National MTB XCO Series RD 2 – Margam Park 2024

The second round of the 2024 British National MTB XCO points series is upon us, and we headed to Wales to race a brutal course at Margam Park.

With lots of climbing and some super dry hot conditions, it made for a challenging race!

It was an awful race for me but there are always some positives and negatives to take from the weekend, but a lot more work to do.

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it is time for round two of the British national mountain bike XO series round one saw us take on the mud of Scotland and round two we’re heading to margan park in Wales hopefully for some dry fast conditions last year it was a brw it was fast your boy decked it like an absolute Chopper ended up cutting his leg up to Absolute pieces so fingers crossed this time we can actually stay on two wheels Go full gas and have a good race so let’s get it so we have made it to margan park the Rocket’s here the sun is shining they’re doing short track at the moment I’m not racing short track this time because uh we didn’t want to book two nights in the hotel and didn’t make it in time but it looks much slower apart from Thomas Maine who’s way off the front it looks much slower this time I don’t know it’s just me watching look but maybe not maybe not strung out single file but we need to go and get the rocket some sun cream these temperature is not good for that little red head how are you rock excited to be here yeah I’m glad uh she’s glad got oh yeah look over there just just practic me zoom in technique Dell boy’s got himself VIP parking not because he is a VIP not because of who he is because he’s paid for it but we’re going to head out on the course in a bit once they’ve done short track get signed on get out there it’s probably going to be really hilly again but at least it’s it’s not raining and it’s dry rocket you’re all happy got a little do donut and cherro Van a’t they go get in my belly right then guys the team are here I’m going to have to be really quick with this one cuz they’ve got music playing and Del boy won’t be able to get his one p because I’ll get copyright strike otherwise me and Ben are going to head out for practice he’s not been well I’ve had to bring his little cow Poole for him so he can so he can get round rumor has it he went so hard last week trying to beat me and Tom that he’s made himself [Music] sick right then course practice time with a maggot he’s told me i’ got to take it easy on him cuz I was such an animal at the goric after making him feel sick oh you little little boy that’s why I didn’t race the short track either I had no excuse but wo I’m in I’m in the shrubs but it’s going to be a spicy one cuz I’m pretty sure it goes right up to the top of that Hill no God please no I’m happy to just cruise around because I’ve just eaten some of the Rockets Pringles athlete yeah you can see where can you see them that red J oh yeah oh up that steep pill that we had to do last year hello right let’s see what it’s [Music] about woo first climb there’s only one way to get up that cuz it’s super Rocky I’m not out of breath that is steep that is so steep we’ done that one last year to be fair and it it’s just loose there’s no grip is there did you yeah hello last year though the sport category took a shortcut left and Ben’s race carried on to the top yeah I think this year I’ve been I’ve been promoted to the big boy lap [Music] are you racing tomorrow we’ll leave this bit in Mr crapper struggling hey is he’s here though I’m waiting for the day when your dad joins me said he can’t go through this torture right so I think we have made it to the top of the C well we’ve been informed we’ve made it to top of the clim what’s your name Joe Joe has just told us one last descent so I’m thankful for that it’s super apparently this last one’s a bit bit rough bit rough like just take it with me smoo but to be honest take it with speed yeah the youth boys can do that when you’re 30 you don’t take anything with speed but it’s loose and I think I’ve got too much pressure I think Ben might have as well right I can feel well Ben’s dropping me on The Descent and I can feel like the front wheel sliding and as I crashed here last year try to avoid that I crashed it sh did you yeah I did my there so let’s hopefully both not crash last it goes on a bit yeah you told us this was the last bit this all the way out there she I thought we just had to get to it [Music] [Music] yeah that last descent Carnage from up there super bouncy Ben’s Like pinged a Rock up it was like pimble in front of me don’t work coming down the hill there’s no power come on D boy well I don’t know what to do with them I mean Matt Adam I think all we can do is change the pads and maybe uh rough up the disc a bit to give it a bit of bite tire pressure boy’s hat oh me and George both complaining about how high we had them yeah yeah did you let any air out your tires no I could just feel like the front wheel just wanting to go cuz it’s so loose Ben had the right pressure before he left I thought just a little bit of cushion in them yeah it was I could just feel it like I was getting dropped on the descents and you can feel it going yeah I couldn’t decide about the tires I you know it’s 50/50 yeah I mean the TI is going to do you okay down this bit here n you you’ll slit it coming down that one W yeah I think you will probably be gambling a bit on it you right mate you been you’ve been dropped again he’s been dropped right then course practice complete and it’s going to be an absolute brute of a race it’s warm it might be two H I’m not going to lie it is well up probably too it’s too up rocket it’s too up for us gingers but look the Rocket’s happy she got she’s got a little slush puppy yeah and she’s just we were just speaking to one of the organizers and he said because he watched the video of last year’s race and the rocket complained there’s no coffee in the morning he made sure there’s coffee influencer there such an influencer rocket and maybe main yeah maybe that was why they moved the start for her as well but we’re trying to scope out where she can film from to tomorrow well we have a slush puppy but when I show her where the course goes I imagine she’s not going to go there cuz it is right up there somewhere so maybe I can uh convince gravel granny potentially but she might be in pits so who knows you’re along here yeah so so yeah this this is the start straight yeah so you you’re probably just going to see us go past this bit of Road five times however however many lap you see where that guy is in yellow it then turns right and goes up the hill so do you want to walk there in in your physical state uh hi event organizer can you get the rocket a car next time go buggy yeah can we please have golf buy really good driving so if we could get the rocket up there in a golf buggy that’d be a little quad bike yeah quad bikes please good through right here in the morning camper oh look D boy’s in the tent again 62 and he’s in the tent again it isin me that kicked him out this time me and the uh rocket got a lovely little Premier in we’re going for ice cream though proper athletes get ice cream before a bike race do they don’t know I Reon I reckon so I reckon it’s pidcock secret yeah I heard it here first that’s why no one knows about it cuz it’s just so top secret it’s so top secret ice cream before races right race day for the team Dell boy’s getting prepped I think or he’s doing his dishes I’m not sure clean the bikes and clean the bikes oh mine do a little dust up little bit of chain loop how you feeling open the toilet block over go and I was going for a win is the blo that cleans the bikes you’re that nump te that just washes bikes how you feeling now better better yeah that’s good oh he’s only got three laps as well was that the Tiddly Winks leak Jesus it’s absolute Liberty that I have to do four and they do three yet they’re faster than me it’s disgraceful so three laps for Ben Four laps for me look at this roie comes Mountain bik nearly ends up in a& it’s not good enough save it for the cross season when I take you down this year oh yeah yeah we’ll see how that goes it was like well I did look at your lap time I looked at his lap times right I was like what took him so long we now know well I crashed I actually crashed on the Wy on the warmup and then like so I was cut up on the start line and then the first little descend just went over the bars we saw him we saw you get a good start though yeah I’ve got a good start place and then like I drilled out the climb and then just decided to exit my bicycle back to road back to Road I’m racing Road next weekend though so hope he up look at him me and a rocket just scoping out the course watching some of the vet boys come past I think the leaders are going to be down in a second oh talk to the leader I think this is it him he me oh this course is built for you hey [Applause] [Music] power [Music] it that’s how fit is you got time to give a thumbs up you give me a thumbs up today uh no cuz I’ll be holding on I’m not professional like Nick go on Alan right then ladies and gentlemen it is almost show time the everyone’s here Dell boy’s got a big job on his hands today he feels like he’s got about 10 sets of wheels and he’s gone up to the top of the hill of you cuz apparently that’s where we’re most likely to get a puncher Jack how are you doing good righty Jack’s grided 25 out of 25 in his race cuz he gets to race with the big boys so uh it can’t get any worse for Jackie boy Ben good feeling as good I can be luke yeah how you feeling don’t com oh God so you probably didn’t pick that up but he said he’s grided seventh if he don’t get a Podium he’s going to be annoyed um so that’s it let’s go baby [Music] go [Music] [Applause] come on guys come on what I make stay on it hold on guys come back you doing well stay on [Music] it look like you’re loving it GE welcome [Music] I [Music] one eternity [Applause] [Music] [Applause] later go on George [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] rocket rocket r rocket I’m [Music] done George [Music] [Music] how’d you get on Ben third oh well done yeah not ready well yeah happy cuz I’m like ill yeah yeah my heart rate like I think my average was average 188 W that’s too high I I don’t think I should have raced but but I’m happy with how it went yeah that’s really good but there are a few attacks uh I am speaking to the camera right yeah yeah okay yeah just randomly talking uh and then I tried launching it well I launched it on the uh last Steep Hill yeah how’s George doing I don’t think he’s doing very well but um I was just talking to you Mom we saying like but when we see him he’s like happy about it that makes in the sense of like I saw him over there and he was like I’m done but I did it in like a chirpy way I’m not sure I’ll make out that hand again [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Thomas had to ask him to slow down did yeah he was going to lack me had to put a little Sprint in did you crush or anything oh no well just that slow honestly I a bit concerned on the first lap when everyone else came past and you weren’t there and I was like oh no is he crashed I went I was in the lead and then everyone started coming past me let me get your drink felt like there’s no Oxygen felt like I was an altitude I think uh I just need to retire I’m not going to lie like there there’s no excuse you put on weight and you don’t train that’s what you get I’d love to give you an excuse if I ain’t got one okay to the van yeah and that is a wrap absolutely poor show from me I had nothing went out hard at the start couldn’t maintain it and just died a slow death and just rode round honestly I’ve never wanted to stop so bad in my life but all the times I say never quit I sort of act to carry on finish it but I got it done it was just a bit disappointing editing and this now is painful to edit and put out because I just had an absolute shocker there’s no excuse uh that’s just the way it is now priorities have changed and I haven’t been training as much haven’t been eating as healthy stuff like that I’ve got no other excuses Ben come third Luke got a podium in fifth so fair play to him but honestly I don’t know I think that might be my last National I can’t compete at that level with these boys unless I Buck my ideas up and I to be honest I haven’t got the time or ability to do that now I think I’ve left it a bit late but I just like making the video so I hope you’ve enjoyed it Absolut terrible day for me but I’ll catch you in the next one