Wheal Maid - Made for Wheels

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BY: Mark Spratt

Published: 29th April, 2013

Now that Lance has been completely discredited I'd like to point out that "It's Not About the Bike" was a load of BuzzCocks. Not the book itself, I enjoyed reading that even if I no longer take it at face value, but the sentiment. Not only was it mostly about the doping for Lance, but in mountain biking it clearly is very much "about the bike". Not entirely of course, you have to put in the effort, have a certain level of natural talent, be disciplined and have some level of luck, but the bike does make a difference. And I think it should. Any form of racing that involves a means of mechanical advantage, be it a bike, car, horse or skis should test not only the athlete but the equipment used.
"Mountain Biking" means different things to different people, but fundamentally it's about riding a bicycle able to traverse off-road, mountainous conditions. That means gearing capable of scaling steep, loose climbs, brakes that can control speed on steep descents and tyres and suspension that enable the rider to find grip on uneven, rocky surfaces. A mountain bike cross country race therefore should not only test the fitness of the rider but also the ability of the bike to meet these demands.
Whilst accessible mountains might be in short supply in the UK several venues are emerging as providing courses that deliver. Dalby is clearly such a course, Margam has been a long serving stalwart soon to be improved with new developments, Hopton made a great addition last year and this past weekend saw Wheal Maid near Redruth make a bid to be the new favourite.
Based around an old quarry this course has been used by several South-West series races and Mel and I raced there recently. The latest event showed it able to host a National event, with camping, parking and catering to match any. The course offered spectators many vantage points and was fun and testing to ride. Though I understand the reasons for returning year on year to Sherwood Pines for round 1 it's far from a testing mountain bike course and this year's conditions essentially meant brakes weren't required, gears didn't work, suspension was inactive and tyres should have been 23c and tubular. Still, the best riders always rise to the top there but for the following pack different courses can have a huge impact on position.
I was pretty happy with my 12th place at Sherwood having had some mishaps there in the past, but it was achieved through grit and determination rather than true speed. 24 hours at Mountain Mayhem last June (I feel it's incorrect to call it Summer) had prepared me well for such conditions. In the run up to Wheal Maid I wanted to supplement the new wheels provided by Velo Brands with a new set of forks as I knew the course would reward a good set up.
The Evolution Series Fox forks on my Giant XTC work as well as any I've had in the past but are not particularly light and I'd heard good things about the Kashima coated models that top the Fox range. I'm fortunate to have MOJO half way between my home and Cwmcarn (half way if I drive, slightly more by bike) and in recent years they've offered great advice and support with servicing my forks. Following my victory at Mountain Mayhem last year and a quick conversation with MOJO employee and one half of EyesDownFilms Tom Wheeler I had a new sponsor for the year and made a front end upgrade in the shape of some Factory Series Fox Floats. A couple of rides last weekend left me feeling impressed but gave no true indication of their potential, but a work trip to Uxbridge on Thursday gave me the chance to ride a few laps of the XC route at Aston Hill. As the proving ground of the original Aston Martin I felt a sense of poetry in testing out my new forks there and the flint covered rooty surface and red downhill run gave ample opportunity to get the settings dialled in.

 

Flossing won't get rid of that plaque

 

Saturday's practice laps were taken at a leisurely pace meaning Sunday was my first opportunity to really push the bike hard in its new guise. It certainly didn't disappoint and tracked beautifully well through the technical sections. At the end of 6 laps I rolled across the finish line in 8th position, very pleased given the quality of the Vets field. With a few more races before Hopton I hope to up my game further, following the example of Anthony White who rode to an impressive 4th place. The irony of that now though is with all the upgrades in place, for the next few weeks it's not about the bike!

 

Thanks to Cyclopaedia and MOJO for their support.