XC Racer Blog Post
A year of Marathon racing, I must be nuts.
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterBY: Melanie Alexander
Published: 13th November, 2016
2015 brought several opportunities to race marathons overseas in both stage races and single day marathons, including the Tiliment Marathon Bike, the World Marathon Champs ,the Swiss Epic and the Grand Raid.
The season finished with my two strongest races of the year at the Grand Raid and the Swiss Epic. I had previously raced the Grand raid in 2009 and had wanted to return ever since. Naturally, if returning to an event , one wants to improve on previous times, but with course changes and the impact of the weather on such high mountain races this isn’t always possible. My 9h20 for the 125km course was 22 minutes quicker than for 2009’s 121km, and I finished 2 places higher as 7th woman, a result I was really pleased with my result on such a climber’s course. Then two weeks later me and Mark returned to Switzerland for the Swiss Epic. We had a fantastic week of racing, it was competitive and we found ourselves in the leaders jersey for the last two days until a mechanical 16kms from the end stopped our race and we couldn't finish. These experiences pretty much set my desire to focus on marathons in 2016, some new ones and some to revisit.
Thanks Massively to Cyclopaedia for the Focus Raven to race on in 2016
Roc D'Ardenne
The first trip overseas in 2016 was to Belgium for the Roc D' Ardenne (UCI Marathon Series). I travelled with Iwona and Ben for a long weekend. It was cold, muddy and tough but a brilliant experience. I held third for a while but it was a long race ( 5:25 hours for the 85kms for me) and with close racing around me and a bonus detour I finished 6th in the end.
BEMC
I enjoyed racing the Roc d'Ardenne so much that as soon I got home I signed straight up for the BeMC – Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge, a three day stage race for solo riders also based in the beautiful hilly Ardenne region. Over the three days we covered 260kms and 7800meters of vertical climbing. Even with those high stats I had not anticipated how tough on the body this race was going to be with its constant ups and downs and little respite. The stages were, 67km, 95kms and 100 kms saved for the last stage. Each stage was different as the Ardennes has so much to offer with lots of varied trails and land. Most memorable to me were the steep climbs and fast descents, very often one after another. In contrast there were more gradual climbs/descents where the kms were flying by especially if you got in a good group. There were sections of natural singletrack, woodland and open land with stunning views, plus a river to wade across. We also got to ride the Houffalize World Cup track on stage three (the only man made section of the race). Being a UCI race it attracted many ladies making for a good competition, this is what I loved the most, having others to race against constantly. I finished, 10th, 7th and 9th on each individual stage resulting in 7th overall.
The Ardennes is simple to get to for a long weekend and well worth the journey for a competitive race and beautiful riding. The BeMC and Roc d' Ardenne are already on my race calender for 2017.
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WORLD Marathon Champs - Roc Laissagais - Laissac – South of France.
This was to be mine and Iwona's second time at the World Marathon Championships. Finishing 7th at the 2015 Grand Raid had qualified me for the 2016 Worlds so the initial interest in returning had been seeded in my mind early, though I decided I would only return if I was better prepared with the aim to have a stronger race (Last year I finished around 47th and never really felt part of the race).
This year I did a few things around the race differently. I travelled out earlier with Iwona and Ant, giving us the chance to explore the trails around Laissac and have a rest day beforehand. It was great having their company. I knew the course would suit me more and I gave myself a target of finishing in the top 30. This felt realistic but not a given – I was going to have to work for it. We also had Ant and my Sister there to run around all the feed zones bottling for us. It was great having their support.
The course was brilliant for racing, it enabled us to race closely and still offered interesting terrain. Racing against 70 other women is a fantastic experience, it was fast and constant racing. Time splits show that after an hour of racing I was in a group sat in 26th - 29th and that there was only a minute between 26th and 35th. I knew I was nowhere near the front but I was still in the race, constantly battling and working really hard to stay with the riders around me. The gaps did form, though there was always someone just in front and close behind.
I did make a mistake in not drinking enough early on due to getting caught up with the fast pace and I did tire in the middle, dropping back and as ladies one by one were passing me I was not able to hang on. Iwona caught me with a third of the race to go and we stuck together racing to the finish, where we came 32nd and 33rd. We were both really pleased, The whole experience had been brilliant. Sally Bigham took Silver behind Yolanda Neff and Charlotte Davies finished 37th in her first World Marathon champs.
TRANSALP
Sabina and I started off better than expected finishing first on stage one ;-). Starting the next day in pink was an amazing experience, with only 90 seconds between the top 3 women's teams it was going to be tough to stay there. We had another close battle on stage two, finishing 3rd and dropping to 2nd overall - losing the leaders jersey by only 22 seconds.
For the rest of the week we finished fourth on stage 3, 2nd on stages 4, 5 and 6 and 3rd on stage 7. After 33 hours of competitive racing we finished 2nd overall. The result was brilliant but more importantly we had an amazing week. Racing with Sabina was fun, we had to work out how best to ride to each others strengths but this was part of the enjoyment and we built a solid companionship. We got on really well off the bike as well and having Mark there supporting was great, making a difference to our race. Staying in hotels was a luxury compared to the car parks, ice rinks and school floors from 2007. We spent a few days before and after staying with good friends of Sabinas which just added to this memorable experience.
BRITISH MARATHON CHAMPS
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For the first loop I was racing with Charlotte again (we had had some close racing at BEMC) but I was really having to hang on and about two thirds of the way around the first loop I couldn't hold on any more. Just before half way I got caught in a rut and toppled over still clipped in. I had to really yank my foot out of the pedal to release myself causing my cleat to twist around. I was really struggling to clip in and out from here and there was a lot of times we needed to clip in and out due to the steep climbs and slippy conditions. At the half way point CycleTech tightened my cleat up tight and I was pleased as I had only lost a couple of minutes with this issue. But the next descent went straight into a stream then straight up a rocky slippery climb, I jumped off and when I went to clip in I found the cleat had moved again. This time it was jammed tight at an angle that I couldn't engage the foot into. I cleaned my cleat out in the stream and tightened it up again, this happened a couple of times before I worked out if I loosened it loads I could clip in and out though have to put up with movement. It felt like I had lost a fair amount of time to the cleat issue but I was still in third and I wanted to hold third. The pace we had set off at on the first lap had given me enough of a buffer and I held on to third overall and 2nd Veteran Woman. Sharon Laws won two jerseys becoming Marathon Champ and Vet Marathon Champ. Charlotte Davies finished 2nd 3 minutes down on Sharon.
SWISSEPIC
This year I did a few things around the race differently. I travelled out earlier with Iwona and Ant, giving us the chance to explore the trails around Laissac and have a rest day beforehand. It was great having their company. I knew the course would suit me more and I gave myself a target of finishing in the top 30. This felt realistic but not a given – I was going to have to work for it. We also had Ant and my Sister there to run around all the feed zones bottling for us. It was great having their support.
With Iwona and Charlotte After in 32nd, 33rd and 37th
The course was brilliant for racing, it enabled us to race closely and still offered interesting terrain. Racing against 70 other women is a fantastic experience, it was fast and constant racing. Time splits show that after an hour of racing I was in a group sat in 26th - 29th and that there was only a minute between 26th and 35th. I knew I was nowhere near the front but I was still in the race, constantly battling and working really hard to stay with the riders around me. The gaps did form, though there was always someone just in front and close behind.
I did make a mistake in not drinking enough early on due to getting caught up with the fast pace and I did tire in the middle, dropping back and as ladies one by one were passing me I was not able to hang on. Iwona caught me with a third of the race to go and we stuck together racing to the finish, where we came 32nd and 33rd. We were both really pleased, The whole experience had been brilliant. Sally Bigham took Silver behind Yolanda Neff and Charlotte Davies finished 37th in her first World Marathon champs.
TRANSALP
In July me and Mark flew to Geneva for the TransAlp, an event I’d raced previously in 2007 with Pippa Lansdown. Mark was not to be my race partner but our team mechanic and support crew, I was racing with Sabina Compassi who I had met last year at the Grand Raid.
When I asked Sabina if she fancied racing with me I explained I wanted to do something special for my 40th. It was pretty cool when Sabina replied definitely ....oh and by the way I am 50 this year ;-). We knew we had different strengths and different styles of riding, Sabina is really strong on steep long climbs and me on the more rolling and descending terrain but we felt we were close enough to work well together.
The 2016 Trans Alp route started in Imst in Austria and finished in Trento, Italy, visiting Switzerland on route. On route we stayed at some really nice alpine towns (Nauders, Scuol, Livigno, Bormio, Mezzana and Trento), climbed many mountains which took up to 2 hours, surrounded by stunning scenery. Compared to 2007 the trails were more varied and included some great singletrack which worked well with the fast fire road descents.
When I asked Sabina if she fancied racing with me I explained I wanted to do something special for my 40th. It was pretty cool when Sabina replied definitely ....oh and by the way I am 50 this year ;-). We knew we had different strengths and different styles of riding, Sabina is really strong on steep long climbs and me on the more rolling and descending terrain but we felt we were close enough to work well together.
The 2016 Trans Alp route started in Imst in Austria and finished in Trento, Italy, visiting Switzerland on route. On route we stayed at some really nice alpine towns (Nauders, Scuol, Livigno, Bormio, Mezzana and Trento), climbed many mountains which took up to 2 hours, surrounded by stunning scenery. Compared to 2007 the trails were more varied and included some great singletrack which worked well with the fast fire road descents.
Sabina and I started off better than expected finishing first on stage one ;-). Starting the next day in pink was an amazing experience, with only 90 seconds between the top 3 women's teams it was going to be tough to stay there. We had another close battle on stage two, finishing 3rd and dropping to 2nd overall - losing the leaders jersey by only 22 seconds.
For the rest of the week we finished fourth on stage 3, 2nd on stages 4, 5 and 6 and 3rd on stage 7. After 33 hours of competitive racing we finished 2nd overall. The result was brilliant but more importantly we had an amazing week. Racing with Sabina was fun, we had to work out how best to ride to each others strengths but this was part of the enjoyment and we built a solid companionship. We got on really well off the bike as well and having Mark there supporting was great, making a difference to our race. Staying in hotels was a luxury compared to the car parks, ice rinks and school floors from 2007. We spent a few days before and after staying with good friends of Sabinas which just added to this memorable experience.
BRITISH MARATHON CHAMPS
On return from the TransAlp I had two main races to really focus on for the end of the season. The British Marathon Champs in 5 weeks and the Swiss Epic in 7 weeks.
Annoying then that two weeks after the TransAlp I slipped on some roots and smashed my shoulder into a tree giving myself whiplash and straining my shoulder. I had to miss out on the last National XC at Cannock and Brighton Big Dog. Any rough terrain was knotting me up and leaving me in pain that meant I had longer off the mtb than I wanted.
The British Marathon champs unfortunately was a few weeks too early for my healing but I decided to race anyway. I wasn't going to cause damage it was just going to be uncomfortable and tiring. A-Cycling designed a course comprising of two loops, full of natural trails, with 3000 meters of climbing in 90kms - similar stats to those we'd covered over the Alps. It was a tough and a proper natural Welsh course. With Matt Page designing the course it was never going to be an easy race and with plenty of rain in the days leading up it was also really slippery.
Annoying then that two weeks after the TransAlp I slipped on some roots and smashed my shoulder into a tree giving myself whiplash and straining my shoulder. I had to miss out on the last National XC at Cannock and Brighton Big Dog. Any rough terrain was knotting me up and leaving me in pain that meant I had longer off the mtb than I wanted.
The British Marathon champs unfortunately was a few weeks too early for my healing but I decided to race anyway. I wasn't going to cause damage it was just going to be uncomfortable and tiring. A-Cycling designed a course comprising of two loops, full of natural trails, with 3000 meters of climbing in 90kms - similar stats to those we'd covered over the Alps. It was a tough and a proper natural Welsh course. With Matt Page designing the course it was never going to be an easy race and with plenty of rain in the days leading up it was also really slippery.
For the first loop I was racing with Charlotte again (we had had some close racing at BEMC) but I was really having to hang on and about two thirds of the way around the first loop I couldn't hold on any more. Just before half way I got caught in a rut and toppled over still clipped in. I had to really yank my foot out of the pedal to release myself causing my cleat to twist around. I was really struggling to clip in and out from here and there was a lot of times we needed to clip in and out due to the steep climbs and slippy conditions. At the half way point CycleTech tightened my cleat up tight and I was pleased as I had only lost a couple of minutes with this issue. But the next descent went straight into a stream then straight up a rocky slippery climb, I jumped off and when I went to clip in I found the cleat had moved again. This time it was jammed tight at an angle that I couldn't engage the foot into. I cleaned my cleat out in the stream and tightened it up again, this happened a couple of times before I worked out if I loosened it loads I could clip in and out though have to put up with movement. It felt like I had lost a fair amount of time to the cleat issue but I was still in third and I wanted to hold third. The pace we had set off at on the first lap had given me enough of a buffer and I held on to third overall and 2nd Veteran Woman. Sharon Laws won two jerseys becoming Marathon Champ and Vet Marathon Champ. Charlotte Davies finished 2nd 3 minutes down on Sharon.
SWISSEPIC
2 weeks later we were heading to the Swiss Epic again. We had decided to return as it is such a brilliant race and doing well last year was definitely an incentive.
Whether it was due to not having the best couple of months preparation, one stage race too many or because I had picked up a virus I am not sure but I just felt fatigued from the start. Mark seemed to spend the week riding alongside me practising his wheelies. A stomach bug for me on stage one and going the wrong way on stage three just added to us being so out of the race on any stage.
Whether it was due to not having the best couple of months preparation, one stage race too many or because I had picked up a virus I am not sure but I just felt fatigued from the start. Mark seemed to spend the week riding alongside me practising his wheelies. A stomach bug for me on stage one and going the wrong way on stage three just added to us being so out of the race on any stage.
Although not the race we hoped for, we still enjoyed the trails. The Swiss Epic did not disappoint with its great organisation. One of the things the Swiss Epic does very well is to continually update itself. Whereas in 2015 the prologue was followed by 5 long typical Marathon stages, in 2016 some of the stages were shorter, there was more of a focus on descending and on two stages we descended considerably more than we climbed as we took a cable car to the start, it was a really fun change to the race and particularly suited my tired body that couldn’t face 80 to 90 km days one after the other. We enjoyed having Sophie and Matt and Tom and Christian to banter with in the evenings and it was great to catch up with others who we met last year.
The Swiss Epic has some of the best trails I have raced on and makes you want to come back for more.
The Swiss Epic has some of the best trails I have raced on and makes you want to come back for more.
It has most certainly been a fun year ;-), I have to end with a big thank you to my sponsors who equipped me for these races and without their support I would really struggle. Cyclopaedia for Focus Raven, OTE Sport for nutrition support, WTB for comfy saddles, Mojo Suspension for looking after my Fox Forks, Lezyne for tools, Fit in no time for my training and more recently Le Col. I really do appreciate their support in helping me make the most of these experiences ;-).
Blogger Info:
Melanie Alexander
Elite XC and endurance racer. Riding for Cyclopaedia, Fit in No Time, OTE Sport, Mojo, WTB, Le Col
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