Race report dh nat champs jul 14 16 - Flip-flops forever

Mountain bikers are a funny lot, they split into niches/clicks/ groups/ whatever like xc, dh, 4x, trials, freeride, enduro etc.. And like oil and water don’t often mix. Well the first 4 on that list were all going to have their national championships at the same place at the same time, read on to find out what went down at the dh and 4x (oil and water).

Putting 4 disciplines on the same time means something has got to give and well that was a compromise that only the top boys got to ride on Sun. The rest of us had to race Sat and if we had to race sat then we had to practice Fri which meant most of us had to leave Thursday after begging/ pleading/ throwing our rattles at our bosses. This at least in the dh meant only the serious racers could be bothered to go through that grief.
The location is Moelfre hall just out side Oswestry were the land owner (farmer Jck) couldn’t be more accommodating. This is where for the last four years the car and c/van have had to be either towed in or out the paddock. Amed with my 4x4 I was safe in the knowledge that I had a good chance that wouldn’t happen this year. So this year instead of a soggy paddock it was bone dry. After spending a while (read I made it look like a pantomime) to get the c/van level, the family and I set off to walk the DH track.

We went up the uplift road which was part of the XC loop and I have to hold my hat out to these guys I wouldn’t walk it more than I had to, but the tops boys had to race up it 7 times (sorry but that’s just mad). And then when they got to the top of their hill half way down the NPS dh track of 04 they rode down an only slightly tamed part of it down to the wall line, then split off round the back of the 4x track over to another small climb the round to the back of the paddock down the hill then a climb back to the finish area over to the farm then round another climb before the slog up the uplift road, (7 times, mad)
Any way back to the dh track same track as last year (Dave Morgan’s no expense spared policy in action again) with a few tweaks, first up bone dry. The track was actually looking good for it and was pretty much a one line wonder the top quarry drop and hole after it was a rare exception. The stupid gap jump of last year had mellowed with age and was not really used all weekend. The switch backs had got some body to them and on Thursday looked sweet but by Sunday were trashed. The flattish off camber down the valley was scary fast, the wide corner at the end of that section had been turned into single track. The stone wall before the end had loads of loose stones the other side of it on Thursday but by Sunday they had gone. The bomb hole before the road crossing had been used (I weren’t man enough to double but some made it look easy) and the old 04 kicker was used before the end. Shooting you past the only trees in the track in the water splash, On Thursday a tidy line before it was there but on Sat was moved by the commissaires to make a supposedly slower entry speed but in reality made a more dangerous entry line. The finish arena had been sent down the paddock a little to accommodate the xc loop.

Ok Friday practice bit of a bitch (day off and all that) but with a 10 am start was quite civilised. And farmer Jack knows how to put on uplift. No F.C. rulings meant back to old way of doing things, tractor and trailer. By noon I manage 4 runs and with a lazy lunch still managed to get a further 5 runs in by the end of practice at 4. OK this isn’t my type of track but with the uplift running paralell to most of the track spectating on the uplift was a welcome reward especially when Peaty was on track, Scott boom boom through the switch backs was another pleasure to watch, Marc casing the quarry drop up top, and some of the inevitable crashes through the switch backs, ouch. And then there was the young xc ladies slogging up the hill only marred by the xc men slogging up the hill, lycra has a lot to answer for!
With the absence of our team captain it was up to me and Nico to step up to the plate and we missed each other most of practice but near the end of the day managed to go down together a couple of times. Me first and every turn Nick wasn’t far behind, then him first on the open I hadn’t got a chance only in the switch backs did I dent his lead and after the kicker down the bottom he blitzed the water splash.
Plug time, Pat Campbell-Jenner! (double barrell surnames) Local chicky dirtjumper ,4xer and I.D. rider having a go at dh for fun in probably the most competitive class juniors was taking to DH like a duck to water if maybe a little to eager, the switch backs claimed him a few times over the weekend.
After a short recess time for our seeding runs and by now most of us had been marinating in our sweaty dianese armour quite nicely all day or roasting like peking ducks out of it with the relentless sun pouring down on us (much better that pissing down with rain all day). Top 50 seniors and top 20 juniors had something to prove, those at that level could qualify for Sunday but for those not up to it were with us on Sat. Youths before us especially the top seeds were not hanging about. Josh B must have only feathered the brakes of the quarry drop up top and put in fastest time of the day. Then on to the vets then us the masters with Pointing (expert) Howerth (expert) and Titley (cant be bothered to race much) along with 30+ have a go heros, masters was not going to be walk over.
My run was going well until a long flat left were I hadn’t gone that fast all day proved why I hadn’t gone that fast, dumped me on the ground not knowing which way I was supposed to be going, by the time I got going again it was all over, you cant afford to miss a pedal stroke let alone flounder around on the ground for 10 seconds. The only good thing was I didn’t affect Seb’s run too much, not that I could have got out his way with out going out of the tape. Nick put in a time I couldn’t have come close to if I had stayed on.
Pat dogged by mechanicals all day was forced to pump though the off camber and still managed a quick time but putting him outside the top 20. By now it was 6:30 and the native (Alex my(our for the ed’s sake) son) was getting hungry so we had to leave for dinner. I found out later that Marc B had crashed out putting him outside the top 50, a few rattles were thrown around and Dave Morgan yielded and allowed him into the top 50, this didn’t go down well in the paddock and few more rattles were thrown around and in the end D.M. allowed one bye for the top junior outside the top 20 to go through to the Sunday final.
As if the track time you had in the dh wasn’t enough for the brave/ mad / unhinged could go and race the 4x that evening/ night. Floodlighted 4x is the way forward (especially if the lights are actually pointing towards the track). With so much going on every small set back has a knock on effect and by now it was getting late. Motos didn’t start until near 10 along with the inevitable rider spooning himself meant that by the time motos for every thing other than senior which was to be timed run offs had been done it was near 11.30 before the close of play.
Sat morn and another scorcher was promised. Only two hours practice from 9 so as to make way for the xc, boys and girls. Despite only two hours practice for the keen four runs was within reason. By now the switch backs were awful, Fort Bill sized braking bumps in the last but one with no way to avoid them. Other than that the track was holding up quite well.
Despite the lack of technicality of the track the sheer speed at which everyone was travelling meant when it went wrong it went very wrong, flats were common zeb (mick gray) taco’ed a front wheel, Pat bent a set of cranks, bust a mech (well actually I did, but he started it first). A few riders had spooned themselves some needing the air ambulance, so respect to extreme medics for helping scrape up the pieces.
With the xc going on it was time to sit back and spanner/ sleep / play silly idiots etc,,, for over four hours. Which is just too long so I went and rode the 4x track for fun, The outcome is as much fun as it is to ride I wouldn’t want to race on it, so 4xers you’ve earned my respect for that (and I’m sure that comment will p!”£$” some one of some where but that’s their problem)
Oh and we went and watched the xc lot come down the hill at a good vulture spot. Now if you’re going to give yourself a heart attack up the hill the least you could do is ride back down it! And to be fair some did and some weren’t hanging about but others were probably questioning their sanity. The quick were doing a loop in around the twenty minute mark.
Back to the down hill and just like yesterday every set back had a knock on effect and by the time the first rider came down we were already running late an hour. In fact the time I was supposed to be at the start I wasn’t even in my race kit and I still got up there with 10 to 15 mins to spare. Not that did me much good, I stayed on but just didn’t attack the track enough. The switch backs were so powdery that it felt like I had flatted. The wind played another part with a head wind on the off camber (not that it wasn’t the same for everyone).
The flip flop king AKA Nico despite making a right twat of himself by spooning himself on his kid’s (if not by blood!) bike rolling down the slab near the kicker and taking chunks out of himself on his elbow knee and foot all because flip flops don’t grip to pedals put in a good run and beat me by 3 sec’s so “fair play” to the man he’s had me doughnut fair and square.
Pat put in good race run so good in fact that he got the bye for tomorrow’s final (I fixed his mech thou!)
By now it was tea time so I missed the rest so we could get up the hill for the 4x + coat surfing world cup! “The coat surfing world cup what is he on about this time” I hear you scream, well Faulkner and shagpile (Danny Harper) have the attention span of goldfish and between heats were inventing a new sport of head first back down toboganning in a coat and well it was entertaining until some body looses a bullock or more likely get stung to death by stinging nettles.

* “doughnut” originally premadona of the team then change to premadoughnut for comedy purposes then change to doughnut cause I’m lazy!