So many wet races this year so far - Caersws, Hopton, BUSAs, Ae, all pissing wet.  That and the fact that I can't ride in the wet for toffee had me feverently checking the forecast all week.  It seemed very changable, some days saying the weekend would be light showers, others saying a downpour.  Precipitation guaranteed though, so it seemed...

As it was though we were remarkably lucky.  Track had a few puddles in it when we walked it on Saturday morning, but they quickly dried out (we avoided the first uplift, let others clear the puddles ) and the course just got drier and drier all weekend.  Hell, the uplift was chucking up a bit of a dust storm at times!  The heavens finally opened for 5-10 minutes just after my 2nd race run, perfect timing.  Hugely entertaining as the Experts & Elites still had to come down and were launching into the bottom field with High Rollers etc on.  90% got a MASSIVE slide on and crashed, most of them crashed twice actually, haha   Respect to them for entertaining the crowd.

Course was the old NPS track (I think?).  Went from the same start mound as the Midlands course, but down the other side of it and around the berms & "pond jump" (which was noticably missing the pond element).  Then some fun fast flowy bits through the woods, tight hairpin, pedally bit, another hairpin, then joining on to the Midlands and dropping off the stepdown to the fireroad.  From there it was the 2nd entrance into the woods.  This was the hardest bit for me, all weekend I never really learnt what was going on in here and just blatted through it hoping for the best.  Then down to the fireroad, the lovely floaty stepup to the flat bit, then the long finish as opposed to the steep rutted one.  You know the rest.

Practice initially ran pretty slowly, big queues for the uplift.  The reason being that even though it's private land to get the BCF insurance (and hence points) they have to compy with BCF's regulations, which is that people and bikes "should" be split up.  So instead of 6 trailers taking 25-30 up each, we had 6 trailers that could only take about the same number between 2 of them - bikes on one, people on the other.  Luckily () the seats constructed for the people to sit on were deemed unsafe and got chucked after a couple of runs, at which point things were back to normal and the queues disappeared almost immediately.  Result.

Doesn't bode well for future races though, I wish the BCF & FC would stop all this nonsense.  We're all there of our own free will, and we're much more likely to nail ourselves coming down than going up.  I know it's not that simple, but if anyone DOES fall off an uplift and is stupid enough to try and sue the organiser/FC/BCF, I'll gladly help in administering a swift kicking?

Anyway, great weekend, great weather (perfect, not too hot, not too windy, not wet) no big hold ups, no uppity marshalls, my best result of the year EVER.  8th/71 - chuffed

Had a good evening on Saturday as well, sat up on the fireroad with some fish&chips and a few beers and when it got colder later a decent little campfire.  Beer + campfire + climbing rope in the van = much entertainment lassooing dead branches/trees out of the forest and hauling them out

Results not up yet, all I can remember:  Tom Deacon in elites, James Coneron in seniors, Dave List in masters, Emyr something & Flockhart in youth/juniors I think (not sure which way around - Emyr won the Astrix Union frame too I believe?)  SDH's own oldish git 2nd in vets.

Should be here when they are: http://nps4x.com/joomla/content/view/82/86/

Racing's just SO much better when the rain stays away.  Rock on Bringewood & Innerleithen!

- seb

Yes, I parked on the fireroad and was very content.  I kept on looking down at the people parked in the FAR field and tried not to snigger so much - what were you doing down there?

Haha, yeah, last time we were also on the fireroad, and had to lug 25litres of water each up the field from the tap - that was a mission!

1) good point - sort yourself out a bed in a van, makes racing so much easier & nicer IMHO, and needn't cost the earth - I manage quite comfortably in a Berlingo.

2) I'm sure they didn't (and I never said they did!)  Does seem odd that there were no toilets in the lower field, I guess they were worried the truck to clean them wouldn't be able to get in and out if the weather turned nasty again?

3) Fair enough, I quite enjoyed wafting the smell of my sizzling bacon towards those in the uplift queue

PS I'd like to apologise for my use of the word "snigger", didn't really mean it.  I did feel sorry for you though, hell of a walk.

rubbish i was the only expert rider to make that corner and not fall and i wasnt on film.   

true, but berty was filmed and didnt crash. umm... well i dirfted from when i landed the jump till i crossed the line lol