downhill racing

Enduro Scene Thrives

3rd April, 2018   WAAAAAAAAAH!!! We're pretty stoked out here at thecyclejersey HQ  preppin' and printin' for ROUND 1 POC Scottish Enduro Series at Laggan Wolftrax Centre - who's shreddin?! So what sort of riding should you expect? The weather at the moment isn't too shabby, erring towards the damp side for the weekend.  Expanding on “physical and fun” riders should be expecting some traditional trails with a mixture of built trails, some steep bits (both up and down) and a challenge for everyone. There will be a total of 5 timed stages for the full enduro and 3 for the short course the amazing Laggan trail ninjas have been working hard to give you all some treats. For the short course you should expect the best of Laggan’s blue and red tracks, with a wee bit of the Natural Gold that is on offer there too – expect a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge.  Your course is just over 18km long and has 3 stages. Now, lets #throwback to 2017 Fort William held a great range of trails from trail centre to natural and for me that makes for a good weekend. The SES brings riders together from all different backgrounds; with a strong field of skills when it comes to the natural gold, but as my reputation seems to be emerging... it is true, I do love a good pedal in between the wild muddy sections. Coming in to my third year of racing Enduro, the SES has been a solid foundation for me. From 2015, each round has pushed my riding on committing me to the race line down steep muddy shoots I would have otherwise toyed with. Getting together with over 300 riders for a weekend of fun, Round 1 was one of the most chilled out weekends of racing I have had with excellent company and superb craic, it was so good to be in that atmosphere again... I’m still laughing my way down stage 4s wild mud rut/spaghetti bolognese. During the off season break in races I didn’t follow a good solid training program. What I did commit to was flat pedals... From a DC trainer/not so grippy Gusset pedal combo to a FiveTen/Nukeproof dream... it has been one big learning curve.  A visit to Rab at Dirt School in November to rewind back to the basics was priceless, my whole riding position changed and I’m feeling more in control (I did sneak the clips back on for security this weekend haha, but really felt a difference in confidence when the mud simply didn’t let me clip back in!).  My bike, Ibis Mojo HD3, was stripped down for a good 6 weeks at the start of the year as I worked my way around replacing all the much worn parts, so I took to hill walking/dog sitting adventures for the best part of February – best. job. ever! With a pretty large time gap still to close and lots of confidence still to gain, the slow progress has been enjoyable. It was pretty awesome seeing even more girls coming through to the race this weekend, from new riders to experienced, the overall women’s field is strong! Cheers for a good weekend, I hope to see you all again at round 2. Solid result all round for Team TCJ/BaseCampBikes, yessss! Our partner - Eventureworks is the main event supplies and merchandise sponsor for the umpteenth year in a row.  

Fraser McGlone:

Talks Downhill World Cup and Training

  Hey guys, Fraser McGlone here with my first blog post of the year for The Cycle Jersey! Going to be writing some words throughout the year following my journey of what it’s like racing on the Downhill World Cup circuit. This winters been a proper winter, haven’t really experienced this much snow during the off season before and its been causing havoc with trying to get riding done.  Only being able to get on a handful of uplifts has been super frustrating but it's one of these things that you can't change or it would be 30 degrees all year around in Scotland and everyone would be a whole lot happier!  And when there's no snow, there's mud - lots of it!                

7Stanes Mountain Bike Centres

11th Oct, 2017 The 7Stanes are a novelty group of MTB centres spanning Southern Scotland; from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway.  But there's more to it than that - 'stane' in Scottish tongue means 'stone', which is exactly what you'll see at each trail.  The stanes can be located at each of the 7Stanes destinations trails; they're accessible by foot, horseback and obviously the more fun way - by bike.  You'll understand the buzz of the trails once you've been and you'll note the mythical and legendary stories the stanes have to tell.   South West of Scotland, right in the Galloway Forest Park.  There are various routes within this area from quick jaunts or long hauls, to leisure trails fro beginners and blue trails for those desperate for some uphill craic.  The Giant Axe Head stane: represents the areas past Scottish and Irish giants.  The Giant Axe Head - a 1.5 ton sculpture which overlooks Loch Dee - closely resembles actual Neolithic stone axes and has runic text inscribed onto its top surface. Kirroughtree: it's just a wee bit away from Glentrool and this one's definitely more fun!  Featuring black and red routes!  Fast flowing and technically demanding - it's a wee gem!  Hence the 'Gem Stane' - a true reflection of the centres trails.       Dalbeattie: here might not be any big hills, but this trail isn't boring - it's renowned for it's granite features and great views - there's suitable trails for every level here.  This stane was donated from a local quarry and symbolises Kirkcudbrightshire's history as a town that was once the heart of the granite industry.       Mabie: the original mountain bike venue of South West Scotland.  The trails cater for beginners right through to the most experienced riders: there’s a skills area for honing your technique, great trails that snake through the woods.  The stane here is known as the 'Ghost Stane' - no horror stories to reflect this one as far as we're aware, unless no one has ever lived to tell the tale..     Ae Forest: the most popular among the 7 stanes and often part of enduro series'.  It's the perfect place to head for a day out - picnic or energy burning carnage; this route features orange trails.  The 'Talking Head Stane' rests here and has a Norwegian poem scribed into its side.       Glentress: hmmm, maybe it's a tie between most popular location...  Just one hour away from Edinburgh, Glentress offers superb walking, mountain biking, tree-top fun and magnificent views of the beautiful Tweed Valley.  You'll be in good hands here as this is Tweed Valley Bike Patrols stomping ground - always on hand for the help and support of riders.  Here lies 'The Meteorite'; a 6 ton marble stane that's outta this world! Newcastleton: one of  the internationally-renowned mountain biking trails, probably because it's got some adrenalin pumpin' rides!  There's plenty of stop off areas here, so make sure to take some time to take in this wildlife haven.  The stane here is the Border stane and as you can guess - it's stands very close to the Scottish borders.  On the north side, Auld Lang Syne is inscribed to represent Scotland. On the south side, representing England, are the words of Jerusalem. The hole in the middle allows people to stand on either side of the 'border' and shake hands through the sculpture. It's certainly worth your while making this a round trip, if you haven't already, there's plenty of scope for skill building, adrenaline junkies and leisurely peddlers.  You can even say you've 'been there, got the t-shirt', because we're the only manufacturers of 7Stanes products. You might also be interested in routes near here...

Enduro MTB Race Fit Cycle Jersey - now available.

New style available  when ordering a custom  or website TCJ cycle jersey. As Mountain biking has developed throughout the years, so have the disciplines; Enduro is a form of MTB racing that caters to average athletes - it allows you to visit some gnarly trails and there's no need to splash out on a specialist race bike, but still race non the less.  Enduro includes multiple dh stages, up hill transfers and usually holds a set time scale. If you're reading this, we're assuming you're pretty bad ass on the trails and probably pay through the nose for kit that most people on the Enduro world will have.  That's where we come in handy - with no initial artwork fees, free delivery and no hidden costs you can design your own Enduro style jersey -  one no one else will have, from just £42.95!   Or do you ride with a team?  We've got that covered too!  And you'll only need to wait 2 weeks once you're design has been confirmed!  Check it all out here. Our enduro jersey (not to be confused with Endura jersey)...  Is constructed with high performance multi-dry fabric; allowing for moisture to be transferred to the face of the fabric to aid drying and provide maximum comfort and performance on and off the bike.  Ergonomically designed for athletes and complete with a complimentary round neck.

• Sleeve: 3|4 length or long sleeve
• No elastic hem
• Round neck
• Multi-dry fabric

  TOP ENDUROS TO ENTRE THIS YEAR  

A great start to the season with a win at round one of the Scottish Enduro Series!

Fort William held a great range of trails from trail centre to natural & for me that makes for a good weekend. The SES brings riders together from all different backgrounds with a strong field of skilful riders when it comes to the natural gold, but as my reputation seems to be emerging... it is true, I do love a good pedal in between the wild muddy sections. Coming in to my third year of racing Enduro, the SES has been a solid foundation for me. From 2015, each round has pushed my riding on committing me to the race line down steep muddy shoots I would have otherwise toyed with. Getting together with over 300 riders for a weekend of fun, Round 1 was one of the most chilled out weekends of racing I have had with excellent company & good craic, it was so good to be in that atmosphere again... I’m still laughing my way down stage 4s wild mud rut/spaghetti bolognese. During the off season break in races I didn’t follow a good solid training program. What I did commit to was flat pedals... from a DC trainer/not so grippy Gusset pedal combo to a FiveTen/Nukeproof dream... it has been one big learning curve. A visit to Rab at Dirt School in November to rewind back to the basics was priceless, my whole riding position changed & I’m feeling more in control (I did sneak the clips back on for security this weekend haha, but really felt a difference in confidence when the mud simply didn’t let me clip back in!). My bike, Ibis Mojo HD3, was stripped down for a good 6 weeks at the start of the year as I worked my way around replacing all the much worn parts & I took to hill walking/dog sitting adventures for the best part of February – best job ever. With a pretty large time gap still to close & lots of confidence still to gain, the slow progress has been enjoyable. It was pretty awesome seeing even more girls coming through to the race this weekend, from new riders to experienced, the overall women’s field is strong! Cheers for a good weekend, I hope to see you all again at round 2. Solid result all round for Team TCJ/BaseCampBikes, yessss!