It was winding up to be a beutifal summers weekend in the middle of march, the weather forecast promised us sun, as did the skys, and they certainly didn't let us down. Who'd of thought it in the middle of march we would be scouraging around in our sheds for minions and high rollers, instead of arming our bikes with custom innertubes and spikes.....................
I think we were all a bit optimistic about a 'new track' being built so soon to the race, rumours of a awesome mixture of flat out open sections mixed with technical root gardens and old school quarry drops littered the forums. I dont think anyone outside of the pre uplift day knew what to expect really, i was thinking the usual pedally hopton but with a few more jumps, but this course was far from it....
After blazing it from Little Chef we turned up to find dust clouds churned up from the tractors, choking passers by, in awe of what the weatherman was doing?! After a small walk to the uplift, you were greeted by more than enough trailors to get you up the hill. Most people were hitting up 7 practice runs on saturday.... Having a sore ass from the previous week doesnt help things, but you cant complain about the speed and quantity this time.
After a painfull 100m climb up, what felt like a minor mountian after a few runs.. The track kicked things off with a few tight root infested corners which caught more than a few out. Best line was to tuck inside on the first and hit the straight line skipping over roots as you go. 
Peel round the corner and you hit a gud ol 25ft road gap, which is a nice addition to a midlands track. Good to see the barrier is being raised this year. Sky it or go round it, but watch out for the roots littering the next shaded alley whcih you hit at mach 10 everytime... Get that weight off the front son! Pump and hope or nip in to the right on a horrible off camber roots section, which layed claim to Burgs 40's and many other peoples paintwork...
Quarry drop up next, the best went high and the rest went low. This caught many people out with some 'thuds' heard from all over the hill, the key was to make sure you were straightend up coming off the drop or your going to go arse over tit. Float over the next double and step up, then get on the gas to carry you into the flat out open.
Pile your way through the first few whoops and trees and burst out into the open mach 10, drift your way round the first major right hander and you hit a series of awesome stump jumps. One of them which sends you into a catch berm swinging you left into a bus stop/hip jump, which only a few could make.
Pummel through the last few rutted open turns, which lead you into the switchbacks. Hit them too fast and you'd be off down the hill, but too slow and you'd be losing too much precious time. Hitting the high lines on most of the corners were key here as they swung you into the next and so on...
Enter the last arena area skimming through the tight trees, hitting the awesomely crafted berms which swung you into the penultimate feature. Stay left on the rocks and squash the last 'lethal' tabletop which claimed a few people on both days... Sprint to the line and gaze round to your right to find another new addition in the form of a clock, which showcased your time to the crowds.
Big thanks go out to Dave pearce and Ian White who headed the pearce cycles digging crew who made this track possible...
Podium time saw all 4 seasons hit one after the other. Blizzards,rain, sun the lot..
Tonnes of prizes given out with Burg handing out some produce for some select catergory winners, and tonnes of goggles and bike wash also donated.
Hard tail
GILLIGAN Ben - Brooks Cycles 2:57.956
WILLERTON John 3:07.383
BOLTON Max 3:18.335
Juvenille
FLOCKHART Sam - Descent-Gear.com/Astrix 2:37.407
PETFORD Sam Pearce Cycles Race Team 3:18.458
CARPENTER Alex 3:21.166
Youth
KERR Bernard - ExtremeMedics.com/Marzocchi/Bicycle Fairy 2:26.358
BREWIN Gareth Descent-Gear.com 2:26.839
THOMAS Stefan Ancillotti 2:30.284
Junior
Dale anhilates everything and nearly... everyone coming 2nd fastest overall on the day and winning his catergory overall.
DALE Sam - Solid Electric 2:16.588
GEOGHEGAN Jack - Ancillotti UK 2:23.433
SHIELDS Bradley - Pearce Cycles 2:27.167
Vets
HARVEY Trevor - Aston Hill 2:42.215
RAMSAY Seb - Ticket2Ride/Descent-Gear.com 2:44.042
SIMPSON Jono - Pearce Cycles Race Team 2:44.645
Masters
Congrats to Burg on winning the series overall.
JONES Sion - MTB-Direct/Santa Cruz 2:32.186
REED Thomas - Descend Hamsterley 2:34.592
WILLIAMS Colin - MTB-Direct.co.uk 2:35.832
Youth Women
ADAMS Monet - The Bike Cellar/Utopia 3:21.462
Veteran Women
DAVIES Lynda - Ticket2Ridebc.com/Descent-Gear.com 3:14.234
Master Women
OSBORN Suzy - Rave Racing 3:50.072
Senior Women
DIX Aimee - Team Skene 3:03.238
LEWIS Rachel - awcycles.co.uk 3:32.261
Elite Women
HORRIDGE Emily - Mountain Cycle/Marzocchi 2:56.198 2:51.866
Seniors
Timaaaay takes the overall, nice one mate.
YEOMANS Daniel - Curtis Bikes 2:25.511
PEARSON Tim - nocycling.com 2:29.022
BUDDIN Andrew - Descend Hamsterley 2:29.402
Expert
Ad Morgan ruled on a hardtail all weekend.
BRAYTON Adam - Keswick Bikes/Electric 2:19.186
WHILES Nikki - Team Skene 2:19.323
DAVIES Jason - Brooks Cycles 2:21.044
Elite
JONES Ralph - Dirt Magazine 2:16.520
DEACON Tom 2:19.
SORRELL Rowan - Orange Bikes 2:20.648
48 72
Wednesday 28 March 2007
Hopton round 3 Pearce cycles winter series..................
Monday 12 March 2007
Hammers
"Got everything lads" Oh yeh yeh sure. Good one. I swear me and Jol double checked we had everything buy of course he didnt have his goggles and i was missing a shinny.....
A half 7 start saw the dhp van head up noorth towards Hamsterly. First stop was Rotheram to pick up Mo, note : poundland is the way forward for bungie cords. Aftwer wacking on an episode or two of family guy on jolleys laptop, the journey up the Msomething lasted no time at all. We had to make one last stop at the services to catch up with Dom (and his kid Sam), whos one of the top dogs over at www.grangers.co.uk who make the best waterproofing gear in the business. If your off up everest or just attacking your local muddy trail, this is the stuff to be wearing, check it out...
After the over 40s meeting had finished we headed off on the final stretch towards Hamsterly. Climbing up towards the pinnacle of the hill, your hit with a view across the valley, which just shows off the potential this place could have. But it's one side of the hill where interested in today.
Kitted up and ready we hit the main track which is infamous amongst downhillers. Hit the first left hander and float the first step down into the bombhole, making sure you avoid that gruesome looking root on the right.
Pin it through the trees and through those first flat out berms and into the open slightly. Sky or tuck those first 2 small drops and hit those next two catch berms mach 10 with no hope of slowing down into "that" tabletop. Coming out of that last berm your faced with a mother of a booter at the end of a intimidating straight. Jolley was hitting this flat out on his hardtial all day, skying it into the rocks afterwards and only coming off once! Good effort mate, definetly one to look out for in the hardtail cat this year.
Video of the tabletop in videos section....
Skim or sky your way thorugh the next rocks and take a left leading you towards the halfway hut (which makes a mean sarny btw)and pop over the road off the kicker, sending you into a mother of a man made rock garden.
It looked a bit tamer than last time i headed up here, but at speed it still sends you everywhere.
Duck your way round that tight left hander and shoot down into a right off camber setting you up for a rock fest that would challenge woodstock. Wherever you go here your going to get preety beat up, so hold on and try and stick in your line and hope for the best more than anything. Those last few switchbacks get better and better everytime i go here. The slight improvement to the last corner had over the bars brusing my ass! By the end of the day.... Style the last jump or hang on for dear lif ein jolleys case and there you where!
There are so many other dh tracks at Hammers and from what we saw of them they looked top notch, especially the newest one, which with a bit of bedding in will prove an awesum race track. Watch out for the last drop though shes a steep'un!
Onto the 4x....
Holy cow it was windy, the second me jol and little sam got to the top of the start ramp we nearly lost our bikes. Pedalling into the first tabletop in a straight line was a mission in itself, sky this and ur on your way to clearing the first straight , styling it out into the last step up, you hit a mother of a berm and into a triple.
Pump or jump your way up the next few step up/downs and hit the sickest straight on a 4x track ever.
Littered with lines of tabletops, with tonnes of inside and outside lines which set you up in turn for the last berm sending you over the rollers and onto the finish line.
4x vid in the video section......
The duel is also like a scaled down version of the 4x with smaller jumps and tighter berms, all smooth as. Almost harder to ride than the 4x at speed..
Awesome day out.
Cheers to the over 40's and to Don and his kid Sam for making the trip up!
Saturday 3 March 2007
Weapons of mass destruction, explained....
First. A definition....
The word in Old English is spaedu, cognate forms being Dutch, Swedish and Danish spade, German Spaten; also related is spoon.
Now if that hasnt enlightened you, well i just dont know what will. For many years the spade has been at the forefront of mountain biking if you think about it. Whistler didnt come from the heavens (has been rumoured...) and your local jump spot didnt appear over night. For a trailbuilder the spade is the first and last tool allways off the mountain, for some it is like a 3rd arm. Like a paintbrush for an artist a spade to a trailbuilder is a way for them to create their own piece of art. There is so many different shapes,sizes e.t.c these days so heres a rundown for you....
1.The classic garden spade
This needs no introduction. Classic shaping and bombproof design. Plastic handle with a solid timber stem branching out onto a steel digging head.
Ones to look out for: wilkinsword,spear & jackson
2. The border spade.
Not soo much use to trailbuilders,but a spade non the less. Think of this as the garden spade on the slimfast plan. Smaller narrower head to get into thoses tight spots.
3. The silver surfer
A chavved up version of the garden spade. You get a stainless steel digging head that makes dirt slide off your spade, like shit off a shovel.
Bonuses: No rusting. Looks pimp. One for your mum when she hits 50 fo sure.
4. For professional use only. "A professional gardener never blames his tools". You heard it here first. This work of art is practically all steel to give you no flex and no failures. Normally spades of this calibre come with a lifetime guarantee aswell so if you do somehow manage to break it then jobs a gudden.
5. Suspension. (oh yes)
When i first saw one of these i was in awe. I mean come on the handle flexs and everything. A true tool for the hardcore. One for all you dan cowans out there.
6. Personal favourite.
Read and weep............
Yes i thought it aswell. My god. If epic could be summed up in one object then this would take the biscuit. Im saving up right now....
Well there you have it, the most worryingly sad review ever. Most of you probably havent even got to this bit without falling asleep, but if you have just take a minute and think what your mates would think of you reading an article on spades.....
:)