Catching up: A review of September's races.

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BY: Melanie Alexander

Published: 22nd October, 2010

It's good to be riding again and great to have squeezed a couple of races in before the end of the season. The results weren't what I had hoped for at the start of the season but they far surpassed my expectations going into them.

Kielder 100 for me and for many is completely about the challenge of riding the distance and preferably in a good time. It is tough and a slog of a ride. This year I really struggled mentally for the first 65k, questioning why I was riding it again when I had not put the training in. I was doing a good job of talking myself out of completing the race but knew I would regret it if I pulled out especially as I had traveled so far to get to Kielder. At the 65 k point I took my time at the well stocked up feed station and after that point enjoyed the event more. I re-evaluated and realized I was doing alright, that I was on target to finish in a similar time to last year and not the 12 hours that I had predicted, I felt surprisingly good and my legs were quite happy to keep spinning.

In the end I was really glad I made the effort to go. It is such a great sense of satisfaction finishing the Kielder 100. I was so chuffed to have beaten my time from last year by 16 minutes which is just unreal. I really can't explain why. The only thing I can put it down to is that due to having little upper speed or power I did settle in to a pace which I felt I maintained throughout the race which although I always plan to do in endurance events I normally get carried away at the start. At the end it was a great vibe with riders chilling out in the sun enjoying the free food which was well appreciated and chatting about their day.

I felt ok after but the next morning my back was so stiff, the pelvis ached and I felt tired. I guess this is where the lack of longer rides in preparation showed the most with poor recovery. I made the decision to not race the British champs and stick to short rides with the aim of sharpening up as much as I could in time for the last NPS which was three weeks away.

Going in to the last NPS race I knew I did not have the speed and definitely no sharpness but I had surprised myself at Kielder so there was a chance I would race better than I felt this one more time.

I was more than my usual nervous self about racing the last NPS at Newnham, still feeling stiff and over cautious on a bike. On the start line looking at the strong international field of riders did not help the nerves and I felt like the most unprepared rider there. The gun went and I fell off the back from the start as I fumbled to find my pedal and the speed the ladies went off at was just far above my pace after so much time away from racing. On the first climb myself and young Carla were separated from the pack of riders who were fast up the first climb.

Still lacking power I had to drop right into the granny ring for the climbs and spin my way up them. Once the first lap was over, the lead ladies were way out of sight, I had a couple of riders close behind me and on the first climb I could see four riders in front spread out up the hill. This was great! I began to relax, loosen up and enjoy racing again.

As the race progressed I began to pull back some places and finished 9th in the end which I was over the moon with and just shocked at how I crawled my way back up from the back of such a strong field of riders. It just felt so unbelievable. Much better than I expected and more importantly I was enjoying mountain biking again. I really appreciated my team mates and many others around the course that were cheering me, it really spurred me on.

What I have learnt:  When off the bike I could see my body slowly changing shape, I lost weight, I felt incredibly unfit, I wanted so much to feel out of breath from a good training ride. Then when I was able to start building up the rides again I felt tired. But once my body was healed enough (I know now that I was trying to push my body too soon and too quickly) it has been absolutely amazing how quickly the base fitness has come back.

Whilst off the bike swimming definitely helped, as although I was unable to kick with my legs for the first couple of months it was the best way for me to build up and push my body slowly without slowing the healing process down. Then once the pelvis was stronger being able to include endurance and intervals into swimming sessions without putting direct pressure on the break was the best alternative to riding, an hour of swimming a day was definitely a good workout for base fitness.

Now I am listening to my physio and have slowed my riding right down again. Gym sessions, one leg intervals and exercises from the physio are replacing a couple of rides each week for the time being in order to rebuild my left glute and leg and muscles around my pelvis. This has become my priority plus of course some fun mountain bike rides for the next couple of months with lots of skill training. All before I start interval training again in preparation for next season.

Thanks to Xcracer.com, Gary Fisher, Eposure lights and Accelerade for there support this year.