European Champs – Mass Start Long Distance

The rain returned for the Mass start long race. It just hosed it down for hours over night leaving every track covered in standing water, streams boiling and making the going very hard.

65 men lined up 3 to 4 abreast on a fire track with our maps suspended over us Tio Mila style. We had 1 min with the maps first before the gun and I spent all of this minute folding both of them really carefully so that I wouldn’t need to refold at all and that at the end of the first loop, I’d simply have to swap them over. The pace was frantic from the start , I overtook a few people and got into the middle of the pack as the gaffle (forking) I had piled off left towards number one. I was riding well, and keeping a close eye on the map, using the riders ahead to see where possible shortcuts through the forest would bring me up the field. There were lots of roots and the going treacherous sending many riders over the handlebars. The second forking really caught some people out, piling straight on following others. I got a good route choice however and from the lack of tire tracks was in second place on that fork. Then came disaster on the way to the next, I made a mistake missing a junction and relocated with compass only when I saw the road coming up. I took advantage of the speed of the road and rejoined the group, except at the back of it losing probably 2-3 mins. I worked my way forward again through numbers 7-9 chucking to myself at the curses people were shouting as they struggled with mistakes and drive train woes, chain suck seeming to be a real problem. I think I now know how to swear in Estonian and Russian. 9 to 10 took us through a very deep stream, up to my thighs, then through a huge gully some 10 metres deep, slipping and sliding up and down, bikes shouldered. Coming out I was aware of something dragging in my drive chain somewhere. To start with I thought it was the rear mech so stopped briefly to give it a yank. It didn’t seem to make any difference so just put up with it and pushed harder on the pedals. Number 10 was an in and out for me so it was back through the gulley and stream before a couple of kms on slippery tracks. I found it harder and harder to go fast, like someone was pulling me backwards. Eventually I stopped and accessed what was wrong. It was the bottom bracket, now dragging so badly it was difficult to turn the cranks with my hands. I jumped back on and redoubled my efforts but by the second last on the first loop I was really struggling, the cranks almost seized. I stopped at the control and loosened the bottom bracket a little. I got going again and although freezing cold after stopping sailed through the map change and started towards number 1 on the second half but something didn’t feel right. As I neared the control firstly the bottom bracket locked completely and then went to mush, grinding away. I stopped and realised it was all over as roller bearings spilled onto the floor.

I had ummed and aahed over yet another new bottom bracket before I traveled out but instead stripped it completely and rebuilt it with fresh grease. Perhaps in hindsight this was a mistake but it did do the sprint, middle and relays races OK and with bike components it is easy to spend many hundreds of pounds constantly replacing part worn components.

So my bike bag is slightly lighter on the way home as I have also ditched my now worn out chain. Its my first DNF at international level which is a real shame and will also mean I am joining the singing group on the stage tonight at the banquet but I was riding really well up until that point and there was simply nothing more I could have done out in the forest except start running for about 15 km.