Category: Mountain Biking

The area surrounding Hope and Castleton in the Peak District is one I know fairly well, from both previous Dark and White events and countless New Years celebrations in Castleton as a student. Oh, and I had my stag do there, but the less said about that the better (I did, however, notice that the trough outside a pub that I ended up in now contains flowers, not water and goldfish!).

The day was cold and crisp and the ground fairly dry with no recent rain, so it looked likely that conditions would be fast. I duly pumped up my tyres as hard as I dared and set off.

I always prefer a downhill finish so headed off up the Edale valley on to tracks I knew fairly well, whilst sorting out the rest of the route as I went.

The rocky descent down into number 10 had me wishing I hadn’t put quite so much air in my tyres as I bounced around, trying to keep a smooth line, but luckily a sheep track alongside the main path made the re-ascent a little easier. I always love riding the bridleway that goes via today’s number 8 as I seem to come across lots of recreation bikers, mostly on very expensive full-suspension machines, either slowly picking their way down the steep rocky descents or off and pushing on the ups. It’s a nice feeling to blast past them, up or down, on an XC race bike and watch their faces.

The planning was very good and I was struggling to see a good route to hoover up the controls to the Ssouth. There seemed no way to circumnavigate the course without some vicious climbs.

The one up to Chapel Gate was cruel, the only plus being it could have been so much worse if not frozen, but my poor overshoes took a pounding, as, like everyone else, I was off and pushing/carrying at times up to the top of the 250 metre ascent.

Moving south I had a decision to make: to leave number 7 in Bradwell or not. I knew things were going to be tight and in the end, although only 750 metres off my route, I decided not to descend and get it. Given I was 4 mins late this was the right decision, but winner Mark McPhillips, who took the same route as me did get it.

The views out over Castleton and the Dark Peak to the north were stunning as I climbed over towards Mam Tor before dropping down into Castleton. I have never ridden the bridleway down from Hollins Cross before, and I will probably avoid it next time. It was slippery, steep and un-rideable in places, making me slower than planned hence being a little late back.

After getting the last control, it was a 2.5km blast back along the road to the finish in Hope punching in 5 minutes late. There were lots of big names about today and I felt sure, although I’d had a good ride, that I’d be down the leader board; but download showed me equal second with Killian, another great result and showing that my continued concentration on strength this winter is starting to pay off.

Thanks Dark and White for another great event, and also great to see Steve Heading back on a mountain bike after his shoulder injury last year (and yes he did ride from Matlock, do the event and ride home again – legend)

Stats: 52.8km, 1200m climb

Results available here : http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/results-cross-country-fell-races.asp

Driving into Dorset to get down to Hurn forest, the venue for the first round of the newly formed MBO South league, I was greeted by huge flocks of presumably migrating birds wheeling in the sky. I have no idea what they were as birds are not my thing, but they were fantastic to watch. Impressive, too, was the huge statue of a stag perched above an arch on an entrance to Charborough Park on the A31 after seemingly miles of estate boundary wall.

The Hurn Forest event was heaving with people when I arrived, the MBO South advertising doing its stuff attracting lots of bikers (over 70 competitors). They were also offering map board hire which went down very well.

Hurn is another one of those orienteering areas that is so mediocre on foot but perfectly suited to MTBO, and although a little small, looked great. It is also flat as a pancake, which suits me!

I went off hard from the start, splashing through ice covered puddles and immediately started having gear problems and very cold feet. I couldn’t get big ring at the front and a couple of the small cogs at the back were still slipping on the new chain, meaning I had to manually flick the chain onto the big ring and leave it there, grunting the big gears, grinding the chain on some ratios not designed to work well, the mud from the puddles adding to mechanical mayhem.

I rode well and cleanly not making a mistake all course, only losing a little time on one control (number 9) where I picked a safe option on the bigger track, which turned out to be just as slow as the more direct line on the smaller path.

After winding my way around the map I eventually crossed the line in 38.5 mins, winning by 30 seconds, a great start to the new season and especially pleasing after my pre-Christmas illness.

After a long break to try and warm up frosty feet and far too much chatting ,I competed in the second of the three events Wimborne Orienteers were providing that day, a schools league foot orienteering event. I enjoyed a well planned green course which avoided the majority of the grot but the plantation furrows were energy sapping, always just that bit too far apart to run across comfortably, but nicely stretching those hamstrings.

After a fairly straightforward series of legs I was going to take a direct line from 12 to 13 through the open next to the OOB marsh but one look into the woods had me heading round on the tracks, avoiding a mushy bramble fest!

Downloading for the second time that day I was very pleased to see I had won this, too!

With the night event start a good few hours away and a hot shower and a slice of cake beckoning at some friends in Romsey I decided to keep my headtorch in my bag and head for home, a happy Stodge.

Footnote: It is interesting to compare the two maps above, one with MTBO symbols, the other a tradditional foot orienteering map, it shows the differences well.

Results available here http://www.wimborne-orienteers.org.uk/wim/11%20Hurn%20Forest/hurnresultpage.htm

MBO South Report here http://www.mbosouth.co.uk/MBO_South/Welcome_files/Southern%20Series%20Round%20One.pdf