Nine is the magic number.

Fig Rolls (Canada) were at the Comox Valley Snow to Surf again this year. This race is a lot of fun, and involves a lot of people. Well, 9 racers. This year we were:

"Parker" the driver: Darcy

Alpine Ski: Paul

Nordic Ski: Nikki

Run 1: Angie

Run 2: Andrew

Mountain Bike: Marc

Kayak: Lina

Road Bike: Dave

Canoe: Brenda and Colleen

The snow to surf is a minefield of equipment and being in the right place at the right time... with the right clothes on. Our driver for the day, Darcy, did an amazing job of keeping us all organised and ferrying us and our gear around in a big truck. Thanks Darcy!

The race started with the usual lung-busting run in ski boots at the top of Mt Washington, followed by some fast and furious descending. I did this leg a couple of years ago and I'm glad Paul has taken over from me on this one. Besides, he can ski faster than me. Paul came down just behind the main pack and handed off to Nikki who stormed off on the nordic ski. I grabbed Paul and his shredded lungs and we jumped in the truck to get me down to the transition for the second run. After a little warming up, Angie soon appeared... we were doing great! I held our position on the road run and then managed to make up a few places once we got into the trails at the end of my leg... I love the mud. I handed off to Marc who set off on the mountain bike with his usual enthusiasm.

The 4 of us "mountain" racers made it down to the lake to see Marc hand off to Lina who battled wind and waves in the kayak. I didn't get to see it, but apparently her leg went numb in the boat and she had to hobble up a mud slope to hand off to Roadie Dave using only one leg. Nice work Lina! It looks like we came out of the water in around 8th place overall, which is pretty incredible. Dave put in a fantastic ride on the road bike and we caught him whizzing through Cumberland. Then 7 of us, a bike, and 2 sets of skis got into the truck and headed to the finish. Our canoeists were stitched up by the boat rental company and given a huge hulk of a plastic boat... quite a sight compared to the sleek racing canoes they were paddling against. The ladies gave it everything in the massive, slow boat and got through wind and waves that were turning plenty of other boats over. We cheered them across the line, and found we had got 3rd place in the Open Mixed. Great stuff everyone!

Paul running into the ski transition

Nikki waiting for Paul

Angie on Run 1

Andrew on Run 2

Marc and Lina at the mountain bike / kayak transition

Lina paddling

Dave pedalling

Brenda and Colleen paddling "the ferry"

Mmmm, edible medals.

Paul's blog has the whole story and more of his photos... and Lina wrote stuff too.

Back in the game

After a very long silence, I'm back! Long silence following the misery of SITS 2008 - mud, mud, mud and then 5 months off riding due to injuring my knee from pushing my bike for 24 hours.

This time was used to full effect to finish my singlespeed build - originally planned to be a 'budget' build but ending up a long way from that. XT, hope and stans flow rims put paid to that idea, but it has turned out to be a brilliant bike (confirmed yesterday whilst riding the new singletrack at Sherwood Pines - not sure I have ever ridden that quick before!)

Comedy cyclo cross at Christmas time followed, with the team taking a sound kicking in the Lincolnshire League.

An entertaining trip to Dalby has been and gone, and now I've got back into the local club racing at the first Lincs League Road Race on Wednesday night. Somehow, after virtually no riding over the winter, I managed to keep with my group and nearly get the sprint! Ace stuff, but much pain.

Oh yeah, I have also grown a nice red beard, but that it (possibly) about to go.

Hooray for bikes.

Fig Rolls updated at last!

been rather slack lately - not with racing but with the blog so its time for an update.

November 2008
Niki was 3rd in the Thetford winter series rnd 1
joe was 31st

December 2008
Niki was 3rd again
Joe was 13th
Matthew was 190th

January 2009
Lincoln Cyclo cross race
joe was 4th from last
Duncan was 3rd from last
Matthew was 2nd from last
and Niki was last - yes we all got a sound thrashing from the local roadies!

Gorrick round 1
Niki was 1st
Joe was 5th

Thetford WS 3
Joe was 9th
Niki was 3rd
John was 53rd

Cycle Show 2008

I was working at the Cycle Show in Earls Court, London Last week building the official test track on behalf of the CTC. it took about 30 seconds to ride around and dosen't look as big as it actually was from this photo!

Dusk Til Dawn 2008

What a nightmare! The Thetford rain gods were making up for lost time as to date every DTD race has been dry as a bone... The rain started at 6pm and didn't let up until about 1:00am so pretty for pretty much the whole race it was tipping it down...

the official report is here but suffice to say it was very muddy (like grinding paste) and for my first Solo effort felt like an initiation from hell..



After a fast rolling start and a few laps of trying to force myself to ride at under 130bpm my HR monitor finally stopped bleeping... Had it broken? no, but I had somehow got my heart rate out of the aerobic zone. Then the long slog began. riders were dropping out thick and fast but I managed to do my planned 4 laps (about 4 hours!) before stopping for top up food and bottles. Was Duncan about to pass me? thats all I could think, even as killer flew past as part of his pairing with Niki and told me I was in the top 20...

Perhaps Duncan was saving himself for the last few laps? I need more of a gap so got to keep on pressing on - this was all I could think (apart from the godawful song in my head that niki had been singing on the trip up - I kissed a girl and I liked it... ARGHHH!!!)



after 6 laps I was starting to feel awfully tired - my legs were fine but my mind was wandering and keeping up speed was more of a challenge. Suddenly the bleeping returned! but this time it was cos I was going to slow! then, crash! ouch that hurt! better take some painlkillers... (are they allowed?) By lap 7 I was struggling to keep awake and my reserves of caffine gels were running low. It one point I had one of those "microsleeps" and that was enough to scare me into waking up a bit. One more quick stop for food - who is that in the tent?? Its Duncan and he looks knackered.

now its the final lap and suddenly I feel like my legs are fresh again, its getting light and I am on a final charge for positions I get around the course with the clock showing 1 minute to go before the 12 hours are up. Circling in the finish straight I'm not sure whether to cross the line - I don't want to do another lap! Everyone is shouting for me to cross and telling me that I wont have to do another lap if I don't want to but I don't believe them! lol seems crazy but I wait until the next rider is coming down the finish straight before crossing the line in 11th out of 170 starting solo riders. That's enough of this solo malarky for now...



Duncan finished well up the placings in 25th place out of 170 solo riders
Niki and Killer were a respectable 8th out of 14 in the mixed teams especially when you consider Killer wasn't well
Ivor and Mark were 55th/83 in the mens pairs
full results

New Brighton Park Cyclocross

On Sunday morning, Paul and I represented Fig Rolls Racing in the Wedgewood Cross Classic here in Vancouver. It was a great venue, with all the fun of up and downhill 180 degree switchbacks, hurdles, stairs, sand, mud, and wet tree roots. Paul and I raced in the beginner category... I got 5th place and Paul got 10th. I think this might become a regular thing!

Can you spot two Fig Rolls? 

Thanks to Angie for the photos (more here) and Lina who's idea it all was... though she rides for another team... shock, horror.