Tag Archives: Saracen. Madison

Wild in The Woods – Aston Hill Black Run Race – Sunday 27th April 2014

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Aston Hill’s infamous Black Run is regarded as one of the South’s most technical descents. Hosting local and regional races since 1997, it celebrated it’s 17th year of racing in style. After weeks of dry weather left the trails dry and dusty the weekend before the rain in the week running up to the race and a day of cloud cover on Friday ensured that the dry conditions were a distant memory. For those practicing on Saturday there was plenty to perfect with a couple of variations to the trail throwing a curve ball for Aston Hill and Black Run race regulars alike. The track was busy all day with riders all working on those all important lines.

With the UCI Downhill World Cup racers travelling thousands of miles to race in Cairns, Australia expecting sunshine and finding one of the wettest races in years closer to home the wet and challenging track conditions on Aston Hill were very similar.

Sunday morning dawned overcast with a light drizzle ensuring those with fingers crossed that the track would dry out overnight were disappointed. It didn’t dampen the spirits of the riders already that had already entered on-line with many still opting to enter on the day too. Practice put 180 riders down the course and by the end of the session with the rain holding off a much dryer sticker line had a appeared and the riders were looking forward to race runs and throwing everything down to put in a quick time.

The conditions continued to improve throughout the day and then just after the second runs started a heavy shower hit the hill. Considering the forecast the racers had been pretty lucky that this was the first shower of the day and it didn’t last long but had it done enough to change the conditions? For some yes, but the remaining racers through themselves into their second runs with nothing to loose. In some cases it paid off but in others it left riders sliding down the hill after loosing traction on the chalk.

Juvenile

The young rippers never cease to amaze with their all out commitment. Making light work of conditions that had older riders scratching their heads it was Robert Thomas of the Gravity Project that came out on top stopping the clock on 1.54.57, with Charles Griffith in 2nd just 0.92secs off the pace and Josh Mead of Team Porc/Whisper Bikes rounding out the top three with a time of 1.59.29 just sneaking into the sub 2min club.

  Juvenille Men      

1

 Robert Thomas Gravity Project 1:54:57  

2

 Charles Griffiths   1:55:49 0.92s

3

 Josh Mead Team Porc/Whisper Bikes 1:59:29 4.72s

Youth

The Youth men’s race came down to a battle between Alfie Kilner (Bashee Bikes/Team Aston Hill) and Tom Davies (Crank Cycles). The pair have been locked in a duel all season and after the first runs there was very little time between them. However Tom laid down an impressive second run to stop the clock on 1:37:62. Alfie held onto second and Jack Miller rounded out the top three on the day.

  Youth Men      

1

 Tom Davies Crank Cycles 1:37:62  

2

 Alfie Kilner Banshee Bikes/Team Aston Hill 1:42:97 5.32s

3

 Jack Miller   1:44.26 6.64s

Junior Men

Few would have bet against Team Aston Hill rider Al Warrell taking the win on home soil. Al who was back on the bike after injuring his wrist on the team photo shoot the week before. The injury didn’t seem to be slowing him down though and his first run of 1:30:43 set the pace until the Expert/Elites hit the trail. Jack Klimowicz came home in second clocking 1:42:87 and Scott Robinson rounded out the top three on 1:44:29.

  Junior Men      

1

 Alister Warrell Banshee Bikes/Team Aston Hill 1:30:43  

2

 Jack Klimowicz   1:42:87 12.44s

3

 Jack Miller   1:44:29 13.86s

Senior Men

One of the most hotly contested categories and with many of the fastest riders seeing their hopes of a fast time sliding out with them as the slippery chalk pushed them off line. It  Team Aston Hill’s Ross Hammond that used his local knowledge to put together a stormer of a run to take the win and stop the clock on 1:36:28. Second and third were hot on his heals though with Grant Martin just 0.72s behind on 1:37:00 and James Stapleton on a 1:37:17 another 0.89s back and Daniel Sibbick in forth another 0.94s back making it very tight at the top.

  Senior Men      

1

 Ross Hammond Team Aston Hill 1:36:28  

2

 Grant Martin Ipswich Bicycle Club 1:37:00 0.72s

3

 Jack Miller   1:37:17 0.89s

Master Men

It’s always interesting to see who made the move from Senior to Master and the effect the young blood with have on the categories old guard. It was Dan Haines that set the pace on a 1:35:32. James Weames came home in second on 1:36:41 and another Aston Hill regular Chris Spooner rounded out the top three on 1:37:52

  Master Men      

1

 Dan Haines   1:35:32  

2

 James Weames   1:36:41 1.09s

3

 Chris Spooner   1:37:52 2.20s

Veteran Men

The Vets have the advantage of experience and it was all needed to guide their bikes down to the bottom of the Black Run. Pete Little was the man to beat recovering from a rotator cuff injury the racer in him had got the better of him and he’d decided to race. It wasn’t a decision he regretted with a time of 1:44:84 he took the win from Firecrest MTB’s Ian Warby who’s time of 1:48:00 was 3.16s slower. Stuart Chittenden rounded out the top three just a few hundredths off Warby’s time with a time of 1:48:78.

  Veteran Men      

1

 Pete Little   1:44:84  

2

 Ian Warby   1:48:00 3.16s

3

 Stuart Chittenden   1:48:75 3.94s

Hardtail

It’s hard to decide if they were the bravest or the dumbest group of riders on the day. Getting to the bottom of the hill on a full suspension bike was a challenge so making it down on a hardtail deserved a medal. After looking quick in practice it was no surprise to see Cliff Perkins (Beeline Bikes) take the win on a 1:53:10 with Ben Roberts pushing him all the way but eventually loosing out by just 0.37s in second and Scott Cordy in 3rd on 2:05:03 a further 11.93s back.

  Hardtail Men      

1

 Clifford Perkins Beeline Bikes 1:53:10  

2

 Ben Roberts   1:53:47 0.37s

3

 Scott Cordy   2:05:03 11.93s

Elite/Expert Men

What the Elite Men’s category lacked in numbers it certainly made up for in talent with Aston Hill locals and World Cup DH racers Jack Geoghegan (Madison/Saracen) and Philip Atwill (RRP Ghost) both racing on their doorstep as opposed to the other side of the planet. That didn’t stop them laying down their world class skills though pushed all the way by the Team Aston Hill pairing of Glenroy Martin and Darren Evans. After the first run it was Glenroy that set the pace but Phil had given away valuable seconds into the finish after styling up the final jump for the waiting crowd.

With a frustrating first run that saw him off the pace of the leaders Jack Geoghegan was in a determined mood come run two. With the spectators lining the track ready for the fastest riders to do their thing Jack flew down the hill to stop the clock on 1:27:97 just edging out a much faster finishing Phil Atwill by just 0.12s with Glenroy leading home the Team Aston Hill Challenge in third on 1:28:50 with team mate Darren Evans in 4th and Ben Deakin (Primera Cycles) in fifth.

  Expert/Elite Men      

1

 Jack Geoghegan Madison Saracen Development 1:27:97  

2

 Philip Atwill RRP Ghost 1:28:09 0.12s

3

 Glenroy Martin Team Aston Hill 1:28:50 0.53s

For the full results go too www.rootsandrain.com

So another great days racing goes down in the annuals of Aston Hill history racing returns to the slopes of Aston Hill in September when the riders will take on Root Canal.

Thanks to Pete Way and the Aston Hill Mountain Bike Club Race Committee with support from the Aston Hill Club Committee for all their hard work in putting the race on. Gravity Project for the timing the First Aid team and all the marshals. The caterers that kept everyone fed and watered and the fantastic sponsors that supported the event with a selection of amazing prizes across the categories. Grass roots racing just wouldn’t happen with out their support!

 

 

FMTB Trained Athletes – Racing Round Up – British XC and Downhill Series

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Last weekend saw Firecrest Skills and Fitness Trained Athletes in action at both Downhill DH and Cross-Country XC rounds of the British Mountain Bike Series.

British Cross Country Series – Final Round – Langdon Hills – Essex

Maxine Filby rounded out a super successful season in the Women’s Pro-Elite category with another podium ride. Placing third for the second time in the 2012 season secured her a fantastic fourth overall in the series. The Langdon Hills course didn’t present any major problems from a technical perspective and Maxine was one of a number of riders who are calling on XC race organisers to find more technical courses so that the jump from domestic racing to international competition is so big. Of course we here at Firecrest we fully support that and have felt for years that domestic XC mountain biking has become more like road racing on dirt! Let’s hope the organisers are listening?!?

From a Firecrest Skills and Fitness perspective its mission accomplished as far as Maxine’s goals for the 2012 season (a podium at British XC and top five overall) are concerned. Mark (Baines, Firecrest Fitness Guru) and I are already working with Maxine on her 2013 campaign! Look out for her on a podium near you soon!

For the full results from Langdon Hills Click here>>>

Halo Brisith Downhill Series – Rnd5 – Bringewood Forest, Shropshire

The downhillers were racing at the penultimate round of the British Downhill Series at the popular venue of Brindgewood. The event supported by the team at Pearce Cycles was one of the slickest in years with their fleet of Landrover’s really doing the business on the uplift which has become one of the crucial elements to a good weekends racing.

The weekend was dominated by the weather with a fast dry track drenched by biblical downpours on Saturday afternoon the riders dug out the spiked tyres and started to master the ruts rather than the dust!

For Firecrest trained athletes it was another stellar days racing. In the Elite Category Olie Burton was a fraction of the podium in 8th and Harry Molloy came home in 13th. It was great to see mountain bike legend Steve Peat back on top of the box. Peaty showed that the skill in downhill is all about carrying speed and when on form he can carry more than most stopping the clock almost 3 seconds clear of second with the World Championships next weekend it was great to see Peaty on form.

In the Junior Category hopes were high in the Madison Saracen Camp with Firecrest trained rider Josh Lowe fresh from a months DH training in the Alps. To say it was tight is an understatement, Josh came home in 7th but just half a second would have put him in 4th. Testament to the improvements he’s made in August and with the final round to go everything’s focussed on making it onto the box for the series finals.

It was great to see former Aston Hill Junior DeVo rider Phil Atwill get his first Junior win too. Phil’s run time would have put him safely inside the top 15 times on the day and gave him a 4 second winning margin. With the World Champs next week it’s awesome to see Phil on form and we here at Firecrest wish him the best of luck for next weekend in Austria.

For the full results click on over to Roots and Rain here>>>

 

 

 

 

Aston Hill Junior Development Update – Junior DeVo Come of age! Go Phil!

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Philt Atwill - Team Madison Saracen

Phil at full speed at the National Downhill Championship

Back in the year 2000 I started out on a mission to encourage more youngsters into mountain biking and set up a program know as Aston Hill Junior Development.  The program one of the first in the UK had a simple aim; Introducing young people to the sport of mountain biking in a fun and challenging environment.

Developed initially as a school holiday activity program DeVo as it became know for short gave hundreds of youngsters the chance to try mountain biking and introduced them to the trails on Aston Hill.

Over the years the program has produced some of the UK’s fastest riders and a number of National winners and National Champions but to date they have come close but none have represented the UK at the annual mountain bike World Championships.

That was until this year!  Back in 2005 Phil came along on one of the DeVo sessions and as with all champions was an immediate stand out as having the speed and skills essential to excel at downhill mountain biking. With a few of the DeVo sessions under his belt Phil was getting quicker and quicker and the lure of the race track saw him enter his first race. .

Phil has ridden for the Milton Keynes based Madison Saracen Downhill Race Team for the past two seasons and has added the Youth National Championship and a number of British Downhill Series wins to his CV to date.

This year he’s completed the full World Cup Series qualifying in Fort William, UK, Windham, USA, and at last weekends penultimate round in Val d’Isère, France Phil came home in a career best 34th place overall and second junior! A result that underlines his potential in the build up to the World Championships in Leogang Austria.

I’m immensely proud of Phil and it’s great to see that all the hard work and effort that he’s put into his career to date is paying off. I can’t wait to see how he goes at the World Championships and I’ll be following the championships closely. Look out for news on our Facebook page and up to the minute updates via our Twitter feed!

GO PHIL!

The British National Championships Weekend – Cross-Country and Downhill

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Josh Lowe - National Champs

Josh Lowe flat out at the National Downhill Championships 2012

There’s one weekend on the UK’s domestic calendar that for most athletes everything pivots on. It’s the National Championships! It’s the big race of the year and the chance to put your name in the record books and a National Champions Jersey in your wardrobe.

From a skills development perspective the work never stops and although it’s hard to fit in sessions during the busy race season I’m always reviewing the races with riders and looking at new techniques for the riders to try. Mark’s also busy with the Fitness Training side of things, peaking at the right phase in the season is and art and at Firecrest we are fortunate that Mark seems to have the magic formula to ensure that riders are on form come the time of their targeted races.

From a coaches perspective you’re working on making sure that all the work is done and that the athlete is ready coming into the weekend. As Seb Coe used to say “the hay is in the barn” there’s nothing you can do in the week before your race what will be will be. It’s also a challenge to maintain a perspective and focus from an athletes. You can go into the Championship in the form of your life, you’ve worked hard but so has the competition all you can do is the best you can on the day.

Here at Firecrest we are committed to working hard to make sure athletes reach the championship in the best possible condition to the do the best they can do.

Cross-Country Nationals – Wasing Estate

Firecrest skills and fitness trained rider Maxine Filby went into the weekend after a strong showing to date. A third place finish at the last round of the National Series and World Cup in Canada and the States under her belt Maxine was in confident mood when I saw her last week for a skills session in the run up to the Champs weekend.

At one of the National XC Series races earlier in the year she’d struggled with her breathing and to her frustration the problem returned on lap one. To Maxine’s credit she doesn’t give up easy and after nearly a lap gasping for breath she found her rhythm and came home in a creditable 8th place. A little frustrated at the time having struggled with her breathing, but that soon passed when I reminded her of her goals at the beginning of the season. Ok she was a couple of places behind the top five placing she was targeting but it was still a great result and it give’s Mark Baines (Firecrest’s fitness expert) and I plenty to work on for the rest of the season and into 2013!

The season continues and Maxine heads out to France for the next round of the World Cup in Val d’Isère France to continue here international campaign.

Downhill Nationals – Moelfre

Firecrest works with a number of downhill riders on the UK and World Cup Downhill scene. From the skills on the bike to the mindset off there’s far more to getting things right on the downhill bike than people first think. Control of your bike and more importantly control of your emotions, particularly the fight, freeze or fight response are key to putting together the perfect run.

 Junior Men

Firecrest Skills Coaching

Ian from FirecrestMTB reviews Josh's practice runs in preparation for seeding.

Since the days of Junior Development Firecrest MTB has always worked with up and coming talent in the junior category. This FMTB Skills Trained Athlete’s Josh Lowe (Madison Saracen) and Mike O’Brien (Speedsport) racing have been working with Firecrest.

Unfortunately a combination of a shady transition and gust of wind too Mike over the bars, landing heavily in the 4X jump section of the track ending his day and his chances in practice.

So for Firecrest the focuss switched to Josh, coming in off the back of a strong performance at the last BDS race in Glencoe Josh was ready to give it his all. Seeding in 6th showed he was on the pace and in the finals he shaved 4 seconds off his seeding run to finish seventh on the day.

Phil Atwell (Madison Saracen)  just missed out on adding to his medal collection, second in seeding and fourth in the finals left Phil a little frustrated but as a first year junior he’ll be back for revenge in 2013. Phil got into mountain biking through Firecrest’s Junior Development program back in the day and it’s always good to see him putting in great performances and doing his selection for the 2012 Junior World Championship  Team no harm in the process.

National Championship Men

Harry Molloy - National Champs 2

Harry Molloy on his way to 9th place at the National Downhill Championships

Firecrest have been working with Harry Molloy (Madison Saracen) for the last three seasons. Harry comes to us for skills coaching and to work on his mental preparation. With a big team around him and lot’s of support we provide a little consultancy and insight from time to time. Polishing his skills and tuning up his mindset.

Harry’s had another stellar season both domestically and internationally as the 21 year old builds continues to build his experience and reputation. Fifth in seeding underlined his confidence on this track. Setting off just in front of Steve Peat in the finals Harry came home to take 9th place. Not quite what he wanted coming into the finals and based on his form in seeding but enough to put him inside the top 10 against some of the fastest riders in the World.

Olie Burton

Olie Burton on his way to 14th place on the day.

Olie Burton was on form too, coming home in 14th place to underline his form of late. Olie was another rider targeting a top 10 performance but with times as tight as they were he’s looking forward to the remaining international races and a strong finish to his season.

Dave Kynaston continued his come back after his arm surgery over the winter. As with all recovery’s it’s been a long road. But Dave starting to find the pace of a couple of seasons ago and we are working hard to get him back up to full speed for the remainder of the season and into 2013.

So that’s the 2012 Nationals rapped up for another year:

Here are your Cross-Country Champions:

Cross Country

Espoir Female: Annabel Simpson
Espoir Male: Kenta Gallagher
Grand Vet Female: Kim Long
Grand Vet Male: Pete Harris
Junior Female: Bethany Crumpton
Junior Male: Samuel Stean
Juvenile Female: Emily Wadsworth
Juvenile Male: William Gascoyne
Master Female: Fay Cripps
Master Male: Luke Smith
Senior Female: Nikki Harris
Senior Male: Liam Killeen
Super Vet Male: Victor Barnett
Vet Female: Helen MacGregor
Veteran Male: Lewis King
Youth Female: Lucy Grant
Youth Male: Billy Harding

Here are your Downhill Champions:

Juvenile Men: James Purvis 2:54.061
Youth Men: Taylor Vernon 2:38.184
Grand Veteran Men: Howard Stuttard 3:06.178
Veteran Men 45-49: John Cobb 2:50.396
Veteran Men 40-44: Nigel Page 2:41.051
Master Men 35-39: Christopher Whitfield 2:39.785
Master Men 30-34: Richard Cunynghame 2:41.117
Senior Men Non-Championship: Jake Ward 2:35.040
Women Non-Championship: Kerry Wrigglesworth 3:14.295
Elite Women: Rachel Atherton 2:39.012
Junior Men: Joseph Connell 2:31.718
Championship Men: Gee Atherton 2:25.938

Download the full Downhill results here

Download the full XC results here

Thanks to www.twitter.com/robbiedevery for all the photo from the Sunday.

 

Team Madison Saracen Rider Josh Lowe training with FMTB on Aston Hill

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Josh made the most of the half term holidays and time out from his A-levels to come up to Aston Hill for some training with Ian.  After a stella first season on the  Madison Saracen Team Josh’s focus shifts to his aspirations for the 2012 season as a second year Junior. The skills session focused on a the key areas Josh had picked up on at the races and these will be the focus of the first phase of his autumn/winter training program.

FMTB Trained Athlete Harry Molloy is your 2012 English Champion

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As if the Madison Saracen team hasn’t had a rookie season to remember Firecrest MTB Skills Trained Rider Harry Molloy made it count right to the season end picking up the converted title of English Downhill Champion at Molfre just over the boarder in North Wales (I know go figure).

Harry edged out the nearest competition by over 2 seconds, letting it all hang loose on a track that’s famed for being on a very open hill side which means it’s flat out with a lot a big jumps!

For the full results check out Roots&Rain here>>>

It’s certainly a track that suits Harry! So with a few races left to round out 2011 focus shifts to 2012. It’s going to be a busy winter with a focus on building on the progression and success of this season. Firecrest will again be working closely with Harry on his skills, fitness and mindset to make sure he starts the 2012 season in the best physical and mental condition.

If you’re looking to take your skills to the next level and work on your fitness through the off-season check out the options to train with us here at Firecrest. For more information on our skills courses and fitness programs click here

Harry Molloy is your 2012 English Champion

As if the Madison Saracen team hasn’t had a rookie season to remember Firecrest MTB Skills Trained Rider Harry Molloy made it count right to the season end picking up the converted title of English Downhill Champion at Molfre just over the boarder in North Wales (I know go figure).

Harry edged out the nearest competition by over 2 seconds, letting it all hang loose on a track that’s famed for being on a very open hill side which means it’s flat out with a lot a big jumps!

For the full results check out Roots&Rain here>>>

It’s certainly a track that suits Harry! So with a few races left to round out 2011 focus shifts to 2012. It’s going to be a busy winter with a focus on building on the progression and

Harry Molloy is your 2012 English Champion

As if the Madison Saracen team hasn’t had a rookie season to remember Firecrest MTB Skills Trained Rider Harry Molloy made it count right to the season end picking up the converted title of English Downhill Champion at Molfre just over the boarder in North Wales (I know go figure).

Harry edged out the nearest competition by over 2 seconds, letting it all hang loose on a track that’s famed for being on a very open hill side which means it’s flat out with a lot a big jumps!

For the full results check out Roots&Rain here>>>

It’s certainly a track that suits Harry! So with a few races left to round out 2011 focus shifts to 2012. It’s going to be a busy winter with a focus on building on the progression and success of this season.

Firecrest will again be working closely with Harry on his skills, fitness and mindset to make sure he starts the 2012 season in the best physical and mental condition.

If you’re looking to take your skills to the next level and work on your fitness through the off-season check out the options to train with us here at Firecrest. For more information on our skills courses and fitness programs click here

success of this season.

Firecrest will again be working closely with Harry on his skills, fitness and mindset to make sure he starts the 2012 season in the best physical and mental condition.

If you’re looking to take your skills to the next level and work on your fitness through the off-season check out the options to train with us here at Firecrest. For more information on our skills courses and fitness programs click here