XC Racer Blog Post

Big Dog and Elite Fatbike double header!

Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

BY: George Budd

Published: 17th August, 2014


This weekend was always going to be a bit crazy. When we were booking Premier Inns way back in December last year, Ben wasn't going to book one for the last National XC at Cannock as it clashed with the Brighton Big Dog, one of my favourite events of the season. Turned out that yes, they were on the same weekend but that they didn't technically clash as the Big Dog is on Saturday and the National on the Sunday. Applying George logic it was perfectly reasonable to do both.

As the 6hr solo at the Big Dog was the more serious of the two events for me, I decided to ride the 650b bike for that and aim at a podium. This was always going to be a tall order, as although a few of the usual names were absent, Ben, Tim and a returning Ian Leitch are some class riders. The course was a big improvement on last year's; the silly steep climbs were gone and the Singletrack was all downhill. Happy days! The descents were brilliant, it started off a bit slippery but it soon dried out and became faster and faster.

The race started fast and as expected Ben got away. Ian rode lap 1 with me and was a bit of an unknown - so I pushed on on the climbs and kept getting a gap only for the local boy to throw himself down the trails a bit more bravely than I did! On lap 2 Ian went to chase Ben. I'd like to say I let him go but really I was suffering at this point. I felt dizzy, my vision was going a bit funny and my legs were weak. I was ready to pull out after 2.5hrs, but popped a few gels and bars and kept on plugging round. I got the news that Tim had pulled out due to mechanical issues and this made me feel a lot more comfortable in 3rd as by this point, 4th was about 45mins behind me. I felt pretty strong for the final 3hrs of the race and tried to up the pace, hoping that Ian or Ben might blow as they continued to rip lumps out of each other at the front. At the half way point they were 8mins up on me, by the final lap I'd closed to 4mins behind Ben and 2mins behind Ian. On the final bit of trail, I passed Ian who had unfortunately had a puncture. I rode conservatively to the finish and grabbed 2nd. It's always a shame to beat someone through such circumstances, but that's bike racing I guess. I've been on the receiving end of a fair few flats his season! The usual awesome prize package from Rory et al was a great end

A plan came together soon after I realised the clash that I would ride my Salsa Beargrease fatbike at the National XC at Cannock. I'm fairly sure this is the first time a fatbike has been raced at a UCI Elite XCO race, anywhere in the world!

Having swapped the 650b for the Beargrease with a quick put stop at home, I made it to the Premier Inn, Walsall, by midnight. Reports online said the course was superb and the rock garden looked a bit tricky. Having taken a good 45mins to get from my car to the sign on tent, such was the attention the Beargrease generates, I managed to squeeze in a practice lap at 10am before the race and was really glad I did as there were a few tricky sections. The Beargrease was awesome on the rock garden once I'd figured out a line.

The big change to my Beargrease recently has been a pair of Kuroshiro Enso 685 carbon fatbike rims. After 6 months of waiting they finally arrived... 448g each, built weight is 1800g the pair exactly - 840g front and 960g rear. Build is Hope Fatsnos and DT Revs/alloy nips. They are insanely, crazily light to pick up. The bike as it is now is 23.5lbs on digital scales. They were absolutely perfect to build - they didn't even need a true after I built them up. I was skeptical about the lack of rim tape but it worked perfectly. Gave it a little tubeless dance and it sealed up.

Every now and again a product comes along that totally changes how a bike rides. I think these rims fit that category as they took 3.1lbs of rotating weight off my bike. I'd put them in the same bracket as reliable disc brakes or functional suspension forks. Now the new waiting game for the 960g Schwalbe Jumbo Jims...

The race was a laugh. I was never going to perform well after a 6hr solo, so the encouragement the fatbike brought was really appreciated. I finished in 28th, about 5-10mins down on where probably would have been on a normal bike but with a massive grin on my face. I managed to beat my 2 targets of don't finish last and don't get lapped, so win-win.

A fabulous weekend all round!


Click any of the images below for a larger view / slideshow





Blogger Info:


George
 

George Budd

Marathon racer & Deputy Head. Usually found eating carrot cake in Peaslake.

Thanks to my sponsors: Pivot Cycles, Upgrade Bikes, Ison Distribution, USE, Exposure Lights, ODI, Gusset, Halo, MRP, Schwalbe, Absolute Black and Rotor

www.pivotcycles.com

Read More By George
Disclaimer:

This blog post was written by a third party and their views do not necessarily reflect the views of XCRacer.com

Advertise your business/event here »