caitelliott.co.uk » cycling

Autumn insanity and a snapped rib

Cait — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 18:03:48 +0000

The most amazing autumn ever has been going on for longer than expected. I spent October in full panic mode expecting snow to arrive at any second and desperate to make the most of any last opportunity for big mountain adventures. Sunny days, incredible colours, and even dry trails meant it impossible to take an off-season break, and I had some of the best road and mountain bike rides of the year. I kept thinking I’ll have a few weeks off as soon as the weather changes.

Then I fell off my bike and snapped a rib. Doh! Broken ribs are painful things that prevent anything that remotely involves fun. It’s been nice to chill out for a week or two, get wired on coffee and do other things but I’m starting to crave movement and adrenaline and its not raining as much as I would like. 2-4 more weeks to go, heal dammit!

Happy New Year!

Cait — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 19:56:36 +0000

A belated happy new year / gutes neues Jahr! I thought I was escaping the cold Swiss winter with two weeks in Yorkshire and Scotland over the Christmas break. I was wrong. Scotland is the most cold, wet and windy place you could ever imagine but it made for some fun mountain biking on the steep tracks around Innerliethen and gave me a good excuse to search intensively for the best coffee shops in Edinburgh.

Now back in Switzerland where it should be like living in a freezer at this time of year…

Autumn adventures

Cait — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 19:12:03 +0000

Friends, Autumn colours, dustings of snow, lots of leaves and occasional blasts of hypothermic temperatures. Pre-winter off season adventures on and off road have been fun:

Devil in a Dress

Cait — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:38:54 +0000

Devil in a Dress - new women’s cycling website covering all aspects of cycling, check it out!

Metabief Open Enduro

Cait — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:59:51 +0000

Following six weeks of inactivity after fracturing my back, the most sensible way to get back up to speed seemed to be entering my first Enduro race. With the promise of a local summer race in sunny France, I met some of the lads from Ireland in Metabief, a small ski resort just across the border from Switzerland in the Jura region. It turned out to be a pro winter downhill race in disguise with many of the top names in Enduro racing competing.

On practice day it rained non stop. After a chairlift to the top, we were allowed to pre-ride two of the descents and the rest would be raced blind. The ‘easier’ one was a real challenge to get down never mind ride fast. Thick slippery mud everywhere, some really steep sections and lots of sharp greasy rocks. Having been told by my downhiller companions that the second descent was really technical I was starting to get worried and with good reason. It was nothing short of a downhill trail, switchback after switchback of incredibly steep rocky trail that was so so hard to ride but equally impossible to walk. In the dry it would have been manageable but covered in greasy sloppy mud it was pushing me way out of my comfort zone. I finished wondering how on earth I would survive two days of racing. It did make me feel a bit better to hear former downhill world champ Tracey Mosely also saying it was tough.

Saturday Race – 4 timed stages, 3 chairlift rides, 1 long non-timed climb
The first run was the easier one I had practiced the day before but due to a mix up I was entered in the men’s category and rather than racing separately with the girls I had to deal with loads of irate testosterone filled French guys screaming at me as they flew past. It was freezing cold, wet and muddy and I’m not sure how much I enjoyed it but I survived. It’s unbelievable how much time you can loose with a small mistake, dab in the mud and a minute disappears in no time, smooth riding was the key, practice required.

The second was a blind stage, and with more pedalling and slightly less vertical, rooty forest trails that were at times like Ireland, I started to enjoy myself. Sprinting flat out for two minutes so that you’re full of lactic and breathing like a donkey and then having to compose yourself as you drop into a technical descent is not easy but at least I started to feel I was racing.

After a long, non-timed climb to the start, stage three was a slightly altered and longer version of the horrible downhill we practiced the day before. The top section was amazing fun, sliding around in the mud and pushing the limits but with little pedalling required. The really steep part was a survival challenge and I was happy to get down in one piece without being taken out by any over enthusiastic euros.

After an extended lunch break and a lot of jet-washing the last stage took in some sections we had ridden in the morning along with some really fun, swoopy bomb-holes in the forest that were filled with noisy spectators. The weather had improved slightly so that it was in places almost dry making it great fun.

Having already been given breakfast and lunch, in the evening the organisers provided a three course meal with wine for all the competitors, a welcome break from shivering in my tent. Despite the weather there was a very friendly relaxed atmosphere and it was clear that racing in France has it’s benefits.

Sunday – 1 chairlift, 1 downhill stage
The weather got worse rather than better, it rained solidly all night and by Sunday the top of the mountain had disappeared in cloud. The race was postponed for a couple of hours and rather than a planned pursuit stage, we repeated stage 4 from yesterday. Shivering on the chairlift covered in a bin-bag poncho to try and stay dry before arriving to a sprinkling of snow at the top didn’t help my enthusiasm, but I had go this far so was determined to finish. It took me half the run to get warm but after the halfway sprint I got into it and had an amazing time. The mud had got so wet that there was nothing to do but slide, and once you accepted that it was so much fun! Although there is loads to improve on I learned a lot and was happy to finish, only 212 people did with nearly 650 entrants starting. Results here.

Thanks to Greg for the shelter in his van!

Crash

Cait — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:26:07 +0000

My life seems to be a bit of a disaster zone at the moment. I got hit by a car on the way home from work last week. A driver didn’t stop at a crossroads where I had right of way and I went straight into the side of him smashing his door and window and snapping my forks. Not a nice feeling the split second between realising what is about to happen and hitting the floor! People quickly surrounded me panicking like mad having seen me flying up in the air and soon after an ambulance and the police arrived. What a palava!

I was pretty sore with colourful swollen bruises all down one side but my helmet saved me from the worst and I thought I’d got off lightly. I went to the doctor 3 days later for a checkup and after loads of tests, checks and worried looking faces I found out I’ve fractured a vertebra in my back (having ridden for 2 hours the day before!). My lovely road bike is written off too but at least the driver’s insurance should cover that.

SO annoyed. I’m stuck in rainy Zurich missing a long planned Easter mtb trip to Frejus in the south of France and can’t mountain bike for 6 weeks. To look on the bright side my German vocabulary now covers everything to do with crashing, dealing with police, ambulances, doctors and insurance.

I’m sticking to mountain bikes after this, much safer!

Frühlingscup crits – Brütten

Cait — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 10:10:08 +0000

Racing in Switzerland in February? you’d have to be mad! The Steiner season kicked of with the Frühlings Cup, a local 3 race crit series with a handicapped start. The first race was 40km in sub zero temperature, surrounded by snow and full on winter kit. I forgot my sunglasses and it was so cold I started to get dizzy because my eyeballs froze! After a long break I was reminded that racing is hard work especially when all the categories are mixed together and a little ‘local’ race here involves World champions, pro riders and very fast guys. There is also no hiding or kidding yourself either, racing confirmed what I’ve been trying to deny, my calves are not better. I’ll spare you the rant but I finished with calf explosions, out the back and very annoyed.

By the last race the temperatures had increased and an incredible panorama of the Alps in the background reminded me why its worth putting up with the cold winter here. The distance increased to 17 laps of a 4km circuit and Yves took his 2nd win and the overall series for the Steiner team! Handicapped races are asking for disaster, large pelotons coming together at totally different speeds on narrow roads, erratic riding and questionable bike handling skills. You really had to have your wits about you in there with several crashes and rideres frequently taking detours into the neighbouring fields. Fiola had a nasty crash putting her out of the race when she was well positioned for a great ride, get well soon!

Back to pestering doctors and cycling wise plan B is the focus…

Switzerland – a country with seasons

Cait — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:40:56 +0000

Living in a country with four distinctly different seasons is a new experience for me. The day to day weather is generally more consistent but both summer and winter are more extreme. This takes some getting used to when you’re used to being able to do the same activities year around, but the changes are also exciting creating totally new opportunities for fun and adventure. I’ve now come full circle and know what to expect from the year ahead.

Spring
The season of anticipation, excitement. The snow starts to melt, the sunlight increases and can be as warm as Irish summer, the countryside turns green and thousands of seasonal cyclists start crawling out of the woodwork. I seriously thought I was in heaven until summer came. Every week horizons get broadened with higher trails becoming rideable as the snow gradually disappears. Its a slow process though and over enthusiasm was inevitable, I got stuck in snow a few times!

Summer
July and August here are incredible and whizzed by in a blur of adrenaline and excitement, there are so many opportunities and no where near enough time to make the most of them all. Back to back mad weekends of high alpine riding adventures. Hot evening rides followed by swimming in the lake, bbqs, riverside beers. Reliable sunshine that lasts for weeks not hours.

Autumn
The time for dry, dusty rides in the mountains surrounded by spectacular autumn colours and mild temperatures. The horrible fog started to come back but its spectacular when your can get above it. With the imminent arrival of snow I found myself panicking and trying to fit in as much fun as possible before the dreaded winter arrived. There is then a nasty few weeks between autumn and winter that is more like winter at home – damp, grey and cold but its only short though, can’t complain.

Winter
You might wonder how a cyclist can survive in snowy Switzerland in winter but it is possible. Zurich itself doesn’t have much snow and its only a few degrees colder than at home so if you’re tough enough you can ride all year round. That said most people don’t because there are too many other opportunities out there. Last year I stubbornly resisted the snow but this year I’m embracing it a bit more for some variety…

Dublin!

Cait — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:35:46 +0000

I may live beside the Alps, a dream cycling destination for most people but a trip home for Christmas confirmed what I’ve said before. Ireland is the best place to ride bikes. Seriously. There are so many deadly trails in such a small area right beside Dublin, always changing improving and being added to. You can ride year round with non of this seasonal cycling nonsense and winter schlomp teaches you great technical skills. Views of mountains , the city and the sea are amazing. The road biking is good too. Most importantly the people are great fun.

Go to Ireland, ride bikes!

Mallorca – road biking

Cait — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:00:42 +0000

With sub zero temperatures and snow hitting Zurich 2 weeks ago the first reaction is to think how much you’d love to jump on a plane to Spain. So I did. Mallorca seems to be the place to go for road bike training and a must do for any cyclist, this would normally put me off because I don’t like following the crowds but the opportunity for a last minute trip was too good a chance to miss. It lived up to it’s reputation despite the weather being ‘bad’ for most of the week – just meaning the locals were out in their winter boots and down jackets and there were some very strong headwinds but no leggings required for cycling. Lots of big climbs, super smooth tarmac, undulating roads along the coast, millions of hairpins bends and of course some sunshine.

7 days, 18 hours riding, 13500m climbing, 460km and plenty of coffee stops. Calves survived thanks to Compressport Full Legs and I now have an excuse to avoid riding the rollers inside for a while!