2024 Race Blog - Year 8 - It's Never Too Late!!

[Mikku]

Happy New Year Radsters! It's January 2024, which means it's time for a new race blog - my eighth from the Land of the Rising Sun! No, I can't quite believe that either but since I'm still here, and still racing, I may as well keep prattling on about it.

Starting with some race news, KBU has announced its annual, three-race winter series, though this year two of the races are at Kishiwada, the other track in Osaka. This is the most challenging track I've ridden to date, with a 5-metre-high start hill and a triple jump on the first straight that always tries to buck me off the bike. The first race is on 21st Jan, so I have two and a half weeks to decide whether to go. Half of me wants to, half of me not, so it'll depend on how brave I'm feeling nearer the time!! I'd be keener if I could make it there for a practice session but that's unlikely to happen, so we'll see.

Thereafter, I'm planning to sign up for my two regular race series at Oizumi and Joetsu. My Aussie mate is also involved in building a new track in Chiba, the other side of Tokyo. It's a mission to get there from here but I'd like to check that out at least once during the year.

The biggest plan though, is to race in North America. I'm due to go to Canada in late summer anyway, so am planning to take a bike and race there. Plus, if I'm going to race in Canada, I may as well fulfil a boyhood dream to race in the States whilst I'm there. Having now turned 54, I'm not going to have many more chances to do this, so that's the incentive!!

Bike-wise, I'm more than happy with the UB2, so will keep running that, possibly with another set of wheels if I can find some at the right price. Alternatively, I may get the Profile Elite hubs rebuilt into another set of rims or just put the money into my Canadian/US race fund instead. Race kit and gear-wise, I'm always looking out for interesting stuff, but am basically happy with what I've got at the moment.

So that's it for this first post of 2024. As always, I will update the thread with news as and when, and feel free to chime in along the way. In any case, keep it Rad in '24! Cheers!!

[Mikku]

Having decided to man up and enter it, today's first race of the year has been rained off!! Am not overly disappointed given my previous comments and experiences on the Kishiwada track but having decided to go for it, there's definitely some mixed feelings sitting here typing rather than staring down that 5-metre hill!

So the next round is mid-Feb, back at Oizumi, which means that I will need to knuckle down and keep trying to train, despite the winter weather. One idea is to find a multi-storey or at least covered car park where I can do some sprint practice in. Easier said than done but with rain and snow forecast for the next week, I need to get out on the bike and keep the ol' legs spinning!!

In other news, I contacted USABMX about my summer racing plans, just to see what the race entry requirements are. Basically, it looks like I have the choice of a free, 1-day membership or a $40, 60-day membership for multiple tracks. Both are restricted to local races, which is fine by me, and free sounds better than $40 but much will depend on how much racing I actually intend to do. I'm also thinking about where to go, where to race, etc, etc, so that I can actually start looking at flights and whatnot. All good fun!

[Mikku]

It was a national holiday here on Monday, so I went down to Oizumi for my first track session of the year. Took both the GT and Cult to help blow away the cobwebs. It was great to get back out there, and also to loosen up the ol' joints in readiness for this Sunday's race at the same venue. Looking forward to it!

[Mikku]

Despite some threatening dark skies, the rain held off for Round 2 of the 3-round Winter Series in Osaka. There were 11 riders in the Over 30s mixed class, divided into two racks with the top 4 from each going through to the main. I was in the first rack of 5 riders, with some of my regular rivals. I had a good battle with one, going side-by-side in every moto. I beat him in the first one to finish 3rd, then he got me back in the next two, helped by a big wobble on my part after I got over-excited in a second moto dice and nearly got bucked off the bike. I therefore went through to the main event with a 3/4/4 record. It was a full gate for the main and I picked lane 6. I managed to get out in that position, which I held to the line, beating my rival from the motos along with another regular who normally beats me. A good way to start off the year.

Need to knuckle down now to some more training, with a view to keeping the momentum going for the rest of the season. The next race is at Kishiwada on 10th March and there's also a chance that I might venture further afield for a race at the end of March. More on that nearer the time.

[Mikku]

Finally made it back to Kishiwada in Osaka yesterday for the first time in 5 years!! Five being the operative word because Kishiwada has a five-metre start hill followed by a big table top at the bottom, so it feels like a ski jump!! I have to be honest and say that I haven't got the balls to pedal all the way down the hill to the tabletop. It's launches you enough without that additional speed, so I'll leave that to those who are braver than me!

There were 8 riders in my over 30s class so, with a full rack of riders, it was total points racing. I went 5th, 4th and 4th to finish in 4th overall, which I was happy with. It's the most difficult track I race at with some other features that I just can't seem to deal with well. That said, it's a thrilling track to ride with that start hill, so I'd like to give it another go, hopefully withing the next five years!!!

[Quadog]

I can only imagine ive  been watching UCI racing the speed and distance they fly through the air is frightening some of tracks and start gates are huge   

[Mikku]

Yeah, those 8-metre start hills that the UCI Supercross tracks use are insane! Way beyond my skill set for sure!! There's some debate about whether a 5-metre hill would be better. Probably less spectacular to watch but then less risk of big crashes and injuries with the reduced speed.

Back to Japan, there's a race coming up at the end of March in Chiba, the other side of Tokyo. I've raced there once before and would like to again. The trouble is that it's a 10-hour drive, so I?d have to make a long weekend of it. I'm only going to do that if the weather looks good and that's the other problem, with Chiba's weather being notoriously fickle. I'll therefore be checking out the forecasts from now onwards before making a final decision next week. 

[Mikku]

So the Chiba race didn't happen. Well it did, but not for me, as I decided to stay at home and work my way through a jobs-to-do around the house list instead. I did manage to do some training in between the chores, so all wasn't lost.

Another reason for not going is the chance to race this weekend in Osaka, at the first round of the 2024 series at Oizumi. The weather was looking a bit iffy but now looks okay, so fingers crossed that continues through Sunday.

[Mikku]

The weather gods must have been happy because it was a lovely, warm day on Sunday. Oizumi Park was therefore full of people enjoying the cherry blossom and BBQs. There was also a good turnout in KBU's over 30s mixed class, with 16 riders making two full gates and the top four from each going through to the main. I went 6/6/7, so missed out on the final, though had a day long dice with the same rider, which was fun. I was determined to beat him in the 3rd moto, so going over the final set of jumps into the first berm, I saw an opening but had to dab the brakes to avoid contact. Not only did that lose me the chance of fighting for 5th but it also let the guy behind through to take 6th. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. It was an enjoyable day though, made better by staying on afterwards for some much-needed gate practice!

Here's a video of the first moto. I'm in gate 7, second from the right:-

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In other news, the Joetsu BMX Association has just announced its track opening plans with the first race of the season scheduled for the end of the month. It has been quite a while since I last raced in Niigata, so am looking forward to that. Time for some stamina training for the long straights there!

[Mikku]

Monday was a national holiday here and also the opening race of the JBA race series at Joetsu in Niigata. A low turnout of riders but nice weather, so it was a relaxing way to return to a track that I haven't visited for 9 months. There were only 3 riders in the over 30s class, one of whom is a regular rival that I've had some good dices with over the past couple of years. That proved to be the case again, with him taking the first moto and me the next two. That gave me the first gate pick in the main. I'm quicker out of the gate but he often gets me back by the first berm. If I can beat him into the berm then I have a chance of holding him off, which is exactly what happened in motos 2 and 3. I therefore picked gate 3 and he went for 6. That proved to be a smart move on his part as he was able to avoid my blocking tactics, staying high around the berm and coming out in front. I didn't have the legs to challenge him thereafter, so finished second. Not a bad result, but it would have been nice to have got the top spot. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have concentrated more on my line into and through the first berm rather than thinking about his position, as doing that compromised my exit speed and with it my chances of fighting for the lead. Lesson learned and one to remember if I find myself in a similar position again.

There was a gate session after lunch, so I fuelled up and stayed on for that. I normally do a dozen or so gates before calling it a day but this time took the opportunity to try out all the various things that I've been wondering about - different pedal position, leg position, arm position, upper body position, head position, etc, etc. I therefore kept going for the whole session, losing count of the number of starts I tried but definitely 20 plus! Worth the effort though, as I felt that I was making some progress by the end. Hopefully I can put some of that into practice next time out.

My next race should be on 26th May, either at Joetsu or Oizumi, as they've both scheduled races on the same day. I'll therefore have to see what the weather's looking like nearer the time before deciding which one to attend.

[Mikku]

Both race meetings went ahead as scheduled last Sunday, so I chose to go down to Osaka, the rationale being a better chance of more riders and therefore race action. Surprisingly, Joetsu actually had 7 riders enter the over 30s class, meaning that I would have made it a full gate had I gone up there. No regrets though, because I had a good day at Oizumi. There were 12 riders in their over 30s class, so we were split into two racks of 6, with the top four from each going through to the main. I had some close racing in every moto, managing to take 4th, 4th and 4th in each one to qualify for the main. Making the main event at Oizumi is quite often out of my reach, so I was happy with that and couldn't really complain about the subsequent 8th place finish. Overall though, I rode quite well and felt strong throughout the day. There's plenty more to work on, of course, but the important thing for me was making the main with some good dices en route. Below is a video of the third moto, with me in lane 5.

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The next scheduled race is at Joetsu on 23rd June, with Oizumi the following weekend. The Japanese rainy season may have something to say about that, but hopefully at least one of those meetings goes ahead, if not both.

[Mikku]

I unexpectedly found myself with a free Saturday this weekend, so instead of doing some of the many jobs around the house, I loaded up the car and drove up to Niigata for a practice session at Joetsu. A long drive but I wanted to work on a few things before my next race there, hopefully on the 23rd. The rainy season is also looming, so I was keen to get some track time before rain stops play!

[Mikku]

Was supposed to be racing back up at Joetsu tomorrow but, as feared, the rainy season has just kicked off, so the meeting has been postponed to 7th July. Oizumi's race next weekend is also looking dodgy, with rain forecast for the whole week but we'll see what happens. It's not all doom and gloom though, because I've managed to ride my bike every day this week and also did a good hour's worth of sprint training this morning before the heaven's opened.

[Mikku]

A bit of deja vu here, with yesterday's race rained off but I managed to squeeze in a decent sprint session the day before, so the weekend wasn't a complete write-off!

The postponed Joetsu race is next weekend but with rain forecast for the whole week (I kid you not), the chances of that going ahead are also looking slim.

[Mikku]

As anticipated, today's race has been rained off, making it three Sundays in a row!

The weather's okay today but the damage was done in the week and despite some track repairs yesterday, they decided to call it off and focus on next weekend's race instead. Fingers crossed!!

[Mikku]

Quick update! Or rather, weather update!! Joetsu’s Round 4 meeting on the 14th was postponed to the 21st, then that too was rained off!! That’s five flippin’ Sundays in a row!! Un-bloody-believable, despite it being the rainy season!! Anyway, the weather for this Sunday’s race at Oizumi looks fine, though with temps in the mid to high-30s along with high humidity, heat stroke now becomes the main concern!!

[Mikku]

I managed to survive the heat today for Round 4 of the KBU series at Oizumi. There were 17 riders in the over 30s mixed class, so they divided us into three racks of 5,6 and 6, with the top 4 from each going through to semi-finals. I went 3/4/5 to go through to the second semi, where I got my best start of the day but got swallowed up thereafter and came in sixth.

Next race should hopefully be in a fortnight, back up at Joetsu.

[Mikku]

After two consecutive cancellations, the weather gods were finally smiling on Joetsu yesterday for Round 5 of their local race series. With a national series race scheduled there next month, there was quite a big turnout (by their standards) with a full gate of 8 riders in my over 30s class. I was riding okay and went 5th, 4th and 5th to qualify for the main. Choosing lane 3, I thought I had a good chance but had a clash of bars on the first straight bumped me down to 6th by the first berm. Whilst fighting to get that back and eyeing up a move in the second berm, I started to suffer leg cramp, so decided to give up on that idea and settle for sixth. A slightly disappointing end to the day but nonetheless good fun to be out there again, more so because I was riding the Cult rather than the GT. More about that elsewhere but it was interesting to try something different. I don't think it'll replace the GT as my race bike of choice but you never know.

My next race should be in.... the US, as I fly out there in 10 days!!!!

[Mikku]

After all the excitement in the US and Canada, it was back to Oizumi in Osaka last Sunday for Round 6 of their series. It was also the Japanese debut of the Redline that I raced with in and brought back from North America. The Japanese National Championships will be held at Oizumi next weekend, so quite a lot of people had come out for some race practice. As usual, the over 30s mixed class was the most popular, with 20 riders split over 4 motos, with the top 4 going through to semi-finals. I went 4th/5th/3rd, just missing out on a semi-final slot which was disappointing, but such is life in that class.

The Redline felt okay on track. Definitely different to the GT (and Cult), though to be fair, I hadn't ridden it (or anything else) in anger since my last Canadian outing a few weeks earlier. I really like the bike though, so want to put some more miles on it over the next few weeks before the next scheduled race on 20th October. I am also planning a little side trip before then as well. More on that later!

[Mikku]

So...that little side trip I mentioned. On my recent trip to Canada, I stumbled upon and entered a pump track competition. I loved the experience and have been keen to have another go, though that's easier said than done living in the Japanese countryside! The nearest pump track to me is located in Yamanashi Prefecture, close to Mount Fuji. That's a 273-mile, 6 and a half to 7-hour drive away, so needs an overnight stay to make it viable. However, as I was doing some research on it, I found a flier for a training session this past weekend, so decided to put my money where my mouth is and packed up the car!

The instructor was a Pro mtb rider and he could certainly ride!! Apart from having fun without killing myself trying, my main goal for the day was to focus on pumping form, with a view to making my riding smoother and hopefully faster on track. I was tempted to practise manuals but decided to leave that for another time. I therefore spent the morning getting used to the track then joined the afternoon training session. With only 6 riders, we got plenty of one-on-one advice, which we could put into practice with the help of video reviews. I definitely got some useful tips on where I’m going wrong and what I need to work on improving. Overall, I really enjoyed the day, despite the distance and driving, and plan to go back, hopefully within the next month before the onset of winter weather.

Talking of dodgy weather, this weekend sees another clash of schedules, with races in both Niigata and Osaka BUT rain is forecast at both venues, so we'll see what pans out over the next few days.

[Mikku]

As feared, both races were rained off last Sunday. Ironically, not because of Sunday's weather but Saturday's, when it basically poured down across the country, saturating both tracks. Osaka was cancelled altogether but Niigata was postponed to this coming Sunday, so fingers crossed that happens.

[Mikku]

The rain held off last Sunday for Joetsu's final race of the season. The track was damp first thing, with dirt from the straights making the asphalt berms really slippery, so I let some air out of the tyres to give me a bit more traction and that seemed to help a bit.

There were 15 riders in the over 30s mixed class, spilt into two racks of 8 and 7, with the top 4 from each going through to the main. I was in the first rack of 8 with most of the heavy-hitters, so was up against it. In all three motos I managed to get out of the gate in a qualifying position but then got swallowed up by the first berm, finishing in 6th each time. I therefore finished in 6th overall, missing the cut for the main. However, since it was the last race of the year, they decided to run a B main, so I got an extra run out in that and finished 2nd, which sweetened the pill somewhat.

The track is covered by sheets during the winter months, so I took the chance of a final practice session after lunch, getting in a couple of decent hours before the rain clouds started to roll in. So that was the end of the Joetsu race season. I only managed three races there this year, so hope to increase that number next year. That should be helped by the fact that a pump track is being built just an hour further north, so I can foresee a few weekends away where I hit up the bmx track one day, then the pump track the next.

Next race should be back down in Osaka on Nov 24th.

[Mikku]

Should be out again this weekend for Round 8 of the KBU series down in Osaka. Recently switched over stems between the Redline and GT, so the bars on the former are now a smidgen higher and further back than before. It may be all in the mind, but I thought I noticed the difference on test rides around my local rice fields, though the acid test will be on track this Sunday. Also with a view to making the Redline ride more to my liking, I'm planning to take a link out of the chain and move the rear wheel further forward in the dropouts, but one thing at a time, so I'll do that next month.

[Mikku]

Made it down to Osaka on Sunday as planned. Quite a low turnout overall but still 9 riders in the over 30s mixed class, so we were divided into 2 racks, with me in the first rack of 5. That meant having to finish 4th or above to qualify for the main. First moto I was 4th into the first berm but the 5th-placed guy drew level on the second straight and took the high line through the berm. I therefore had to take the slower, inside line, so lost the place on the third straight and came in 5th. Second moto I went into the first berm in 5th but snuck down the inside for 4th which I held until I was repassed on the third straight, coming home 5th again. That effectively meant I was out of the hunt for the main but was determined to get a 4th in the third moto. I got out okay but got slightly squeezed on the first straight and had to back off to avoid the guy on my inside. I kept behind him all the way round and started to reel him in in the final straight. However, in my excitement to pass, I got very loose in the rhythm section, lost momentum, and with it the chance of the position. Was really disappointed with that, so much so that I nearly packed up my bags to go home, rather than watch the mains. I soon got over it though, and stayed on to watch, which I’m glad I did because I then decided to do some much-needed practice. No gates but worked on each straight at a time before the track started to get busy. Rain started at about the same time, so that was well-timed. Got about an hour of riding in though, so no complaints there.

Also okay was the new stem set-up, which caused no problems, so the next step is to shorten the chain and move the rear wheel forward. The next race is in a fortnight, so I want to get that done this weekend and get used to riding it the week after. Onwards and upwards!

[Mikku]

Made it back down to Osaka last Sunday for their final meeting of the season and annual relay race. There were 20 riders in the over-30s mixed class, divided into 4 racks of 5 with the top 4 going through to semi-finals. After surviving a scare in the first moto when the rider in front went down and their bike bounced into me, I went 3/2/2 to qualify for the semi. I got to choose lane 3, so I was hopeful for a good finish but got a bit loose over the first set of jumps and got beaten into the first berm by my main rivals. I slotted into 5th but couldn't get close enough to challenge for 4th, so came home in 5th and missed out on the main. Disappointing but still fun.

I stayed on after the award ceremonies for the popular relay race. Although I'd seen it before, this was my first time to actually enter it. Each team had a mix of ages, and riders over 13 have to pump the track. After you finish your lap, you jump off your bike, run up the slope at the back of the start hill and hand over your team's coloured sash to the next rider. Our team came home second (out of 7), so that, along with a couple of prizes from the end-of-year prize draw, was a good finish to the day and a nice way to wrap up the 2024 series.

The Redline felt fine on track with the slightly shorter wheelbase, so I'm going to continue running it in this spec during the New Year. Before then I'm hoping to check out a new pump track that's just about to open not too far away, hopefully during the Chrismas break when the weather in my neck of the woods will be shite!