Jen does it again!

    The 2012 season might be done and dusted, but here at Wolfpack HQ, things have been pretty manic for the last couple of months, and after all the effort the new team lineup has been finalised along with a brand new kit and sponsors for the upcoming season, and also just in time for the 661 mini DH winter series, and when I say just in time we literally picked up our kit on the way down to the Forest of Dean.


  Anyone that has done the 661 mini dh races before will know how it gathers a big crowd due to the fact that there's not much else on at this time of year. Add to that the fact that the tracks are all super fun and you have all the ingredients for a good race, the only other factor to add to the mix being the weather. This weekend was set to stay dry, but very cold. Having a full team down there this time we had decided to book a nearby lodge for us and a few others, and with sub zero temperatures all weekend this was a wise move. We arrived late Friday night so we could have a full days practise the next day. In the morning after a hearty fried breakfast we turned up to check out the track, this race was to be held on the Ski run track, a favourite with many riders. Even by ten o'clock the track was still frozen solid, and as riders flew by the tyres sounded as if they were riding on concrete, me and Jen still had the spikes on the front of our bikes and after a couple of runs I was ready to go change them, but really couldn't be bothered with changing tyres in the freezing cold so I opted to wait and see if it would thaw at all. Shortly after we had arrived, new team members Andy Cody and Becci Skelton turned up, Brendog had come along for the weekend too as head cheerleader, although I could tell that not being able to ride was really adding insult to injury for him.

  After a few runs we all had huge smiles on our faces as we remembered how good the track is, I made a point of riding with Dan the man as much as possible as, despite being the least fit of the team he is still the fastest for sure, and he has an incredible ability to Analise tracks and instantly spot sneaky lines left, right, and centre. Watching other riders it was clear the level of racing this weekend was going to be awesome, Pro rider Ben Deakin was a blur as he sped through the woods at warp speed, I managed to clock one of his lines on the fast off camber slope near the end, and after a few gos sessioning it, I knew it was a good line for me. One rider that really stood out was a guy that was in the lodge with us, a friend of Ben and Cath from Leeds that they met in the Alps, I hadn't spoken to him much, but it seemed he hadn't raced much and was from a trials background, but he was certainly getting down this track quicker than any of us, including Dan. Jen and Becci were riding well together and Jen was passing on her experience at looking for lines to Becci who was ensuring that they pedalled like machines. Myself and Dan were both helping Andy get to grips with a fast but technical track and it was impossible to tell that he was a rookie at his first big race, after a really fast practise run we waited to see how Andy had got on with the sneaky line I mentioned, only to see him covered from head to toe in thick mud and carrying his helmet with broken peak after having hit the deck hard on the last jump. Friends that had seen the crash said they were surprised he got up fro it, he was clearly in pain though having taken most of the fall on his shoulder. The girls were all treated to some coaching, courtesy of 4x champ Katy Curd and whilst doing so Becci also went down hard, she continued riding hard all day despite this though, I swear that girl is a terminator or something. Jen had received some jumping tips and was determined to get the last table cleared and with each run she was getting closer, and flying off the road gap like never before. So after a good days practise it was off to base camp for some grub a few beers and some shut eye.

  Up early for the big day and it was even colder than the day before, we got to the track in time for some early practise runs and with many more riders hitting the track it didn't look like it would be too long before it started to get churned up, so I decided to stay with the spike/minion combo. After a couple of runs I was aware that perhaps I had spent too much time concentrating on the bottom of the course and not enough time practising the rocky section about half way down, it was a bit late now though I would have to hope my instincts would see me right.
  As Jen came blitzing past on her first run we could see she was going to get stuck behind the rider in front, 20 second gaps are just not enough when theres such a broad spectrum of ability in the women's category, her prima donna hissy fit confirmed that she was incredibly pissed off to have this happen to her at two races in a row but as I explained many of the other girls were also catching the rider in front and she would be ok when they are seeded for run two. She proceeded to tell me "you'd be just as mad if it was you!" to which I replied that I'd be fine and just deal with it, wise words that I would live to regret perhaps. The girls seeded in 6th and 7th after the first run. I was late up for my first run after going back to the van for an SD card for the camera. All I could think as I sat on the line was that I hoped I could get the hip round the tree at the top right, as it hadn't gone to plan on most of my practise runs. As the beeps stopped I was off cranking like a mad man and sending it off the kicker before the hip, and scrubbing yes scrubbing the jump round the tree "go on Si! that was awesome!" screamed Jen from the side, I thought to myself, yeah it was wasn't it, how the hell did I do it? As I came into the steep rocky section with steps and compressions everywhere I had to let my reactions take over as I hadn't got a line visualised, and it seemed to work I felt fast as I cranked once more on the flat bit before the fast final descent. I hit my sneaky line at lightning speed and heard the cheers of the rest of the team as I blasted past like a raging berserker. A little too much brakes before the hair pin bend and I stalled a bit, making it hard to get back on the gas for the last stretch where it is a pedal to the finish, as I approached the table at the end I could see I'd caught the guy up with the same bike as me that I had been admiring the day before, the bike that is not the guy. He had lost his mech and I yelled for him to move over, which to his credit he did, just enough for me to overtake him on the last berm, much to the approval of the ever so entertaining m.c. How good was it? I thought, 1.14 enough to put me in 9th after run one, I was happy with that. Dan looked rapid as he went past us styling it as ever on every jump and after the 1st run he was in 15th in seniors, Andy was certainly giving it a damn good go, but after seeing him in pain after his crash yesterday I was amazed he was even racing at all.

Run number two didn't got as planned for me, I had high hopes of shaving a second off my time and staying in the top 10, and felt good about having put a solid run in first time round for a change and decided to lay it all on the line for my second, but I obviously pushed it too much and lost the back end right after the hip that I was so concerned about earlier, this saw me slide down to 12th place in the end, but it was well within the top 20 I had aimed for. Dan also lost it just a few metres before, most likely due to how dark it was by the time the seniors got their second run. Of course this meant he could play up to the crowd at the bottom with a seat grab on the big table and a crazy candy bar on the road gap. Dan slipped down to 22n place which surprised us all after he got 4th at round two last year.. He was clearly unhappy with the result and it goes to show how tough the seniors category is as he was still the fastest of the team on the day. Let's see how this affects his determination for round 2.



 As we watched the girls 2nd run we all commented on how the top 12 or so all seemed to look pretty quick through the bottom section, Katy Curd's winning run of course being fast by the guys standards. As I went down to see how they'd got on Jen's face said it all, 3rd place again at round 1, well done girl, Becci seemed disappointed with her 7th place finish and it came to light the top of the course didn't go as she'd planned, but 7th out of 18 at her first big race is not to be scoffed at by any means and she still beat a good few sponsored riders.

 So all in all a solid performance I think by the whole team and a podium shot for all our new sponsors which they are all stoked about. I should mention as well that the rookie I mentioned earlier that came down with Ben and Cath, Ben Raynor, yeah well he only went and won seniors and got the fastest time of the day with a blinding 1.05, keep your eyes peeled for Ben smashing pros in the 2013 season I'm sure.

                                   661 mini dh round 1 Dec 2012 Video