Category: Mountain Biking

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Dark & White MBO Winter League, Round 1 – Chapel en le Frith

Having to defrost the car this morning before heading North for the first round of Dark & White’s 2010/11 winter MBO series made me dive back inside and grab a pair of bib tights.

The journey north was gorgeous, with ribbons of mist in each successive valley as I headed out through Ashbourne and up onto the White Peak.

Arriving at Chapel in plenty of time, it was good to see lots of faces I’ve not seen for a while (I missed most of the summer league for various reasons) but it was obvious wandering around that the turn out was huge (over 150) and that all the big guns were out, all keen to get a good result for round one of the league.

After a good phaff ending in very high tyre pressures and a less wobbly map board plus bib tights and a thermal, I started strongly putting in a loop South before getting all the climb out of the way early to the east. The ascent up to Sparrowpit also gave lots of time for route planning and by the top I knew where I was going for the next 11 controls or so, and had also decided I should not have worn the bib tights, the sweat pouring off me in the sunshine.

The ride from number 8 to 10 was quite challenging with a nightmare climb out of ‘The Roych’, but I sneaked a smile as I pounded past some full sus, full face-helmeted, knee-padded locals on the way down into it (on my hard tail Bow with 50psi in the tyres!).

Looking at the time, I grabbed number 2 near Chinley before heading up to the ‘Peep o Day’ pass. There was another fierce climb up to number 16, and oddly the bridleway went straight through someone’s garden which caused me to pause for a few seconds. As it flattened out it got very rutted and I had my only off of the day, spectacularly somersaulting into a peat bog for the benefit of some ramblers.

The views up until now had been breathtaking, clear blue skies above fantastic Peaks hillsides, stretching away in all directions, but I soon lost them in the crazy descent for some controls around Whaley Bridge. As I slithered down some rocks on my cleats to number 21 by a ford I had a giggle at Dark & Whites use of the three letter backup code ‘WET’ written on the SI timing box, completely deliberate I’m sure.

I then had a conundrum: grab one more control or head for home and be early. I decided to risk it, but the climb up to number 9 was vicious on my tired legs and took far longer than I thought, leaving me blasting for home on the B6470 flat out and 7 minutes late.

I was happy with my ride and felt my route was pretty optimal, but was even happier at download to find I was 2nd in class and equal 2nd overall.

Stats – 55km, 1400m climb.

Results available at http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/results/2010DWWinterLeagueRnd1shortv2.html

Just as I was leaving, a girl gave me a flier for a new local café, and needing some nosh I stopped off there as there were a few riders sitting outside. I can definately recommend their coffee and walnut cake, although I can’t now remember the name of the place (I’ve even looked on street view, but its too new. It’s something like ‘Cup Cakes Café’)
http://peakoutdoor.co.uk/?p=1267 for a newbies view on the event.

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Preview – Dark and White Winter Series

This weekend brings the first event in the Dark and White winter Mountain Bike Orienteering score series. Run from various locations all over The Peak District Dark and White have a reputation for well run events and accurate control placement.
Competitors best scores from 4 events of the 6 on offer from now until mid March 2011 go towards an overall league placing.
The events are great for beginners but are also fiercely competitive with some of the best riders in the country regularly attending.

More details at www.darkandwhite.co.uk or at www.bmbo.org.uk

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Quantock capers down memory lane

Down in my hometown of Taunton, Somerset for a wedding, I needed an adventure for the Sunday to get a good training ride in.

Combining a trip to Minehead on the West Somerset Steam railway with Holly and my parents and a ride home across the Quantock Hills seemed like a plan so with my bike safely in the guards van and a single ticket in my pocket off we chuffed across the Somerset fields to the seaside. After the trip out to Minehead from Bishops Lydeard, which takes about an hour, I unloaded the bike and quickly changed into biking gear as the sun started to burn off the morning mist.

Unfortunately there is not coastal path to ride at the start so I was forced onto the main road until Blue Anchor where I had to wait for the returning train at the level crossing. On to the coast road the shortcomings of my ‘road map’, with no topo information, became apparent as I encountered some big climbs over headlands. My intention was to climb up onto the Quantocks from St Audries (ex-site of a girls school where I had my claim to fame of teaching Stephanie Beachamp’s Daughters how to orienteer when I was in 6th form). The bridleway on my sketch map didn’t seem to exist on the ground however so I carried on a few more kilometres to Kilve and then climbed up a horrendously steep track 1000 ft straight up and out onto the moor but doubled back on the ridge to the first trig point at Beacon Hill for a fantastic view out over the Severn Estuary and beyond.

It was then a blast along the spine of the Quantocks, navigating by vague memories of tracks from 20 years ago and keeping an eye on the position of the sun. The ride brought back fond memories of cross country races, army cadet yomps and school orienteering as I ticked off the landmarks on the route; Bicknoller Post, Crowcombe Park Gate, Triscombe Stone, Lydeard Hill and Buncombe.

I had only mountain biked on the Quantocks a few times before, once in about 1989 on my Mk1 Raleigh Mustang, and once in about 1994 on my Kona Fire Mountain when someone I was with came off and had to go to hospital with his knee cap showing. The ambulance arrived in a cloud of steam and they eventually had to send another out to retrieve him…..

I finished my ride off with a scoot down the narrow lanes towards Cheddon Fitzpane and back through Creech St Michael, passing lots more memories on the way having had a great time.

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Preview – Sherwood Pines MTBO

The national league MTBO circus moves to Sherwood Pines near Mansfield on the 30th October. Organised by Killian Lomas it promises fast and furious riding and a mix of trails from fire roads to technical XC trails.
Final details and online entries are now available.

The day after Dark and White are offering a 4 hour enduro event  on the same area so why not make a weekend of it ?
http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=75 for more details of Sat

http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=55 for the Sunday

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Riding around the Blorenge

Every year around the beginning of October, a friend, Fraser, organises a weekend called Mud Sheep Bike! Part birthday party, part old friends meeting up and a little mountain biking thrown in to give some justification for eating too much in the evenings.

This year we all met at Pwlldu Adventure Centre, near Blaenavon, Monmouthshire and for those that haven’t guessed already, that’s in Wales. It’s just up the road (literally 300 metres of accent up the same road) from Fraser’s new house and sits at the head of a huge valley with spectacular views of the mountains to the north of Abergavenny.

For some strange reason I agreed to drop down to Frasers house on Saturday morning to accompany him on the 35 minute ride backup before breakfast. We returned to the smell of bacon and eggs and a gaggle of friends enjoying steamy cups of tea.

The event has changed somewhat in the last 5 or 6 years as more little ones have arrived. This year we had lots of 5, 6 and 7 year olds to get out on their bikes as well as ourselves.

Attending, too, was a group from The Cranks, a mountain bike hashing group (a bash) based near Cheltenham. We all left the centre following a specially created map heading for the Blorenge (a huge domed hill just up the road). We must have been quite a sight, at least 30 bikes including 3 tag-alongs with kids. The weather was being kind and soon we were all enjoying a great ride, the group splitting and reforming as ability and fitness dictated, before eventually meeting up at a pub for lunch.

In the afternoon a couple of us took our kids up to the top of the hill above the centre, an area of old quarry spoil heaps for a ride on their own bikes. They had a great time trying to ride through deep puddles and mud, tackling tricky descents and generally getting very muddy. Holly had a nasty crash at speed as she came back into the centre, catching her front wheel obliquely on a kerbstone, rather than crossing it at 90 degrees. I hadn’t taught her that yet!

That evening we all ate far too much Banoffee pie (another weekend tradition) but the days activities must have taken their toll on our now aging frames as by midnight everyone was tucked up in bed.

After doing my duty of cooking fried breakfast for N, whilst listening to the rain and wind hammer into the building most people decided to call it a day and head for home, the weather putting them off. I decided to at least try and get out and formed a plan for a sheltered ride again around the Blorange and end up down at Frasers house in the valley below. Everybody else thought I was certifiable and carried on with their packing leaving me to it.

By the time I got off the road and on to the hill, the rain had ceased and I was treated to a great ride on the edge of the Blorenge, a steep drop below, ducking in and out of the cloud-base, sneaking fantastic views to the north. I then descended down some rocky single-tracks, now boiling streams before climbing back over Coed Y Prior via a scary greasy narrow road descent down onto the cycle path for a blast for home and a hot shower.

After a lazy lunch the weather improved and we managed to get the kids out for another ride down the cycle trail, including a torch-lit mud plug through an old railway tunnel.

The riding south of Abergavenny is wonderful, I just need to persuade Fraser to put on a Mountain Bike Orienteering event now.

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MTBO World Cup 2010, Relay, Italy

After a poor result on the middle mountain bike orienteering race on Sunday I gave my place in the relay to Ifor who had ridden so much better the day before, and watched the relay, taking lots of photos and generally soaking up the atmosphere as Steph Fountain made her debut in a GB top taking over after a great ride by Andrew W.

The relay at World Cup races is a mixed team, 2 men and 1 women, the women riding the same length as the men! Strategy is still evolving with teams putting off their women either first or second, but of course still putting their big guns on the last leg ready for the inevitable head to head battles.

It makes for exciting racing with lots of chopping and changing of the lead, and rewards countries with strength in depth.

On the last leg it became a 4 way battle, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland andFinland. Coming out of the spectator control Kevin Haselburger had a 20-30 secs lead over Dane Eric Skovgaard Knudsen with the Finns and Swiss not far behind. Everybody rushed over to the finish tunnel to see who would crest the hill first. A very happy looking Eric coasted down the ramp from the last control, with a very frustrated Kevin just behind. Post race interviews by Maria revealed they had been swapping the lead all the way round the course, exciting stuff!

The minor event over it was time for the most important race of the day! The Italians had kindly agreed to let Danish rider/coach/organiser Johan Jacobson and I go out on the elite relay courses as soon as the winning riders were home rather than waiting till the afternoons open races. Cesare the event organiser insisted though that we did it properly getting us to lay our bikes down as in the relay for a proper showdown on gaffeled courses..

The Danish Team and the Brits lined up to watch us go. I got a good start but missed a track on the left opposite our hotel forcing me to go the long way round to number one. On the big climb from 2 to 3 I pulled Johan back in and passed him as he made some mistakes on the way to 5 before we turned for a leg across the map.

The idea of the race was for me to just enjoy it and finish the season with a good ride after the disappointment of the day before, though it didn’t make me any less competitive.

After a mad flat out high speed decent down the mountain road from the col, tyres howling on the tarmac, I made a mistake before the spectator control, it turns out the same as Kevin and Eric, missing a tiny track on the right forcing me onto a difficult to ride track working its way down a technical wooded valley bottom losing me time.

After a nicely taken 180 at the spectator control I gunned it for home but climbing the last hill could just see Johan ahead of me at the top just going into the town. Punching the last he was about 40 secs ahead. Great fun though and the sun had dried out the tracks around the vineyards making it much much faster.

Then came the standard rush to pack the bikes and head off to the airport and home but not before ice cream in the town square.

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Hana “Zaba” Dolezalova

Many of you may have heard that at the World MTBO Championships in Portugal this year, Czech rider Hana Dolezalova sustained  broken dorsal vertebrae (D5 e D6) after a very bad fall. After several weeks she was transferred by air ambulance back to the best spinal rehab unit in The Czech Republic.
At the recent World Cup race in Italy she sent this short inspirational video to her fellow competitors which we were shown at the opening ceremony. There has been a fund set up to help Hana, see below.

Details of fund (translation from Czech):

Our friend Hana Dolezalova suffered a serious injury during the long distance qualification race at the recent World Championships in MTBO in Portugal. It took her the most valuable, her health. Hanka remains immobile from her chest downwards. Let’s try to help Hanka and her family to ease the difficult fight they face. We have opened a public collection with cooperation with the Czech Foundation for Orienteering. Donations that will be gathered will be used solely by Hanka and her family to help Hanka in therapy. We all believe that also in return to full and genuine life.

Donations can be transferred to bank acount IBAN: CZ7255000000001500043001 with variable symbol/note: 111222333.