Margam Madness: Beyond perfect

Star date: 19 April 2014
Location: Margam Park, South Wales
Event: Margam Madness 4hr
Weapon of choice: Carbon 29er hardtail with 30 gears
Greatest achievement: Just about taming the new black descent
Greatest weakness: Speed, I guess
Result: 6th vet

Big hills, big wheels, big views, big fun.

Fab photo courtesy of Kevin Thomas who took literally hundreds of shots of the event.

It turns out you can improve on perfection. The original Madness in 2012 was flawless: great climbs, great descents, great venue, great everything. The second coming in 2013 was just as good despite monsoon conditions - see my eulogy here. Third time round and the sun was back, along with some amazing new trails purpose-built for World Cup XC racing. The best just got a whole lot better.

And don't just take my word for it. George Budd, runaway winner of the eight-hour race, who also beat everyone in the four-hour race, even the pairs, and lapped me in the process, and who is therefore a very fast rider indeed and worth listening to, had this to say:

"This event really deserves to be a lot bigger than it is. It's the most demanding and yet most enjoyable lap I've ever ridden, anywhere" 

From "Margam Madness - the best UK lap ever?" on xcracer.com.

Praise indeed. There's little worth adding to this, other than that the event ought to be rebranded Margam Magic - the only madness would be not to come!

High5 flag under attack from my bar-end.

Photo: Kevin Thomas.

Hang on, I hear you cry, you can't just stop there. What about all that added wholegrain goodness? Well, OK, there were four new chunks of trail, and each and every one of them was a gem in its own right:

• A twisty trail-centre descent, part high-speed pumpy berms and part loose flat corners, which I never got to flow properly but enjoyed trying (skidz are for kidz)
• A steep gravel climb with super-tight switchbacks, which really would've hurt fifth time round on the singlespeed
• A scary-bastard black-rated descent. "The steep rooty drop at the top is the worst bit... Wouldn't fancy it on an XC bike" was the locals' verdict at registration. Well, it wouldn't be Margam if I didn't soil myself at some point - and this was it. Lap after lap. Taking the chicken run just wouldn't have been right. The problem with the drop was that you had to turn on the way down to avoid flying off the edge of a cliff. First time around, I was put right off by a photographer doing a very good impression of a dead cyclist, but it went better after that. The rest of the descent was rooty and steep with some really tight turns, which was all very doable in the dry but will at some point prove a right 'mare in the wet... Can't wait!
• A vertiginous rocky climb with more switchbacks and these loose slabs that clunked satisfyingly as you seesawed over them, the whole time trying not to even think about looking down

I came into the event poorly prepared due to bruised ribs from a KOM-chasing mishap but felt surprisingly strong on the day. After two hours I was in a fairly comfortable fourth in category, once again tracking former European 24-hour champ Huw Thomas, when I slipped off a rock and lost the air from my rear tyre. By the time I'd sorted that, my pacemaker was long gone and I was down to fifth. I found it hard to get going again after that, so just sat back and enjoyed the ride, eventually finishing sixth. I suppose I should have tried to claw my way back to fourth, but it was such a lovely day and such a great course, I just wasn't bothered...

In turns steep, rooty, narrow, loose, twisty, pumpy, jumpy, rocky - the course ticked every box and has totally restored my mojo. Gareth, can we do it twice a year?

Climbing again. I was so fast on the descents the photographers missed me.

Another great photo from Kevin Thomas.

 

4hr Solo Old Gits Top 10

1

03:17:10

Anthony White, XCRacer/Scimitar

01:16:43

00:00:06

00:40:03

00:40:17

00:40:01

2

03:28:39

Jon Roberts

00:38:56

00:42:23

00:41:42

00:43:02

00:42:36

3

03:34:55

Lloyd Bettles, Clee Cycles/KCNC

00:41:15

00:40:54

00:42:18

00:44:27

00:46:01

4

03:50:56

Chris Cooknell, Bikecity T3

00:44:24

00:46:23

00:47:11

00:45:52

00:47:06

5

03:51:48

Jason Thompkins, MAESTEG C.C

00:43:15

00:46:28

00:47:27

00:47:58

00:46:40

6

03:54:08

Chris Schroder, Sarn Helen

00:43:25

00:44:36

00:48:38

00:48:14

00:49:15

7

03:56:45

Sean Scott, Specialized Concept Store

00:45:44

00:47:29

00:47:39

00:49:01

00:46:52

8

03:12:06

Anthony Cowling, AC Cowling Repairs

00:45:46

00:47:13

00:48:29

00:50:38

9

03:12:34

Chris Blackmore

00:46:25

00:48:36

00:47:42

00:49:51

10

03:20:58

Steve Whitehouse, Kernow Riders

00:50:45

00:48:50

00:49:49

00:51:34

8hr Solo Male Winner

1

07:22:08

George Budd, Salsa Factory Racing

00:36:38

00:37:42

00:38:35

00:39:30

00:38:25

00:39:44

00:41:56

00:41:23

00:42:58

00:42:38

00:42:39

4hr Solo Male Winner

1

03:15:30

Phil Morris, XCRacer.com/ Scimitar

00:36:37

00:38:05

00:39:08

00:40:33

00:41:07

Margam Madness: Margam Mudness!

Star date: 21 September 2013
Location: Margam Park, South Wales
Event: Margam Madness 4hr
Weapon of choice: Carbon 29er hardtail with 30 gears
Greatest achievement: Surviving the descents
Greatest weakness: Seated climbing
Result: 4th veteran / 6th overall

If I had to sum up the day in one photo:

 My reaction to dismounting unexpectedly on boggy ground seconds before (see below). Note deployment of waterproof jacket in a race (yikes!) albeit only for the first lap until I warmed up.

All photos: The intrepid and clearly web-footed Christopher Bentley

As I may possibly have mentioned before, I love Margam. And the Madness was my favourite race of last year - a testing course on a rare sunny day. This time, though, the weather gods weren't playing ball, and the whole day was spent stuck in a big wet bastard cloud. Up top, visibility was best measured in inches, and everywhere it was damp and drizzly, turning parts of the course into a squishy quagmire. Despite the adverse conditions, it was far from a miserable ordeal, thanks to a well-designed course with challenging climbs and wild descents, and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere - from the friendly sign-on to the world's most encouraging marshal at the course's spaghetti junction to the handshake from the organiser as you cross the finishing line.

   

The eagle-eyed may have spotted a mention of 30 gears above. Yes, I caved. Relentless peer pressure and bitter disappointment at the Brecon Beast left me weak and vulnerable, and the right bike came on the market at just the wrong/right time. Fear not, oh bearded ones, I have not entirely lost the faith, as I have since raced on the singlespeed again (see my last blog - I'm getting out of sync) and plan to do so again.

One of the two big advantages of racing a singlespeed is its low weight - you don't have all those chain rings/sprockets/shifters/derailleurs/cables weighing you down on climbs. However, the ex-team triple-ring 29er of which I am now the proud and penniless second owner may have big wheels and lots of gears, but is clearly made of tissue paper as it's exactly the same weight.

The other advantage of racing without gears is that you don't have the option of taking it easy and changing down into an easier gear, so you have to go full pelt the whole time. Until you get tired, of course, when this turns into its biggest disadvantage, as I've found in my three XC races at Margam on the singlespeed this year and even on the 8-speed at the Madness last year, when I had to walk a fair few climbs.

No doubt about it, Margam Madness is a tough event. The climbing isn't massive in terms of metres, but it's pretty steep and pretty intense, with the whole race done close to XC speed. In other words, you go the same pace as for a two-hour race, only for four hours, which obviously makes the second half of the race pretty bloody tough. If you won't take my word for it, read here what European 24-hour champion Huw Thomas made of it last year - and that was without having the energy-sapping properties of wet grass and mud to contend with.

Anyway, enough of the excuses, I hear you cry, worrabout the race?

A fast flat start to the race saw me take advantage of my newfangled technology and actually keep up with the pack, but this led into the wooded section of the XC loop in reverse - read slippy tricky singletrack that had people stalling and hopping off all over the place and spread the field massively. It was frustrating to be stuck behind people cocking up the roots and steps, but I didn't fare any better myself, on the first lap at least. Fortunately I had a bit of space for the first hairy feature of the day, a short descent through some rhododendrons that required you to duck below a low branch, slide through a sea of porridge round a big bermed corner and then commit to skiing down a chocolate fountain onto a fireroad where you had to turn on a penny to avoid getting overly close and personal with a tree. You gotta love it.

Not so keen on what happened next, though. Some helpful child or dog walker had removed a sign after the leaders had gone through, sending the bulk of the field the wrong way. We soon realised this, regrouped and headed back to where we thought we should have gone - which was also wrong but did eventually get us back on track. I don't think it made any difference to the final placings, as the leaders were faster throughout, but it certainly skewed the times for the first lap by 3-4 minutes (see below).

The rest of the lap was similar to last year's event with a couple of added bits. The main climb from the XC races that I could only manage for a few laps on the singlespeed? No problem with gears. The rooty bits through the woods at the top? No problem with gears. The big climb from the ford out the back of the park? Still an absolute pig, but at least I could alternate between seated and standing. The long drag up to the trig point? Way harder than on the singlespeed - I missed my bar ends.

 

And the descents? Well, the rocky chute inevitably became a muddy chute, but I'm getting quite used to it now, to be honest, and the main hazard was other riders walking down. Rhododendron Riot still leaves you deliciously out of control towards the end. The two steep, narrow and increasingly gloopy singletrack descents at the back of the park saw me make the odd detour into the bracken, and I came within a hair's breadth of going over the bars in front of the cameras on the roots on the last lap, but ultimately I managed to stay on the bike throughout and get in plenty of practice on the old ski turns.

I did fall off once, but not on a descent. End of the first lap, innocuous flat section through the grass, got caught in a hidden rut and went over right in front of a photographer - oops!

I almost went off again on the last lap on the vertiginous Kidney Shaker descent down to the finish. I slid sideways, stuck out a leg to steady myself and was paralysed by the most crippling cramp in my right calf. I ended up having to drop onto all fours right across the trail, one shoe still attached to the bike, and just wait there for what seemed an eternity until it eased. I'd been fighting off cramp for well over an hour by then; the damp conditions and fatigue doubtless played a role, but I reckon it was mainly down to the gears using my leg muscles in new ways.

After the first lap, the field spread out and I was surprised to find myself snapping at the heels of last year's winner Huw Thomas for a lap, but he eventually pulled clear and the second half of the race was quite a lonely affair, lapping the odd rider but generally having no idea who was in front or behind or by how much, as visibility was so poor on the open sections. I was a tad disappointed to finish 4th in category after making the podium last year, but pleased with 6th overall, and I was only 80 seconds behind Richard Samuel, who was first vet last year. It's hard to draw any conclusions about the performance of either rider or steed in such testing conditions, but the Cube definitely enabled me to stay on the bike more than usual - both uphill, thanks to the gears, and downhill, thanks to the 29" wheels with their extra grip and smoother ride. I might have been faster on the singlespeed - but only until I had to start walking...

All in all, a tough but exhilarating course in tough but exhilarating conditions - loved it!


Over 40s:

1	03:56:02	Mark Spratt, Cardiff Jif	00:40:57	00:48:52	00:47:04	00:49:41	00:49:28
2	03:09:25	Andy Jones, Clee Cycles KCNC Torus	00:40:53	00:47:29	00:48:23	00:52:40
3	03:17:12	Richard Samuel, Clee Cycles/KCNC	00:44:14	00:46:58	00:51:06	00:54:54
4	03:18:33	Chris Schroder, Sarn Helen	00:45:12	00:48:32	00:51:03	00:53:46

Under 40s:

1	03:35:54	Tim Dunford, Mountain Trax Vauxhall Motors	00:40:21	00:41:36	00:43:41	00:44:33	00:45:43
2	03:15:39	Huw Thomas, Niner / Loco tuning	00:44:27	00:49:07	00:49:30	00:52:35
3	03:32:50	Justin Harcourt, Urban-Cyclery.co.uk RT	00:47:10	00:52:41	00:55:05	00:57:54

British XC Series Round 4: Cooked

Star date: 7 July 2013

Location: Margam Park, Port Talbot
Event: British XC Series Round 4
Weapon of choice: Carbon singlespeed with suspension forks and dropper post
Greatest achievement: Descending confidently
Greatest weakness: Coping with the heat
Result: 28th vet 

Last time I reckoned Margam was the best XC course ever. This time it was even better.
It was the same as at the Welsh Champs in May, but with one significant addition. For convenience, let's call it the Double Drop of Death.

As I happened to be passing through a few days before the race, I decided to squeeze in a cheeky practice lap to check out this new section. Although it's only about 30 yards long, this turned out to be a very good idea, as half-way through I had another of those you-gotta-be-kidding moments. No way am I riding off that bloody cliff!

A muddy 20-foot drop in two parts, it started with a short sharp sheer drop, levelled out just enough to scrub off a bit of speed, and then finished with a much rougher drop complete with rogue roots and a nasty-looking step. For added spice there were also various stumps and low-flying rhododendron branches throughout to catch out the unwary.

The only photo I can find of this bit, and I can't remember the source, sorry.
As usual, it was steeper than it looks, honest.

After about ten minutes walking it, rolling the bike up and down and checking out angles and lines in an attempt to overcome my fears through science and logic, I finally concluded that I probably wouldn't die as long as I didn't go too slowly or do anything silly. That said, there was nobody else around and I was still feeling very nervous. A few deep breaths to try and quell the shakes and generally man up, and off I went, duly making it down in one piece. Result!

These things are rarely as bad as they look - unless you do actually fall off and die. The challenge here was mostly in the mind but also about the change in body position required between the two halves: arse back for the first drop, and then more weight on the front so that the bike actually went where you pointed the front wheel rather than bucking you sideways.

So what about the race itself?

Archive shot from the Welsh Champs. No front row for me this time though.
Photo: Mountain Bike Photography

In theory it was a reprise of the Welsh Champs in May, only with more of the very best racers from Britain in attendance. Not having done previous rounds of the British series, I was gridded about two-thirds of the way back, and I soon lost further places in the sprint start. This is clearly an area I need to work on, because although I then regained a load of places on the fireroad climb, the singletrack climb after that was massively congested and s-l-o-w. Geared riders ahead also then kept robbing me of the momentum needed to get up the little rooty climbs and the steep bit at the very top of the course.

Despite being held up so badly and so having a very easy ride on the first lap, by the second lap I was finished. It was oppressively hot with temperatures up in the 80s, all the climbing was out in the sun, and I struggle in conditions like that even when I'm not racing up and down hills like a mad dog. But I don't think that was the whole story - perhaps I had overdone things on a mini-roadtrip to the South Wales trails earlier in the week. I just didn't have the strength in my legs for the steeper climbs and had to walk. Gears would doubtless have helped, as maybe I could have pootled up the climbs in granny ring and generally done the whole race at a lower effort level. 

Whenever I was riding, though, I was gaining places both uphill and downhill. I was descending more confidently than ever and even managed my first ever overtake on singletrack. The Descent of Doom that so freaked me out at the Welsh Champs didn't spook me at all this time. Partly through familiarity, I suppose, but partly because the line was so much wider and better worn in. I should, however, confess that on the aforementioned practice lap earlier in the week I somehow forgot to brake at the bottom and ended up ploughing straight on into the bracken and going arse over tit right in front of a team of lads clearing the trails for the weekend. Oops...

Another archive shot from the Welsh Champs - me remembering to brake after the Descent of Doom. Photo: Mountain Bike Photography

The Double Drop of Death, on the other hand, still scared the life out of me every time. On the first lap I was surprised to find the back of my saddle nuzzling my navel at one point, so the second time I took it slower - too slowly. I started to veer sideways on the first drop and had to bail out half-way down. But the next three goes went fine as I gained in confidence (or grew too tired to worry).

The official course preview video. Double drop is at 7.20 but totally flattened out by the video. Source: Welsh Cycling

This was the story of my descending in general. As the race went on, I relaxed more and more and began to explore and experience the benefits of descending faster and literally flying over many of the bumps and rocks on the trail. I was really surprised by the number of riders walking descents and taking the easier B-lines in the race. As previously documented at some length, I find these drops pretty terrifying, but I always give them a go.

That said, I don't suppose I'll ever make a downhiller.

I soldiered on for 90-odd minutes and was eventually lapped by the leaders, which was quite possibly a life-saver, sparing me from a final sixth circuit of the course. I was a complete zombie all evening and didn't feel much better the next day. I have no idea how I managed to drive home. 28th out of 47 wasn't too bad, all things considered. Note to self: Never race when it's so hot you've finished your first bottle before you've even started.

1	01:29:00	407	Marc Chamberlain	00:13:47	00:14:29	00:14:58	00:15:10	00:15:21	00:15:11
2	01:30:11	403	Crispin Doyle	00:14:27	00:14:40	00:14:53	00:15:08	00:15:17	00:15:45
3	01:34:28	421	Steve Calland	00:16:24	00:15:28	00:15:30	00:16:19	00:15:55	00:14:49
4	01:34:28	427	Simon Willats	00:15:20	00:15:11	00:15:41	00:16:05	00:16:26	00:15:43
5	01:34:29	409	Mark Spratt	00:15:19	00:15:13	00:15:35	00:15:55	00:16:12	00:16:12
6	01:35:12	404	Mark Chadbourne	00:14:57	00:16:03	00:16:02	00:16:06	00:16:07	00:15:55
7	01:37:11	419	Darren Shepherd	00:15:18	00:15:23	00:15:45	00:16:43	00:17:25	00:16:35
8	01:37:59	406	Adrian lawrence	00:15:29	00:16:39	00:16:16	00:16:26	00:16:37	00:16:30
9	01:38:51	412	Lee Hayward	00:15:22	00:16:12	00:16:15	00:16:29	00:16:59	00:17:32
10	01:39:12	408	Dan Howe	00:14:56	00:15:41	00:16:40	00:17:25	00:17:23	00:17:06
11	01:40:32	405	Anthony White	00:14:44	00:15:24	00:15:45	00:15:59	00:16:56	00:21:41
12	01:40:33	414	Brendan Murphy	00:15:21	00:16:40	00:16:53	00:16:59	00:17:29	00:17:08
13	01:41:35	417	Lloyd Bettles	00:15:37	00:16:28	00:17:07	00:17:23	00:17:18	00:17:39
14	01:42:00	411	Andrew Peace	00:15:29	00:16:26	00:17:26	00:17:40	00:17:28	00:17:29
15	01:43:01	422	Chris Walker	00:15:31	00:16:51	00:17:06	00:17:38	00:18:00	00:17:54
16	01:43:52	428	Andrew Parsons	00:16:31	00:17:14	00:17:05	00:17:40	00:17:43	00:17:36
17	01:44:06	430	Alex Slaven	00:16:03	00:17:00	00:17:44	00:18:09	00:17:56	00:17:12
18	01:44:14	432	Nick Butler	00:15:53	00:17:10	00:17:26	00:18:13	00:17:55	00:17:34
19	01:44:52	424	Sean Scott	00:16:31	00:17:21	00:17:46	00:17:43	00:17:36	00:17:52
20	01:45:23	444	Ross Porter	00:16:25	00:17:29	00:17:36	00:17:29	00:18:38	00:17:44
21	01:46:33	429	Christopher Taylor	00:16:06	00:17:02	00:17:40	00:17:40	00:18:29	00:19:34
22	01:48:28	423	Nigel Brown	00:16:01	00:17:27	00:18:19	00:18:36	00:19:02	00:19:02
23	01:51:38	431	Alan Colville	00:16:36	00:16:49	00:17:12	00:17:29	00:17:47	00:25:45
24	01:30:47	418	David Wadsworth	00:16:04	00:17:36	00:18:14	00:18:59	00:19:51
25	01:32:18	434	Chris Hunter	00:17:11	00:18:40	00:18:40	00:19:27	00:18:17
26	01:34:20	435	Patrick Stokes	00:16:49	00:17:55	00:19:17	00:19:53	00:20:24
27	01:35:44	445	David Shaw	00:16:44	00:17:41	00:19:38	00:20:19	00:21:20
28	01:36:22	442	Chris Schroder	00:17:01	00:18:04	00:20:19	00:20:04	00:20:52
29	01:38:26	452	Richard James	00:18:10	00:19:29	00:20:07	00:20:10	00:20:29
30	01:42:48	451	Michael Radburn	00:19:03	00:19:22	00:20:26	00:21:55	00:22:01
31	01:43:05	456	Gary Strickland	00:17:47	00:19:22	00:20:24	00:21:34	00:23:56
32	01:43:09	459	Bryan Preece	00:18:48	00:22:00	00:21:07	00:21:23	00:19:49
33	01:45:17	449	Nick Welsh	00:18:55	00:20:06	00:21:27	00:22:13	00:22:34
34	01:45:31	439	Ronald Barker	00:18:23	00:19:07	00:21:43	00:23:42	00:22:33
35	01:46:39	448	Philip Bromwich	00:19:04	00:21:01	00:21:31	00:22:10	00:22:52
36	01:46:49	453	Mark Webb	00:18:03	00:20:06	00:21:35	00:23:14	00:23:49
37	01:51:26	446	Andrew Ward	00:19:46	00:22:07	00:22:49	00:23:16	00:23:26
38	01:06:53	410	Peter Dawe	00:15:17	00:16:35	00:16:53	00:18:07
39	01:16:16	436	Daniel Wood	00:19:02	00:21:42	00:35:31
40	00:31:49	425	Nicholas Popham	00:15:09	00:16:40
41	00:34:52	415	Jay Horton	00:16:43	00:18:08
42	00:14:00	402	Ian Taylor	00:14:00
43	00:14:21	401	Paul Hopkins	00:14:21
44	00:15:23	413	James Metcalfe	00:15:23
45	00:17:00	440	Neil Hendry	00:17:00
46	00:19:58	454	Leigh Harris	00:19:58
47	00:20:57	447	Paul Brown	00:20:57