NPS 2 and dragon rd 6 and welsh national - Inners and outers

Inners I’m hoping someone has done one for inners so this will be a short one for me I hope.

Anyway far too early Friday morning the alarm bell makes that noise you dread all night (well maybe not all night but it makes good reading, I hope) time to get up, and up to Northampton for my taxi to the Tweed Valley courtesy of Slater’s of Northampton (business cards still at the printers, come on Dr Evil). So after a quick blast up the motorway and keep to the speed limit on the A43 I arrive at the taxi rank (out side of Alex’s: do keep up) where a small invasion of idiots such as myself, well Neil and Jason actually but it sounds good, are off to the Scottish boarrrderrrrrs “remember clolodian” (oh dear writing this when I’ve got a fever might not be my best idea).

Ok fast forward a couple of hours (6 actually, and in them we hook up with fellow raver Beef). We arrive down the back roads to Innerleithen, and just for once Jas has got a hand to set the pit up. Across the valley a large cloud of smoke from what looks like a large bonfire soon proves it isn’t and we have one heath fire that spreads 2 acres before the fire crews can contain it. This has a knock on effect for the expert and elite who having paid extra to rider the track have to wait until the fire’s under control, before being allowed to play (you can imagine some choice comments about Dave Morgan made by some). Any way the reason we got up early was to watch and see what course was to be used for this year’s nps.

From the top out of the start hut (yes an actual wooden hut) we go left from the old track to a new only just bedded in bit of tight twisting root infested single track, unfortunately this omits the quarry and it’s infamous jump, anyway back to the track. Across a fire road and back to the cresta run as it’s named more tight twisting single (with a few less roots) and in some places it widening to nearly 6 feet and in places straightens out for a chance to spin you’re pedals just before a batch of switchbacks so tight some frame fork combo’s don’t stand a chance of getting round. Make that and down to the fastest part of the track (it has a name but I can’t remember what) with a small double and large step down in it, leading into a flat out rock garden then howl on the brakes and back to the tight stuff across a fire road and on to the open part near the bottom before the infamous bomb hole fall of the face of the earth into a massive berm affair before the final road (this time a real tarmac closed off for the race type of road) crossing before the end.
So after elite practice we washed and brushed for a night in town and lets just say I don’t get out much and one sniff of the barmaids apron, game over for me (I’m afraid, I was rather drunk).
Sat morn and with no ill effect from last nights happenings (other than 1 sore hip from a fall, that’s all you’re getting) and being demoted to the snorers van (thanks Keith). I bumped into Sheff who already knew about my behaviour. However my shenanigans were nothing compared to what some got up to.
Sheff’s Glory was raped in the night by little tea leafs (one lynch mob is after you, that’s for sure), basically the whole front end had been lifted whilst they were sleeping. Elsewhere in the paddock tyres had gone walkies and I hear one unlocked V10 did or didn’t go missing depend on who you talk to.

Inners is a great track but it has a dark side: to get to it, it’s a triathlon of an uplift. First off a two mile bike ride down the Tweed Valley (very nice if on a road bike or light xc bike not a 48 Ib monster), this of cause is optional if you got some stupid enough to drive you to the next stage. The uplift, 8 sheep lorries travelling in bunches of two: 1 for the bikes, 1 for the riders. And then after that a good push up from the quarry to the start, but then it’s pay back: the descent.
To be honest we tried as hard as poss. to get track time but with that long ride and the lorries bunching up the uplift queue was long enough (when it was just non expert or elite the queue did reduce) three was all we got in.
Sheff would have loved the chance to have had three runs but all morning had been running round finding bits for his bike, and by mid day was up and running.
Seeding sat doesn’t mean as much as last year with the fastest 100 getting split up from the other 200 riders only maybe 40 non elite/ expert have got a chance of making the cut, this year in the masters Ozz (Darren Osborn) missed out by about a sec.
In the evening we had a Chinese, then we bedded down for the night. In the morning it was a bit fresh but promised to be another fine day, which to be honest I couldn’t quite believe but I shouldn’t complain.
A few more runs in the morn to get our bearings before the big guns get there practice. Get a bite to eat before the long ride to the uplift for the last time.
Results well you should now them by now so I not going to bore you so try [http://www.naccevents.co.uk]. What I shall say is that with Peaty and the Athertons in Lisbon, some riders were hungry not to settle for second!
As soon as our day was done we broke camp and set off home, stuck behind Sheff’s mobile home along the narrow back roads. “Stuck behind Sheff!” I don’t tink soo: the man was like foot out flat out and heaven forbid if you got in his way. A few sheep played chicken and they got blasted and Sunday drivers out on a scenic drive were mown down. In fact the journey home was nearly as much fun as the racing. Once home it was time to get the dusty kit clean ready for next week.

Gethin the week after I was Billy no mates and the only raver in attendance for what was to be a wet one, a very wet one.
No family for this one either I had blagged a bed in da Hume’s mobile home (cheers Adrian). And got up sat morn in the comfort of my own bed, I had a suspicion that it was to be wet when even the welsh mountain roads were incapable of draining the vast amount of water deposited out the sky over night.
After last weeks spate of tea leafs, everyone was on there guard whilst in the heart of the vallies (near Merthyr on 3k bikes plus all our kit, talk about rubbing salt into the wounds of the locals). Anyway that aside it was time to guess what tyres to use and in hind sight I should have gone for full wets but didn’t in the naive belief that the track would dry out.
So once suited and booted it was time to find the uplift trucks… no no that’s all wrong the uplift coaches and two trucks. The trucks as at Abercarn was limited to 20, but Julian Pomfrey plus (name left my aero head sorry) have been busy welding a 28ish bike trailer from angle iron and a fair job they have done on the two of them, although a bit fiddly to load and the bars and brakes do rub, with a few tweaks and a lick of paint plus one or two more will be great solution to the uplift dilema.
Once up top, Gethin has a long push up what normally is a track but today was more like a stream of gritty water (just what you’re 3K bike needs, not). OK so you’ve been on the uplift endured the muddy and boggy push now time for payback, the track. Gethin II same track as used for three years, the weather hasn’t been kind on her in places, the flattish top 40 sec or so pretty much as before leading into the clear-cut rollercoaster ride which only in a few places is getting rough mainly the floaty channel up top and the tree roots near the end of the clear cut, the small wood held the water in there all weekend and just after the bomb hole the long flat right had turned into a gully, the small rock garden was more like river bed and the main reason for riding Gethin the main rock garden has got angry after last years relatively smooth affair, it’s much worse than I’ve seen it for at least two years just keep it pinned and don’t panic and the chances are you’ll clear it, panic and every pot hole is were you’re headed. After the rock garden and what was a pedal to the end has become as challenging in the wet as the rest of the track. All in around 3 to 4 mins.
Despite Jason’s best efforts to get efficient uplift, from my p.o.v. it still isn’t there, normally pre F.C. rulling three to four practice runs were within reason I didn’t hear many people say they got more than three in and I was only able to get two full runs in. Right I must get off my soap box cause it isn’t right to moan if you isn’t prepared to help or except a further increase in entry fees (that’s as balanced a whinge as I can get).
It’s fair to say a few of my rattles left my pram when lack of track time and then near the end of practice my chain device broke, oh and my gear cable failed again (bloody shimano routing). Just because I was having a bad time of it doesn’t mean everyone was, Jonesy and mini Jonsey (Rob Breakwell, watch them ride and don’t tell Rob hasn’t learnt a thing or two from Steve) not fussed by a bit of mud were having it. Craig Sheffield with yet another new bike (his long awaited session 10, 2 years waiting) proving he can ride the mud. Along with at least 100 other riders weren’t having as bad a day as me.

* I don’t mean anything by it honest!!