| 37th | Brad Lovell |
| 72nd | Tom Wright |
MTB racing is all about having fun, & after unprecidented amounts of negativity I can honestly say I enjoyed Bourough hill more than I could ever remember! A mass start proved not too bad as the wide field & long drag soon split things up, I had a reasonable off & on the first gravel track crept past Stu, Tom & a few others (using the field on the first run proved a good idea thus avoiding the crowding on the gravel).
Not concidering my fitness to be exactly peak at the mo I found myself in a position I did not expect & adrenilin kicked in & forced me to push harder, we entered the first wood section & ping what I thought was a chain snap turned out to be just a chain off, but I watched as Stu, Tom, Nigel, Bob & just about everyone else went past.
Now it was time for effort,I quickly gobbled up a few rider & found myself jostling with Stu (just like the old days) for most the race, Ron & a guy on an Orange joined our battles & I led for a good lap,but this was a very ameturish mistake! I dug hard on the gravel climb using my rigid set up & super lightweight here, but thinking I had pulled a gap I looked round to see half a dozen riders pinned to my back wheel! Doh...Burned
This just about killed me & I was suffering, Stu & Ron passed & Stu predicted incredibly well where to apply the presure (the rough section on the top field & the fast rough bits along the bottom of the woods) where my rigid forks let him spring huge gaps.
We popped out of the last climb (which incidentally I was riding on my 42t ring) with Stu having a decent gap, but us all believing we had another lap, unfortunatelly the leaders had just passed us on the climb,then to my alarm Steve popped up next to me for a chat, & thinking I had pleanty of time to jostle with him he passed with ease. I was not impressed when they directed us over the finish line for him to beat me by a few seconds!
Still 12th in the seniors for a Tue night warrior left me well chuffed!
Now here’s a thing. Off the back of my win at the Bowl last week I suppose I was feeling confident of pulling out a good performance, but such is the routine you tend to fall into with race preparation and suchlike, it’s easy to forget why you’re doing this – because it’s bl**dy good fun.
So it was that I lined up after a good couple of pre-laps, only to hear the race organiser call for a bunch start as the course could handle it. I quickly found a front-row start slot and went at 1 second to go (just like everyone else!). Jack was still getting back to the start-line, having forgotten to attach his race number, doh!
A leading group of about 8 riders formed with myself and Paul Ashby (Fatbirds) bringing up the rear. Pretty soon the group fragmented as the leading seniors pulled away, and both Ashby senior and junior (James – Fatbirds) started to gap me too. Nigel Scott shouted encouragement from the sidelines at the top of the first sharp climb, wanting to see me take it to the leader. I was already settled at this point for a long vain chase, much as what happened at Avalanche, but by the start of lap 3 I could see I’d held the gap to Paul, having passed James a little earlier. This was most encouraging and I pressed to keep up.
Going into the downhill/off-camber woods section towards the end of the lap, I hit very heavy traffic. The course by now was eroding very quickly over exposed tree roots and many riders found this more than they could deal with. I navigated through to the bottom of the first sharp climb to find Paul Ashby right I front of me (I’d actually caught some-one in a technical section!). He looked round and the look on his face was priceless – just to reinforce his dismay I said, “Hi Ashby, it’s me!” I passed him at the top of the climb, much to Nigel Scott’s glee, and sped up the lap-finishing climb to start lap 4.
It wasn’t enough to break the tow, and now the two of us were circulating together at top speed. I mentally prepared myself for the attack which was sure to come, and again resigned myself to the possibility of second place, not first. I eased it back slightly up the gravel climb using a gear lower than previously, Ashby was happy to use me as a wind-break and didn’t appear to respond. Once more into the trees, this time behind a gaggle of back markers who seemed intent on crashing into the scenery/each other/lapping riders rather than going forward. One rider crashed right in front of us and we were at a dead stand as he extricated himself and bike from around a tree. I heard a coming together and crashing of missed gears behind me as I got going again and knew that this was my cue to go.
I must admit, I had no plans on riding this round. I hate getting to Milton Keynes, I dislike the course when I get there and it always rains. Some things never change.
Short warm up this week - should have done more but at least I got the layers right. A bit of start line advice from Jack resulted in a storming start and fewer hold ups in the woods than usual. No Stu or Nigel this week so I was relying on Tom to keep me motivated. Disappointed to see him standing at the side of the course half way through so with nobody to chase and nobody chasing me, there was little motivation to get a shift on. Caught by James who eventually won the youths and Smiffy on his way to a first FNSS vets win. Well done to both. Jack caught me on the last lap but got away when I dropped my chain on the lumps and bumps at the back of the course.
Cruised round to finish 17th after 16th last week. Not too bad. Once again, loads of Plumz about which is good to see. Need to get a few more in the Senior ranks.
Smiffys Account:“See you next week for the mud at The Bowl”, said Richard Banks who’d arranged the previous week’s race at Avalanche. He wasn’t wrong, but it has been a lot worse; at least this time the course was just about ride-able for the duration of the race.
I’d elected to use Panaracer 1.8 Fire XC’s for this race, as I mentioned elsewhere I was relying on their narrow carcass and reasonably aggressive knob pattern for some mud grip – and so it proved. On my pre-laps (I did two) they gave up amazing grip in the off-camber sections and more than held their own on the grass and tarmac. At the start-line John McAndrew (OTH Ben Heyward) remarked that the top three vets from last week (Ashby, Roach and Sharp) were all missing this week and the race should be mine. He didn’t read his own script though, and he and Jack sprinted off into the lead leaving me trailing in third wondering what was going on.
I needn’t have worried; I pegged them both on the curved tarmac section on the far side of the bowl and set about getting away. This worked, and by the same place on the following lap I could see Jack still coming towards me, zig-zagging in and out of the tree sections. Towards the end of this lap the rain had set in properly again. This I didn’t mind at all, I was hoping it would get worse (am I actually saying this) rather than better so as to make it more difficult for anyone to catch me. It was nearly my own undoing though, as I turned through the gate to head back into the car-park area I lost both front and back tyres in quick succession. The tarmac here was more like wet glass, I saved it but I felt the tyre treads deforming fighting for grip – it was quite a moment. This came not two minutes after a lurid two wheel slide on a wet grass turn just earlier in the lap, careful Smith!
The slides asked for a modified riding style, regardless of soft tyres and suspension the front just would not stick like before so I was obliged to get the bike almost stopped, square off the corner and throw my weight back to get rear-end traction. This worked well, even thought the rear tread was complaining and squirming around. The next time through the gate, a marshal was stationed telling everyone to slow down – “you’re a lap late mate”, I thought. I only hope that anyone who did slide off there didn’t do themselves any damage.
The course really got quite slick on laps 4 and 5. It felt prudent to take a dab in some of the off-camber sections, but I was still holding good speed. I got badly baulked by Ken Bolton (KCC) going into the uphill single-track just before the greasy short drop. He would not move over, no matter how much I screamed ‘race-leader’ at him, then laughed as I eventually passed him, hmmmm!
2 hours away....should have checked really, but at least we were entered in the 6 hour race so VFM ..... Dave and i were booked in to do the 6 hr and Lloyd booked in on the line....weather looked pants and after Dave's weather endorsement of "it won't rain".....yeah right..... we hoped for a good ride, anyway....got there to see Tom and Rich there too in the 6 hr pairs.
BANG.....off we went for a 6 hour ride fest.....we rode this circuit in the winter series and it was rubbish when wet.......it started really well and the course was OK.. ish nothing to get too excited about and the bomb holes were more like pot holes, i was spinning well and caught and passed Dave on lap 2 or 3, then caught Gary Wright on the same lap. the weather held till about 3 hrs in and the rain and wind started. It rained for only 20 Min's or so and the wind soon dried out the damp bits..... it was at at this point i was starting to flag a bit and with the Torq bar consumed, jelly babies and a good amount of fluid a carried on......
I got stuck with these 2 guys who were going at about the pace that i wanted to be at, but they were nattering and i was getting a bit grumpy, so at the drinks stop i put in a bit of a spurt to lose them so i was on my own for about 2 laps and was moving well.....
On about lap 6 and Lloyd passed me looking fresh and pushing well.....Ii was going ok but I had possibly pushed a bit too hard early on, but still felt ok to get out the saddle on the lumpy bits..... End of lap 6 and there was Lloyd stopped at the burger van eating a cheese roll and drinking coffee........take it easy mate huh!!!! still I unlapped myself.
It took Lloyd about 3/4 lap to catch me again!!! and i had time for 1 more lap..... as I went through the start/finish line i was 11th and plodding well....i caught up with a guy I knew from Transwales and new he was 6 houring, he then punctured and his mate stopped to help him !!
I must have passed another rider on the last lap and was in 8th and then I saw Gary up ahead to lap him...... anyway last lap and on to the finish and 8th Wahay.
I got to the finish to applause from the other Plumz riders
Lloyd 2nd....even after stopping for a sandwich and a coffee. well done mate, 9 laps
Rich and Tom 3rd.... well done guys, 9 laps
Troy 8 laps
Dave stopped on lap 5 I think
Hollie raced in the morning and was a little nervous, we had pre rode the course the day before so she knew it was going to be tough, she started well and after the fisrt opening loop came through in 6th place already clearly being pushed to the limits by the extreme nature if the course, at the end of her first lap she was still in 6th place and decided to up her pace a bit and soon moved into 5th place which looked as if it would be her finishing posistion but a mistake and a crash by one of the girls in front elevated Hollie into 4th place at the finish. Hollie was extremely relieved to finish her race this was the most demading course and terrain she had ever rode and as a result of her position she is now ranked #1 youth in the country pretty good for her first year in the top flight.
My race was in the afternoon and after a rain shower the conditions on track were made just a little harder, i was hoping to at least repeat my performace from the first round and make it into the top ten. My start wasnt the best and came through after the first lap in about 15th place, with the field spreading out it gave me an opportunity to start riding a little quicker and i started picking off some of the riders in front i was loving the course and was noticably quicker on the climbs and technical descents by the time i came through to start lap 3 i had moved up to 6th place and could even see 4th place in front, icaught and passed 5th place at the start of lap 4 and started to chase down 4th but on the final climb all the effort hit me hard and i began to tire unfortunately i was caught and a final dig by my rival meant i had to settle for 6th place at the finish. i can honestly say this was as near to faultless peformance i have ever done everything came together on the day perfectly, i only hope it will happen again, can it get better than this, well, i was only 52 seconds away from standing on the podium........ BigRing.
