Well it looks like I'm going to have to take a bit of a rest from it all. I have kept on riding hoping that the injury would go away as i had Tennis elbow on the other arm earlier in the year and that faded away, but obviously it's not going to happen this time, so I've got no choice.
I've got some acupuncture treatment on it going on at the moment but that isn't a miracle cure and it takes quite a few sessions in order to see if there's any improvement. If that doesn't do any good then it's going to have to be the Cortisone injection.
Hopefully i will be out and about watching a few races so i'll write a little bit about that and try and keep the blog updated. At the end of December i'll also be doing my end of year thoughts about everything thats gone on this year, including (for the 1st time) how much i've actually spent this year!!!!!
Hope to see a few of you at some races in the next few weeks.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Cheyne court farm- 22nd November 2009
This was the last round of the Midwest Mcc championship. Due to having missed the last round in favour of the South West series, i'd lost my lead and had dropped down to 3rd, but it was still all to play for, and what with the torrential downpours we'd had all across the country this week, i'd knew that conditions would be tough this weekend no matter where you rode. I much prefer it when it's like that, probably due to fitness being my main asset and not my riding!
So it was a long drive up to Bath, it p*ssed down with rain for most of the journey and when i got there the usual 'will i make it into the field with my van' thought instantly entered my head as every blade of grass had been churned up into a sea of mud with all the traffic that had been wheel spinning on it. Thankfully i made it.
After signing on, i went to the pits which were ankle deep in sloppy mud, nice! I took a quick look at the 1st corner after the start as well, mud, mud, and er........................mud! To be honest i couldn't wait and in these conditions anything could happen (they certainly did to me anyway).
I met Pete and Dan Lawry up there who politely tried to blackmail me into joining the Kingston club next year! After a bit of a chat with the pair of them, it was back off to get changed and get myself kitted up.
So with the rain now subsided, it was onto the damp start line to wait for the flag to drop. Off we went then and i was probably about 5th heading into the first corner when 2 riders went down just to the side of me. I had to take avoiding action and almost come to a standstill as i got pushed to the outside which in turn let almost every bugger go past me. As i turned the corner i got splattered in the brown stuff following everybody as we hammered it through the first couple of muddy fields. I did make up a few places but i wasn't happy, and as i nailed the 'gasser' going up a mud infested climb trying to catch up the leaders, i lost it, and ended up on my arse. As i picked the bike up i wrenched my elbow and i knew straight away that it was bad, in fact i had to rest for a few minutes before i could carry on. When i got into the wooded section it was a real struggle, i couldn't hold on properly and in those conditions where you need a bit of strength to make it through all the mud and deep ruts, my arm wasn't good at all. I hit the deck again and had to pick the bike up again which in turn killed my elbow, and i had to take another rest.
I crawled back to the pits and took another breather and thought about doing another lap to see what would happen, i hate a DNF, and i'd have to be on my knees in order for me not to finish, and even then i'd try and drag myself over the line, but if you can't even hold onto the bars properly because of the pain, and with still 2 and half hours still to go, i knew it was over and i retired, gutted, bye bye any chances of winning the vets championship.
So it was long and rain infested drive home, and it just goes to show all about the highs and lows of racing.
Finishing position: DNF
So it was a long drive up to Bath, it p*ssed down with rain for most of the journey and when i got there the usual 'will i make it into the field with my van' thought instantly entered my head as every blade of grass had been churned up into a sea of mud with all the traffic that had been wheel spinning on it. Thankfully i made it.
After signing on, i went to the pits which were ankle deep in sloppy mud, nice! I took a quick look at the 1st corner after the start as well, mud, mud, and er........................mud! To be honest i couldn't wait and in these conditions anything could happen (they certainly did to me anyway).
I met Pete and Dan Lawry up there who politely tried to blackmail me into joining the Kingston club next year! After a bit of a chat with the pair of them, it was back off to get changed and get myself kitted up.
So with the rain now subsided, it was onto the damp start line to wait for the flag to drop. Off we went then and i was probably about 5th heading into the first corner when 2 riders went down just to the side of me. I had to take avoiding action and almost come to a standstill as i got pushed to the outside which in turn let almost every bugger go past me. As i turned the corner i got splattered in the brown stuff following everybody as we hammered it through the first couple of muddy fields. I did make up a few places but i wasn't happy, and as i nailed the 'gasser' going up a mud infested climb trying to catch up the leaders, i lost it, and ended up on my arse. As i picked the bike up i wrenched my elbow and i knew straight away that it was bad, in fact i had to rest for a few minutes before i could carry on. When i got into the wooded section it was a real struggle, i couldn't hold on properly and in those conditions where you need a bit of strength to make it through all the mud and deep ruts, my arm wasn't good at all. I hit the deck again and had to pick the bike up again which in turn killed my elbow, and i had to take another rest.
I crawled back to the pits and took another breather and thought about doing another lap to see what would happen, i hate a DNF, and i'd have to be on my knees in order for me not to finish, and even then i'd try and drag myself over the line, but if you can't even hold onto the bars properly because of the pain, and with still 2 and half hours still to go, i knew it was over and i retired, gutted, bye bye any chances of winning the vets championship.
So it was long and rain infested drive home, and it just goes to show all about the highs and lows of racing.
Finishing position: DNF
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Camel Vale mcc awards evening- 14th November 2009
A good night was had by all. Here's some mugshots of some riders without their helmets on.
HALL OF FAME OR WALL OF SHAME? YOU DECIDE!!!!!!!
Andy Smith still looking bewilderd and confused after buying a 4 banger!
Credit goes to Rich tucker, won the experts and now a champ rider at 18!!
Jed Treleaven contemplating about doing more riding next year, coz he doesn't do enough!
Photographer extraordinaire Debbie Tucker
Arthur Johnson looking gobsmacked because he's just found out his real age!
Camel Vale legend Mike Roose looking the best he possibly can!
Mark Tucker on his 15th pint of the night.
Father & son and bitter rivals, Tom and John Hinkley
Francis Banfield's reaction when i said it's his round. Pee off!
Steve Jay, is that designer stubble or has he lost his razor?
Looks to me like Richard Jay's had too many beers!
James Hull in stitches because i told him that i'm keeping my 125 next year!
Colin George after just finding 10 pence on the floor
Colin Treleaven the boss from Thor motorcycles looking happy.
Dean Canfield on his way to winning the 'biggest smile of the night' competition!
Me (again) and Camel vale stalwart Rod Dyer
HALL OF FAME OR WALL OF SHAME? YOU DECIDE!!!!!!!
Yours truly with my winners trophy that's cost me a bloody fortune!
Phil 'smiler' Harris. Doing his impression of a Chinese person
A nice 'cheesy' grin from Adam Blake
Andy Smith still looking bewilderd and confused after buying a 4 banger! 
Credit goes to Rich tucker, won the experts and now a champ rider at 18!! 
Jed Treleaven contemplating about doing more riding next year, coz he doesn't do enough! 
Photographer extraordinaire Debbie Tucker 
Arthur Johnson looking gobsmacked because he's just found out his real age! 
Camel Vale legend Mike Roose looking the best he possibly can!
Mark Tucker on his 15th pint of the night. 
Father & son and bitter rivals, Tom and John Hinkley
Francis Banfield's reaction when i said it's his round. Pee off!
Steve Jay, is that designer stubble or has he lost his razor?
Looks to me like Richard Jay's had too many beers!
James Hull in stitches because i told him that i'm keeping my 125 next year!
Colin George after just finding 10 pence on the floor
Colin Treleaven the boss from Thor motorcycles looking happy. Dean Canfield on his way to winning the 'biggest smile of the night' competition!Me (again) and Camel vale stalwart Rod Dyer
Monday, 9 November 2009
Had better weeks- 8th November 2009
Going on a motorbike was the last thing on my mind this weekend. My little girls been sick all week, my girlfriend has been unwell for a few weeks and that all came to head this week as well, and without getting into anything thats too personal, she didn't recieve the best of news from the hospital.
Well they say things come in 3's and on top of it all i've managed to get Laryngitus. The docs gonna love me tomorrow when i see him, trying to explain about my elbow when i can't even speak!
This Saturday see's the annual Camel Vale mcc presentation/awards night. Should be a few going to that, so i'm looking forward to having a chat with a few other riders that i've raced against this year that i don't normally get the chance to speak to.
Well they say things come in 3's and on top of it all i've managed to get Laryngitus. The docs gonna love me tomorrow when i see him, trying to explain about my elbow when i can't even speak!
This Saturday see's the annual Camel Vale mcc presentation/awards night. Should be a few going to that, so i'm looking forward to having a chat with a few other riders that i've raced against this year that i don't normally get the chance to speak to.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Practice- 1st November 2009
Me and Adam taking a breather (pic)Now you see I still have this problem, my right elbow that got injured at the SCEC event some weeks back still hasn’t healed, in fact it’s got worse and now I got a golf ball sized bag of fluid that’s nestled itself onto the elbow as well, so along with the ‘Tennis elbow’, things aren’t too good at the moment.
I was going to do the TnT event today but I didn’t really want to travel all the way up there and risk pulling out because of my injury, and with it being just a race to fill the gap in the calendar, there was no need as I’ve got a couple of important races later on this month which I need to do well in, so I’d rather risk ‘all or nothing’ in those ones.
So I thought I might go out and have a nice little easy practice session at a local motocross track, which in the end turned out to be more of a battle for survival, nearly as bad as listening to a Muse album repeatedly.
I met Adam Blake there who was on his new bike and ready to give it a good thrashing to see what it can do. Adam’s now gone the 250 way, bit of a shame because that boy certainly knows how to ride a 125!
With the track being on the moor and wide open to the elements, we had to sit it out in the van for 30 mins to let the monsoon weather subside, when we got changed and headed out onto the track the words ‘Gordon Bennet’ (or something based around that which included choice swear words) entered my head at the track was just a mud fest. Oh boy did we have fun today or what? I set an hour on my watch and thought I’d do that to see how my elbow reacted, but things were so tough I only managed about 40 mins before I had to take a breather.
What did tickle me was all the motocross boys doing a couple of laps then stopping because of the conditions, some were even taking short cuts to avoid going up the muddy hills as traction was a bit of a struggle. I could see there point if there was loads of roots, stones, logs or something like that in the way, but hey, c’mon lads, it’s only a bit of mud! At one point there must have about 6 or 7 seven of them all gathered together at the top of one of the hills having a chat about weather to go down it or not. I don’t know, the youth of today! What’s wrong with them?
After taking a breather we both went back out and did stints of 20-30 mins at a time, it was fantastic training, and really difficult conditions, the more you went round, the more the track got cut up and the worse it got. Near the end I managed to dump it a few times on the deck, I’d done alright until then, but you the know score don’t you in those conditions? You pick yourself and the bike up, scrap the crap off your grips and gloves, and carry on ‘happy as Larry’ like pig in sh*t!
Something that did happen today turned my thought pattern inside out and nearly had me down on all fours sobbing in the back of my van as I very nearly threw my beloved 125 into the nearest skip (ok, well not quite). I went on Adams 250, and boy was that a lot easier to ride in the muddy gloop of a track. The thing just pulled up the hills and through all the rutted mud infested course without me having to pin back the throttle and scream the nuts off it. You see I have been on bigger bikes before, but not in these conditions, and what a difference the extra cc makes to it all.
It’s true to say that I really should be on one of these things, especially being over 40! Next time you look at any results, take a look at how many over 40’s are riding 125’s, hardly any, Why, because they’re harder to ride and you have to work more, full stop. Makes sense I suppose, your getting old, your reactions are slower, your fitness drops, you ain’t got as much ‘bottle’, your body doesn’t heal up as quick as it used too when you take a knock, (bloody hell maybe I should give up now) so why the hell would you want to make things harder for yourself? So the big question is will I get the 250 bug and change next year? Course I won’t, I love my little strimmer!
As for the elbow? Quite frankly it’s crap, and it looks like another visit to the old doc’s is on the cards.
Plans for November:
8th maybe practice
15th ?????
22nd Midwest
29th SCEC
A day out- 25th October 2009
After gigging last night and not collapsing into bed until 2.40am it was just as well I wasn’t racing today as I think I might have been a tad cream crackerd. So not one to sit on my arse all day and do nowt or indeed the stacks of decorating that needs to be done to keep the girlfriend happy (will have to do that soon me thinks), It was off to watch a local motocross meeting held by the Penndennis motor club.
A few local enduro riders were playing their cards so I went to see how they all got on. I met up with Arthur Johnson and Hannes Tanzer who were riding, and also had a chat with John Pitman and Barry Weeks who were there for a blast as well. Tim Williams also popped along to see what it was all about, so stood there having a chat and watching the racing with him for a while.
What really caught my eye was the twinshock / Evo class, I love the old bikes and believe me they fly. A certain Jason Fraser took his old CR 500 out in the modern bike class as well and beat them all, just goes to show if you’re classy enough then you can do yourself justice on most bikes. Nice to see Tony Dinham have a blast round in the Evo class as well on his old Yammy YZ (I think!).
I stayed the whole day and really enjoyed myself and it certainly had me thinking on the way home about taking up the Twinshock / Evo motocross lark in a few years time. Get myself an old RM, CR or YZ, (125 of course) and I reckon I’d love it, only trouble is you only get about 15 mins a race, um……………………
A few local enduro riders were playing their cards so I went to see how they all got on. I met up with Arthur Johnson and Hannes Tanzer who were riding, and also had a chat with John Pitman and Barry Weeks who were there for a blast as well. Tim Williams also popped along to see what it was all about, so stood there having a chat and watching the racing with him for a while.
What really caught my eye was the twinshock / Evo class, I love the old bikes and believe me they fly. A certain Jason Fraser took his old CR 500 out in the modern bike class as well and beat them all, just goes to show if you’re classy enough then you can do yourself justice on most bikes. Nice to see Tony Dinham have a blast round in the Evo class as well on his old Yammy YZ (I think!).
I stayed the whole day and really enjoyed myself and it certainly had me thinking on the way home about taking up the Twinshock / Evo motocross lark in a few years time. Get myself an old RM, CR or YZ, (125 of course) and I reckon I’d love it, only trouble is you only get about 15 mins a race, um……………………
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