Race number1 The Northern Downhill Trail bike dhHaving just sold both my freeride bike and am bike for something
more in the middle I wanted to try something different. Having missed out on most of the enduro races so far confirmed I opted for this little gem. A race down an xc descent aimed at the kind of bike you would ride at a trail centre, a good few people we knew were down for this one and being my first time at Hamsterley I was pretty excited about it.
First off the track in question was amazing fun even with the flat sprint in the middle, running xc tyres meant it was pretty loose with plenty of two wheel drifting going on. My first run had a few mistakes in it and I knew I could improve a good few seconds on my next run, so I was very surprised when I got to the bottom and discovered Id beaten all the others that I went with, and the security that came from getting a descent time on my first run was nice. Jen was not having a good time of it having left her contact lenses at home and having brake issues on her cheap am bike which had in general seen better days. Still in true Jenny style she remained determined to try her best.
Run two went perfect for me all the way to the middle sprint where I knew Id not pedalled enough on the previous run, I hit every line I wanted and by the fast end section I was beginning to catch the guy in front, just as I was upon him and looking for a way to get past my maxis Ardent tyres slipped and I wiped out in spectacular style only a hundred metres or so from the end. Much to my satisfaction none of my comrades had improved on my time and I felt pleased with my result although it was a shame that there were no ages categories and my 42nd place sounded quite abysmal when in fact I was about 8th out of my age class. Jen's 2nd run was not to her satisfaction and she left that day quite deflated although I was certain that a badly maintained and run down bike was to blame.
Race number 2 The Church of Steetley Race series rd 1
This race was a simple mates race down at our local Steetley Woods.
With just 2 days notice 30 or so like minded riders amassed on the small but scenic spot near Doncaster for some back to basics racing, as per usual the track had been taped off with great ingenuity to join various tracks and create a never before ridden run that had a bit of everything on it. Jen was in to race this one for a bit of fun even though she is probably the only female to ride there and as such didn't have anyone to race, but the track was certainly a challenge particularly at the bottom where it was menacingly steep with trees in all the worst places.
Run number 1 was pretty average for me and I failed to break the minute mark, Neesh Bender (local mentalist racer turned up still suffering from the night before and promptly had a high speed encounter with a tree which resulted in a broken collar bone, Standards Down racing lads Martin Creaser and Scotty were both up to their consistent speed but fellow Standards Down rider Kingsley Mears was on fire and looked seemingly untouchable. Run number 2 was a big improvement and saw me get below that important minute mark although the third (thats right 3rd) run ended with two crashes and I stayed in 4th in the end. Jen managed a clean run down on her 3rd and was quite happy to have beaten some of the lads, Creaser took 3rd Scotty 2nd and Kingsley smashed it taking the win!
Church O Steetley rd 1 edit
Race number 3 The Church of Steetley Race series rd 2
It had been a while since the last race, even since last getting out on the bike, as work priorities had got in the way, the race we planned to do a couple of weeks before didnt go ahead despite me feeling quick in practise, as I had cracked a rib kickboxing and decided not to risk in case I fell onto it. Jen had had a bad day at practise and sprained a knee ligament which meant she was out of action for a while and beginning to feel the need for a change of bike, time for her to follow suit and change her two for a more pedal able rig, and so here we were again with 2 days notice, time for round 2 at Steetley. Having beaten pal and local Scotty 3 times in a row last year I was hoping not to get beaten by him again this time, but unfortunately this track was out to get me and on my first run I binned it right at the end, luckily crossing the line as I crashed, and scoring a respectable time in the process. Neesh Bender having recovered from the broken shoulder in rd 1 was on form although true to form he failed to stay on on his first run. Scotty ....well what can I say he seemed to know the track too well and it was clear from the start I wasnt going to beat him today. Bender's second run saw him take the lead ahead of local youngster Luke bell leaving Scotty to finish 3rd and Martin Creaser this time getting knocked down to 5th by another youngster Adam Dawson, leaving me disgruntled in 6th.
The points situation so far
Scotty 1st 25 pts
Neesh 2nd 20pts
Kingsley 2nd 20 pts
Creaser 3rd 17 pts
A Dawson 4th 15 pts
Me 5th 14 pts
Church O Steetley rd 2 Wolf Pack Racing edit
Church O Steetley rd 2 Scotty's edit
Race number 4 Eckington Trail Collective rd1
It seemed like an age had past since we last rode at Eckington but finally rd 1 was upon us, Jen was now sporting her new bike a Trek Scratch air and having had a week of riding with me at every opportunity at various local spots she was feeling bonded with the new machine. Unfortunately this round fell at an awkward time as it was round 3 of the Borderline events series the same weekend, and so the turn out was poor, so much so in fact that the only girls racing were both the girls from our team, Jen knew she had a problem as she was not comfortable hitting the new ladder drop near the bottom, where as Becci thrives off that kind of thing, watching the pair of them come down it was any ones guess who was winning. I knew after a few practise runs with Scotty that the pair of us should do well that day but also that the track was so dry and fast that I was highly likely to end up crashing at some point, and sure enough on my first run I slipped trying to take a high line in the bottom section and crashed with a poor time that saw me in 6th place.
Local Tim Adgie looked as though his bike was rocket propelled as he flew to the finish line where the track turned 90 degrees onto a farm track for the final 5 metre sprint, as he did so however he hit a rut and had a nasty crash which resulted in ....yes you guessed it a broken collar bone. Craig Bargery had a storming 1st run and took the hot spot. My second run went picture perfect and I felt certain I would get onto the podium, but as I flew round the afore mentioned corner my back wheel lost traction and I washed out just 5 metres from the line. Scotty's run was better but still not enough to take the win and he had to settle for second with Craig holding onto his 1st place. New member Andy Cody pulled out a good result with what he called his "safe" 2nd run after crashing out on the first and took 4th place in the very tough seniors category. So that just left Becci and Jen to battle it out, and the sure did with Jen improving on her first run but Becci just pipped her by a third of a second to take the win.
Race number 5 The Steve Peat Steel city dh
This race was to be just the girls as the guys categories sold out straight away again. The weather had really spoiled us for this one and the track was bone dry and dusty, after a few practise it was clear that the girl's would both be needing to hit the gap jump on the track or loose valuable seconds, something that was perhaps more of an issue for Jen who isn't as confident in the air, but sure enough she hit it with commitment and rode it out despite slightly casing it (although to be fair many of the guys did the same, and many even dodged it altogether).
This year the organisers had tried to get more women racing and had opened up two categories for entrants, our girls both racing in the super tough experienced category. Beccy seemed to have a stonking first run and was sitting in 3rd by the end, with our Jen 2 and a half seconds behind and in 9th.
Jen was surprised to be so far back in the rankings having thought her run was pretty good, but this just shows how tough the group really was and with 2 elites racing in the group it was sure to be.
Beccy was really feeling the pressure knowing she was sitting on the podium and I watched as she came flying round the corner after the gap jump seemigly out of control, something had clearly gone wrong and the result was an unlucky crash that saw her unable to improve her time.
Jen did manage to improve her time by a second but with four of the racers being within tenths of a second of each other she only better her position by one place, but still 8th out of 30 is pretty impressive I say.So with the infamous race drawing to a close for another year we celebrate another podium for the team well done Beccy!
Steely City dh results
Race number 6 One Industries mini Enduro
At last we had managed to get booked onto an enduro event! And being hosted by the organisers of the
661 mini downhill series, it was set to be a banger. The venue for this race was a place called Eastridge forest in Shropshire and what a little beauty it was! The format was quite simple although completely different to anything we'd done before. Three tracks which were all completly different. Stage 1 was very natural but also very long and pedally with lots of ups and a very muddy flat section in the middle. stage 2 had a bit more gradient but was really tight through dense trees, and stage 3 was a DH track, home of the student champs, and was steep, rocky and loose with some nice jumps on it before a horrible water crossing and slippy corner in the bottom field. There was an allocated time to get between each stage 45 mins to get from 1 to 2 and half an hour to get from 2 to 3, this was enough time to have a steady climb, even walk some sections but still short enough for there not to be any of the awfull waiting around between runs.
Every bike it seemed was equipped with a dropper seat post and I felt for Jen having to manage without one, although by the end of practise on saturday mine had stopped working and was stuck in the down position.This cost me dearly on stage 1 as there was so much pedalling I would have wanted it up the whole time, to make things worse I set off and left my goggles mounted on my helmet and didn't by the time I remebered they were long gone, upon hitting the flat muddy slog I fought for traction but the mud won and Im sure I must have scooted for most of it, I tried to pull it back at the last section of stage one, but knew deep down I had screwed it up, I climbed with the guy behind me and the the relaxed vibe almost made me forget I was racing, it was just like riding a trail centre with your mates, by the time I reached the top of stage 2 the nerves had gone and I set off like a rocket determined to salvage my time as best as I could.
Stage 2 seemed to go pretty well and the last climb wasnt half as bad as the first, at the top however it was very exposed and a biting wind had started to chill me to the bones, time for me again and I was determined I would at least get a good result on this stage being the steepest and gnarliest, I passed jen on her way up and heard her cheers which spurred me on, sending both jumps at the bottom of the woods before speeding across the water crossing, over a fun table top in the field, round a greasy corner that had me in practise the day before, and a final sprint to the line. I had given it all I had and apart from a couple of lines I missed I was happy with my effort.
I now waited and watched as rider after rider crashed on the tabletop or wiped out on the last corner, when finally the women appeared I was anxious to see how fast they looked compared to Jen, then Jen appeared blitzing across the water crossing, catching the rider in front who had come to a stand still causing Jen to have to run round her before jumping on the bike and sprinting for the tabletop (the only girl to hit and clear it). Once Jen had crossed the line she showed me her flat tyre, "thats the second one today!" she exclaimed, it turned out Jen's first stage went equally as bad, as she got a flat right at the top and had to run the entire stage, this being the longest one by far too, damn unlucky as she came 3rd in stage 2 and won stage 3 but the time penalty from stage 1 meant she only finished 6th. When finally my results came in I had done disastrously in the first stage, 27th in fact but 10th in the 2nd and 3rd so I finished 16th overall.
One thing that is for sure is that it was without a doubt the most fun Ive had racing for a long time and we will definitely me doing more of that type of event.
One Industries mini enduro results
