them a service every now and then,  however they are simple hubs and only 2 bearings,  in this case most home mechanics will be able to knock out dead ones and push in fresh ones,  again this is a track wheelset so make allowance for riding them across wet muddy fields.

The claimed weights are 925g front and 1000g rear, i did weigh them and thats pretty much what they are.  So how are they,  well they ride really nicely,  the bearings are smooth and spoke tension is good,  the rims are deep semi-aero this makes them very strong,  just as well as i took them to the Forest of Dean and did about 50 miles of cross country on them,  not what they where built for,  but they survived,  and the stiffness showed through on the downhill bits,   i was trying to chip corners DH style and you keep the bars straight hit the corner to take off (yes i jumped stuff) and the fork and frame and stem would all flex and bend round what i tryed to jump,  i nose dived some embankments,  thats what bent the bike but the wheels werent bothered,  i have also done around 200 miles on the road/across the fields as well with no issue,  although they havent been out in wet weather yet,  i suspect the bearings will play up as winter takes hold.

When you consider i am riding them way out of there intended use then they are doing very well indeed.

The tyres then,  Test samples, didnt buy them.  I was at the trade show and the Germans where wondering why i was checking sizes with my little metal ruler and really wondering why i was looking at Cyclo-cross tyres,  after an explanation on what i was going to do, well they where impressed (and amused) if i was going to race an old road bike in the Euro SS Champs then they offered me the tyres if i was sure they would fit the frame !  i got home checked the frame clearance, emailed Continental and 2 Cyclo-cross Race tyres came through the post.  Wire beading, there is a lighter folding bead,  mine go for £16.95 each and are 35mm size, claimed weights are 490g for mine and 450g for the folders,  i havent weighed them but there light,  pressure range from 58-85 psi.

They roll really well being low profile,  and if you dont go to nuts with tarmac corner speeds then they are well mannered.  Off road,  i didnt expect much to be honest but was surprised at how good they are,  i ran about 55 psi up front and 65 rear,  i expected to get loads of pinch flats as they got rimmed a lot going over the roots,  i did pick up 2 thorns on the ride into the start of the race,  and my killer start went out the window with a slow puncture,  instead of changing my tube (only had 1 spare) i kept stopping to pump it up.  I was happy to find that they dont roll off at low pressure and the sidewall didnt get ripped up,  quite tough tyres.  Grip was rather good, it was dry,  they didnt like the deep loam in the fresh singletrack corners (lots crashed in that) and they where a bit skittish on the loose gravel fireroad,  but again it’s a narrow tyre and low profile running 55+ psi.  On the second lap i had the fire road parts dialled,  go nuts, as you hit the hairpin bend move forward and lock up the back wheel and skid round the corner with your nuts on the stem,  think unicycle cornering style,  get the front wheel round the bend, release the brake and let the bike sort itself out,  yes i rode like a 10 year old and loved it,  didnt tear up the tyre doing that.  I cant find what rating the rubber is, its a hard compound and is wearing well,  but grips as well.  It may have been a different story if it was wet ! but then this is a Cyclo-cross Race tyre it’s designed for wet racing,  i just havent had the chance to find out.  I reckon i might try Dalby forest World cup Xc track on them see how they cope with that.

So a good buy on the wheels,  very happy with them,  and the tyres, which where free (test samples) nice surprise with them, they now need a good wet XC ride,  but  would i buy them ?,  cheap durable, work very well and tougher than i expected,  yes i would buy them,  and chances are i would still get these over the lighter choice which is only £23  each.  Be an update on these again in the middle of winter.     www.on-one.co.uk   www.conti-bicycletyres.com for more information.

Today i had a package turn up with reguards from Damian and Patrick of Dmr,  we have another boost to the prize fund from another hardtail company.

We have 2 Black Skulls t’shirts there £19.99,  1 single speed kit  £16.99 and 1 Tension Seeker £19.99,  a very nice pair of Aqua Blue V8′s £27.99,  a posh chrome YBN heavy duty 9 speed chain in the tin, thats £24.99 loads of stickers i worked it out, around £80 in stickers,  what else, the Bone Grey Zip grips (going to have a closer look at them later) £8.49 and 4 sets of Locdd grips at £11.99

What can one say other than Thank you very much Dmr,  theres around £250 worth of gear there to give out.   And dont forget Dmr have donated prizes in the past and on top of that, the first race in 07 was won by Nathan Ball on a Trailstar, Alex Marshall came second on a welded up Trailstar, in 08 Husky won on a Exalt and was then a dmr rider, Lee Hamer got second on a Sidekick,  so the frames have bagged plenty of podium space and there is always a good turnout of Trailstars

The Unofficial hardtail champs prize fund has been very kindly kicked off by www.ridinghighuk.com it’s no secret i know them,  i race one of there bikes and use Spank and Element parts,  they have a good background in hardtails and have donated prizes in the past.   This year i had to work for them,  so you lot better come and race !  the deal was i dropped by on friday,  a lorry load of stuff was also dropped off on friday,  i spent 5 hours there as the warehouse bitch, got dirty and humped boxes in and stacked them up,  in return i scored some prizes (and lost the contents of my wallet).

We have 3 sets of Gold and Chocolate lock on grips £12.99…. 2 sets of Tugg job grips at £8.99 (more on them later going to have a closer look).  2 Spank 2 Timer stems in oversize bar and 50mm length £54.99 and 2 Subrosa saddles which are £44.99 so quick maths thats about £250 worth of gear which i get to give away.  Just remember prizes are random at the Champs they dont all go to the podium.

So after humping boxes, i had the normal rummage round for anything interesting, as normal some stuff i cant talk about, but the new Spike 777 Evo’s had landed so we had them out of the box for a look.   This is the first batch which have been flown in, the main shipment is on a slow boat over the seas,  so the shops that pre-ordered have limited stock in now.

Shown here with the Spike direct mount stem for Boxxers/Fox 40, the stem is £69.99 and the bars (if you can find them) are £59.99  bit more on these later next week,  as i ended up buying a set,  i think i am doing something wrong, you lot out there get the chance for free stuff and i get to buy it,  anyway i now have some 777 to swap out with my Bitch Stick,  but more later on that,  going to play with them grips as well.

As RHUK have kicked things off have a little video as well   www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILjUe-znXE4 Kick it !

Chris and Vicky thank you very much.

Htn manages to catch a few moments with one of Wales’s top riders. She’s been making a big impact on the World cup scene looks to keep it that way. A good number of you will of meet her at one of the Dragon DH races in the past. She always has a smile and is one of the nicest people I’ve meet. Her dad is well know too. He has been a driving force behind her and it’s certainly paying off. But when she’s not charging downhill she likes to hit it up at the trails or the BMX track. So who is she?

I give you…….

1, Who are you?

Manon Carpenter

2, Where do you live?

Caerphilly

3, What do you do for a living?

Go to school and ride my bike

4, What kind of riding do you do?

All sorts – dh, xc, bmx, dj’s.. All the fun stuff

5. Who do you ride with?

Mainly my dad and a bunch of the coolest people in South Wales.. Or basically anyone who wants to go riding.

6, Where do you ride?

Everywhere where there’s places to ride! There’s loads of places to ride in South Wales but on my travels we’ve been all over the UK and further.

7, You’re getting some pretty awesome results in the World Cup. You must be pretty happy?

Yeah it’s going really well so far, I’ve done a lot better than I expected and it’s cool being able to compare myself to the fast girls. This is a good year to get used to racing World Cups because i don’t have too much pressure on me.

8, What kind of training do you do?

Lots and lots and lots of riding. And some press ups and squats.

9, What bikes do you own?

My lovely Lapierre 920, Zesty, bmx and my dad’s old DMR rhythym

10, Any trick/cool parts?

I did have a super special Titanium race spring on my rear shock but unfortunately I’ve downgraded because I need a stiffer spring.

11, Who do you admire?

Anyone who is determined and never gives up – and enjoys life.

12, What music do you like?

All sorts really, I guess I prefer Indie/Alternative stuff the best though.

13, If you could meet anyone, (alive or not) who would it be?

Kickass

14, Where would you like to go that you haven’t yet?

Ecuador

15, Whats the funniest thing you’ve seen on your travels?

Ummm I can’t really pick one in particular off the top of my head but there’s been lots of adventures so far!

16, Whats the best thing about racing around the world?

Fun

17,  Whats the downside of racing around the world?

Stress

18, What could you not do with out?

Music

19, Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know?

I’m a Black belt in Karate.
20,  What motivates you?

Always being able to go that little bit faster, or push myself a bit harder.

21, What are your likes and dislikes?

I like sunshine, smiles and sport and hate smoking.

22, What do you do to relax?

Have a snooze

23, What does the future hold for you?

Lots more adventures hopefully!

24, Style or technical?

Technical because I don’t do style – I’ve yet to learn any tricks..

25, Any thanks?

My dad for making me ride years ago and obviously all my sponsors who’ve helped me out and supported me – it helps a lot! Especially Fenwicks and Royal.

Staying on the theme of being broke and braking stuff on the bike,  here we have some ghetto bodges to get me rolling again.  However there is a dark side to doing this.   Heres what and why.

Ghetto single speed.  Why ?,  well my drive-train is toast, the mech might be bent the hanger IS bent, i think the shifter maybe has just worn out, had it several years so cant complain.  The cassette that came from the bin is well worn, so i had a rummage and found some spare sprockets and cassette spacers and there we go Singlespeed.

Now removing the cassette and mech and shifter drops a hunk of weight off the bike and is something i have been meaning to try for ages.  Converting a vertical dropout to SS is not as easy as you think.  Well it is if you spend some money,  a all in kit will set you back about £30  from dmr/gusset and that should score some type of chain tension device,  this is important because on a horizontal dropout you just slide the wheel back to take the slack out of the chain,  you cant slide a vertical dropout so need to take up the slack somehow.  Some people do this by leaving the rear mech on, some make up a device with old rollers,  i am using the chain device instead.

Now the danger bit,  i am using a normal 9 speed sprocket from a cassette,  this is designed to enable shifting and has short teeth and shifting ramps and gates,  under normal use when things get tough you shift gear,  if the chain skips it will get caught on the next sprocket.   When singlespeeding you put a lot more torque and power down,  it is possible to skip the sprocket under load and throw your self over the bars, or snap the chain and pop a knee.  A proper single speed sprocket,  which i will get later on has much deeper teeth and NO shifting aids and they are quite cheap, think £5+ depending on make and quaility and are designed for higher loads than cassette sprockets.   As i have broken up several cassettes i kept all the spacers so i have a mix of plastic and alloy spacers holding my sprocket in a direct line with the front chain ring.

Magic gear is a way to convert a vertical drop-out, this is when you find the magic combination of front ring – rear sprocket – chain length that fits with minimal chain slack and no tension device, as the chain wears it will get slack and you have to start all over again to get the tension back.  I opted (against advice from others) to use the Gamut device to take out the slack,  this is work in progress and may not work well.  But will do for now until i get sorted again, high chance by the champs race i will have changed to a proper single speed sprocket.   If you get the urge to go SS best get a proper kit for your own safety.

Can you see what i did

So after 2 years of faultless service and loads of rock strikes i ripped 2 pins out of the Dmr Mag V12.  After cleaning and checking the pedal for cracks i had a go at putting a new pin in,  i wrongly reckoned i could drill a hole and the stainless steel pin would self tap into the softer magnesium alloy of the pedal body,  it didnt work well, the pin is sort of glued and sort of self tapped.   This is a short term fix to keep me rolling.  The danger is this,  the pedal is now weakened from the rock strike anyway,  i have just drilled another hole in again making it weaker,  high chance the pedal will fail on another rock strike,  i do this at my own risk so you lot dont try it.

There we go,  rolling again,  maybe not the best way to do it, maybe best not to copy it,  save up for some new bits now.

One of the hardest forms of racing is often over looked. But no doubt some of you will of competed in it. Downhill requires nerves and skill and a degree of fitness. 4X requires power and a tactical mind. But all to often a race run is all over in less than 10 minutes. Xc however requires much more, Fitness, Tactics, Skill, Stamina and more. Often a XC race can be an hour or in the case of endurance, 24hours. So it only seemed fair to feature someone from the current UK XC scene. This rider has been making waves in the womens class of XC over the last couple of years and is looking to make more. She races for  Charge Bikes, and looks to be a rider to be respected and revered.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you……

1, Who are you?

Abi Greenaway, an XC rider for Charge Bikes.

2, Where do you live?

I’m currently living in Bristol, but I’m moving to London in a week.

3, What do you do for a living?

I’ve just graduated from Bath in French, Italian and European Studies, and I’m starting a human resources internship in London in a week for a fashion group.

4, What kind of riding/racing do you do?

I do a lot of my training on the road, but I race XC and endurance races.

5, what bike do you ride?

Charge team Duster Ti.

6, Any special/ trick parts?

Titanium frame, full Sram XX group set, Crank Bros. cobalt wheels and Charge spoon saddle.

7, You race XC. How long have you been competing?

I did my first race when I was seven years old! So fifteen years. My family all used to race when I was younger, and bike racing has pretty much always been part of my life.

8, You raced a 24hr event last weekend. How did it go?

I guest rode for a West Drayton mountain bike club women’s team at the Bontrager 24 -12, and we came third in the women’s open 24 hour category as a team of five. It was quite tough because it was muddy, and I did seven laps out of the 24 that we completed.

9, How hard is it racing 24hr?

I think the worst part is dragging yourself out of bed if you have the chance to go to sleep during the night, but once you’re out riding it’s amazing! I think the most important thing is to have a well-organised team, so everyone knows exactly when they are supposed to be riding. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be riding 24 hours solo, but I may be tempted to try one day.

10, Where do you like to ride?

I’m lucky living in Bristol because there are really good trails 10 minutes out of the city at Ashton Court Estate. One of my best memories of riding is going camping with Bath uni cycling club in Scotland and being based in between the Innerleithen and Glentress trails.

11, Who do you like to ride with?

Anyone who will ride with me who I can have a good chat with. I think cycling is such a sociable sport and rides with friends are a lot more enjoyable.

12, What is the XC scene like in the UK?

I didn’t do the National XC series this year, instead I did more fun endurance events like Set to Rise and the Bontrager 24-12. I think these kind of events are getting more and more popular, because anyone who rides a bike can turn up with their mates and set themselves the challenge of just completing it without worrying about being too competitive.

13, Which event/Race would you like to try?

I would love to do the Transrockies, which is a 7-day endurance event where you ride about 100km a day as a pair in the Rocky Mountains. I’m thinking about doing it next Summer.

14, You ride for Charge bicycles. How did that come about?

I started riding for Charge when I was 17 when Charge was still a relatively new company. I think Nick from Charge was specifically looking for a girl XC rider and asked around people on the race scene, and someone recommended me.

15, Whats it like riding for charge?

I am really proud to be riding for Charge, they have expanded a lot in the last few years and it’s been great to be a part of that. Being a student, I don’t think I would have been able to race these last few years without them. My bike keeps getting better every year and is just a pleasure to ride. They don’t put pressure on the team to achieve certain results, just to get out there and enjoy riding.

16, What kind of music do you like?

It depends on my mood, but I like singers like Amy Winehouse and Duffy.

17, What could you not do without?

I couldn’t do without chocolate! I’m not one of those cyclists that follows a strict diet, it would just make me grumpy.

18, Who do you admire?

My Mum.

19, If you could meet anyone you like. Who would they be?

Paul McCartney, I would get him to play me a few Beatles songs on the piano.

20, Tell us something we may not know about you?

I can speak fluent Italian.

21, What does the future hold for you?

I’m getting a Charge Plug soon, so I’ll be fixing it round London! A lot more 12 and 24-hour events, and hopefully some traveling to a couple of races abroad.

22, What are your likes and dislikes?

Likes are shopping, cocktails, playing with my 5-year-old brother.

Dislikes are bike mechanical problems.

23, Where would you like to go that you haven’t yet?

Japan.

24, What would you say to someone who wants to give XC racing a go?

You won’t regret it!

25, Any thanks?

WESC, Sram, Truvativ, Crank Brothers, Oakley, Vans, Rock Shox, Mule Bar, Avid, DHB, Surface, Bontrager, Knog, Muc-off, Park tool, Bell, Niterider.

So If you see Abi at a race, show her your support. To catch up or find out more about Abi or Charge bikes, go to. www.chargebikes.com

We are Hi-jacking round 3 of the Gawton summer series on September 12th 2010.

All bookings to be made via the host site at www.woodlandriders.com the race day Sunday is £25 the track will be open for practice on Saturday, a day pass must be got from www.dartmoorcycles.co.uk tel 01822 618178 this will be £5.  No day pass, NO practice, and this is a PUSH UP race, no uplift.  The venue Gawton is open for practice pre race but you must first get a Day pass to ride.  You can phone and book/pay in advance or collect and pay in person at Dartmoorcycles (see there weblink for directions).

No licence is needed to race, and i go by general rules of HT class which are,  Aged 14-100 male or female (or other we take anybody) and of course be on a hardtail,  thats it.   One big happy family all ages and gender race together.

However anyone who has raced Downhill or 4x at World Cup level will not be eligble to take the Title of “Unofficial Hardtail Champ”  if you are racing at that level you arent really an Unofficial type.  Worldcuppers are most welcome to race and the times will be noted,  this race is being held on the super-tavi track which is also the Dirtmag 1.04 track, so we may see some World Cup types at the race (or maybe not).

Prizes,  Top 3 get a trophy to keep, the Champ gets the Winners jacket for 1 year/until next race, when the jacket will be handed to the next champ.   Depending on what i can rustle up there may be other prizes as well,  these tend to be of a random nature just for fun.  So getting on the podium dosent get you all the prizes,  everyone has a chance.

The Girls,  the nature of the HT class is we all race as one group, Last year Clair Lloyd joined us, the first female to do the champs.   Big respect to Clair, and because of her performance last year i will do a Queen Bee prize for the fastest female rider that is not a World Cup racer.

The World cuppers, if any show up ?  i will be doing an unofficial dirt 1.04 hardtail leader board, maybe beer for a prize, but all hardtail times will go in this.  Lets face it be interesting to see what we can do against a top 20 WC racer, again thats if any turn up.

All rules of racing will be those imposed by Woodland riders, they have final say, so make sure you have a good working bike and any required protection.

Clair with the quickly thrown together bag of stuff,  the Unofficial hardest girl racer and Queen Bee.  She crashed out a few times but jumped back on and kept going, unlike some of the blokes,  apart from the ones who put themselves in hospital.  

Andy Payne on the left in 3rd then on the right we have Ben Baker, a world Cup racer, his first race since getting over a broken neck,  Ben came 2nd.  And in the middle the Champ to beat, Ben Deakin.

No 1 No1 No1 can you beat this man ?