Hamish Fletcher-Cooney reports on a heavy schedule of MTB championships…

Hamish Fletcher- Cooney team Rider for All Terrain Cycles

Okaaaay… long post, it’s been a hectic few weeks.

Saturday 28th. North of England MTB championships, Aske Moor
We set off with the Elites and had the same number of laps so we had a chance to compete for the overall title as well as the Expert (my category) win. The course was a series of 1.5-2.5 minute power climbs with short, tricky, awkward descents straight into the next power climb (reads like the lactate tolerance session from hell). Over the first 2 laps me and Phil exchanged the expert lead which was also 3rd overall, whoever won would be on the podium at the North of England champs and get a major boost up the national rankings. At the end of the 2nd lap I was just distanced and badly in the pain cave when my right shoe ripped in half, uppers came away from sole. I went through the pits and yelled at my crew to go get my spare right shoe. I then rode a lap with essentially a massive flat pedal (the sole of my shoe) and a lorica sock. I lost about 90 seconds to Phil and wore out my left leg. End of the 3rd lap I unclipped the base of my shoe, ripped off the upper and swapped right shoe. I was able to chase back a few seconds but my left leg was camping badly and I lost by over a minute.
2nd Expert, 4th Overall. 100 points.
I am now ‘that guy who had to swap his shoe’. For the record, never put sidis on the radiator.

Saturday 5th. Midlands MTB Championships, Chesterfield
Fast and slippy. The sort of course where you turned into a corner more in hope that you’d exit facing the right way than any real faith, also really wish I had 560mm bars again. 3 4 minute climbs which you had about a 50/50 chance of cleaning with fast but uncambered singletrack descents. Ben won the race by 5.5 minutes as we all expected but there was a real battle for 2nd-7th. I suffered on the first lap in about 6th but kept fighting back on the descents and moving up a place here and there by sprinting for the singletrack at the top of climbs if I managed to hold on. It was 26-28 degrees and a bottle of water went over my head in the pits every lap to the amusement of the commentator, he’s not the one with a pony tail racing in the sun with no wind – need a haircut. Kept battling up but had no idea what place I was in. Finally dropped Phil on the penultimate descent having matched him on the climb. Final climb I had to dismount, slipped and went down, by the time I got back up Phil was right there. 2 minutes uphill to the line, 60kg vs 82, turns out I wanted it more won the battle and got 2nd but it really really hurt.
2nd Expert. 200 points so far.

Sunday 6th. Southern XC Championships, Southampton
‘Apparently one of the expert riders did the midlands yesterday then drove himself 5 hours to get here.’
The least technical mtb course I’ve ever ridden. 16mph average. 25+ riders in my category on the start line. What you really don’t want the day after a hard hot race is a harder hotter race on a course that’ll reward the strongest guy.
We were doing through and off and I lasted until the final 3. Oliver (remember this name) attacked lap 2/5 when I was feeling super super sore and I let the other guy chase him for half a lap before I dropped him and started my chase. I kept him pegged at 40-50 seconds but I was bone dry despite putting a litre of water over my head and half a litre down my neck every lap. You know where you know you must be sweating because it’s an oven but can’t feel anything? Salt stains etc. Half a lap to go this polish road racer I’ve never met comes past me like I’m standing still. I knew if I could keep him in sight I had a chance and if not it was a long long way to 4th so I went into the red and kept him pegged but not hitting trees with no peripheral vision and numb extremities was challenging. I bruised my shoulders a bit. 200m to go uphill he had about 5 seconds but I kicked and passed him with ease to take my 2nd 2nd in 24 hours. I was on the ground a fair while.
2nd Expert. 300 points so far.
If I can keep them in touch I’ve never lost a sprint in a mtb race…

Sunday 13th. British MTB Series Round 4. Builth Wells, Wales.
Previous results were 6th, 22nd (with a flat – I am ‘that guy who rode the rock gardens at Plymouth with a flat front tire’) and 15th.
Hilliest national round of the year split into 2 long climbs which is not good for me but the descents are fun and if it rains I should be on for top 10.
It rained and was super slimy, perfect. If only it was for the 250m of climbing per lap. First lap I did my usual trick of leading into the first climb and forced a good pace in the very slippy conditions such that I was 6th at the top, awesome! 2nd climb 2 guys came past me but I kept them close. Descent was total chaos and I just focussed on my ride and passing lots of Juniors (they set the Juniors and Elites off first at a national). I came through the arena to here the PA announce I was in 4th, wow, how did that happen? I guess they weren’t all juniors. The next lap I just focussed on my effort and passing as soon as possible when I caught someone. End of 2nd lap I was on Ben’s wheel, the guy who beat me last week by 5.5 minutes, he must be going bad to be down mid-pack with me. Start of 3rd ‘Ben & Hamish fighting for the lead in Expert, they’re passing most of the Elite field, go on lads!’. I’m a bit distracted and Ben drops me on the climbs as I’d expect, I shouldn’t be thinking like this I should be busy dropping him. Pushing the descent too hard to catch back up and BANG! I’ve burped most of the air out of the back tire. I have a think (again, should be busy riding not thinking) and decide to keep riding to the pits where Robin will pump it up with the track pump rather than me have to untape my CO2 inflator etc. I lost 2nd place baby-ing it to the pits and Dad did an awesome job putting the right amount in very quickly and I was off on my last lap in a very long race. I ditch my bottle to save weight. 1st climb I went too hard with the adrenaline and slid my way down the descent. 2nd climb, last climb I am shaking with fear, my legs aren’t responding at all, I can see 2nd place and all I can think is not to mess up my first ever national podium rather than chase him. I bounce off a few trees, and put my foot down a few times and suddenly 4th is right with me. Oliver is back from the dead and it’s a 600m uphill sprint to the line, he starts early and I match him but as we accelerate I just can’t push and feel weaker and weaker and he pulls ahead a few meters at a time. 100m out it was sewn up, I’d lost my first ever sprint in a mtb race and come 4th, my 2nd lap was the fastest of the race by a long way and I somehow threw it. I started crying before I crossed the line.

400 points in 3 weekends and at least 5th, maybe 3rd in national rankings. All goes well and I should finally get my elite licence in November We did pass most of the Elites on Sunday after all.

Last national round is on the course that suits me best, I’m praying for rain and I’m coming back strong. I know I can beat those guys now, I won’t choke again.