Weeksy08 the ongoin...
 

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Weeksy08 the ongoing racing trials and tribulations of a crazy teen

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 Yak
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Top work team weeksy! 

Have a good journey back. 


 
Posted : 20/07/2025 4:23 pm
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Great result. 👍👍👍


 
Posted : 20/07/2025 4:25 pm
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👌👍 Well done that man. Keep up the good work.


 
Posted : 20/07/2025 5:07 pm
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Well there's an epic almost over. We're in a £31 Travelodge tonight near Preston as it's a bit far to do in 1 hit.

I guess it's a bit of a write up time. The race weekend is a weird thing, on Thurs I was lying in the van snoozing after the drive up from Weds night, completely chilled and relaxed. Bike was sweet, I was content.

But by Friday things change a little as more people arrive and the laps grow in number, he did 13 over the Thurs and Fri and did his first rim of the weekend.

It was a Nukeproof Neutron and fairly old, so not a major shock but transpired to be a bit complex. He's running 27.5 on the back now and we only have 2, but still have 2 spare 29s of course.

The complexity came from the ERD, effective rim diameter, this is what dictates the spoke length and 554 is apparently not that common so non of the rims we could lay out hands on were correct. Usually one of the wheel guys has a spike cutter so could have made them, but he'd forgotten it. Long chats took place and a paddock mate arranged for 5 Reserve rims to come up at 7am on Sat morning. They were 556 ERD so compatible. 

The rim was sorted while he was out practicing and trying to go fast on Sat morning, his times were decent he felt and the sunshine was helping us all. 

Seeding, well that brought rain of course, after 2.5 days of dry practice, seeding was wet. But he stuck in P15 which then somehow changed to P13, weird, but brilliant.

When you think back to his National race and his P2, lots of the top runners were out at Loudenville so missing the British round, so at best we thought P15 realistically for the National Champs. A few of the big hitters had DNF so they'd be off first in Cat on Sunday.

Sat night was the usual banter and chat and talking rubbish with beers. I stuck a new gear cable in his as he was having issues. He'd also killed his 2nd wheel of the weekend so it was off to buy another Reserve rims and another Nukeproof went in the bin. 

Sat night brought a lot of rain, with the morning rainy and storms predicted so they move practice 2 hours shorter and race runs accordingly. He was now running the Reserve on the back with a Kryptotal super soft. I'd been re tensioning the Nukeproof after every run with an average of 4-6 loose spikes showing 5 or less on the Park Tools tension gauge. But the Reserve was holding up ok thought practice. Instead of me chilling in the back of van or snoozing in the chair you're up and about all the time, walking to see the rider, the runs, checking he's ok and wheels are ok.

After run1 of practice he was complaining about the gears still, I noticed his mech was ridiculously stiff on the arm, so I whipped it off and threw on another, with a new inner, but it seems that one was removed previously as it was knackered so a 3rd mech came out and I got them sorted of acceptable. I'd checked the hanger with DAG and it was straight but the gears were still a bit crap. I need to find out why.

He went up in the rain, but he was dry as he'd had a shower and clean kit after the drenching of practice. fed and watered he was ready. 

We have a bit of a thing before he heads off with a fast bump and "go fast" before every run, practice or races. Some weird reason I forgot and as I walked away, he goes "I don't know what to do" ..... "Go fast mate, go fast" it brought a little lump to my throat that sometimes he's still a small boy inside 

Race runs are fraught with massive tension, especially the biggest race of the season, not that we expected the jersey or even top 10 (or 20 lol) but they're still tense, especially at Fort William. As the riders come down 1 by 1 Felix Griffiths was sitting in the hot seat. I see his rival George on the timing sheet as setting off, they're currently sitting in P1 and P2 in the overall British DH rankings, which is mostly because the fast lads are at WCs.

George popped in with a 5m 10 which was quicker than his seeding run by a fair bit, even in worse conditions.

I'm waiting for the boy and he pops into sight, I glance at the clock and he's looking ok. He drops in 4th at the time with a 4m 59, his target was a sub 5, so job done. He was happy as he's also beaten George, not only his rival but his mate. Our out mate Isaac was already down with a good time which ended up 25th.

Obviously after his seeding run there were still 12 more riders to come down so he's drop places of course from P4.

To put into context there were 9 current World Cup Juniors present this weekend. 

As it all played out the boy ended P12 and we were thoroughly ecstatic with that, a damn good job

It cost me a small fortune this weekend with 3 broken rims, 1 crap mech and 4000 litres of diesel but it's all worth it lol. Every penny.


 
Posted : 20/07/2025 8:53 pm
seriousrikk, andy4d, gringo and 8 people reacted
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Well done James and Team Weeks 👍 

 


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 10:40 am
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https://youtube.com/shorts/dKlzEld-gqs?si=B-DJ6y8bJ03_6a2e


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 12:19 pm
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It's time for a bit of fun for him...

https://www.mbuk.com/articles/nominate-your-mbuk-rider-of-the-year-2025

Nomination time for MBUK Newcomer of the Year has been requested by one of his sponsors, as well of course as submitting the boy for this.

I don't know if nominations from 'everyday Joe' counts for much, but it can't hurt 🙂

If you fancy nominating him based upon his exploits, well, crack on, we'd all appreciate it


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 1:05 pm
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Reserve have a decent warranty policy should you need it in the future: https://reservewheels.com/pages/rider-support


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 1:28 pm
weeksy reacted
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Posted by: razorrazoo

Reserve have a decent warranty policy should you need it in the future: https://reservewheels.com/pages/rider-support

Indeed mate, that's exactly why we bought these particular rims instead of a few other options. But thanks for the pointer anyway 

 


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 1:39 pm
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Posted by: weeksy

Posted by: razorrazoo

Reserve have a decent warranty policy should you need it in the future: https://reservewheels.com/pages/rider-support

Indeed mate, that's exactly why we bought these particular rims instead of a few other options. But thanks for the pointer anyway 

 

 

I did almost edit my response to say 'when' rather than 'should' 🤣 

Fingers crossed the warranty is good, I have a set of Reserve Alu wheels and 3 sets of Fillmore valves. partially down to the warranty (Santa Cruz are usually pretty good).  I did get a Roval (Specialized) rim replaced under their 2 year no quibble warranty last year after denting it landing on a root.

 


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 2:40 pm
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5 minutes lol

https://flic.kr/p/2rhYzHd

However that was seeding on Sat, it did whole of Sunday including race run looking exactly like that. It'll come off tomorrow but that's kinda good, kinda bad. Lol. 


 
Posted : 21/07/2025 4:29 pm
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So we've now got 7 days until we have to leave for Spain. Honestly at the moment i'm pretty fried, mentally and physically. It all just takes it out of you. So we've canned any away-day riding this weekend and i'll just ride locally. 

We've got a list of jobs as always but i'm sending the bike out to Rotec for them so i can just chill.  There's nothing i can't do myself, but at the moment i'm just done 😀 

Gearing issues, i don't know if it's outer or mech, but it's just not quite right in all gears. I went to fit a new outer yesterday but somehow i have brake outer, not gear outer. GRRRRRR. I think potentially i need a new spare mech to take with us to Spain as well.

Wheel/rim. That needs stripping and a new rim fitting. Not sure if we'll get the Reserve back from warranty in time so it'll get built with whatever Rotec has/orders for now. If the Reserve comes in time it'll go with us in a box just in case.

After that it's really just a check-over and strip/sort. Things are getting a bit bonkers (aren't they always).

So we drive to Spain next week, we've got 4 days in La Molina for the European Champs, then on the Monday it's driving straight to Pal Arinsal Andorra for the day on the WCDH track for him.

After that we drive to Morzine for 11 days. Then leaving on the Thurs and driving straight to Llangollen for the British National from the Friday onwards. Eventually we'll get back on the Sunday night and collapse. 

I'm hoping Morzine is a bit more 'holiday' for me than some years, i don't think i'll be riding nearly as much as i may once have done, i'll be in the pool chilling and relaxing a bit i think.... but i'll get some riding in for sure as i've got mates out at the same time.


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 6:18 am
dirkpitt74, a11y, Tracey and 1 people reacted
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I did the MBUK thing & it froze when I submitted it.


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 9:17 am
weeksy reacted
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Posted by: leegee

I did the MBUK thing & it froze when I submitted it.

Thanks for trying mate, appreciate it... It worked OK yesterday.

 


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 10:08 am
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Posted by: weeksy

Posted by: leegee

I did the MBUK thing & it froze when I submitted it.

Thanks for trying mate, appreciate it... It worked OK yesterday. 

Also just tried and the page just hung.  

As an aside I'd just like to mention that I voted for Wyn as the legend, just because he is.  

 


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 11:11 am
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Posted by: Speeder

Posted by: weeksy

Posted by: leegee

I did the MBUK thing & it froze when I submitted it.

Thanks for trying mate, appreciate it... It worked OK yesterday. 

Also just tried and the page just hung.  

As an aside I'd just like to mention that I voted for Wyn as the legend, just because he is.  

 

Agree 100% with that.

 


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 12:12 pm
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I did the MBUK thing & it froze when I submitted it.

Let's get on their forum and give 'em hell! 😅


 
Posted : 22/07/2025 1:25 pm
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 randr-photo-16248459-6000px-by-digital-downhill.jpg https://flic.kr/p/2riiwuh

https://flic.kr/p/2rigRE6


 
Posted : 23/07/2025 7:09 am
dc1988, leegee, thorpedo and 2 people reacted
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So here's how today's conversation with Reserve went

"Oh, that's a shame you've dented it, please destroy the rim, the new one will be with you tomorrow "

Can't really ask for much more can we. So it'll get rebuilt tomorrow afternoon and ready for next week 


 
Posted : 23/07/2025 8:04 pm
joe-m reacted
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That’s good news! I do like my Reserve’s, would definitely recommend to anyone else looking for an alternative to DTSwiss. 


 
Posted : 23/07/2025 10:46 pm
weeksy reacted
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It'll be interesting to see how they hold up in the real world. Fort William is such a complete and utter stand-alone instance of a track and destruction, so isn't really a fair comparison as to how wheels will manage a season etc.. but they've been 100% good to their word, which is all i ask. Rotec should be on the case and getting it built once it lands and then getting the gears made sweet. 

Once all that is done and the bike is collected i can start getting it loaded up and prepped for Spain next week.


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 6:06 am
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It'll be interesting to see how they hold up in the real world. Fort William is such a complete and utter stand-alone instance of a track and destruction, so isn't really a fair comparison as to how wheels will manage a season etc.

I've been running a DTSwiss 350 / AL30 wheelset for just over a year (bought after denting the Roval rim on my Kenevo SL which was replace under the Roval 2 year warranty).  They've done 2 weeks in Morzine on my uplift bike and ride most weeks on my Kenevo, still running straight with only the usual cosmetic marks from stones/rocks pinging off them (caveat that in the SE it's mostly roots rather than rocks).

 


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 10:53 am
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So I know people have said about the rankings not counting for anything, I've often disagreed with that.

However that said, I understand that several riders haven't been racing as much in the UK due to WC rides.

So this is the current BC rankings after National Champs.

 

Screenshot_2025-07-24-17-40-51-196_com.android.chrome.jpg

 

Today we got an email with the below. Whilst it's not quite the WC jersey, it's a big big chance

Selection is for 

Les Gets

Lenzerheide 

Mont Saint Anne

Lake Placid 

Dear Rider

 

You have been selected as a Reserve Rider for the British National Team for all of the rounds that you have applied for from Rd 7 to 10 of the DHI UCI World Series.


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 4:45 pm
brakestoomuch, thorpedo, hardtailonly and 12 people reacted
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That's fantastic news. Well done.

All the efforts you have put in as a family team have been recognised 

Proud dad moment for you and we will keep our fingers crossed.

Keep us all up to speed

👍👍👍


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 4:51 pm
breninbeener, zerocool, gringo and 1 people reacted
 Yak
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Awesome news! 


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 5:17 pm
weeksy reacted
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Great news!

You should all be very proud of what you've achieved.

Well done 👍 


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 8:34 pm
weeksy reacted
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Wow, that seems a pretty massive deal, the recognition of all the effort and progress. Well done James and team.

But there goes your holiday allowance and bank balance 🙋😂


 
Posted : 24/07/2025 10:54 pm
weeksy reacted
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Posted by: uniqueusername

Wow, that seems a pretty massive deal, the recognition of all the effort and progress. Well done James and team.

But there goes your holiday allowance and bank balance 🙋😂

Both of those are a massive thing yes. It looks like my holiday in Morzine may now not happen and i'll have to fly back 10 days early after European Champs and head for work, leaving Mrs Weeksy and the boy there instead. I dunno, we're weighing up all the considerations and options. It's a tricky one as obviously it relies on circumstances outside of our control for us to get there, so i could end up not having the holiday and not getting the ride and then, well, i've missed out 😀 

But this is of course the 'dream', the goal and the everything we've worked for. I chat to the boy regularly just to make sure it's HIS dream we're chasing, not mine, i'm pretty convinced that it's as much his as anything 😀

 


 
Posted : 25/07/2025 6:09 am
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So anyway, we've got to put this to one side at the moment as there's nothing we can do about it. It will be whatever it will (or won't be) and nothing we can change. 

So we're onto 'NEXT' thing which is the European Championships. This is being held next weekend in La Molina (Spain).

We're driving there next Wed morning in the Transit as always.

Today the bike was picked up from Rotec, it got a fair bit of TLC

New Chain

New Cassette

New GX 7 speed DH mech

New brake lever

New gear outer

New gear inner

Reserve rim installed.

It's running like a dream of course with all the new shiny bits on there, i do envy the Pro teams who get all of this week in week out, that would be LOVELY lol  but there's only so much i can manage.

Obviously we've never been to La Molina, but neither will have 90% of the field, they did hold the Spanish Nationals there last weekend but not sure if it'll be the same layout or not. But watching some videos it looks like a track that won't be completely radical to what he likes, so with a bit of luck he'll be OK. The place has a swimming pool complex, nearby shops and stuff, so we won't starve over the 4 days there. 

As you'd expect there's likely to be some big players in the juniors and hopefully senior rankings, so he'll have to find something of his A game. We'll do what we can, but i think we're pretty prepared.


 
Posted : 25/07/2025 3:25 pm
wheelsonfire1, thorpedo, Tracey and 1 people reacted
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Somewhat amusing one today when we were out. 

 

"Bikes making a horrible clunky noise"

 

So he goes over a root garden and yeah can hear it. Sounds like the end of the bloody world lol. 

I take off his bottle, cage and tool bag.

 

Still the same.

 

I feel headset and think "is that slightly loose" 

 

So go to get his multi tool out of the bag and the bag is empty.

 

"Oh I only used it earlier to lift my seat"

 

"Is it the multi tool in the frame then???"

 

"Oh yeah, so it is "

 

Crisis over 😁😁😁


 
Posted : 26/07/2025 8:11 pm
dirkpitt74 reacted
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So once again it's the weekend of the European Championships.

Spain this time and La Molina as the location, but i don't know whether this will be the layout for it. But it was the layout a couple of weeks ago for the National Champs, so maybe a basis on a theme.


 
Posted : 28/07/2025 7:22 am
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Hot take on La Molina: 

Apart from the Catalan+Spanish champs the other weekend, nobody has ever ridden that track. It's brand new. Steep off camber up top (probably) and a flat motorway where it cuts across the green ski piste before the finish line (definitely).

The "supermarkets" in the resort aren't all that, so stop off at the Carrefour in Puigcerda  for fresh meat, veg, etc.

 

See you on Thursday!


 
Posted : 28/07/2025 7:35 am
weeksy reacted
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Awesome stuff, we were planning on doing a Carrefour on the way in, we're over in Chateauroux on Weds evening, then making the final drive on Thurs morning. I've got a massive pit of 10x5m as our mate has spannered himself at Les Orres this weekend and is heading home after surgery on his wrist which is now pinned and plated. 

I think we're pretty much all good in terms of organisation, but i'll be we forget something. 😀 

If my weather app is right at the moment, it could make the off camber roots/woods somewhat ridiculous 😀 

Gazebo should make us easy to find in the paddock i hope 🙂

https://flic.kr/p/2rhaq9B

Deffo drop over this year for a chat and a beer matey. 


 
Posted : 28/07/2025 7:41 am
johnjn2000 reacted
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Will do!

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot something major. You'll save 20cts per litre in Spain compared to the cheapest French supermarket petrol station. In Andorra it costs even less.


 
Posted : 28/07/2025 8:16 am
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Posted by: ocrider

Will do!

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot something major. You'll save 20cts per litre in Spain compared to the cheapest French supermarket petrol station. In Andorra it costs even less.

Oh nice to know, thanks mate, not sure we'll get all the way to Spain on what we have in the tank, but we have to get breakfast on Thurs morning, so will throw in enough to get to Spain from there and then see what we can do. We're heading to Andorra on Monday if he's still healthy to spend the day on the WC track, so could fill up there for the trip to Morzine. 

 

 


 
Posted : 28/07/2025 8:20 am
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The day started simply, nice drive to Folkestone, then train. It was when we got to Paris that this went decidedly ropey. Why Paris you ask, well we're staying in Chateauxroux tonight and the Sat Nav took us through outskirts of Paris. It wasn't too bad until we appeared at a set of toll gates and height restrictions. It was apparently 6'0 and the Transit JUST fitted. 

"It'll be fine" 👍 

This ended up being a pitch dark 10k. Tunnel with signs that kept hitting the aerial! It was eye wateringly tight ! I was thinking, "any second now the van is going to be opened like a tin of sardines"

By the end of the 10km I was sweating and it was just hell.

We're now sitting outside a random Irish bar before going for food. 

Bloody hell having a vegetarian in France and Spain isn't easy lol. 


 
Posted : 30/07/2025 5:06 pm
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Wow, that's some trip. Good luck with the racing!


 
Posted : 31/07/2025 1:19 pm
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https://flic.kr/p/2rjSTSE

https://flic.kr/p/2rjTwFk


 
Posted : 31/07/2025 3:17 pm
thorpedo, cvilla, tomdubz and 3 people reacted
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I thought your gazebo had shrunk, then realised the image was stretched in the previous pic.


 
Posted : 31/07/2025 5:01 pm
weeksy reacted
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https://flic.kr/p/2rjZJ2c

 

Blue skies to start the day. Bike ready, ride nearly ready lol. 


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 6:01 am
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First run, grumble, grumble, don't like the track blah blah.

Second run, likes it more, it's now moved to "it's alright"


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 9:11 am
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It's not all hard work. While he was having lunch I went for a swim. But by jeepers it was cold

https://flic.kr/p/2rjWLnV

 


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 12:47 pm
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Try a lake of glacial melt water! I have never been so cold swiming!


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 1:11 pm
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Posted by: Bruce

Try a lake of glacial melt water! I have never been so cold swiming!

 

I'm sure it was! Brrrr

 


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 1:20 pm
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7 runs of practice for him, all done.

 

We've been trying a few things with LSC on the front, he's ended now 1 click more of that.

We tried a different front tyre but he wanted a newer one for optimal grip, so a new Kryptotal front has gone on.

 

The headset/front end fit creakier as the day progressed, so that was all stripped, checked, cleaned and put back together.

Checked all pads and they're ok, although the back may be dead by Sunday, so will keep an eye on them 

 

Then a clean and bolt check and it's ready for morning 

 

https://flic.kr/p/2rk4G2o


 
Posted : 01/08/2025 3:35 pm
jimmy748, reeksy, thorpedo and 2 people reacted
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Rider up, fed, bike prepped and out on track 

Seeding day today, 3.05 UK time.

We think there's live timing but not 100% sure yet 

https://flic.kr/p/2rkbhM3


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 7:55 am
cvilla reacted
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"whatever you did last night, the bike feels 1000 times better"

Ummmm not sure I did a heck of a lot in truth. But I'll take it.


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 8:17 am
Tracey reacted
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"bike feels loose, something ain't right"

 

Headset needed a slight tweak. Ok now. But my glory of being the best mechanic has ended 


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 8:41 am
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Well it didn't go great, didn't end in disaster.

There was a 75min delay as some kid was air coptered off and a long long process for that due to his condition. I don't think this helped people much. 

In his seeding run he made a few mistakes and some poor lines, or missed lines. He also had a slight off track excursion, but only minor.

"Just braked too much everywhere really"

We then walked the track and honestly I could put up the 20+ pics I took but they're pointless as it shows nothing of the craziness of it. It's sooooo steep, rooty, rocky, off camber, it's just utterly insane how anyone gets down it, let alone all of them 

So many line choices with him showing me his line and me just laughing at the WHY anyone would choose it.

Massive rock drops, huge road gaps into a root fest landing and hips like houses! 

I think he finished 53rd, which he's deeply unhappy with and feels he has so much more to give, but getting it done is sooooo tough 


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 6:36 pm
integra, Tracey, wheelsonfire1 and 3 people reacted
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Good experience though Weeksy. Insane line choices and whether they are worth the risk / reward (and whether they are actually faster especially with exit speed / set up on following sections) is all part of it as you’ll both know more than me. 

Plenty to take away and digest I’m sure. And at least it was a clean run so no injury! 


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 8:23 pm
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Echo those thoughts. Well done James.

And another takeaway is that he knows he could do better. If he was disappointed but felt that was the best he could do then he'd be in a much worse place.


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 9:03 pm
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If he wants to compete he needs to push himself and clearly these events are a step up. So take the experience and move on. Lots to learn, all good. 👍 


 
Posted : 02/08/2025 9:44 pm
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I think he finished 53rd, which he's deeply unhappy with and feels he has so much more to give, but getting it done is sooooo tough 

I hate the phrase, but that’s where you have to ‘trust the process’

Regardless of the sport, each sport has steps up. It’s as much a psychological challenge if not more so than a physical or technical 

 

It can make or break people. 

When he’s had time to reflect hopefully he will see he had the technical and physical bit covered, and the next one he goes to he will be more mentally prepared for that step up. 

Get him to look back at where he has been and how he’s overcome previous ‘step ups’ . It always takes a little bit of time to adjust

 

 


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 6:16 am
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Yeah we completely get it. The Euro Champs this year is different in juniors as only certain people are allowed to race, it's based upon UCI points and if you've not got any, well, you can't race in juniors. So whereas last year you had some slightly lower riders, this year it's not. 

Out of his field only 15 or so are not 'National Team's riders, 4 of the non Nationals are World Cup racers 

But this is the level he aspires to, so the only way to get it is to come and get it, both in terms of riders and tracks. So that's the plan. 

We're up and ready to race, new pads in the rear and bike checked over, let's do it. Practice only 1 hour this morning due to racing starting early. Maybe 2 runs this morning. 


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 6:25 am
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https://flic.kr/p/2rkmrFK

 

Last practice done before race. Race run roughly 2.08 European time. Boy seems happy and ready, just need to get him fed and watered and away we go.

 

Bike has been checked, rear caliper slightly realigned and is good to roll 


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 8:37 am
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Go get it James!


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 8:57 am
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Good luck to James. He needs to keep it rubber side down and not dwell on seeding. Easier said than done I imagine…


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 9:21 am
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Sent him on his way, I can relax now.

 

 

Not really


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 11:28 am
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Crashed into a tree, don't know the full story yet. But he's all good and about the same time as yesterday, which won't make him a happy boy. Going to be a long evening 


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 12:31 pm
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He's happy enough. The weekend is complete, well apart from the new headset to be fitted, possibly some new tyres, a strip, clean and sort. But first it's beer and a relax in the pool. 


 
Posted : 03/08/2025 2:28 pm
integra, brakestoomuch, tomdubz and 5 people reacted
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Bit of a holiday blog type thing for today. We headed up to Pal Arinsal Andorra for some riding, for not other reason than, well, we both love riding bikes and it'd be rude not to when we're so close.

We both absolutely loved the place.

https://flic.kr/p/2rkFJ7J

My trails were mostly blues, he was riding the World Cup track. Both were brilliant in their own way. The fact the blues had a bit more tech to them than Morzine really made them. 

Commencal HQ/shop was visited but somehow I managed not to buy a new bike, not sure how, if we'd have been staying another day I may have ended up with a yellow framed ohlins shod Clash. But we still have nearly 6 hours driving to go, which I'll freely admit I've had enough of at the moment lol. 

We saw Ventoux from a distance earlier

Plan is to head to Morzine tomorrow for 10-11 days of fun. But his much ill ride, I'm not yet sure. I'm a bit fried and peaked at the moment. 

https://flic.kr/p/2rkECmp

 


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 8:46 pm
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What was the result of the race? 


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 9:05 pm
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https://www.rootsandrain.com/event14842/2025-aug-3-uec-european-continental-champs-25-la-molina/results/

 

P50. Not the run we wanted 


 
Posted : 05/08/2025 4:55 am
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Weather in Morzine has been superb, 28 most days with I think 32 yesterday. That was somewhat on the warm side though I admit for riding. But with a cold beer at lunch for me, we survived.

The boy has been riding every day, some Plenty steeps, some Les Gets but not the WC track as it's mostly closed. Spending time hitting loads over the Swiss side too. 

The bikes as always are taking a battering. Mine less so than his of course as I go slower and lower. Both are creaky and in need of TLC. 

They get fully checked before each days riding, mostly on his it's rear wheel spoke tension that takes a battering, but I'm on top of that. The rest is generally just a bolt and pad check. He'll need some pads after today/tomorrow probably on both ends. We've got plenty with us so we'll be fine there 

 

Another day begins, bike is ready and he's off out shortly. I'm at home and probably the pool with Mrs Weeksy, may even shoot out and watch the football later in the bar. 


 
Posted : 10/08/2025 6:53 am
dirkpitt74, Tracey, anorak and 2 people reacted
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Late night lift opening on the Pleny tonight. So a quick afternoon change of SRAM Maven, Galfer pads for him along with a set of pads thrown into the DB8 on my Trek Fuel. Quick bleed and piston setup, piston massage and he's off out. 🍻 Time for me

I do hate that we have to pay £20 a set for the Galfer green, lol but damn they work.

That said, he's got a set of black in today now 

https://flic.kr/p/2rn6o8Z

 


 
Posted : 12/08/2025 3:55 pm
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Full strip down and rebuild today, forks, shock, linkages etc all apart, headset out and cleaned. 

https://flic.kr/p/2rnAJ1B

Rear tyre dead so that's been replaced as well 

Set up and chilling at Llangollen now. Sunny, dry, warm.

Beer chilling in cold box. The world is ok 


 
Posted : 15/08/2025 5:25 pm
integra, stevede, anorak and 2 people reacted
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Well the weekend went, sort of OK i guess. Although as always it's relative.

We didn't have much in terms of maint/work on the bike after the rebuild on the Friday, so that was good, although an impromptu moment with some suspension oil and the lid falling off on Sunday did mean a change of pads, bleed and clean of the brakes just before his race run which added a little pressure as i then had to bed in his pads in the blazing sun before his race run.

Weird format for the weekend meant he seeded on Sunday just before lunch. He was feeling OK with the world but in truth he's having a few issues at the moment holding/getting cornering speed, so he wasn't exactly flowing with confidence. He went 8s quicker than his best practice but that gave him P17 in seeding.
It's easy to be disappointed in P17 but the reality is, there's incredibly fast full on pro racers in there he's playing with, World Cup racers, the best of the National paddock, if you think back to Jan, then inside the Top20 was the year goal.

Race run the track was more and more blown out as his Cat goes out almost last, so the holes grew and grew. He made a mistake on one long right hander which ran him off the track and cost him 2-3s but he put in a time basically the same as his seeding and that put him in P16 for the weekends race.
I can't see he was happy with that, i'd be lying if i did.... but it's not a complete disaster that's for sure. We had a few deep and meaningfuls on the way home and he's deffo feeling the pressure at the moment, little things like the National Jersey possibilities, the overall ranking points and just the day to day pressure to perform.
I think there's potentially a bit of burn-out after 2 weeks of full on competition at the Euros and then day in day out in Morzine, maybe we should have chilled a little more... Throw in the 22 hours of driving over a 45 hour period and it's all stacking up on him (and me if truth be told)

So we have a little bit of a chill time this week i think, along with the weekend at the Malverns with DMR.
https://malvernsclassic.com/

DMR have entered him in some races, but nothing that's 'serious' in the usual way, so i'm hoping the weekend with give him some unwind time and relaxing time. Before we then head off to the next race the weekend after.

As always, i'm pretty fried from another load of driving (3000 miles in 3 weeks, but mostly compressed in 5 days of that lol) and then sleeping in a field and sorting bikes/racer... So i've got a bit of a chilled one this week. Although i do need to strip his bike and get new bearings all round in there to get it 100% as well as hopefully getting his forks and shock off to TF Tuned to get them serviced. Then i need to sort my bike after the Morzine dust/dirt/work.

We'll get there though, a few evenings spent we'll be golden 😀


 
Posted : 18/08/2025 8:14 am
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Date with a bearing press kit. It's amazing how grubby they all get and whilst i don't think they NEEDED replacing, after chatting this weekend to a Mondraker mechanic from WC team and the fact they change the bearings EVERY week, i thought these should get swapped and cleaned. Just keeps it running nicely i think

https://flic.kr/p/2rochLH

https://flic.kr/p/2roawbi

https://flic.kr/p/2roawbd


 
Posted : 18/08/2025 10:59 am
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Next up was to whip the forks and shock out and they're off to TFTuned later today.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54730771185_200cdc76e0_4k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54730771185_200cdc76e0_4k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ronvtX ]IMG_20250818_165637[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]steveweeks59[/url], on Flickr

Hopefully after that we're back to being good to roll.

The weekend though i don't think we'll need it, it's Malverns Classic with DMR as our hosts, the boy is doing everything from the lake ride to 4X and Dual Slalom, as well as the DH of course. We've never been to Malverns before but DMR asked us to go, so heck, why not, it's a weekend out 😀
It's not like we're not used to sleeping in a field or two.
I'm looking forward to and using it as a bit of a weekend to relax and chill, maybe a beer/pizza.
I was planning on doing the Enduro race, but while we were away i missed the entry so i'm not sure what i'll do about that now.


 
Posted : 19/08/2025 5:50 am
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It beats sleeping in a car park hands down 😉

Taking a little detour on our summer schedule after the Les Menuires race. We're at Dyfi next Thursday and BPW on Friday!

Looking for any reasonably priced places to stay in the direction of Merthyr Tydfil. Got any preferences?


 
Posted : 19/08/2025 7:56 am
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TBH mate we just use the Premier Inn at Merthyr generally. It does exactly what it says on the tin. Sometimes we've stayed a little further out due to expense/cost but Merthyr just works well.

Don't think we can do that as we're heading to Bringewood that weekend (or the unlikely trip away lol)


 
Posted : 19/08/2025 8:04 am
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Cheers mate, that narrows down the shortlist.

Have a good one at Bringewood (or Les Gets) 


 
Posted : 19/08/2025 8:36 am
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Awesome job by the lovely people at TFTuned who snuck his shock/fork in at super short notice and got it serviced and back to me.

So we're all good with new frame bearings, freshly serviced bouncers and a new rear Reserve rim going on today. 

This weekend is only Malverns, so we 100% don't NEED the DH bike for it, but he loves riding the DH way way more than anything else, so it wouldn't shock me if he's riding it even on the easiest DH course on the planet lol.

I'm hoping he can get some time to work on a few bits in his riding that he's struggling with at the moment, it's a pretty important time in his riding right now and i'd love it to all come together as it did a few months back, but for some reason he's not quite 100% with a few bits of it.


 
Posted : 21/08/2025 11:18 am
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Weekend at Malverns.

Race day yesterday in the Dual Slalom and for some reason it was the National Champs, the boy ended up coming away with the jersey 

https://flic.kr/p/2rp6nuA


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 7:20 am
tomdubz, lister, integra and 12 people reacted
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Applause !

well done!


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 7:46 am
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Great result. Give him congratulations from all of us


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 8:18 am
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Superb result, well done 


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 8:22 am
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Fantastic result!


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 8:28 am
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Awesome result! Also annoying as I was there and didn't watch the slalom. Was too busy seeing if Katy would fall in the lake, was disappointed there as well 🙂


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 5:03 pm
weeksy reacted
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