Category: Orienteering

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MTBO World Cup, Dalarna, Sweden

Midges, Dirty and Wet, but great riding……..

Building bikes in the morning, we got midged. Little ones, but with a proper bite that soon had everyone scratching and running for more clothes. Those of us with insect repellent were suddenly rather popular !

The event centre is Rattvik, in Dalarna, Sweden, a pretty little town on the shores of a large lake with forested rolling hills rising all around. All morning the skies threatened and towards the end of our ride on the model map just before lunch the drizzle started and has not really stopped.

We sat outside a little woodland cafe, sipping coffee until the rain broke through the sun umbrellas before eventually heading back to our youth hostel.

My bike developed a scary rattle during my model event ride which got louder and louder, so I spent most the the time trying to diagnose it rather than navigating, but once sorted (a loose frame insert) I was soon blatting down rooty, rocky singletracks with a smile on my face.

After a couple more cafe stops in the afternoon it was time for the opening ceremony, always amusing affairs. After some cute violin-playing children we were ‘entertained’ by a troop of local dancers. We all enjoyed there fairly uncoordinated dancing, particularity their last number which had us in stiches.

We also had a smile at some of the interviews live on Swedish radio where one Austrian team member when, asked what he thought of Sweden, pronounced it ‘Wet and Dirty’

After some dinner and a uneventful team leaders meeting a few team members went off to a ‘Monster Truck’ event, in town for the evening, while the rest of us chilled out readying for the first races tomorrow, the World Cup and World Masters Middle Distance events, about 20km away.

Lots of photos at https://picasaweb.google.com/mark.stodgell/SwedenWorldCupMTBO2011?feat=directlink

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Airport, Lost in Translation.

Coming out of Manchester airport security on the way out to the World Cup in Sweden, Alan and I were accosted by a hysterical, middle aged Chinese lady. She thrust a bit of paper in front of our noses and started frantic jabbering and arm waving.

The bit of paper said, ‘What number is the departure gate for Frankfurt?’

To be fair, you do come straight out of security into what looks like a crash between Debenhams, Toys R Us and a high class off license, with no signage, but she was going bonkers, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

We tried to calm her down but I suspect the problem was she could not recognise any Roman characters and was like a rabbit in the headlights and scared.

Eventually we got her through to the information point (closed) and could at least point to a screen to show her gate was not yet being called (in fact not for another 40 minutes). Then she produced a mobile and asked Alan to speak to her daughter, who eventually calmed her down.

She shuffled off towards the gates (still no number had been called) a little happier, and we felt very good at having been good Samaritans, but a little relieved to have got rid of her.

Over the next hour we kept seeing her at the head of an ever-growing gaggle of Chinese travellers, still seemingly totally confused as to where she was meant to be and when wandering between the various gates. She kept us amused, though!

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Sweden World Cup / World Masters Preview

Thurs 16th June will see a large team of Brits flying to Sweden to compete in the 2nd round of the 2011 MTBO World Cup and World Masters Championships. Sweden although being one of the top nations in the world in foot orienteering is relatively new to MTBO and it is hoped that hosting a World Cup round will increase participation in the country.

Full details at www.mtbosweden.se

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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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Memory Lane

church, cheddon fitzpaineI’ve had a couple of weekends down at my parents in Taunton recently and have spent a few hours training in the lanes and old villages, soaking up the memories and enjoying fine views over the Vale in the May sunshine.

Quantock Orienteer’s were holding a‘JOG’ (Junior Orienteering Training event) one Saturday afternoon, organised by Judy Craddock who with her husband Roger introduced me to Orienteering in 1982. I thought I would drop in and say hello and after a natter ended up scuttling around a sprint score event in my cycling shoes skidding around the corners on my cleats, trying to beat 12 mins, as well as helping out a bit before continuing my training ride up into the Blackdowns.

Queens College was a great little map and the planning caught me out forcing me to retrace my steps for one control I could not get too because of uncrossable walls and fences. It was good to see lots of old faces and I will try to make a few more QO events in the future when I am down in Somreset.

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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!