Hair-sculpting Supremo Joe Barnes Brings us up to Date

The season has come to what feels like a half way point but for myself it's about to get interesting.

The first half of my year has been plagued with injury from doing ridiculous things, along with some great moments whilst racing and riding at the same time. I have had to make the conscious decision to tone down mid week capers and stick to riding my bike.

A ski crash (ribs on stump was the first disaster), a month later I competed in the Strathpuffer 24 hour XC race on my singlespeed. Aside from nearly having a mental breakdown at 4 in the morning, I was so tired after that when tidying the van the next day I lent over to pick up a crisp packet and heard the ribs crack again. Another month on and I thought I would risk a bit of skiing and spotted a transfer from the top of a wall down onto a snow covered hydro electric pipe. I climbed up the wall and hucked off - knee to join in pipe.

I struggled on for the first few nationals hurting and then was feeling good for the SDA at Ae Forest, rear wheel steering my way down to 2nd and got some good confidence from this.

The next weekend and it was enduro time. Macavalanche in Glencoe. Mass start with over 100 people at the top chancing it down the snow, rocks and bog. After a good start I managed to ride away with it to win by over a minute. It was a great weekend and good to get my first win of the year.
Then disaster struck again. After a trail ride at Laggan we decided to stop talking about this big river jump and man up and huck it. Ferg sent the 80ft first no problem and Danny Mac with a bit of splits action on entry. Then my knee wasn't locked out enough and went back and sideways. I just opened my eyes in the water and floated up thinking what an idiot, something needs to change.

Floating in a murky dark river with a sore knee was the limit. I have stayed clean for over a month now and not hucked off anything not the bike.

Since then I have built up some good fitness again, and a good qualify of 54th in Austria was pinned untill a crash in the final, ending up 70th. I feel I have the speed and now the fitness.

Next week I am loading up the van and trucking out to the mega avalanche with some friends. This will be the start of a roadtrip to beat all roadtrips. 10 weeks, 9 races, plenty of Morzine and the production of "The Dudes of Hazzard" "The Movie". I can't wait, hucking stuff is fun but racing is where its at and a summer of racing if going to be gid.