During the 8th month of my rehabilitation from knee surgery, Adrian Harvey (surgeon) along with Jan Annis (Director and owner of Heal to Toe) have given me thumbs up to push on with racing. They both believe my recovery period has been one of the fastest possible from an ACL reconstruction using grafts from the other leg. Therefore I have been racing a little harder…
Sunday 13th September was the Banjo cycles Rampage XC race in Reading. My training over the past 2 months mainly consisted of long rides and cardio work so my body was ready for a nice long body killer! I knew had some tough competition using 29er carbon hardtails and I entered my 160mm travel enduro so some serious tactics were required! The race consisted of 4 laps so I planned to get ahead on the first then try and hold off the pack, it worked all the way until the finish. The closest finisher to me was nearly 2 and a half minutes behind. Delighted to take my first win this season.
Saturday 19th September was the Department 26 enduro in Bude, Cornwall. I spoke with Tony (race organiser) prior to arriving and he told me it was their first event but everything seemed very professional right from the beginning; their booking system was better and faster than any I have come across on the British Cycling website and their speed to reply to questions was fantastic. I set off at 4am from Dorset to make my way through the west country, the weather forecast looked good for the day so I was really excited to ride and race! All the staff at Department 26 were there to greet the riders upon arrival, they were friendly and the atmosphere they made was so relaxed right from the beginning. Riders briefing was held on time (unheard of at events like this!) and shortly after we all set off to tackle the 6 stage course. All 6 stages were awesome! They really were ‘enduro’; they had jumps, climbs, technical sections, fast sections and more. And they left the best to last, stage 6 was the longest and most gruelling after a day in the saddle. Over the moon to take the win on my first enduro race since the surgery to my legs. Please organise another one soon Tony!
Starting the Enduro
Podium