Pivot TwentyFour 12 - Exposure British 24hr Championships

Could this have been one of the most hyped up 24hr events in the British endurance racing? With the amazing performances of the Brits just eight weeks prior at WEMBO in Finale Ligure in Italy, the British Champs was destined to be a clash of horns, with at least a dozen names on the start list that could snatch the win.

The weather did its best at doing the whole "British summertime" thing and there was no shortage of war paint for the riders to decorate themselves in. Heavy rain and drizzle from Friday morning to the race start on Saturday, and then right until the early hours of Sunday morning ensured course conditions were less than ideal. A perfect setting for a Battle Royale then?

Wet, windy and wild.

 The mass start at Newnham Park is never a slow affair with the team and pairs riders quickly taking charge on the outlap (This was a good thing as it pulled us diesel engined solos around for a bit!). I had seen a few solos around me in the opening laps, but had no idea what was really going on for a good 8 hours. I knew some solos had gone off super fast, but I wasn't mixing with these guys early doors. The rain was persistent, with the course now resembling a muddy river than a mountain bike event. Maybe a kayak would have been a better bet? Mud spike tyres helped in the slop, and whilst the course was this wet, it was actually super fast! I've raced a lot at Newnham in the winter, so these conditions didn't really bother me too much, and decided to just push on a bit through the early hours of darkness and into the early morning.

I normally avoid the watersplash in favour of the bridge - this time I wanted to clean off!

Sometime in the relentless darkness, the race really started.

My pit crew were keeping me informed of positions and retirements of the other racers. In the early hours of the morning (I think - 24hr brain never works too well) they had said I was in the lead with a small lead from the King of the Mud, and reigning British Champ, Matt Jones and with a bigger gap to third place Michael McCutcheon. The pace felt comfortable, but I knew it was likely to get messy towards the end.

My pit crew were doing a truly heroic effort with the bikes. The entire race we were doing cyclo-cross style changes, with a clean bike every lap to keep them running well. This was becoming super important in the later stages of the race, as the course dried out and turned to glue with the bike suffering the most. Brake pads were taking a hammering with the mud and grit and were frequent casualties. I was lucky enough to only have one puncture during the race, ironically in the pit field due to a broken spoke, and that was quickly dealt with.

Chris's poor bike getting the works in the middle of the night.

Back to the race, and with the sun now up, Matt had decided to turn the heat up. From my information the lead had seamed to drop from nearly 30 minutes to 17 minutes in a matter of laps, which triggered panic stations. Craig Bowles in my pit was feeding me all the information needed, and it really was down to the legs to see what they could do. My feed rate nearly doubled per lap with the added effort and my legs appeared to be delivering. At the end of every lap i was convinced I couldn't do another, but the lap times kept falling and the legs kept delivering. Word got to me that Matt had slowed, and he wasn't too far ahead. I ended up catching Matt on what we knew would be my last lap, and we had a good chat whilst riding together for the last part of a truly epic 24hrs. We both knew it was over, we just needed to cross the line.

A few quick stops in the pits allowed us to clean our bikes for the final mile, and cross the line together after a truly epic battle, with a British and European 24hr Champion holding my arm aloft. A truly fantastic way to finish such a hard race, showing the amazing sportsmanship on show at these events. Chapeau Matt. Enemies in Battle, but friends away from the track.

A strange yet special moment to cross the line with your rival!

Other great rides were had by Michael McCutcheon in third, and my good friend Chris Noble in fourth. I was pitting with Chris, and we ended up riding together for a small bit during the night. He came from 10th to 4th place during the night, showing amazing grit, and just how much these things are not over until you cross the line!

Some stats on the race:

- 213 Miles (343km)

- 5,070m Elevation 

- 2 Bikes

- 8 Tyre swaps

- 4 sets of brake pads

- 50 bike washes (Between two of us)

- >800L of water used to wash bikes

To become a World and now British Champion in the same year feels like a dream. Although its been said time and time again, 24hr Solo racing is done alone, but its actually a team sport. At one point we had 8 people in our pit looking after two riders. Unbelievable.

e

2017 Exposure 24hr National Champs Mens overall podium.  

My list of thanks runs pretty deep, and I may have missed some of you out. If you helped in anyway or shouted words of encouragement (or abuse) then a big thanks to you! A special thanks goes out to my parents and family for putting up with the training, and running such a solid pit during these events. They put up with a lot of shit from me.
  Craig Bowles from Big Heart Coaching - I met Craig at this event 4 years ago and he has coached me since, becoming great friends. A fantastically wise coach who always knows exactly what to say at 3am. Be sure to check out Big Heart Coaching for your sport goals!
  Greg Berry and Chris Berry from Hot Pursuit Cycles, both working like absolute troopers in the pits, shifting that amount of water by hand, and dealing with my poor bikes!

Big hand to Matt Carr for being his usual energetic self on the mic all weekend!