Author Topic: 2017 Race Blog - The Trials & Tribulations of a New School Newbie (in Japan)! (Read 47519 times)

insectbones · « **Reply #100 on:** July 13, 2017, 10:41 PM »

Not good Mick!

Get well soon mate

At least you'll have no more trips to the post office now

Mikku · « **Reply #101 on:** July 14, 2017, 01:15 AM »

Cheers guys! I think I've found the perfect solution to my problems! It's definitely lighter, possibly faster, and arguably safer than the Crupi. Yes, I give you my new ride, as found abandoned by my rubbish storage start gate!!

Andyboy77 · « **Reply #102 on:** July 14, 2017, 09:09 AM »

That looks lovely Mick!

I hope you're not after pink break cables now

Mikku · « **Reply #103 on:** July 16, 2017, 12:41 AM »

No, but I have found a matching outfit!

Andyboy77 · « **Reply #104 on:** July 16, 2017, 01:08 AM »

Can't wait to see that

Mikku · « **Reply #105 on:** August 10, 2017, 07:18 PM »

Went back to Midoriyama on Sunday for the latest race weekend, though spectating rather than racing for obvious reasons. Lots of people came up to ask about the shoulder including some I hadn't spoken to before, so that was nice. I also met a 17 year old rider who'd just returned from competing in the World's at Rock Hill in the States! He was a quiet, down-to-earth kid and needless to say was bloody quick, so it great to watch him.

On the racing front, it was another hot, energy-sapping day, so in that respect I was actually not too unhappy to be watching from the sidelines. Another race elsewhere also meant there was a low turnout of riders including in my class, which was merged with the much quicker over 14s!! It was nonetheless a good day of racing, and an interesting point to note for me was that 2 riders (both much better and quicker than me) went down in the same berm that I did, which made me feel a little bit better about my wipeout!

So I'm now typing this update from BC, Canada. The shoulder has bombed my car rental, mountain-biking and watersports plans but in between my lakeside R&R, I'm hoping to check out a round of the Canadian National BMX Championships this weekend!

Mikku · « **Reply #106 on:** August 28, 2017, 11:55 AM »

So over the weekend I returned from my trip to Canada and the US, and made the most of the free shipping opportunity by bringing back some goodies in my suitcase. Most of these were for my Crupi, and of those the biggest and most important was a new set of wheels! I’ll start a separate post about those babies but suffice to say I’m stoked, having been searching for a decent wheelset for a few months! I also picked up various other parts, some new, some used but all much cheaper than I would have paid for them in Japan, assuming that I could have got them here! These include a Maxxis tyre, a Rennen chainwheel, some DMR V12 pedals, a Crupi chain, some Promax brake pads, a Promax seat post clamp and a Halo Clickster freewheel. Below is a pic of my early Christmas presents!

I also went back to hospital today to see the specialist. Updated X-rays confirmed that the shoulder’s healing ok, though is still unstable which explains why I can’t do much without it bloody hurting. I was also able to get some more details about the injury itself. The dislocation was the less common (as in less than 5% of cases) posterior dislocation, which is where the humerus is pushed backwards out of the socket. In my case this also caused a fracture of the head of the humerus, and apparently there’s still a small bit of bone floating around somewhere inside my shoulder! However, the doc reckons I should be able to ride again in a month, though the next step is to regain a full range of movement before building up the muscles again. So this week I’m hopefully going to start some physio treatment. Bring it on baby!

Mikku · « **Reply #107 on:** September 09, 2017, 04:22 AM »

So having now had two sessions of physio and started doing various exercises at home, I’m seeing some improvement in the shoulder, with increased stability and range of movement, though it still bloody hurts if I push it too much. However, as part of my rehab I have, for the first time since the accident (which was 2 months ago today), been out on the Crupi again! Only on a short, 15-minute ride on flat-ish roads around my neighbourhood but man, it was great to be back in the saddle again.

Before going I also gave the bike a quick once over, having not touched it for 2 months. The dirt from the crash was still caked on but apart from a few battle scars, everything looks to be ok, and I didn’t notice anything untoward on the ride, so that was also good news.

Next steps are to continue with the physio and start getting some more mileage on the bike. My goal is to race at Midoriyama on 15th October, which is 5 weeks away. Not too unrealistic I think, though there are 2 more races thereafter, so if I don’t make it then, I’m sure both me and this blog will be back on track before the end of the season. In the meantime there’s the Midoriyama “Night Race” next weekend, which I’ll go along to watch and I also need to play with the new parts for the Crupi, as pictured above.

Drawn · « **Reply #108 on:** September 09, 2017, 11:11 AM »

Not sure how it works over there, but in the meantime while recovering have you thought of getting involved with the club in another way?
Could you possibly be an official and assist them on race days, ie do they use flags to say if someone is down?

Good to see you're back out there on the bike.

Mikku · « **Reply #109 on:** September 09, 2017, 02:09 PM »

That's a good idea mate! I usually help to prepare the track on race days (by sweeping and removing stones, etc) but yeah, I could also help while I can't ride, with flags and so on. That's assuming both my shoulder and Japanese can handle it!! Will definitely give it some thought before next weekend.

Mikku · « **Reply #110 on:** September 16, 2017, 02:59 AM »

A big typhoon is due to hit Japan this weekend and this has unexpectedly presented me with the possibility of an earlier return to racing! This is due to the postponement of Sunday’s Night Race to 8th October. As mentioned above, I was planning to hit the track that weekend anyway, albeit as a trial run for the following weekend’s race. The calendar has now been changed, with those weekends switched, so if I can get my backside into gear, or rather, my shoulder back into shape a week earlier than I was thinking then I may actually be able to do the Night Race instead! With that in mind, I got up early this morning for a pre-typhoon ride!! This time I went out for an hour, again on a fairly flat route but giving my shoulder more of a workout and also doing a few sprints. I also did a bit of gate practice on my makeshift rubbish bin gate! I’m continuing to have a weekly physio session and with the exercises I do both at home and work, the shoulder’s definitely on the mend. The million dollar question is will it be ready to race in 3 weeks’ time? Finger’s crossed!!

Mikku · « **Reply #111 on:** September 27, 2017, 02:10 PM »

Am continuing to aim for the Night Race, which is now only 11 days away! Have therefore been riding more including some uphill sprint training, though still not at 100% as I don't want to put too much strain on the shoulder too soon. Plus I've definitely lost some fitness over the last 11 weeks!

However, with an eye on the following weekend, this Sunday I'm going to try to get up to Kawaguchi and have a spin round the track there. I'm not planning to go crazy, just see how the shoulder holds up to the rhythm sections and some of the smaller jumps. That should be a better measure of my recovery, and if I come through that ok, I'll enter the Night Race on the 8th.

Mikku · « **Reply #112 on:** October 01, 2017, 11:33 AM »

It’s a funny old game, this bmx lark! This wasn’t supposed to be a race report but I realised yesterday that my planned practice at Kawaguchi coincided with a race meeting, the last one of the year there. At first I thought I’d watch the racing then practice afterwards but it gradually dawned on me that I could race myself. My shoulder’s still not 100% - it’s still painful to put a shirt or t-shirt on - but I figured that as I was going to there to practice, I may as well practice in race conditions!

Being a last minute decision, I hadn’t booked a hire car, so got up at 5.30 this morning, packed my rucksack, put the Crupi into its train bag and headed off for the station! Three trains and 2 hours later, I was at the track, asking the organisers if I could join the pre-race practice session before entering, which they agreed to, so I spent about 20 minutes taking in a few laps and practice gates. I was really wary of the damp, first corner, which was where I came a cropper on my first visit to the track, so was taking it slow and easy there as the last thing I wanted to do was go over again. The shoulder felt ok though, so I decided to enter my first Kawaguchi race!

I hadn’t noticed before but Kawaguchi only has a 6-man start gate. There were only 3 of us in the over 30s class but since there were 5 in the over 14s, it meant we wouldn’t be able to run together, which is what would have happened at Midoriyama. That was a bloody relief because I was dreading the thought of a full gate for my first race back. So how did I do? Well, not too bad. I was obviously rusty after 12 weeks out and was also mindful of the shoulder, so was focussing on survival as much as anything else. I was a bit slower out of the gate that the other 2 and those first corner concerns meant I was losing time there as well but I kept station with the 2nd placed guy for the majority of the time, so I was happy with that. With only the 3 of us, we all went through to the main where I once again finished third aka last, though a bit closer than in the motos. As a reward for my efforts I ended up on the podium and picked up a medal. Yes, I know, there were only 3 of us but bearing in mind what happened in my last race, I’ll take anything I can get!

Post-race they kept the start gate up for another hour, so I was able to practice a dozen or so starts. That gave me the chance to work on a couple of tips given to me by another rider plus watch some of the faster guys, which is always good. Gate practice over with, I was going to stay on for some more track time but my legs and back had had enough by then, so I decided to call it a day and head home.

So in the end it was a bloody good day! Unplanned and unexpected but a success nonetheless. The shoulder held up, I got some more mileage under my belt, I survived my first race at Kawaguchi and walked away with a medal. All in all, great preparation for the Midoriyama Night Race next weekend. That's going to be a different kettle of fish but I'm definitely in a better position after today.

oldtired · « **Reply #113 on:** October 01, 2017, 05:41 PM »

top stuff dude

Mikku · « **Reply #114 on:** October 07, 2017, 01:02 PM »

Thanks mate! Have added a few pics below.

So tomorrow's the postponed Midoriyama Night Race. The hire car's booked, provisions had been bought, I've given the bike the once over and my gear's all ready to go. Although the forecast is for fine, sunny weather, we had a good 12 hours worth of heavy rain overnight, so I'm expecting the track to be on the damp side. I'll see how it looks and rides when I get there but I may switch out the front DTH for something knobblier! There's a couple of practice sessions either side of lunch and racing starts mid-afternoon, with a late evening finish, so it should be a fun if long day. Looking forward to it, though must admit to feeling the nerves!

Mikku · « **Reply #115 on:** October 13, 2017, 03:28 PM »

So a week after my inaugural race at Kawaguchi, I found myself back in action at Midoriyama for the postponed Night Race. This was the biggest meeting I’ve been to to-date, with a large turnout for the chance to ride under floodlights plus Monday was a national holiday, so most people had a 3-day weekend and could recover on the Monday, me included.

As anticipated, it was a much more challenging day than at Kawaguchi. The practice session highlighted how unfit I am, with the longer and more demanding track really taking it out of me. I was also really nervous before the races started, maybe due to the memory of my last race there or the 3-month gap since that day, or a bit of both. Whatever the reason, I had to work really hard to keep control of my nerves, not helped by the over 30 class having a full gate and me drawing lane 1 for the first moto. Somehow I managed to keep it together for the start, which saw me fighting for 6th going into the first berm. However, my lack of fitness and racecraft, not to mention a bit of pre-accident confidence, led me to bring up the rear as we crossed the line. That result was repeated in the next moto, though I gradually gained in speed and confidence, managing to put the nerves to bed by the 3rd moto. It was also a real blast racing under floodlights for the first time.

Unsurprisingly, I failed to make the main though that gave me the chance to watch a bit of racing. I’ve posted a few pics below (with apologies for the poor quality) to give you an idea of the conditions. With night drawing in, the track started getting slippy during the mains and a few leaders came a cropper on the final berm, literally going from hero to zero! There were also a couple of crashes in my class, leading to an ambulance being called and a hospital visit for one of the riders, thankfully with no serious damage being reported.

I had to leave before the end in order to get the hire car back on time, so missed the final few races but it was certainly an eventful evening by all accounts. Significantly for me, my shoulder once again held up, which was great, though my whole body was aching for 2 days afterwards!!

So that was my 6th race of the season. There are 2 more to go this season and I’m planning to enter both, with some practice sessions in between, though the one scheduled for this weekend is likely to be rained off. Tbh, I could do with a break after the excitement of the last two weekends, so I’m not too disappointed, though I do need to work on my fitness so will try to do something one way or another.

Mikku · « **Reply #116 on:** October 27, 2017, 01:52 PM »

Nothing to report here due to not 1, not 2 but 3 rainy weekends!!

On the plus side, it's giving my shoulder more time to recover but I really want to get out there and ride!

Mikku · « **Reply #117 on:** November 10, 2017, 02:38 PM »

The sunshine finally coincided with a day off work last week, so I headed off up to Kawaguchi for a practice session at Gorilla Park, as per the pic below. It was a bit damp, so I was taking it easy, but gradually got faster and a bit more confident over the jumps, though the bottom line is that I'm still worried about coming a cropper and damaging the shoulder again. I guess that concern will ease over time, well at least I bloody well hope it does!

Anyway, this weekend sees me back at Midoriyama for the penultimate race of the season. Having hardly been out on the bike since the last race a month ago, I'm not expecting any miracles, though as always, I'm looking forward to getting back out there. Report to follow on Sunday night. Hopefully!

Mikku · « **Reply #118 on:** November 13, 2017, 12:19 PM »

So Sunday saw my 7th race of the season at Midoriyama. The previous 2 practice days having been rained off, I hadn’t ridden there since the last race last month. There were only 3 other riders in my class but I knew from previous races that they were all faster than me, which proved to be the case during the motos. Basically, I lose a little bit to them in all sections of the track - they’re faster out of the gate, carry more speed over the jumps, pedal more through and out of the berms and don’t run out of the steam by the end! I therefore really need to train, with a focus on building up both my power and stamina, which weren’t great to begin with but have definitely decreased since my accident.

Anyway, the final race of the season is next month, as per the flyer below. That gives me a few weeks to work on everything, and hopefully I can make a start at the official practice session at Midoriyama next weekend.

Drawn · « **Reply #119 on:** November 14, 2017, 07:54 AM »

Sounds like you have a good plan and are on the way to your goal.

Any thoughts on what you want to work on?
A gradually increasing sprints set up (build up over a few weeks) would help with the power side and will also have some effect on the stamina.
If you want any assistance on that side just ask.

Also good to see youll be back on the bike properly.

Mikku · « **Reply #120 on:** November 14, 2017, 02:18 PM »

Quote from: Drawn on November 14, 2017, 07:54 AM

If you want any assistance on that side just ask.

Yes please!

By way of background, before my injury I was doing a little circuit near my house, which was basically sprinting full-speed up a 200-metre long hill then cooling down on a few, smaller side roads which loop back down to the bottom of the hill. I used to do that half a dozen or so times, 3 times a week, and could definitely feel the difference on the track. However, since I started riding again, I've only done the circuit a few times and not at full-speed, for fear of putting the shoulder under too much strain (I'm still having physio on it). That said, with a few races under my belt I now feel I can give it some more wellie, so will try to do that this weekend. That's another thing, my work schedule has changed and realistically, I can now only ride at the weekends. & I hate gyms!

Mikku · « **Reply #121 on:** November 20, 2017, 12:50 PM »

I packed the Crupi into the ol' train bag yesterday and went back to Midoriyama for a practice session. There was a UCI event elsewhere, so attendance was down but that meant it was very low-key and relaxed, plus I didn't have to wait for track or gate space. I practised the various sections of the track (it was too knackering to do them all at once!) and managed about 25 gates over the 2 gate sessions. I'm still a long way from sussing out the bloody snap but did see some progress with getting the power down after the gate drops and sprinting to and over the first set of jumps.

Having got the train there, I decided to ride the hour home and man, my legs were shot! All good for building up my stamina though, so no complaints!

Mikku · « **Reply #122 on:** November 29, 2017, 12:34 PM »

Did some sprint training last weekend. Only around my local roads but they’re nice and quiet, so I could get my head down and push myself. Not sure what the locals thought of a middle-aged, foreign guy sprinting backwards and forwards past their houses though!!

Am back at Midoriyama this weekend for the official pre-race practice session. Will continue to work on increasing my speed and stamina around the track, as well as getting some more, much-needed gate practice!

oldtired · « **Reply #123 on:** December 01, 2017, 05:31 PM »

Mikku · « **Reply #124 on:** December 04, 2017, 12:13 PM »

Spent another sunny Sunday at Midoriyama yesterday, for the official practice for the season finale. Unlike last time, this one was busy meaning track space was at a premium. On the plus side, there were three gate sessions, so I could really work on my starts and that seemed to bear some fruit, as a couple of riders commented that I was looking faster, which was good to hear, though I know I’ve got a long way to go. That was brought home when I shared a few gates with some expert and elite riders. Man, that’s a different world!! They’re a bike length ahead of me before I’ve blinked, and are almost over the third jump before I’ve hit the lip of the first! Unbelievably impressive, even riding behind them!

Anyway, this coming Sunday sees the Final Race of the season. I’ve a couple of friends coming along, so am under additional pressure to perform, but will try to keep my head and concentrate on getting round in one piece. Race report to follow next week!