Category: Competitions

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Ooops, starts delayed

With 60 men riding in circles, nicely warmed-up with 5 mins to go until the start, it was suddenly announced that the start was delayed. We carried on riding around the arena, messing about up and down the banks until eventually we were told the start was put back an hour, due to a problem with the maps being trimmed a little too much.
To cut a long story short, eventually the Men’s Elite starts have been put back to 3pm, after the World Masters, when new maps will be ready. So time to chill, catch up on some Facebook and go and support the Masters….

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World Cup Sweden – Middle Race

The World Cup Middle race event centre was an Orienteering Club, Club House. Just amazing falicities, it even had a sauna.

As I warmed up and chilled at the start, the skies opened. It really chucking it down.

We knew the maps were not waterproof so in my pre-start minute I did not do any planning ahead, I just concentrated on folding my maps so they would stay in one piece. I ended up woith a rolling start through the startline just as the last beep went, sweet !

I rode really well to number one but made the mistake of cutting through on number two losing a little time.

A cut through again at number 6 after a small mistake missing a track junction cost me precious time, but I got the right route choice to 7, using the road and then started to nav a little better.

The course looped around, the tracks becoming more waterlogged and muddy as the rain poured down. I was riding really well, both technically and strongly in the middle part of the course. After the spectator control and map change we went back across the road before a long leg back to the X Country Ski arena again. I picked a ‘straight is great’ route choice which involved a cut through again. Unfortunately I ended up sliding down a bank in to a knee deep stream and had to throw my bike up the other side before hauling myself through some brashings. It was still a reasonable leg time but I think another route choice would have been quicker.

Crossing the finish line I felt id had a reasonable ride and managed to stay in front of Lasse which had been my goal, but only by 2 seconds. Although I was 48th I was just 4-6 mins down on a much better placing, so I go into tomorrows mass start long fairly confident on a reasonable result.

Anybody got any wet lube ?

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Dark and White #5 – Monsal Trail

Heavy showers punctuated the afternoon as I travelled up to the 5th round of the Dark and White Summer series 2011, centred on the newly finished Monsal Trail, complete with old lit railway tunnels. Another feature of the Monsal trail is that it nestles in a huge valley with outrageous climbs out to the north and south meaning that route choice would be very important.

I headed out south hoovering up controls but was a little hesitant with the navigation through Brushfield though noticed a few people steaming past me obviously knowing exactly where the correct trails lay from previous knowledge. We then had a seemingly unending series of farm gates to negotiate.

The decent to Monsal head viaduct was a little hairy and I enjoyed the stopping power of some new SLX brakes I have acquired to get me through the season whilst Avid look at my Elixirs under warranty.

It was a fairly straightforward route until Tideswell, where with time running out it was a matter of taking controlled risks as I was never going to complete the circuit through Wormhill in the time available.

I got it about right though steaming down into the finish just over 2 mins late.

Looking back I probably should have left the number 1 – 10 pointer which would probably have given me the time to complete the Wormhill loop.

The newly opened tunnels on the Monsal trail were great and make this a fantastic place to ride for all ages and abilities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsal_Trail

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Dark & White Summer #3

The third round of this summers Dark and White evening series was a little closer to home South of Buxton near Longnor. I even managed to nav my way through some tiny lanes to avoid Ashborune’s rush hour (a sly route Julie P had suggested) and got there for a fairly early start.

There was a stiff wind blowing from the South and I had a feeling this would be an issue out on the course affecting route choice as the area is very exposed.

I decided that the valleys to the West would be fairly sheltered so headed off anticlockwise with the wind behind me. I completely cocked up my first checkpoint with a right schoolboy error. I always carry my control descriptions stuffed up my shorts, only resorting to them if I can’t see a checkpoint when I get to the centre of the circle but this time I paid for it, standing on top of an old railway bridge looking down to my first control on the cyclepath far below. Muppet! I should have known the organisers wouldn’t have put the control on a main road !

I had no choice but to leave it and cut my losses but I’d just thrown away 10 points !

I rode fairly well, and missed out a few controls not on my route, knowing there was no way anyone would clear up on this bigger than average map and finished strongly up the old railway line to the finish 4 mins late.

Those 10 points cost me 2nd place and I ended up 6th – Doh!

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Dark and White Winter 2010-11 League Prizes

I got my hands on my booty for coming 2nd in the Dark and White winter league last night.

A box full of Clif bars, a nice big book voucher and a bottle of skwirt lube. Thanks to everyone at Dark and White and their sponsors.

                
                 
    

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Dark & White Summer 2 – Chapel le Frith

Round 2 of the Dark and White Summer evening series was centred on Chapel en Le Frith in the North of the Peak District. Another area I know reasonably well, adjacent to Castleton and Mam Tor. I had forgotten though quite how deceptive some of the smaller looking climbs immediately around Chapel are and I was soon out of the saddle working hard.

Although there was a pretty obvious route around most of the controls there was a section which brought some pondering.

In the end I picked a daft route through 8,12 and 17 going right around via the top of Winnats pass in an attempt to save some climb but it was simply just too far out of my way and I lost at least 7-9 mins on those who just in and outed 12. I lost a bit more time, as others did, just after number 16 trying to find the top of the bridleway down to Malcoff. I was nervous at committing to a fast decent down through a field full of sheep with no obvious path on the ground but in the end did pick the correct gate, though judging by tyre marks at other gates a few others went the wrong way.

I nailed the route in from my last control through Chapel and finished a couple of minutes late but well down in 12th position, my dodgy route choice having cost me big time.

Results available at http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/results/2011SummerLeagueRound2overallplaces.html

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British Orienteering Relay Championships 2011

After a very agreeable night in a local spa hotel, complete with jacuzzi to ease those aching limbs (we blew lots of nectar points), the drive to the relay event was only 5 minutes. I’d heard the area was perfect terrain for a relay from some of the locals and they were right: it was an amazing mix of bell pits, low-vis, runnable forest and complex path networks.

Again, trying to save my legs for the few weeks training to come before the next World Cup race, I jumped at the chance to drop from the Chasers men’s premier team to the men’s short race. It also meant I’d be in with a chance of some proper head-to-head racing at the font of the pack, rather than hanging on to the back in the premier race.

I ended up wearing my prize from the individual as I couldn’t find my normal Thorlo socks, luckily the Smartwool Trail Socks were in the bottom of the bag from yesterday. Pulling them on they felt sort of cuddly, and very soft !

On the horn I was part of a huge pack of 60 or so runners, the mass start being not only Men’s Short but also M18, W40 and M60. The young guns all went off a full pace, leaving us wiley elders in their wake but we soon drew them it when the nav got a bit more interesting.

I got good start keeping towards the back of the leading packs but running my own race trying not to get distracted.

After a taped route over a road bridge crossing, we dived into the area of complex bell pits and vague contour detail. I ran clean and ended up coming out on my own having dropped the pack. I accelerated, held it together and kept ahead through the spectator control and the last few technical controls before a slog back up the hill to the finish arena. Punching the last I knew I was well up but felt great when the commentators announced me in 4th place, about 1.5 minutes down on the leader and about 20 seconds behind 3rd.

May be it was the lucky prize socks, they certainly kept my feet nice and comfy.

http://www.smartwool-socks.co.uk/ 

I handed over to Allan Williams whose solid run brought us up to 3rd but, unfortunately, teams tend to put their big guns out on last leg and Gaz Little couldn’t hold on so we dropped to 10th .