Katy Curd

I have always loved Fort William so I always look forward to coming here. I never do that well here results wise but the track is so much fun to ride and Fort William as a place holds some great memories for me.

I felt pretty unprepared coming in to this race as it would be the first time I would of ridden my new Rose downhill bike and also the first time I’ve ridden downhill in about 2months so I was coming in to the race with out any expectations. I was also didn’t know how my arm would hold up to such a rough and demanding track but if there was one place to find out, it would be here!

It was an early start as usual Saturday morning but I was to excited to ride anyway I was up and full of energy come 6.30am! We headed straight to the pits in the morning and took a quick visit to James at J-Tech suspension who helped me set up my Fox forks and shock before I tried to rattle my way down the track.

Unfortunately there was severe weather warnings being reported for Sunday which meant that if this was correct the gondola wouldn’t be able to run, meaning no race. Si Paton (the organiser) made the wise to move seeding runs to Saturday afternoon. That way if the gondola’s couldn’t run sunday, are seeding results would count as are race runs. With seeding now moved to the afternoon time was limited for practice, it was going tot be hard to try put a race run together after only a mornings practice but everyone was in the same boat.

I was feeling real good in practice, just getting sections dialled bit by bit, trying not to wear myself out. I was aiming to get 4 practice runs in before my seeding run but on my third run down I was starting to get arm pump so I decided to knock it on the head and try rest a bit before my seeding run.

Heading up in the gondola for my seeding run the weather was just starting to turn, the wind was picking up and it had just started to rain. My seeding run started off a little messy, I couldn’t get focused and started missing my lines, I finally got my head together but by this time arm pump in my left hand had already kicked in. Since my injury I suffer quite bad with arm pump and as soon as I get it my fingers start locking on the brake, I start losing grip and I almost can’t control my own hand! Which meant as soon as I got it, not even quarter of the way in to my run that was almost it for me, race over… I managed to get down the track and post in a time but I felt like I didn’t race it, just rode down… It was a weird feeling crossing the line, I honestly couldn’t of gone any faster and I put everything I possibly could in to the run but when all your thinking about down the track is your hand locking up its hard to focus on riding let alone racing. I managed to end up 4th, a bit of the pace but that’s what I had expected.

Unfortunately the weather reports were all spot on and the race was canceled on the Sunday due to it being to windy for the gondola to run so the end results went off of seeding. I am happy with how the weekend went and I’m real happy to walk away with 4th place but I think I still have a long way to go before I can ride downhill at race pace again. Big thank you to Dave Knight for spannering for me all weekend, massive help.

I couldn’t of asked for a better week.

Szczawno-zdroj, Poland was host of round 2 of the 4X ProTour. The track has been on the European 4X circuit for a few years now but I’ve never had the chance to go so I was looking forward to seeing if the track lived up to the hype.

We arrive in Poland Tuesday night and headed straight for the track. From the first sight the track looked amazing, it was late so the flood lights were on and lighting up the track in all its glory. You could clearly see how much effort had gone in to making and keeping the track in such good condition, not only was the track in good shape but even the surroundings were looking good as well, clean cut grass, sculpted dirt benches, perfectly placed banners.

Official practice didn’t start until Friday night but the track is open 24/7 (with flood lights on every night untill 11pm) so we didn’t waste anytime time Wednesday and got straight up to the track to start training. The track was dry and dusty and every corner was unpredictable so it kept you on your toes the whole way down, it’s was so much fun to ride I just couldn’t wait to get racing on it.

Qualifying and racing was all on Saturday so we had a pretty chilled out week just riding, training and exploring the delights Poland had to offer. Come Saturday I was feeling good on the track and was looking forward to getting my qualifying run done. I made a few mistakes during my qualifying run and crossed the line in 2nd but I knew I had a lot more to give so I was feeling confident for the final.

Half way through the men’s qualifying runs the heavens opened and the heaviest rain storm I had seen in a while soaked the track with in minutes. This turned the race around big time as the conditions got worse and worse it meant even some of the big names didn’t make the cut for qualifying. Being from the UK I love riding in these conditions and I think I can honestly say I was one of the only people happy about the weather! A quick tyre change and some extra layers thrown on I was ready to race!

For the final i knew if i could get a good start id be in for a chance for a good result. The gate dropped and I got the snap and took the lead in to the first corner. Coming in to the third corner i tried to play it smart and went wide for some extra grip but soon felt the bars of Celine Gros knocking into me trying to cut in from the inside. I managed to keep the lead but i could hear her on my tail all the way. I tried to just keep it smooth, play it safe and just not make any mistakes and it paid off as i kept the lead all the way until the finish to cross the line in 1st place taking my first 4X world win.

I think now I have took the lead in the series overall so hopefully I can continue the good results in the next round in 4 weeks time. for now it’s off up to Fort William, Scotland for the British Downhill Series round 2.

Photos to follow very soon

After a long 10 hour drive from Riva del Garda we arrived in Poland for the next stop on the racing calendar. Szczawno Zdroj, Poland is host to round 2 of the 4X pro tour and it looks like its set to be a big one. You can clearly see a lot of work has gone in to the track and the surroundings, the town is clearly very supportive of the series and proud to have the race in their home town.

Joost Wichman and myself have been up at the track training since Wednesday and the track is running real good. I think come Saturday night there will be some serious action and some real good racing.

Check out the video below for a quick view of the track and some riding action from this week.

Training 4X Poland

It’s my first time here at Riva Del Garda but it certainly won’t be my last! From the moment you arrive the scenery and views are stunning, mountain back drops, bright blue lakes and on most days bright blue sky and not a cloud in sight. The bike festival itself is also a event no to be missed, I’ve never seen so many cyclist in one place!

The team have come down to take part in some of the events here including the 4X night sprint as well as the enduro race. The main event for myself here was the night sprint which took part last night. The track was a little different to a normal 4X track and was more of a bmx track, so very flat, not a hill or slope in sight and lots of pedalling!

Qualifying went really well for me, despite a very poor gate! With the gate being an electro magnet gate it meant it was the slowest gate I’ve ever ridden as well as that there was no beeps or commands to go off, something I was struggling to get used to! I hit the gate on my qualifying run which led me to a poor start but managed to put in a solid run after that to finish in 1st place.

Come the finals everyone had qualified so there was a good show of girls racing. Every heat was a good close battle. Again I was struggling with the gate all night but for most heats I managed to get out in front come the first corner and battled my way through to the final. For the final I was up against Anneke Beerten, Steffi Marth and Laura Brethauer. My gate was no better and I rolled out the gate last but in to the first jump I managed to get back level with everyone. Coming in to the first corner and Anneke had pulled away from me by a bike length and despite trying to close down on her I just didn’t quite have the legs to catch her up. I crossed the line in 2nd place behind Anneke with Steffi in 3rd. It was a great event with a massive crowd and good to see the excitement and interest is still there for 4X racing.

Next event for me will be the Enduro race here at Garda tomorrow so keep checking back for updates.

Last week the team headed down to Vaujany, France, (one of the main sponsors of the team and not to mention an amazing place to ride) for the official team presentation.

We arrived in Vaujany Wednesday evening with a very warm welcome from Rose, the owners of Chalet Saskia (the chalet which we were staying in) and even the major of the town! From the minute we arrived we were treated like royalty! Shortly after arriving we were welcomed with a stunning 7 course meal with some imaginative yet amazing food. Still impressed at the quality and creativity of the meals.

Thursday morning it was time for the Team presentation. A chance to introduce the team to the community of Vaujany and the media as well as show off the new team bikes to everyone. There was a great turn out of people and everyone was super friendly and keen know more about the team.

Straight after the presentation we got kitted up and headed straight for the hills to explore the trails Vaujany had to offer. Unfortunately there was still a fair bit of snow around which meant we could only ride the lower sections off the trails but this was still enough to show us the variety of terrain the place has to offer.

The trails have everything from fast flowing sections to gnarly rock sections that will test even the best of riders, just can’t wait to come back in the summer when all the snow has gone to explore all the trails.

It was a short trip but well worth it. It was great to meet everyone and it has now got me stoked for summer when we’ll get a chance to return to the village to ride, train and chill out in between races.

All photos by: Irmo Keizer/ Adrenaline Media

4X is far from dead. 

This weekend saw the first round ever of the new series, 4X Pro Tour, take place in Houffalize, Belgium. Houffalize has been a regular track in both the World Cup and European 4X races in the past so it was a great place to kick start the first round of the Pro Tour. 

Friday evening was the first official practice session followed directly by qualifying. There was a slight delay before anyone was allowed on track though as the UCI xc eliminator race had over ran slightly and they were racing up the 4X track and our uplift track as part of there loop! It looked as painful as is sounds! As soon as their race had finished though it was straight over to 4X practice.

The schedule was a little different to a normal world cup with only 2 days practice and racing, which meant there wasn’t much time for messing around, time had to be spent wisely getting lines, jumps and gates dialled all with in the hour and a half practice before qualifying.

I have to say, I wasn’t used to having such a short time slot for practice which meant when it came round to qualifying I didn’t feel as ready as I felt I could of. I was feeling good on track but I have lost a lot of confidence since my crash so it takes me a lot longer to attempt something I’m not 100% sure about. Therefore my first straight suffered big time! Straight out the gate it was off a small drop in to a double, I had decided I wasn’t going to stress myself out about doing the jump but I think my head had a different idea during qualifying! 

I got a little bit excited as I left the gate for my qualifying run, I went a bit to fast into the double and couldn’t keep the wheels on the ground! I hit in to the back of the landing and had a big old wobble but some how managed to stay on and calm myself down for the rest of the run. I crossed the line in 3rd place, a bit of the pace but I knew I could make it up during racing.

Race day. I was feeling good for racing, still could quite convince myself to jump the first double but I knew it wouldn’t hold me back too much. My first heat filled me with confidence as I led and won the heat with out to much of a battle. My second heat was more of a battle though. I ended up bar to bar with Celine Gros down the first straight but held back a little going into the first corner as I knew with a clean run I’d be over the line in 2nd and into the final for a real race. For the final I was up against faster qualifier Anneke Beerten, Celine Gros and Lucia Oetjen. I had a good start and again was bar to bar with Celine whilst Anneke took the lead but made the mistake of the night and didn’t pull inside enough for the first corner placing me into 3rd. From here on wards I just couldn’t find the lines to make a move or even keep up with them and ended up crossing the line in a solid 3rd place.

I was happy with the result and a podium position for my first 4X back but I still feel I have a lot of room for improvement. It was a great weekend, first weekend racing with the team and it was great to see that 4X is far from dead! I’m now looking forward to the next month training and even more excited for the next 4X pro tour round in Poland in 3 weeks time.

For updates and news follow me on twitter @katycurd or find me on Facebook: katy curd

Joost Wichman and Myself have worked together with Rose to develop the frames especially for 4X and the finishing product certainly hasn’t disappointed! Rose have come up with the goods yet again and produced a frame that’s light, strong and super stiff, all the ingredients for a perfect 4X bike.

With less than a week to go now before the first 4X pro tour in Houffalize, Belgium I have been busy slamming in hours of training on the new Rose 4X bike. I’ve been tripping up and down the country testing it out and trashing it at some of the UK’s best tracks. It’s been one good week and I’m starting to get more than a little bit excited for this weekend!

I will try keep updates, results and photos posted here as soon as they happen.

New pre-season video: http://dirt.mpora.com/news/katy-curd.html

Back from injury and back to training full time, short video documenting a couple of days training getting prepared for the season.

Exciting news for 2012…

www.bikeradar.com

www.dirt.mpora.com

Its now 4 months down the line from my injury, recovery is going well, just like most stuff its taking longer than originally thought. Fingers crossed i will be fully back on the bike after x-mas, but for now why not take a look at this short little video from my last few months recovering.
Katy Curd Recovery