The senior race had been eagerly anticipated with a strong line up of riders. Cyclocross has grown rapidly over the last few years here in Scotland. The popular Scottish Cyclocross Series (SCX) is well run and the courses are great – especially this year. The cross scene has benefited from increasing media attention including the “Dig In!” series. The producers of “Dig In” also organise their own cross race (see promo video below) which will now be my next race.

I had planned to review the GT CX type Elite after winning  racing in the Scottish Champs on it but I’ll just have to give a wee run down on it before

If I was describing my first impression of the GT Bicycles Type CX Elite in one word, it would have to be solid. It feels very robust and has not struggled in any situations as of yet including taking it on some of my tamer mountain bikes routes. I would not describe it as an all out race CX bike however changing the wheels for race day has made a huge difference. I have also changed the finishing kit through personal preference even though the original saddle and bars were surprisingly comfortable. I needed a slightly longer stem and I have used  bars that I really get on with and which I use on most my road/CX bikes. I have fitted a set of Mavic Crossmax SL 29er Mountain Bike Wheels for their amazing combination of light weight and strength. Schwalbe’s excellent Racing Ralph cross tyres are the business for the mud we get up here as they are fast rolling but clear quickly. I’m using a well used Fizik Arione saddle for comfort as the bike will be used for endurance rides on the road during harsher weather. The white tape is probably not the most sensible choice considering the typical conditions at this time of year but I wanted it to look pimp for the Champs!

The Champs are due to be rescheduled in the new year.

First up was the Halloween Howler in Gleniffer Braes country park on the outskirts of Glasgow. The weather conditions were horrendous with a howling wind, cold temperatures and rain. After a delayed start, motivation to race was pretty low. Due to the conditions the first time we saw the course was once the race had started – It mainly consisted of puddles up to the hubs with hidden rocks. I got off to a great start and led the field out with fellow GT Racing UK Team member Dave Henderson in chase,  After Dave had a slight mechanical and bike change at the end of the first lap I was off! Positions stayed pretty much the same for the whole race with GT Racing UK taking the first 2 steps on the podium!

Next up was thetricentre.com Hallocross event on the night of Halloween at Craigmiller Castle, Edinburgh.  Conditions throughout the day had been pretty wet, but despite this the course was holding up pretty well if a bit slippy on the corners. With it being Halloween it would have been wrong not to dress up and this year with a last minute find I became a Storm Trooper! Not scary but it’s the thought that counts!

I got off to an average start with Dave just ahead of me. I decided to try and take a cheeky inside line into the first corner but the front wheel slid out, I went down getting run over and dropping out of the top 10. After a hard chase I was up to 3^rd by the end of the lap. A few more laps of chasing and Dave was in sight. Another fall running up the stairs through the start finish let the gap go out again. I eventually caught up to Dave after he got held up by some lapped riders. I attacked going into the tight singletrack section of the course and got a small gap, which was allowed to go out when Dave again got stuck behind lapped riders. I took advantage and got a good lead, which I managed to hold and take my 2^nd win of the week with team mate Dave finishing in 2^nd.

Happy Halloween from all at GT Racing UK!

I was right to have waited! Sunday was to be a day of persistent rain and low temperatures. I did a couple of laps and got to grips with the now muddy course. Before warming up on the rollers, I cleaned my bikes down and applied some of the amazing MucOff Ceramic C3 bike lube – smooth and silent shifting!

I got a better gridding this time, although still sat on the 4th row. I finished an Accelerade gel and awaited the off. The gun went off and  I took advantage of a good start sitting in a big group at the front of the race. This soon splintered with the rapid pace, but I found myself in a group of five or so riders. I found that my strength was in riding the more technically demanding sections and corners, so lifted the pace when I could. The group slimmed down to just me and Tony Fawcett (Scott UK), and for the next few laps that’s how it stayed. On the final lap I was really beginning to tire, and tailed off somewhat. But held my position and finished 15th overall on the day!

This should mean an even better gridding for next time and hopefully an improvement again. I currently lay 5th U23 in the series.

I have also just been selected to represent Yorkshire at the inter-regional cyclocross championships next week at the Milton Keynes Bowl. That’s if I can clear the mud out of my eyes this week!

Ed.

Well done Ed another brilliant performance in very tricky conditions!

Having done a quick lap between the other races, I settled on a low pressure for my Schwalbe Racing Ralph tubs, ideal for the awesome course laid out; hurdles, Sleepers, a huge scaffolding bridge, table tops, a wall of death, pump jumps, riding up the banking of the famous Herne Hill Velodrome track itself and lots of sloppy mud were on the agenda. I fitted two USE Exposure Diablo lights, one on my helmet and the other on my trusty GT Bicycles GTR Type CX – thus giving me near perfect night vision!

The race started and I had the worst start possible! Sitting in around 20th I had a lot of work to do, but slowly started picking riders off. Soon I was back up at the forefront of the race, in 3rd some 10 seconds off the lead of the race, consisting of Hugo Robinson (XRT Elmy Cycles) and the living legend that is Nick Craig (Scott UK).

I was joined by another rider and we battled on for the whole race, and on the last lap it would come down to the sprint. The mud was beginning to stick and my gears were starting to jump, it was going to be a close call. But my Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals were clearing perfectly!  I managed to conserve some energy and popped out early winning the sprint quite convincingly. Having settled for 3rd I later learnt that Hugo Robinson had pulled out of the race and I  therefore finished 2nd!

I think it was the best cross race of the year so far, a brilliant course, brilliant atmosphere and the good result was a bonus. It was a credit to the organisers and sponsors Rollapalluza and Knog.

Ed.

A HUGE congratulations to Ed on his great result and a thank you to our sponsors for their support. Many thanks to Antony Edwards of aephotos.co.uk for the kind use of his images from the race and Olly Townsend of Cloud9Trails for the video.

2011 saw GT Racing UK compete in a fantastic first year for the team, which saw one rider crowned National Champion for Scotland, another winning the Scottish XC Series, a BMBS round 3rd place, numerous regional wins and top performances at the home World Cup and throughout the British Mountain Bike Series. The 2012 season proved to be even better!

The team switched to all new 2012 Carbon Fibre GT Zaskar Custom Bikes with 29”wheels to compete with the best our competitors have to offer. New race kit from Scottish cycling clothing manufacturer Endura and new sponsors in the way of Accellerade nutrition, Lezyne tools, Schwalbe tyres , and SRAM gearing and brakes, Mavic for wheels as well as continuing support from Muc-Off, Eyewear Outlet, FUSE and Crank Brothers.

We kicked off 2012 with a win at the opening round of the Midlands XC series, and then Dave Henderson and Gareth Montgomerie represented GT Racing UK at the Andalucia Bike Race 2012 in Spain.  In a very tough race the boys finished an amazing 10^th place overall, placing them as the fastest British and non UCI ranked team and we later found out they were only 13 seconds down on 9^th place! A truly fantastic result to the two Scott’s!

In the Scottish Cross Country  Round 1 at Kirroughtree we managed a 1^st place for Gareth and 2^nd  for Dave. Dave came 2^nd and Gareth 4^th in the Scottish Championships held this year at Aberfoyle.

We’ve also had some solid results in the British Cross Country Series, Ed McParland winning the juniors in the mud at Dalby Forest at the 2^nd Round and Dave coming 3^rd and Gareth 5^th in the Elites at kirroughtree in Scotland. In the final round at Langdon Hills in Essex Gareth very nearly won the round finishing 2^nd. Thank you to British Cycling for putting such a great series of races.

Ed has flown to the Czech Republic to represent the United Kingdom at UCI MTB World Cup in Nove Mesto and Dave Henderson raced at the UCI MTB World Cups in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada and Windham in USA, as well as travelling to France with Gareth to take part in the race in Val d’Isere.

We also had some success in various other races around the country. We invited to take part in the madness that is the Red Bull hill Chasers. Racing head to head against riders from all disciplines of cycling Gareth finished 2^nd and the fastest mountain biker up the notoriously steep climb in Bristol’s city centre. Dave recently won the No Fuss Tour de Ben Nevis. Jon Pybus was crown the University Mountain Bike Champion for 2012.

With cyclocross season well and truly here the guys are racing at various regional races as well as the Rapha Supercross and Rollapaluza’s Muddy Hell.

For 2013 all the team will be racing in the Elite category. We are currently finalizing sponsorship deals and sorting out all the details of the team to be ready for the new season of racing. We can’t wait!

Well done to all the GT racing UK Team – Dave Henderson, Gareth Montgomerie, Jon Pybus and Ed McParland.

A HUGE Thank You to all our sponsors for all their help and support over the 2012 season.

GT Bicycles – For the amazing and legendary race bike that is the Zaskar

Sram – For the XX gearing and brakes

Rockshox – For the light weight SID suspension forks

Mavic – For their wonderful wheels

Schwalbe UK – For the huge array of brilliant tyres

Accellerade- For the nutrition that keeps us going

Lezyne and Upgrade Bikes – For our beautiful tools

Eyewear Outlet – For the best glasses both on and off the bikes

Muc-Off – For the best products for cleaning, caring and keeping your bike going whatever the conditions

CrankBrothers and 2Pure – For the light weight componentry stems, seatposts, handle bars and pedals

Fuse – For the gloves, pads and protection

Chris Hughes 

GT Racing UK Team Manager

After a few weeks off the bike at the end of the XC MTB season, it was time to get back to training and racing, this time cyclocross. Last years GT CX were spruced up with new cables, handlebars, bar tape and some brilliant Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres.

This was also my first cross race this year as an Under 23 and with the Elite riders, an hours race as opposed to the 40 minutes Junior race of last year. Unfortunately this meant I was gridded almost at the back of the 50 or so riders on the start line! The whistle blew and we were off, racing along a stretch of road towards the Abergavenny course.

I managed to move up well on the first lap and found myself sat around 15th. There were plenty of tactics being used, but I settled down in a group of 5 or so riders. The course consisted of sharp corners, off camber sections, sharp climbs and some wooded sections. The morning due had left the course like an ice rink, but the Racing Ralph’s were keeping me on track, and they felt rapid on the road section.

Over half an hour had passed and I began to feel the strain, the next twenty minutes were new to me. The attacks were coming thick and fast, with wheels being lost around every corner. I was feeling tired and dropped back until I was passed by Mike Cotty (Wheelbase-Cannondale). Gritting my teeth I pushed on to stick with his wheel, we managed to move up, passing another rider and getting closer to the finish line. By the last lap Mike had tailed me off and I rolled in 23rd overall. 10th U23.

The race was certainly a baptism for me, but the result will mean a better gridding for the next time and I’m looking to build on my 23rd. Many thanks to all the sponsors who make racing so much easier!

“The 26km course loops up, down and around the hill, taking in some old favourite sections and introducing riders to trails they haven’t ventured on to yet. Loved by both novices and pros, cross country, downhill and enduro riders, the time trial format with riders leaving the start at one minute intervals leaves room on the trails for all levels of mountain bike rider to race together, in peaceful harmony united by their joy in riding bikes off road.”

The vibe at the event is always chilled with a friendly atmosphere and the course was awesome as expected! It is always great riding and discovering new sections, especially somewhere you go fairly often. I managed to finish the course in a winning time of 1:11! with Iain Nimmo taking the Alistair Lees Memorial Trophy (fastest Vet).

Full results can be found here: http://www.innerleithenmtbracing.com/

Innerleithen will hopefully have mechanical uplift in the near future. AimUP are working hard to gain planning permission and secure land to build the uplift. This will really promote what is already one of the best mountain biking areas in the UK.

Many thanks again to Innerleithen MTB Racing and their army of volunteers for putting on such a great event. Hopefully see you next year!