Pearce Cycles Downhill Series Round 1 – Hopton Castle, Race Day

Date of ride April 3rd 2011; Bike used Commencal Supreme; No. of persons Multiple; Weather Cloudy with rain; Ground conditions Muddy and slick on roots

What a difference a day makes. I’d been awoken throughout the night by the intermittent patter of rain drops on the tent, getting steadily heavier and heavier. So we awoke to a weak sun pitifully trying to break through the darkened sky, heavy with cloud and rain.

There was an atmosphere of resignation throughout the morning’s practice. Some riders chose to run the same tyres as the previous day, but after one run I decided that wasn’t for me and I needed some mud tyres. Trying to ride the greasy track I was sliding around as though my bike was attached to ice skates not tyres and I was never going to make it down the hill on my race runs let alone post a non-embarrassing time using these babies. Off the dry-weather tyres came and on went the mud tyres. The tyres made a difference, but not much. The wet weather had washed my confidence away like the rain running down my tent in the night. I kept telling myself it was a great leveller but it seemed that a lot of riders weren’t concerned with the weather, still hurtling through the wet and wild.

By 11.30 the uplift had closed and had started to ferry the riders from other categories up the hill. But soon the Masters were on our way in the Land Rovers to the start and the queue for the first race run. Jay, Chris and myself were all in this largest of categories, Masters (30-39), and so our runs started within about twenty minutes of each other. We had to wait under the trees and leadened sky while the race staff read out number after number and the racers lined up to hurl themselves into the wet and wild darkness of the wood.

Jay left the start gate first and then Chris, leaving me at the top of the hill with my thoughts, increasing levels of adrenaline and an absolute slashing down of rain. I kept telling myself, ‘Just hit the run like it was dry’. My number was called and I was sitting on the start line. The beeps counted down. One beep to inform me 30 seconds to start. One to say ten seconds. Three. Two. One. Off and away from the start, all thoughts concentrate into one thing after another. Pedal. Jump. Turn. Change gear. Brake. Turn. Jump. Oh, and don’t fall off. The first section goes well, it’s greasy and I know I’m slower than the day before but at least I’ve made it through cleanly. I pick my line choices and set myself up for the next section. Out into the open and the mud sprays over my goggles as the rain continues to slash down. It’s hard to see but on and over stumps and roots I hurtle, picking up speed across the coppiced section. I drop down into the trees, holding my lines albeit at a slower pace to yesterday, keeping left through the speed trap. I bounce and bound my way over wet and slippery roots and big tree stumps that I don’t remember before emerge from the gloom. Then it’s a hard left then right and on the gas through a slippy turn and over the gully gap jump at a bit too slow a speed but I just make it. I also just make it through the tricky tight technical section and then it’s onto the last section. I’m starting to feel more confident now, taking the lines I’d decided on the night before.

Just a second before the crash on race run 1 (Photo: David Nott)

Then disaster. Before I know it I’m off the bike. I’ve come down a steep bank hoping the turn at the end will hold me upright but the bike washes away from me and I’m on my side, struggling to get back on the bike and off again. I ride the rest of the run on auto pilot trying to get back into the groove but before I know it the last jump is looming into murky view and I’m across the line.

The lads are waiting for me at the bottom. As more riders in our category finish their runs, our placings gradually move down the results table. I post a time of 3min 15sec, with Jay on a respectable 2min 54sec, and Chris with a 3min 35sec. It’s a long time till our next a lotted runs and we watch the elites steam into the finish area, or in the case of elite rider Harry Molloy, sliding into the finish. Fair play. Marc Beaumont storms home to take first place with 2min 15sec.

We still have another run to do, but the cold and wet is taking its toll. It’s all the same for everyone but with all the waiting around it’s difficult to turn it on for the second run, two or three hours after your first. But soon enough we are up the top of the hill again and I’m waiting for my number to be called. This time the rain had let off and the run is much slower than before. The mud has started to get very boggy but I still manage to get thorugh the first two sections without too much incident. I say too much but the track has now been destroyed. There are roots and stumps now revealed that weren’t there before and these throw me off line through both the coppiced section and the wooded speed trap section and it’s a miracle I am able to maintain some kind of control of the bike and stay on course. It’s a pretty sketchy run and it’s proper gnarly out there, but I feel if I can stay on the bike I’ll better my time.

Road gap race run 2 (Photo: Emma Lenton)

Over the road gap and through the final high speed berm there is a small off-camber bank just before another rutted straight but I feel the rear-end slide away and that’s it, I’m off the bike and sliding down the bank. I clamber back onboard, my saddle twisted to the side and all out of shape. I pretty much coaster down the rest of the track and come in two seconds slower than the last run. None of us manage to better our times, and Jay’s taken a huge tumble in the speed trap section, I think hitting the same new root as I did. He’s Ok though. We should have walked the track again this afternoon. Note to self about that one. A couple of riders better my time on their second run and I end up 54th out of a Masters field of 68, with Jay 30th.

We traipse back to the van, and I’m slightly disheartened about my performance, but as we pack up and start our trek back to London I begin to feel much better. We’ve all survived our first race of the season and we’ve found areas of our riding that need improvement (me more so than others). I need to learn to ride faster in the wet. I probably need to learn to ride faster in the dry for that matter. Oh well, onto the next race next month. Bring it on.