andalucia bike race

I teamed up with Matt Page for the six day stage race; Andalucia Bike Race. Matt asked me a few weeks prior to the race if I was interested in pairing up to represent Bike Magic and of course I was. I had heard only good things about the race with the main aspect being the amazing trails. I felt this was a good opportunity to get some racing and a tough solid block of training in before the cross country series began. 

Matt did all the organisation of booking accommodation and the hire of a car which worked out to be a lot cheaper than the official hotel.  I was particularly happy about having a bed to sleep in. I have over the years raced the Cape Epic, Trans Rockies, Trans Alps and Sudety Mountain Bike Challenge in which we either camped in provided tents or slept on the floor and I have always been interested to know what effect this has on the multi days of racing.

We flew to Malaga early Friday morning. Picked up a hire car and drove two hours to Cordoba where the first couple of stages started. We had time for a spin on the bikes in the afternoon and decided to ride up and then down the final descent of stage one and two as it was a fast track with rocky sections. The following day we headed out with Dave Henderson and Gareth Montgomery this time we rode the first 20 odd k of stage one. My first impressions were it was going to be hilly, rocky and lots of fabulous trails which were quite challenging at times.

 

The race start in Cordoba was crazy. We started with the rest of the mixed teams in pen 7 right at the back with over 300 teams ahead. We had 9 k of neutralized zone through the tiny streets of Cordoba in which we plus everyone else was trying to push forward, it was really quite nerve racking as riders were up and of the footpath, on the wrong side of the road trying to squeeze up to the front.  

It was a really enjoyable stage and having fresh legs meant we could really enjoy the terrain which was hilly and rocky with great sections of single track and the very fast 6 k descent to the finish. We finished the stage really happy as 3rd mixed pair; we were only 2 minutes behind the 2nd mixed team: Blue Motors Ponts who became our biggest competition for the week. Way ahead was Annika Langvard and Thomas Bonne who would lead the mixed race for the whole week.

Stage two 

We were really pleased to find we had moved up from pen 7 to pen 2 for the start. I was hoping for a more relaxed start but this time we had to ride aggressively to hold our spot, this I was not great at. We did not loose a huge amount of ground and were going well as the riders started to spread out after the neutralized 5k. The stage was full of interesting climbs and fantastic descents with the descents being trickier and the climbing steeper than stage one. 

Unluckily from early on, I was having issues with my chain skipping on my preferred cassette rings. We tried a few things but it did not improve. It meant I was often riding in either two easy or to hard a gear and eventually I did snap my chain. It did not take too long to fix but unfortunately we were on a long section of single track and we had been riding with Blue Motor Pont just behind us for 15k when my chain snapped. We had to then spend the rest of the ride trying to chase them down again which was tiring. We finished a little less than two minutes down on them.  

That evening Matt spent hours trying to solve the issue and eventually found I had managed to bend a couple of the cogs in my cassette. Luckily bike shops are open till 9 pm in Andalucia so we were able to buy a new cassette and get it sorted.

Finish line on stage 6. Photo by  Scott Cornish at Cyclist No.1. 

The terrain changed and so did the location of the race. In the morning we left Cordoba and drove for an hour to stage 3's race start and finish in Priego de Cordoba. It was a stunning drive with lots of olive trees and the landscape became more mountainous. 

We had a brilliant day. We raced in second position for the whole race and held it to the finish. In the process we managed to get a big enough lead over our main competition Blue Motors Ponts (who started the day with a four minute lead) to take 2nd overall on the general classification. Only just as there was less than a minute between us. 

We started in pen 2 again and had a fantastic start. Today there was no neutralised zone around twisty streets, instead we headed straight up a short hill and it was what we needed as we were able to hold a good position. The first 20 k was not technical but it was fast, mainly on fire road, a few small sections of single track and a bit of road. I felt strong and as the weaker rider in our pair this was a huge bonus. 

The climbing then started with a thirty minute climb up a twisty dirt road. Next we traversed along the top - it was a bit undulating, before a long fantastic single track descent. Again there were lots of rocks and a few stream crossings. Other than Matt somersaulting over the bars we got down there pretty smoothly. At the bottom of this descent we had ridden 42 k and had another 28k to go and still felt good. We had a few more climbs, the next being the toughest at the bottom but it did ease off before we again traversed along the top then into another brilliant descent which was over far too quickly. Up and down again a few more times with a nasty climb right in the last 3 k - definitely the toughest climb of the day. 

We were so pleased to move up to second, we knew we had a chance of getting into second overall position but we needed everything to go well. We also knew we had a tough final three days to follow.

After the race we drove from Priego de Cordoba to our next apartment near Jaen. 

                         

Stage four was originally the alleged queen stage. With over 3000 meters of climbing in 68k planned. Unfortunately due to snow in the mountains we were not to climb as high and the day was shortened slightly. In the end we climbed 2600 meters in 65k so not a lot less. 

It was a ridiculously early start as we had to drive to Jaen to catch a bus to the start of the race 30 minutes away. At 7.30 we were on the bus and at 8.15 we were on top of a freezing cold hill where we quickly found shelter in a café with many other cyclists, we sheltered there for an hour until the race was due to start. It was difficult to decide what to wear for this stage. There was such a cold wind and it was only 3 degrees 

For me this was the toughest day. It was tough from the start on the legs, we had to find a pace which I could hold. The stage ended up being very different to the previous three stages. We literally road 50k on fire road which I was quietly thankful for as it made it easier to just grind through the day. High up we were climbing through snow and I needed some positive directing from matt to help us descend quickly down the other side which had patches of ice.

We gradually caught up with Blue Motor Pont around thirty five k into the stage. We were then locked together, a couple of times we tried to pull away but I did not have the legs to be explosive and make a decent gap to hold. As we knew they were good at descending we had to try and control the pace and made sure we went in to the single track first. Matt had a really good recollection of what was to follow on the course from the race the year before so knew exactly when we had to up the pace to enter the single track first. The reward to stage four was the single track in the last 15k. 

Our plan worked brilliantly until the final 2k fire road descent which led straight to the finish. I just did not have the nerve to keep with them. 

At the end of stage 4, we had raced for nearly 16 hours, raced in total 278k and had only 34 seconds between us in second and Blue Motor Pont in 3rd. It was an uncomfortably close time gap with two stages left.

I woke up after a good nights sleep feeling positive about the stage. I could hear the rain which was initially disappointing but not a shock as it had been expected all week. We were thinking this could go in our favour as it meant the trails would be muddy. When I stepped outside before breakfast to assess the coldness the rain had turned to a light showering of snow and it was bitterly cold with a sharp wind. Within an hour there was a load of snow, more than we had realized was falling whilst we ate our porridge. After a slow drive we arrived at the start where we were welcomed with the news that the stage was to be cancelled. It was disappointing but also welcome news because I really did not want to ride in that cold. We then sat around for a couple of hours drinking coffee and catching up with some of the other British riders before driving back to our apartment for food, a quick spin on the bike, more food and a lot of rest. 

Going into the final stage we knew it was going to be tough but possible to hold onto the overall 2nd position. It depended on who had recovered the best and therefore had the strongest legs.

I was nervous on the start line with no idea how my legs were going to respond.

There was no neutralized start and we rode flat out from the start. I was really struggling to hold onto this instant speed and dropped back a little. Both Matt and the Blue Motor Pont team were out of sight.  The First 15k was flattish, fast fire road and gradually I re-worked my way back up to Matt who was riding close to the Blue Motor Pont pair. We stuck behind for a fair bit until we spotted a good opportunity to attack with myself going flat out until Matt caught up and took over. We established a gap, not a huge gap but big enough to have some distance separating us for the upcoming climb. We were climbing well and stretching out the gap. Nearing the top of the climb between 26 and 28 k there was a fair amount of hike-a-bike.

At the top of the climb with around ninety percent descending left to the finish line at 52k - my rear wheel jammed. I couldn't work out what was causing it. Matt who had dropped back on the hike-a-bike caught me up and it took a little while to establish I had lost all my rear bolts on my rear disk.  Unbelievable, once the problem was diagnosed the wheel was whipped out, disk fell to ground, the wheel was put back in and Matt said - 'you have no rear brake go, go, go', which I did. 

At first it was fine as we were gradually descending but it was raining and my hands quickly went cold and numb as we descended. The trail was also getting steeper. On a not too tricky section which had a lip then a right hand corner I went to feather my brake, but with the numbness and all the mud on my gloves my hand slipped off the brake lever and I picked up too much speed and went way too fast over the lip then fell off scraping my knee on a rock. I got up quickly but my nerves had gone and I had to scramble to the bottom. I had to stop again, this time to tighten up my rear wheel and this is when Blue Motor Pont passed. It was tricky for a bit more and then the race finished with 15 k fire road that gradually descended. In hindsight we would have been best putting a few bolts on my rear rotor from my front rotor but we did not know how steep and slippery it was going to be and there was just not the time under race pressure. 

We finished 3rd overall which I am happy with. After the stage we had the podium presentation but my knee was throbbing and I was too worried about all the mud that had got in it to really enjoy standing on the podium. The Medics sent me to hospital where my knee was cleaned and stitched up. It was a bit of a mad way to finish as there was no chance to congratulate others. 

I learnt a few things during this final stage. Mainly- how important it is to make sure you tighten your bolts up enough when putting your disc rotor back on your wheels after travelling. Secondly that to spend a few minutes longer fixing a problem could save you more time in the long run and definitely would make it a more enjoyable finish to the stage.

It has been an interesting week having such a close competition for the 2nd or 3rd overall spot. Stage racing is not just about being the slightly stronger riders; there is a small element of luck, consistency, good communication and a bigger element of making sure the equipment keeps running smoothly. On the whole I really enjoyed Andalucia Bike Race and I would recommend it. I came back from the race buzzing and keen to seek out new trails. The stages are a nice length the trails are brilliant and so is the atmosphere. 

Thank you to Schwalbe for the Racing Ralph Snake Skin tyres which were perfect for the rocky terrain. Thanks to Matt for asking me to race with him we made a good team, thanks to Bike Magic for the opportunity and thanks to Scott Sport Uk for lending me a bike.

Sponsors: 

For 2013 I am excited to be racing in the women's mountain bike team: Contessa Scott Syncros. 

The Team is also sponsored by Sram, Torq, Schwalbe and Fibrax. 

Personal sponsor: Exposure Lights

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