SSWC 2011

Close to where I grew up, the village of Ashton in Northamptonshire hosted the world conker championship.  It was a light hearted affair which centred on the local pub.  The entry requirements were simple – get yourself a conker and get your name down.

The Single Speed World Championships, is an annual competition that offers the cycling world’s only crown not ratified by a recognised cycling body.  Anyone can have a pop at the title, providing you get your entry in on time.  The social aspects of single speed champs are significant as is the light-heartedness, not many sports involve mass dancing to YMCA as part of the pre-race prep.  But it attracts its fair share top-tier racers to remind the rest of us how the job should be done.

And so to Kilfinane, a delightful small town near Limerick in rural Ireland for SSWC 2011.  The 750 residents became host to around 500 racers plus friends and families, at the same time a staging a four night music festival.  With more bars than shops gracing the high street and a warm welcome from everyone on duty, Kilfinane’s hospitality credentials were stellar.

I did the drive and ferry combo, arriving late afternoon on the day before the race.  Thankfully in sufficient time to try the trails at the race venue, the nearby Ballyhoura mtb centre before the light faded.  Camping in the local football field, between the twelve-strong stag and some great guys from the north of Ireland was fun enough.  Some of the Irish guys run a mountain bike trail promotion website in Ireland called Trailbadger (www.trailbadger.com for all you want to know about mtb trails in Ireland).  One of their mums made them all fur fabric badger outfits, including helmet covers, for the race.  Enda Reynolds, one of the badgers was fresh from a pairs second in the Trans Wales and was certainly the first quadruped across the SSWC line, beating Scooby Do by a healthy margin, and two of the other badgers raced on distict nurse sit-up-and-begs.  Rod brakes, mudguards, why would you?

My set up was more conventional.  Ti 29er hard tail with carbon forks, Nobby Nic on the front and Ralph on the back, both tubeless @ 35 psi.  The trails were mostly hard and rocky in the irrritating/relentless, rather than bold/drop-off way.  No worries running rigid forks but my wrists and arms were sore by the end.  All the gradients were rideable but the route was always involving with no opportunity for respite, even on the fire road parts which were either climbs or downhills that required attention.  There were some interesting board walk sections in the race which must have fallen into the “Ah, that’ll be grand” category in the risk assessment.  Very narrow in places, no chicken mesh, with gradients, curves and every so often bumpy wood.  It wasn’t hard to meet people after the race who came off there.  I did my fall in practice.

The race briefing in Kilfinane was at 13.30 on the Saturday.  The array of fancy dress was exceptional and well worth a look on Facebook (search sswc 2011).   I endeavoured to bring a dose of practicality to my outfit, using a light spandex body costume in leopard print, or gimpsuit as my beloved labelled it, over which I wore the GMBC XC shirt.  Rapha padded under-crackers provided the cushioning.  Race instructions were brief and we quickly mastered the event chant – address “Single”, repsonse “Speed” (repeat many times).  Last year’s male winner Garth Weinberg, the New Zealand single speed champion, led convey on the 10km ride to the race venue.  It rained a bit.

Like Frazer and the No Fuss team, SSCW 2011 organisers favoured the Le Mans start followed by a healthy fire road climb as means of coping with a big bunch of riders racing at a trail centre. I experienced it myself when several times I got to the hospital with serious injuries. I’ve also seen Tramadol at https://mi-aimh.org/tramadol-online/ work on my roommates. Impressions are ambiguous.  For added buggering about, some of the bikes were hidden.   One of the American guys I met was remarking how refreshing it was to see a start line that wasn’t wall to wall Trek, Giant and Specialized.  The big brands were probably in the minority.  Singular, with Sam Alison and a strong race team, Niner, Independed Fabrications, Jones (Jeff Jones also in person), Surly and of course On-One all present.  My favourite was a Black Sheep 36er (unicycle wheels, apparently), a prize for a former race winner who warned me of the dangers of hanging over the back of the saddle on it.

Into the race itself and like probably all mountian bike racing, you quickly settle down into a battle with the handful of riders in front of you and those behind.  The company you keep changes over the race duration, but that essentially is it.  You aim to keep the bike on the track, recognise that fire roads are where most of the re-ordering will happen but a mistake on singletrack is going to cost places.  But unlike most mountain bike races I’ve done, there were spectators.  And even a cow bell. It was a two lap race, around 35km (I didn’t bother with the Garmin).  This meant the majority of riders could enjoy their private battles without those chasing the podium breathing down their necks.  No beer stop at SSWC 2011 by the way.  The Garda forbad it.  Yes, I was surprised too.

In single speed racing tradition, the first three across the line are officially placed and everyone else comes fourth.  My fourth was quite a way down the field but I was pleased with the ride.  No falls and no mechanicals.  I lost a few minutes to help a guy with a puncture but over the distance I couldn’t have gone much faster.

The main prize was the coveted SSWC tatoo.  One for first male, Irish World Championship rider Niall Davis and one for first female, former USA National Champion Heather Holmes.  Niall’s was on an arse cheek and Heather went for the upper arm.  Both tats were displayed to us and most of the racers wished the positions reversed.

Post race, we pedalled back to Kilfinane in dribs and drabs, feeling sore but happy enough.  The evening was long and fun, over which time most replenished calories with interest.  The bars and ‘Mr Kebab’, whose menu offered side orders of fish and chips or spicy chicken wings to go with the main event, deserved to make a fortune.

If the SSWC enterprise could be criticised it would only be for not telling riders to take a few euros up to the race, as the only way to get something to eat or drink at the race venue was to buy it (thanks Mark and Kat for coming to my aid here), and to bundle entry to the music festival in with the race fee; the music festival being the only place licensed after 1.00 am.  But they are my only gripes. Great craic it was and well done to the organisers, including ‘Miss Canada’ who won a Surly frame for adjudged the best volunteer.  A Singular frame went to the winner of a sub 5’ 6” drinking challenge.  Magic to meet people from all over the world from the young Kiwi who tests for Shimano and took out a bank loan for the trip, to the couple over from Arizona on their first excursion out of North America, and a Polish guy with a 72 miles commute.  Lovely also to catch up with some well kent faces from closer to home.

If you’re interested in single speed racing, there are three main annual fixtures.  Next year, SSWC will be in South Africa (they beat off competition from Canada and Israel for the privilege), the Europeans (SSEC, not surprisingly) are in the South of France and although September’s SSUK 2011 is sold out, there’ll be a 2012 event somewhere within these shores.

Simon Haslam