Rob Lee: West Highland way, getting back to racing, the future

It’s been a while now since my last blog for Cyclist No.1 so I thought I’d sit down with the laptop and run through a few of the things I’ve been involved or interested in over the past month or so.

I suppose really that I should start by mentioning my own attempt to ride both ways on the West Highland Way which seems like a distant memory yet was only a few weeks ago. I’m guessing that anyone interested enough to be reading this probably already knows the outcome? Needless to say I probably bit off a little more than I could chew with that one. A great adventure none the less and one that I will be returning to, probably in 2011, once the film and book project are completed. For those who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, my apologies, the full ride report is available to read here. I will say that we got some stunning footage for the film and that an observers version of the story will be available to read in MBR magazine later in the year, along with some fantastic photographs taken by Andy McCandlish.

Hydration!

Film work

Keeping with the Seven Deadly Spins theme I was really pleased to hear that someone has stepped up to have a crack at 7ds3 – The Welsh Coast to Coast – which my team mate Dave Buchanan pioneered at about this time last year. Rich Holmes set out to ride the route unsupported a couple of weekends back and set a stunning new time. Sounds like he had a good time and you can read his ride report here. I know Dave was really pleased that someone had taken up the challenge and knowing Dave he’ll not be at all bothered that his first attempt time has been bettered. It’ll be interesting to see who goes for it next as there are some very talented soloists in Wales who must surely be considering it at some time in the future.

Speaking of talented Welsh riders I was very pleased to hear that Matt Page took the title at the inaugural UK24 National Championships up in the Borders last weekend. Certainly the man of the moment when it comes to soloing in the UK lately, I’m sure very few would have been surprised at his victory. The surprise for most I guess would have been my team mate Josh Ibbett taking the fight to the big boys and leading the race for the best part of 17 hours! Josh eventually finished 3rd but shouldn’t be too disappointed in that. He’s an immense talent and surely a rider to watch in the future. This was after all only his second attempt at a solo 24; the other being Relentless last season which he won. There is an excellent report from that race by 24 Solo stalwart, and good friend of mine, Ant White available here. The top spots were all familiar names and all have one thing in common – they’ve all raced, or currently race for a well know endurance race team!

Enough of the rest of the scene, you’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to whilst everyone else have been flexing muscle. Well, I came out of the WHW ride with very little fatigue and was delighted to find that I bounced straight back from 18 hours in the saddle with no problems at all. The weekend following the ride I went for a ride on the Ridgeway National trail and knocked out a good solid 88 miles with no problems. Then a day riding on the Isle of Wight followed a week later with good friends Tony Walden and John McFaul, who between them have taken care of all the team design since we started in 2004. I followed that with the Black Rat road sportive, and I did a respectable time in that also. A few time trials and the odd Summer cross race have been thrown in and I’m really looking forward to being in good shape for Mountain Mayhem in three weeks time.

Ridgeway

Isle of Wight

This week is the last of the big stuff and I’m into a big block of training right now which will conclude with the 6 hour race at Bristol Bike Fest. I can’t say that I’m expecting anything stellar at Bike Fest as I’ll be going into the race on the back of some heavy miles but it should give me a fair indication of how things are going. That’ll leave 2 weeks to taper back and then it’s off to the Big Daddy of UK 24 and my first appearance on the start sheet of Mountain Mayhem since 2006.

As it happens it will also be almost three years since the last time I competed in a solo 24 hour race so I’m really excited about it. Looks like there will be a great race and, as you’d expect, there are some of the top boys entered. It almost feels like a reunion, what with Ant White, James Leavesley and Ian Leitch entered. I guess we’ll find out if you can take 3 years away from competition and expect to do well pretty early on in the race. Whatever comes I’m going to try my hardest to enjoy the experience for what it is. I’ve got some good friends coming to hang out and some of the team sponsors are also involved with the event. And Mayhem, is well, Mayhem isn’t it? No other race like it in the UK, like the course or hate it you just can’t beat the atmosphere. I’m excited just thinking about it!

Talking of my team, now is probably as good a time as any to announce that this season will be last that I run Extreme Endurance as a race team. It’s been an amazing six years but times have changed for me and it’s time to evolve. The race scene is great but my cycling revolves much more around the long distance stuff and media work now that finding the appropriate amount of time required to run a race team properly is almost too difficult to find. I started my team to help others, which is what I hope I did, but I find that I can use the same time and inspire so many more people by doing the other things that have slowly taken over from the racing. I think that’s a good thing and so I’m going to roll with it next season and see where that takes us. I’ll still run our projects under the same banner but all the time usually spent sorting out the riders, their support and their sponsorship will now be put into film, mag and out in the hills riding. I’m also hoping to dedicate a bit more time to my own training and see if I can lift my fitness back up another notch or two over the next few seasons.

Anyway, that’s a fair way off yet. I still have a host of races to deal with this year and the grand finale of the 7ds in September when I ride the X1 – Lands End to John o’Groats offroad. All good things.

Till next time, enjoy those dry trails, I know I will

Rob

Rob Lee - Technical Editor

Rob Lee is a Bristol-based endurance cyclist who specialises in 24-hour mountain bike events and challenges. He was the first UK racer to return victorious from the 24 hours of adrenalin Solo World Championships (in 2005), and the first rider ever to break the South Downs Double record unsupported (2008).

Rob has won most of the top UK endurance events at one time or another and has coached several other athletes to do the same. He is the owner and Manager of the UK's number 1 endurance race team - Team Syncros Endurance - and the founder of the Seven Deadly Spins; a collection of ultra-endurance challenges based in the UK countryside.