Aiming High | Part 5: James Shirley can ride a bike after all
We check in with James Shirley as he continues his wander round Europe, in this insightful installment we learn that James can ride a bike after all, and that boobs are very, very important!
After standing proud on the podium beside Jerome Clementz and Remy Absalon at the European Champs I phoned my manager Joost to tell him the good news… to which he replied in a jovial manner: ‘So you can ride bikes after all!?’ We often make fun of each other which is a sign of a healthy relationship (a common theme is that he can’t ride steep trails and I can’t do jumps).
However, he said this in a way that I knew he was proud and that he believed in me. He has seen me smash turns and send gnarly gaps in the past so he knows that I am capable of great things but the questions that remain unanswered are these: why can’t I do it every time? What was so special about THAT race? At the time I didn’t have much opportunity to analyse the situation. I was on a bit of a high and I had a busy schedule ahead. Right now, in the present tense, I am sitting at the end of a four week gap in my calendar between races. I’ve done three weeks of proper training and this is my rest week before the start of the Trans Savoie. Looking back at the last two months it seems as though I may have done a little bit too much. This is what has happened in the life of Jamesy Boy…
Two weeks after Kirchberg was the next European Enduro Series race in Solden. Miles and I were asked to do a promotional video for the area which was cool so we drove straight there after the Championship race to get to work. We were put up in a lovely hotel for a couple of nights and we were joined by my good friend Ines Thoma. Solden is a great place to ride and its future is looking very promising. Rumour has it that there is a huge budget available for developing the area into the next big mountain bike destination. As you can hopefully tell from the video, we really enjoyed ourselves there.
Sölden from Miles Mallinson on Vimeo.
Despite getting to know the area, my race in Solden was not my best performance. I tried to squeeze in some training as well as our video project in the lead up to the race so perhaps I was a little bit fatigued. The weather was also extremely hot. Scotsmen are not built for these kinds of temperatures! I tried to remedy my tiredness levels and my over heating issues with copious amounts of coffee and ice cream but even these measures didn’t seem to help. Another tiny stress factor was that for some reason I managed to damage two rear brake hoses in practice on Saturday which is not ideal whilst riding down steep alpine terrain. With all these little issues mounting up in my mind I didn’t ride very well in the race on Sunday. I was untidy and I had a big crash where I deployed the face brake and used my helmet to slow down which is a tactic I cannot recommend – even in emergency situations. Considering my small hurdles I was actually quite pleased to finish the day in a respectable 7th position.
EES Round 2 Sölden – Radon Factory Racing from Miles Mallinson on Vimeo.
The next weekend after this was the Megavalanche in Alp d’huez – one of my favourite races. Unfortunately for me I had a rear puncture in my qualification run. This is probably the first puncture I’ve ever had with the Continental Apex Protection tyres and I have to say that it was entirely my own fault. I was riding very fast, I was a little bit tired, I tried to hop a drainage ditch, I came a bit short, the ground was very rocky… my tyre didn’t like it. Thankfully the organisation was kind enough to let me start on the 4th row in the main race on Sunday morning. I managed to dodge the carnage in the snow but sadly disaster struck again and I had another mechanical issue halfway down. Maybe one year lady luck will come my way! I think the lottery aspect of the Megavalanche is the addictive thing which keeps people coming back year after year…
Preceding the Mega was another French race: the EWS in Sameons. No practice was allowed during the week and I spent most of my time hanging out and relaxing with Miles to give my body enough time to regenerate after so much racing and travelling. The race was both physically and technically challenging and with a couple of new parts on my bike I struggled to find a good set up and feel comfortable.
Samoëns Enduro World Series Round 4 – Radon Factory Enduro from Miles Mallinson on Vimeo.
Moving on from here we travelled back to Austria for the European Enduro Series round in Reschenpass. I really like this place. It is a modest, quiet destination with a beautiful lake and inspiring terrain. On familiar trails from last year I made some adjustments to my suspension settings and quickly felt at home again. This was to be a good race… I made a few mistakes (as always) but my general feeling was positive and I finished back on the podium in 4th position.
It’s funny because as Joost pointed out, I actually can ride bikes. In fact, riding bikes is quite easy. What is not so easy is to find the final few percentages: to be able to ride bikes consistently fast and as close to the limit as possible. The difficult thing (for me) is trying to assemble everything together in the right order to get the final product. I need to be calm, relaxed, fresh and focused. The little stress factors in my life should be reduced. I need to find a balance between training and recovery. Most importantly, I need to be confident and confidence comes with happiness. The problem is that life can be quite challenging sometimes no matter how prepared you think you are. Moral can drop when misfortune occurs and when fatigue sets in so I find that access to the following things is essential to keep my stoke levels high:
- Friends – often it’s not what you do but who you do it with
- Food – eat lots of it (especially the tasty things)
- Gas – required for cooking
- Water – great for drinking
- Washing facilities – ideally a lake or a river on a sunny day
- Bike wash facilities – you have to have a clean bike. The cleaner it is the cleaner it stays
- Boobs – they’re amazing. Even if unavailable then just thinking of boobs is a good substitute (WARNING – this can be very distracting. Not to be done whilst riding bikes)
- Sleep – minimum of 8hours per night
- Warmth – use electric blanket if required
(note – the good life ingredients listed above are in no particular order)
If, for some reason, all of these things cannot be achieved then my latest theory on tricking myself into riding well is related to posture. When I’m not confident I ride with my weight too far away from the front wheel. My shoulders are hunched forwards and my head is low. I will start making a conscious effort to train myself into standing tall and proud with head high and a straight back. When this starts to be become more natural then hopefully this will transfer across and become automatic in my riding style.
With these ideas floating around in my mind, it was quite coincidental to be invited to the Rookies Training Days in Serfaus/Fiss/Ladis for a week of downhill coaching (which took place just after the race at Reschenpass) with the future riders of our sport. The kids were great fun and they’re already riding at a seriously high level. As well as going over some basic skills and training ideas, I tried to pass on some of my wisdom too. Hopefully it worked. I had a great time and I look forward to doing it again next year…
It is interesting because you can’t teach confidence but you can try to control the things around you. When I was standing on that podium in Kirchberg I was stoked because I felt I had done everything I could to perform at my best. I had trained hard and then rested well leading up to the event. I had raced the same venue the year before so I knew the trails, where to buy food, where to wash my bike and where the best places were to park. The weather was terrible but I felt completely confident that I was prepared for the situation with full length spike tyres, waterproof clothes and plenty of spare goggles, tissues, shoes, gloves, shorts, jerseys, etc…
I’m from Scotland: I’m used to these conditions. We were even staying in an apartment with heating, a shower, a refrigerator and an oven! I was also excited to enjoy company with good friends by cooking a big dinner for myself, Miles, Raphaela and our guests Joe Nation and James Hampton on the night before the race. Life was great. I felt like the boy. Preparation and self awareness is something that everyone can improve on. It is the little things that make the biggest difference. I know I already live a pretty good life as it is so with this in mind, let’s let the good times keep on getting better!
Check out the previous parts of the series:
- Part 1: James Shirley – A Life On The Road
- Part 2: James Shirley’s Season Begins
- Part 3: James Shirley’s Trials & Tribulations
- Part 4: James Shirley’s European Enduro Champs
Words: James Shirley Photos: Assorted
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
