[thedevelopmentracing]

Challenging Enduro 2016

The Development Team’s former enduro rider, Chris Morrell, has had a rather cracking year.  He has worked tirelessly on his fitness over winter and you can quite honestly say that his bike is an extension of his own body when he is very much at home riding at warp speed down the trails.  Sadly I have few race reports so am relying on the Roots and Rain website for results.

Chris came on board with the team a little later in the season as I wasn’t sure whether to take on any more riders, his aim was to gain better exposure at the races and then use the team as a spring board, that was fine with me.

I think his first race with The Development was at Northern Downhill’s ND(H)uro event at Hamsterley Forest where he crossed the line in 20th place out of a field of 62 riders, top stuff.

The Tweedlove event with enduros being held on various courses throughout the Tweed Valley near Innerleithen was a corker.  Chris blitzed it to take 20th place out of an immense 165 riders!

Round two of the PMBA Enduro Series was held at Grizedale Forest in April. Chris, still fresh from his Tweedlove result, crossed the line in 23rd out of 110 riders, that certainly can’t be sniffed at.

May hit with a trip over to the Boltby Bash, this great weekend saw Chris bring home 15th place out of 59 riders.  ‘On fire’ is one phrase I can use here!

The fourth round of the PMBA Enduro Series in June which was in the South Lakes, it was here where Chris took 20th place out of 90 riders.

Fast forward to August and the biggest race of his calendar, the utterly brutal and punishing six day Trans-Savoie Enduro in the Swiss Alps.  In his own words when he returned to Blighty, “I never want to even look at a bike again!” Thankfully this was short lived! 

Day 1 - 25th out of 52 riders

Day 2 - 21st out of 52 riders

Day 3 - 24th out of 52 riders

Day 4 - 23rd out of 49 riders

Day 5 - 26th out of 50 riders

Day 6 - 29th out of 52 riders

No wonder he was aching and saddle sore!

Most recently he raced the ‘Ard Rock Enduro in Swaledale where he came 51st out of 415 riders, crikey!

Before the 2016 season ended he switched teams with full support from Marin Bikes, so he’s all set up get back out there in 2017.  

All the best for the future Chris,

Lee.

[thedevelopmentracing]

Roadtrip 2016

No two ways about it, this year has been tough, probably one of the toughest I have faced since the Foot & Mouth disease outbreak in 2001.  If you’ve read the previous blog update I had to take forced time out, you know when all the jigsaw pieces fall into place so well and then a big fist comes down on the table and *WHAM* everything’s chaos.

Instead of individual race reports I’m going to condense things down here to bring you all up to speed, with the exception of Tom.  Yes, he’s been out there racing and giving it some welly, as we say he in the UK, however his race reports have been non-existent, teenagers eh!

Tom kicked the year off with the first round of the Scottish Downhill Series at Ae Forest, sadly it wasn’t his day taking 30th out of 35 riders, a puncture let him out of contention, he was gutted.

Marc Purkiss, the team’s new Orange Bikes mounted rider kicked his season off at Northern Downhill’s Time Trial race up the Hamsterley Forest way taking 36th place in a all-inclusive men’s category, not a bad way to start his year off, he was chuffed with that.

The Scottish Downhill Series returned to Innerleithen for round 2, Marc was on a loaned bike as his Orange hadn’t arrived, he did what he could.  Saturday failed to deliver the goods as he was still getting used to both the bike and the fast as all hell course, come Sunday though he was on it and took 20th in the Masters out of 48, not half bad!  Tom was just a smidge out of the top ten taking 13th in the Youths, he was on fire!  I’m gutted that there was no decent photography from this event, ah well, can’t win them all, bugger!

With no time to rest on their laurels it was straight up to Glencoe for round 3 of the SDA..... to those in the know, Glencoe is short but super technical and separates the wheat from the chaff.  Nick wasn’t too happy on the Saturday after taking a buffeting with the weather however he stepped up to the plate on Sunday and drove his FTW home for fifth place in the Masters.  Hell yes Nick! Marc Purkiss kept him in check as he wasn’t far behind taking 7th place, while Tom screamed across the finish line taking in 16th in the Youths.  That is what I call a bloody great weekend on an utterly brutal course!

Tom flew solo at the third round of the Pearce Cycles Series down at Rhyd y Felin, it wasn’t too bad, he took 20th in the his category.

The weekend afterwards Nick and Marc were back up in Scotland, (they seem to like that place!) for the Scottish Championships at Aberfeldy. Aberfeldy is an old school course, technically demanding and deserving a certain level of respect, no wannabe speedway style BMX tracks here!  Nick didn’t fair too well on the Saturday, stopping and starting as riders in front of him were crashing left, right and centre.  Come Sunday he powered across the finish line in 12th place, with Marc hitting 15th, neither were a happy-chappy but hey, that’s racing for you.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and carry on!

Tom was back down south on the 10th July with the fourth round of the Pearce Cycles Series at Hopton in Shropshire. So, so, so, so close to the top ten, he took 11th, he could just reach out and taste it! 

Next up is the biggie!  The National Championships, this year held at the Revolution Bike Park in Wales.  Believe the hype this place never fails to deliver and both riders had their work cut out up against ex-World Cup racers.  Marc stepped up to take 13th and Nick pipping him for 12th!

Mid-season respite came with the second Northern Downhill Time Trial, this time in Weardale, a good get together of riders letting rip down the moorland trails.  Just Marc this time and he smashed it home in 11th, resplendent in his awesome new team merch t’shirt, ROCK ON!

A wee break now and then Marc’s heading up to Fort Billy for the 5th round of the SDA, BRING IT!

[thedevelopmentracing]

Sometimes Things Get Broken...

As you may have realised there has been a distinct lack of team updates this season, this is because I have had to swallow a bitter pill and concentrate on myself.  In a nutshell I haven’t been very well for a number of years and it all came to a head a little over 18 months ago where the scaffolding that was holding me up, so to speak, collapsed.  This was nothing to do with my bike team at all, in fact it has been the riders that have kept me going and given me respite. However this did not and does not stop my feelings of immense guilt from letting people down, the riders, the team’s sponsors and the team’s followers….. and that hurts,

Recently I’ve made some big life changes and these will be being implemented early next year, it’s all for the better.  The team will continue, that goes without saying and I will be thankfully granted with more time to work on new (and exciting!) projects alongside it which I am very much looking forward to.

Over the next few days I will be editing several of my downhill riders race reports into a Roadtrip blog, the photography is stunning and straight afterwards I will bring you all up to speed, literally, with Chris Morrell’s awesome enduro adventures.

At this point I want to reach out, if you ever find yourself in a seemingly muddy pit without hope of getting out of it please speak with your doctor, he/she is there to help.  Don’t ever think you have to suffer in silence, I know first hand how hard it is. If your local doctor is a no-go then the Samaritans have a contact page: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us you may surprise yourself, family and frends are your support network, don’t hide it, don’t bottle it up, don’t say ‘everything is fine’, just work towards getting yourself back on your feet.

Here’s to new beginnings.

Lee.

[thedevelopmentracing]

Boltby Bash Enduro, 22nd May 2016

It would be lying if I siad that I wasn’t frustrated about missing out on racing the Tweedvalley Enduro event, however my day job puts food on my table.  Instead I saddled up at the more local Boltby Bash Enduro and it was still a brilliant day of racing across a great course ensuring I will be back next year.  Two spills put me out of contention, the first on stage 3 and the other on stage 4 not to mention getting up close and personal to a sheep on stage 5! That aside I came 15th in the Masters and 30/180 overall so it can’t be sniffed at considering.  And did I mention how fast the locals were?  Oh my god!  Grand day out as they say, and it ended in the pub, perfect.  See you all the next one, I’ll be back on it so you had watch out!

Chris.

[thedevelopmentracing]

We Are The Development

[thedevelopmentracing]

Hardcore..... #TheDevelopment's kick ass #MeganHopper is ready for the #Cyclocross & #Gravelcross events, @franktheweldervt take a bow, this is one amazing machine! #FrankTheWelder #Cycling #CX #FrankWadelton @rideworks @hayescomponents @sdgcomponents @envecomposites @bikethomson

[thedevelopmentracing]

PMBA Day & Night Enduro, Grizedale Forest, 9th & 10th January 2016

Lee here!  I was taken by surprise, yes I panicked somewhat as I never knew the bike races started so early in the year.  Needless to say I attired the The Development’s new male enduro rider, Chris Morrell, in a 2015 team top, it’ll have to do until I’ve sorted the new design out and the main season’s races kick off proper. I’d better get my finger out now though, erk!

Anyway, may I introduce you all to Chris, the newest recruit who will be Robyn’s team mate this season…..

So Saturday 9th January was to be my season opener for The Development. Grizedale Forest was the destination for a risky day and night enduro. Big credit needs to go to the guys at PMBA for having the balls to put on an event this early in the depths of winter. It has been well documented how much rain has fallen in the Lake District with the heartbreaking flooding and as you can guess the trail conditions were surely going to pack some serious Lakeland slop and that was certainly delivered!

It was business as usual at sign on, a laid-back event is always the deal with the PMBA, sign on, get your dibber then off to practice the stages. Saturday's race loop consisted of 3 stages. The night race was optional but consisted of the same 3 stages that were raced and practiced during the day.

Grizedale Forest really packs some fantastic off-piste/walking trails and the 3 stages didn't disappoint! Rocky, rooty and a hell of a lot of mud! Holy shit was there mud!

Stage 1 was the Grizedale classic; Carron Crag. Also home of the best Marshall/heckler of the day, great banter in pretty grim conditions. The trail is a pretty full on rock fest where you’re sharply spat into an off-camber slab, which has been known to claim a few victims.  Afterwards it's on the full gas through some pretty gnarly rock gardens, broadwalks and some lovely little drop offs. This trail literally is a cracker!  Even more fun in the dark with torrential rain just cranking up the gnar factor, awesome stuff. I rode the stage pretty clean and was happy to come away with a 14th out of 55 for the day and the night stages.

PMBA, Grizedale MTB, Day & Night Enduro. from Hidden Media on Vimeo.

Stage 2 was pretty short yet full-tilt smasher. It was also home to one enormous puddle at the start which decided to swallow my wheel! After that though it's flat out singletrack which resembled a river of mud, amazing fun in the dark. I managed my only fall of the day on this stage, didn't lose too much time though and came home with a 14th during the day and a 10th at night.

After clearing a tonne of mud out of my eyes it was off to Stage 3.  A couple of miles of fire road climbing brought you to the sculpture trial where a fast and rocky switchback start lead into an absolute pedal fest. The top half of this trail is a beaut. The rooty singletrack gives way to rocky, muddy shoots. This section was to be my downfall for my top 15 aim. The one place you don't want to get a flat is here, which I did! The bottom half of the trail is a leg-destroying sprint back home. I don't actually know if it's uphill all the way but it certainly felt like it. This definitely showed who had scoffed too much Christmas turkey, yes, that would be me!

I managed to ride all the way back with a flat just very, very slowly. Only getting past by one other rider gave me a bit hope that it wasn't as bad as I thought (oh ye of little faith, it was) 52nd out of 55 during the day but a much better 13th on the night stage.

A bittersweet start to the year but a great event all the same. Hats off to all the marshals who stood in biblical rain. Effort indeed!!! Next up is the Northern downhills NDH(uro) at Hamsterley. Can't wait!!!

Chris.

[thedevelopmentracing]

Definitely no back chat here... @rideworks @hayescomponents @meganhopper_ #TheDevelopment #MeganHopper #CX #Cyclocross #Gravelcross #Hayes_Life #Rideworks #SunRingle #FrankTheWelder

[thedevelopmentracing]

Almost ready for the mud.... @rideworks @envecomposites @hayescomponents #TheDevelopment #MeganHopper #CX #Cyclocross #Gravelcross

[thedevelopmentracing]

Throwback Thursday to @davehopper_ getting it flat at the 2005 National Championships, hell yeah boy! #TheDevelopment #TBT #MTB #DaveHopper #MrBigRacing

[thedevelopmentracing]

Hope that you all have yourselves a very merry Yuletide and a healthy New Year x

[thedevelopmentracing]

2015 has been one hell of a year for #TheDevelopment we've had triumphs and tragedies, all in all it has been AMAZING! We could not have done this without the support and belief from the team's sponsors: @franktheweldervt @orangebikes @manitoumtb @hayescomponents @sdgcomponents @bikethomson @burgtec @rideworks @ride100percent #OuryGrips THANK YOU GUYS 😊 #JamieStewart #RobynWalton #NickTurner #TomNewrick #TomNelson #MeganHopper #MTB

[thedevelopmentracing]

Big love going out to @joebmwnyc at @brooklynmachineworks for the #BrooklynMachineWorks parcel of goodies that landed today, absolutely awesome, thanks Joe.... build photos coming soon. #MTB

[thedevelopmentracing]

Big CONGRATULATIONS going out to #TheDevelopment's speedy #enduro powerhouse that is #RobynWalton & her 2015 overall series win on the #WelshGravityEnduro, WELL DONE! @welshgravenduro @orangebikes @burgtec @rideworks @manitoumtb @hayescomponents @bikethomson @sdgcomponents @silverfishuk @michelintyres #GravityEnduro #ThisGirlCan #MTB #OrangeBikes #OrangeFive #Hayes_Life #Rideworks #Burgtec #MichelinTyres #SunRingle #rideSDG #BikeThomson

[thedevelopmentracing]

Shhhh, I'm not supposed to show pre-build pics but c'mon, just LOOK AT IT, it's gorgeous... combining @franktheweldervt's magic & @envecomposites it's a BEAST!#FrankTheWelder #Cyclocross #TheDevelopment #MeganHopper #Bettablast #EnveComposites #CrossIsHere #CX

[thedevelopmentracing]

Holy moley #TheDevelopment's #RobynWalton has an equally awesome new team mate with #enduro rider; @chris45ss coming on board .... 2016 is gonna be a blur! #ChrisMorrell #MTB #SpeedyGonzales

[thedevelopmentracing]

Introducing.... Chris Morrell

Now that the main run of 2015 mountain bike races are drawing to a close with just one more enduro race to go before our eyes turn to Megan’s cyclocross campaign over winter I was ummm’ing and ahh’ing whether to take on some new riders for 2016.  Early on in the year I actually had a male enduro rider all set to be supported alas he walked away at the last minute leaving me up the creek and that made me reluctant to take on anyone else for 2015. I felt really sorry throughout the year with Robyn being the team’s sole enduro rider.

This has now changed; recently I was approached by Chris Morrell and a North-Eastern enduro rider who races in the Masters, he’s been after a little support for a while so we had a good chat and he ticked all of the team’s boxes. It’s not often I take on a rider so quickly either, even before the rest of the team knew!

Chris will be racing Borderline Event’s PMBA Enduro Series alongside most of the Scottish and NDH Enduro events, he’s ready to let rip at the Enduro World Series event in Scotland and will be travelling into Europe for the Trans Savoie, other races are to be confirmed as it’s still early days.

So if you would all join me to give Chris a big cheery welcome, welcome aboard The Development Chris, I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in with my motley crew!

See you on the hills punks,

Lee.