POC Scottish Enduro Series Round 6 - Kinlochleven November 2014

Kinlochleven is no stranger to me and I know how changeable and diverse the terrain and weather can be. It’s a hard area to ride, not just due to the ruts, river crossings and muddy bogs amongst drainage ditches and rocks that ricochet even the strongest of riders off course, it’s also an area of mechanical mayhem. Rear mechs can be swallowed up and punctures can envelop at the sight of some of the rocks.  I spent nearly a whole week stressing about tyre choice, knowing that I would need a tyre to ride massive rocks fast but also cut through the slop of Sooks Pipe. There was only one tyre for it – the good old Maxis Minion, and a few days before heading off for my MBL assessment with Jules Fincham I had Dave at Singletrack Bikes fit the tyres himself. Thanks Dave!!

The view of Kinlochleven from the top of Stage one, Gray Mares Tale

In the week leading up to the Dudes of Hazzard Enduro the West of Scotland had had a severe weather warning for high rainfall, but I was pleased to hear from Olga, my hitchhiker buddy, that the weather was looking peachy for the weekend.

The village of Kinlochleven lives in a hidden mine of secret nuggets of mountain biking gold. Stumbling across this over five years ago after living there for nearly three years, raising my daughter and being a mother, I fell back in love with the sport and that is is in no small part what led me to here.  Kinlcohleven was my harsh training ground and tough conditioning for re-entry into the scene. Sharing its spectacular gnar and epicness with some 400 – 500 riders is a real privilege. Not only this, but to see and hear the village busy in the off-season is a real credit to how the industry can boast biking tourism to the remote areas of Scotland.

It is also a real credit to The Dudes of Hazzard and No Fuss Events that they have created this opportunity for Kinlochleven.  This event is possibly one of the most popular Enduro races on this Island and definitely in the Highlands with competitors coming from far and wide.

Some Riders opting for the push on one of the big climbs.

The three stages have been creatively developed over the last three years encompassing some classic local trails. The transitional route included the glorious climb up to Mamore lodge, a 300m ascent up a steep road that I eagerly climbed in order to heat up from the shadow of Garbh Bheinn that Kinlochleven sits in for half the year.

The sun rays on the climb up to Mamore Lodge defrosted our frozen tootsies fairly quickly,

For the last race in the season I had to maintain my focus, wits and composure, especially as I had to win to gain championship status.  Yes I had the advantage of local knowledge but as mentioned, Kinlochleven is a mechanical nightmare catalyst and when it comes to racing – anything can happen.  With this in mind I tried my hardest to stay positive to avoid any chat of negativity, mechanics, the course and conditions, and to find solutions for what could be possible obstacles or barriers to my overall time. 

My first stage on race day was Stage Three, Sooks Pipe and the muddiest of the day, which definitely came with an essential eyewear merit, especially to model the current Enduro trend of mud beards. I set off to a great cheering crowd and almost instantly ended up off course, but managed to bring it together and remember the small defining points of line choices. Just as I was thinking it wasn’t really that bad, the course flattened out but I managed to keep my wheels rolling even with my hubs deep in mud – thank goodness for Sram 1x11!

The black line of Sooks pipe and the Blackwater Dam pipe line

The sight of the pipe line came like light at the end of the tunnel and I was relieved to make it out the slop and onto the pedalling section of the puggy line, but not for long as this ended up becoming quite a lung buster.  I even sat down for the fast straight descent before turning back into the forest – I was loving the 1x11 aiding the pedal spinning on those steep up right banks.

I was so happy to make it down without any major mishaps apart from the inevitable dabbing and carrying a few additional pounds of muddy undercarriage.  I headed straight to the bike wash and then home to get changed before heading to stages one and two.

When I arrived at the start of Stage One, Gray Mares Tale, the whole race was preparing to stand down for two minutes to remember those who had fallen for our freedom. I stood amongst the eager riders with the beautiful and tranquil view of Lochleven and the Pap of Glencoe to remember in silence.

The Sun about to sitting above Garbh Bheinn,but the village sits in shadow. 

This was my favourite stage in practice and a trail that has always crossed the border of delight and dismay. For many people, riding this in practice might have seemed like a perilous challenge that only the daring and gallant could tackle with swift haste, but to be honest there is very little elegance to this stage and the easiest way to ride it is with less braking, keeping the wheels spinning at a rapid pace to limit the arm pump.  It’s a very physically demanding stage, with loose rocks and ruts at the top and a fairly pedally section with steep and tight switchbacks and this is where I knew a mechanical could very well happen.

I definitely wasn’t feeling as smooth as I had been in practice, especially when the sidewalls of my wheels were shaving the banks of the corners, it’s a tough stage to ride clean. I was ecstatic upon clearing the river crossing and steep climb up the riverside cleanly for the first year ever - I love my Pivot and Sram 1 x 11, on top of this I managed to catch up with four riders in front who all let me past without any trouble– thanks guys.

My claim to fame for the day was I also cleared the climb up the log onto the dibbing station! Yas!! I headed back to Casa ala Roz to change my socks and bumped into Buviliscous who had had a nasty tumble on his first stage and had to pull out. I wouldn’t let him tell me where in order to keep myself focused - I was one stage away from the end of the season.

Stage Two, AKA the Kennels, is also a personal favourite. In practice I claimed a massive moment of self-admiration when I eventually rode the drop off. I have been riding this trail for five years and never thought I would build the courage to do it but I did! This weekend was proving to be a ticklist of challenges.

There was quite a bit of water on this trail and the dirty substance had somehow worked its way underneath my eyewear so upon riding the bottom section I was blinking liking a loon. With raging arm pump I remembered to keep a high line on a corner and cycle round the river to the finish with the sound of Buviliscous cheering me on. I was quickly presented with a freshly chilled can of Strongbow to celebrate the end of a fabulous season.

Riding Stage Two, The Kennels
Photo courtesy to David MacMillan

On the way back to the Ice Factor for my results I had an idea of what overall time would keep me in the winning stakes. I reckoned anything around 18mins 30 secs would be fantastic so I was delighted to see I had beaten my own target time and came in at 18mins 28 secs.

With over a minute and a half lead on the second fastest female and awesome junior talent and Fox Hunt Winner, Elena Melton, Rachel Walker from Hope came in second and my good friend and Wheelers rider Emma Holgate came third. Fellow pinner Nicola Fell landed in 5^th along with claiming 3^rd on stage one, well done Nicola! At prize giving I was over the moon to find I had won a year’s sponsorship deal with Adidas eyewear – thanks Adidas what a fantastic prize.

A great result and of course a fantastic round off to claiming a victory on the Scottish Enduro Championships, which I always considered out of my limits.   

Full results for round 6 can be found here.

The Scottish Enduro Series has been a great race series. I have met so many fantastic riders and Enduro acquaintances have now become friends. I have also introduced a few of my own friends to Enduro and outreached my Enduro family, including the fantastic and immensely supportive Buvilicious who has been behind me 100%. I am very thankful to have such a great support network of friends and family to help me.   Another great thanks would be to my sponsors Dare2B, Flare Clothing, and Singletrack bikes – which without their support would I never be able to accomplish the championship.

Scottish Enduro Champion with her Pivot
Photo Courtesy to James Robertson Photography

In reflection, it’s a funny old feeling sitting here in my NEW living room amidst the old mining tenements in the north of the Scottish Borders.  Gazing my eyes over a small gathering of grand trophies that are placed in amongst unpacked boxes, books and bags, it’s hard to deny that I’ve had a spectacular season. I have won races I always considered out my limits. I have stood shocked on podiums, rode stronger and faster than ever before and faintly began to realise my own potential as a rider not unlike Neo in the Matrix coming to comprehend the idea of his uniqueness. But I ain’t saving the world, I’m just riding my bike.

I don’t feel any different maybe the closest resemblance to this self-declaration of achievement or winning is like Charlie Sheen defining his personal outlook as a ‘winner’ on a US talk show.  I still feel like Roz who rides the big heavy Orange Patriot and that’s who I want to be - I still want to have fun riding my bike and winning well. It’s always comforting to reflect proudly of one’s efforts and realise that it paid off. There is nothing wrong with having a grand sense of achievement.    

And one last acknowledgement of what may have been a massive contribution to my development as a rider this season is the experience and ability to develop methods to remember my line choices and ride cleaner.

So for now its time to rest and wait for the snow to come for the off season and I’ll see you guys next year for what I hope will be a spectacular 2015 season.

Podium with Fiona Beattie, 3rd in The Series, Joe Barnes, Senior Male Winner and Rachel Walker 2nd in Senior women.

A well traveled trophy is this one. 

Redbull Foxhunt 2014 with Rachel Atherton

The first time I heard of The Female Red Bull Fox Hunt with Rachel Atherton I was filled with a feeling of grand delight in the anticipation that something awesome was going to happen.  The realisation that the event was taking place in Scotland and not only that but very near my roots hometown in the Pentland Hills compounded my excitement.  So its no surprise to myself and anyone who knows me, follows my blog, or racing that I was going to put my heart and soul into it.

At the Start Line  

Putting all that aside i've decided to focus on why I consider this event to have an ever increasing impact of the quality and popularity of mountain biking in the UK.  

So why was this event so fantastic for mountain biking?  Why do I consider it a success?

The first aspect that I never considered about the largest female only mountain biking event in perhaps the world, and definitely on this island we call home is that there would be a large amount of children present.  Not just random children, but the children of female bikers who don’t race or compete that often.  It was not only an incredible and accessible opportunity for the kiddie winks to see their own mother ride, but also to see other women and mothers in a racing environment.  Is it implausible to consider that this may be part of a small stepping-stone to demonstrate to a new generation that active women and athletes are the bees knees.  No matter who they are or what they do they want to be active both for fun and self-fulfillment. They are our mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins and grandmothers and these ladies are badass! And hell yeah they all rode their bikes as best they could. Taken this into consideration, surely a new generation of rippers could be on the cards and thus British Cycling could be in for an insane arrival of upcoming talent.   

Riding with my daughter Ski Pea

Secondly with the large amount of children in many instances with their fathers, brothers, mother’s partners or grandparents, it was empowering to see the role reversal of men with child whilst women ride.  Something that reassures me that Gender Equality for both the sexes may not be some words we just pull out of a political agenda hat every now and again to make local services look better.

Another aspect I never considered was that women who were pregnant may turn up to ride the course and participate in practice, joining in with their friends and part of this extraordinary celebration of women on bikes.  This alone gave me an acute sense of pride and belonging that women, despite this potentially limiting factor were more than happy to overcome this to show that the activity is part of their lives.  

On top of this it was great to see my daughter play with my friends children.  We ride and chat about our children a lot but very rarely with our children and partners.  With the inadvertent ex golf course bunker sand pits included, the Red Bull Fox hunt had a great family event feel in the air.

The Push up had our heart rates up. 

Perhaps what put the icing on the cake for empowering female riders and athletes was that Rachel Atherton (and her mother) were hugely supportive and involved.  Rachel talked openly about her own experiences of riding and racing, blending in with the social ease of any other participant, and it was easy to see that she was more than happy to be involved.  

Keeping the speed up out the woods 

I was really impressed to see Rachel and her team support all riders, young and old coaching and assisting them with technical issues and also providing support on the course and hill.  Seeing Rachel’s commitment and natural pleasure to be part of an event involving girls from all backgrounds and abilities-a far cry from the fast paced and competitive lifestyle she is usually engaged in, made me realise that she is a great asset to British and world cycling.

Chasing Elena

It was such a fantastic weekend.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many girls, catching up with old faces, racing with my friends from other disciplines, doing yoga and riding an awesome course as fast as I could.

And for me to crash so near to a podium finish was also a good lesson on my mental outlook for racing.

1.     Positive and confident riders take risks,

2.     A committed athlete has a positive reaction to set backs and takes responsibility that risks don’t always work and learns from this.

3.     Holding onto and dwelling on a mistake will only make it harder to race next time.  ‘So Let Go’ think of the positives and thrives on the good times.

4.     After a mild concussion I definitely need to buy a new helmet.

"You only achieve what you believe"

Well done to all the girls, women, mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmothers who took part.

 Thank you to Redbull for putting on a great event and to Rachel Atherton, her Mother and the GT Team for all their fantastic contribution.

A video of my race run: 

Orange Tour De Ben Nevis 20th September 2014

This was my introductory race for my new Team Sponsor, Singletrack Bikes.

As I gathered my supplies before heading onto Fort William High street for registration, I asked a fellow racer to take a picture of me for one last social media input and tagged the Tour De Ben Nevis as the ‘toughest race of the season’.

Sitting here in the warmth of a cosy bed, cradling a lovely cup of tea with entertainment at my fingertips whilst reflecting on a season that is still two months away from finishing I still can’t think of any other race that has pushed me to the mental and physical limits that I endured for the five hours of riding 'the Tour'.

I was no stranger to the endurance battle that the tour lays out for its competitors, and was far from naive to the efforts I was going to have to apply to claim a reasonable standing with such a very high standard of riders in all categories.  I definitely had my work cut out for me.  I had completed the tour two years ago in a time of 7 hours and 6 minutes riding it on my Specialized Myka hard tail.  At this time I had had very little experience of racing never mind endurance racing and it was the first time in my life I hit the emotional and physical 'wall' whilst riding. I was ready to give up and cry at the time and since then I have been hoping to claim victory over the race that nearly broke me.

The route - appropriately named as the grey stuff in the middle is Ben Nevis

This time I had experience, a Pivot, fantastic Dare2B clothing, a higher level of fitness and a greater knowledge of what to pack and what to expect.  As prepared as I was there was still a huge level of uncertainty about what was about to happen.  The tour is different to my usual races as it takes competitors into the wilderness on a circular route for 72km around Ben Nevis.  The distance away from civilisation and the sense of isolation or helplessness if anything were to go wrong  set some unease in my mind; What if I hit the wall once more, but even further away from home?

Queen of the hill title makes Lochaber News

I put all this aside, brushed myself down from the emotionally challenging two days that Scotland had just overcome and decided to find my race face.

At registration I caught up with the usual No Fuss crowd, picked up my dibber and chatted with some Wheeler friends.  As I congratulated Hannah Barnes for her great efforts for the Enduro World Series I found a spectacular character with walking logo's attached to various limbs..

This guy later pulled out a 6 pack of bud half way round the course.  Legend!

Lochaber Pipe Band - Photo Courtesy of No Fuss Photography

At 10am we set off along Fort William high street to the triumphant sound of the Lochaber Pipe Band. We embarked on the first of many steep climbs up Achintore Road along to Lochan Lunn Da Bhra and then onto the West Highland Way to Stage 1 at Kinlochleven.  I don't know if it was the lingering lergie that seemed to be clouding my head that left me feeling antisocial but this race seemed to send me off in an internal world of contemplation. I ran through race tactics and questioned continuously how and when I should pace myself in order to save energy for the special stages.  

Stage 1 descent

I'm fairly familiar with the terrain of the Mamore mountains, but not too familiar with the loose ground that the Indian summer had created.  The ground was pretty skitie!  After Stage 1 we climbed back up the 300m to Mamore Lodge and toward Stage 2, another brutal and punishing climb to Loch Eil, which would see competitors gain another 300m.  I was growling like a fierce VO2 max monster and felt sorry for anyone who crossed my path fearing that the hound of the Baskervilles were on their tale.

Toward Stage 3 I rode alongside a couple of Cross country riders whilst admiring the stunning scenery of Loch Eilde and the Mamores. My mind slipped in and out of waves of thought as I contemplated the popularity of this funny race. 

Beautiful views and blue skies

The Tour de Ben Nevis could very well be the lovechild  of Enduro and Cross Country.  Like its cross country father its takes its competitors into an internal battle between physical and mental endurance, whilst its Enduro mother provides timed stages to compliment.  Both the complete duration of the course and special stages earn you points.  You gain points for every person you beat on each of the stages and the winner, surprisingly, is the person with the most at the finish line.  Understanding what kind of rider you are is imperative for a good result.  Are you an Enduro master who can make up the points on the special stages timed downhills or are you blistering athlete who can whizz round the track faster than anyone else and gain points that way.  Perhaps this slightly different and exciting format is why the tour stands out as a popular race. It attracts a great variety of riders especially the cross country, Enduro and trail riders who see it as a great day out perhaps wanting to set some goals and conquer a massive challenge in a beautiful explorative environment.  

Anyway back to the race!  Approaching the special stage where you had to hike a bike up a hill with some soggy feet I  took a few deep breaths and set off to give all I could.  It was hard to know if the traditional style of running would help or just to opt for the fell running approach of 'big steps very quickly'.  Either way the summit seemed unachievable for quite some time.  Even after the dedication of the fell runners gait to the top of the hill the stage continued. Down some tumbling and technical rocks a few muddy crossings and numerous arduous and harsh climbs, crossing the river toward the bothy and barbecue could not have came any sooner. 

The route went on and on into the hills

Homeward bound and happy to have the hike a bike behind me I still had about 30Km to ride. I headed home as fast as my wee legs could go. I just wanted to get to the final special stage, Blue Crane.  The ride through the forest of Nevis Range lasted forever.  The distinctive and welcoming whistles of the marshalls for the Scottish Downhill Race at Nevis Range was like the sound of a Christmas choir.  Nearly there. 

I have never been so pleased to see Blue Crane but in classic Newman style this is where I managed to deck myself by failing to clip in and losing my feet resulting in me granulating my crotch on my rear wheel for a few metres. I was all over the place but I loved it.   

Stage 4 nearly home.

Back toward Fort William and while dibbing out I was so mentally gone that I nearly had a full blown conversation with a stranger, convinced she was my best friend Louise.

This little dude watched me do yoga.  

For the afternoon I wound down with the classic soup and sandwich, catching up with the Aviemore crew Nash and Ronan and reading over some celeb gossip in Closer Mag. Then some yoga on the Parade  and a fab dinner with my wheeler buddies and sharing stories of the day.  I then set off to prize giving thinking I may have made it to third place I was absolutely gobsmacked to find out that I had won!  

I reckon this was probably the best result I have ever achieved on my bike. Full results can be found here. 

Looking a bit stunned from the result
I'm very small too

With the Senior Male winner
also from Kinlcohleven, Gary MacDoanld

Thanks to the support of Singletrack Bikes and Dare2B 
and my awesome family for helping me with my daughter.

Thanks for another fantastic event No Fuss. 

A well deserved rest in the sunshine followed

Tweedlove Presents The Whyte Scottish Open Enduro "King and Queen of the Hill"

Entering the Tweed Green I felt a great sense of nostalgia upon seeing the rippling red of the Tweedlove flags, bringing back happy memories of past events in this, the holy grail of Scottish mountain biking valleys.  Joining the registration queue I spotted some of the usual Scottish Enduro faces and a fair few new ones. Listening to the excitement in the voices of the varied accents surrounding me it was obvious racers had journeyed from afar to claim their stake as the 'King and Queen' and that the Tweedlove events have earned their distinguished place in the UK race calendar.  Despite the weathers forecast for rain in the afternoon I, like most, had dressed in suitably unsuitable clothes for the kind of 'drizzle that sticks.'  Wearing flip flops and a hoodie I ran back to my car for some socks and a waterproof and to prepare the Pivot for another adventure.  I still have a wave excitement every time I open the boot of my car and see the beauty of the Pivot Mach 6 - that bike literally is sex on legs…well wheels!

I reacquainted with Eleana Melton, the massively talented young lass who clocks stupid fast times, and after convincing her to hang on until the West side crew were ready to depart we headed off a bit later than expected like a set of puppies released out to play for the afternoon.

The King and Queen is an enduro like any other but it places a level of pressure on the competitors to complete the whole course in 4 hours and 15 minutes, EWS stylee.  The target appeared a daunting prospect to many and checking my trusty Casio regularly I tried to provide my team with regular positive and reassuring updates as to whether or not we would return home within placed time constraint. 

Our first stop for stages 1 and 2 was the top of Peebles Cademuir hill, a place that I had never even heard of prior to the event,  and I made a mental note to take more time out during training to explore a bit more off the beaten track in future to expand my knowledge of this fantastic valley.

Rock strewn slalom on Stage 1 and the beautiful Pivot.

So happy to set off with the Pivot and my buddies I feasted my eyes on the myriad of trails bisecting the fireroad climb taking mental note for future adventures.  And holy isn't this place a little gold mine, firstly its was caked in late summer and autumnal goodness with a nice presence of mushrooms littering the outline of the dirt trails.   Despite being in the midst of a 'dry' Scottish summer the trails were being referred to all too often as 'greasy', so as I cycled into Stage 1 I was not expecting the loamy and steeply banked corners that flew at me through the dense forest.  It was even more exciting to re-enter the forest into a tight hard packed section that had so many handlebar checks my pinkies felt warm.

Stage 2 was just as much fun, but really fast and covered in the much discussed  'greasy goodness'.  Some gnarly features for the more adventurous rider adorned the course, in particular a drop that I seemed to waste about 30 minutes pondering over before deciding to leave for 'another day'. 

Heading over to Glentress and the climb up Janet's brae it was really evident that the secret to the tight deadline was to keep moving and eat little and often.  I had decided to wear one of my awesome Dare2b bike tops that had great back pockets to fill with food for race day.

Stage 3 started off in the famous Spooky Woods and then headed onto Brown Trout.  It was a long stage with a lot of pedalling and great cornering.  It was definitely going to be a lung buster that was for sure. I really enjoyed Brown Trout, another new delight, and was so  happy to find yet another fun trail in the mecca that is Glentress.

Stage 4 consisted of the final stage used at the EWS, a long descent from the top of Glentress all the way down to Peebles.  The start of it is so fast its literally a matter of holding on and hoping for the best. This doesn't last for long though as some tough climbs will send even the fittest of folk into a VO2 max.

  

 Views of the valley 

Heading back to the event village I witnessed a sunlit game of cricket with some peaceful onlookers, quite a contrast from the vigorous and forceful rugby game that we cycled past earlier, and also the children s football match where parents lined the side of the pitch supporting their offspring. I'm sure someone mentioned a duatholon happening too, the valley rarely sits idle.

A reflective spot to watch some cricket

Race Day

It was a funny event to start on race day with a few people casually mentioning that I was 'the girl to win', and despite taking the compliment graciously I started to feel the pressure and nerves building.  Reverting back to the ideas of my 'effort goals' that to complete the course 'without a mechanical and to keep my runs clean'  I pulled myself together and resumed to being more than happy to just hang out with some friends and have a good time

I always feel so much better when I finish the first stage and after reassuring myself to follow Andy Weir from Ridelines advice that I need to focus on my breathing.  I thought it all went fairly well, despite a wee off after clipping a tree and a few too many dabs of the super grabby XT's, but I felt so much calmer with a run bagged.

After the push up/climb for Stage 2 sweat was dripping clean and clear from my head.  After composing myself and a cheeky mopping of my brow from the exertion of this Indiana Jones moment I was able to relax and get ready to bag another stage.  

Stage 2 was the one that I wanted to get behind me.  I had decided to let the red mist decide if I would 'drop or not' on yesterdays nemesis. I wasn't feeling particularly smooth until I entered a forest road transition and I heard Emma Guy shout 'lift your eyes, lift your eyes" instantly I looked up and entered a new world of vision and felt so much better - Thanks Emma! 

The day carried on, with me and the gang supporting one another, catching up at the refuelling station, feeling the heat of the sun that had burnt through the cloud, sharing stories of our conquests and misdemeanors and keeping each other motivated and strong.

Stage 3 and 4 went well. I loved the Tweedlove fairy at the start of stage 3.  I even cleared some of the tables in Spooky woods and my love for the Pivot quadrupled on the descent of Stage 4. Wow does that bike love to blast (I caught myself saying it aloud, 'this is really fast!!') as I became one and released the potential of the Pivot.  

Fellow rider checking out the fairy

At the bottom of Stage 4 waiting for some friends to finish I witnessed the most fantastic bale of the day, a fellow West Coast rider skidded out at the dib station and caught one of the marshals who then ejected in a lateral motion down the river bank, smiling thankfully the whole way, in what could have been a pretty nasty one.

After that it was back to the event village to find out I was sitting first with a 2 minute lead, and my friend Nicola Fell was coming behind me in 2nd!  I spent most of the afternoon waiting for riders to return, and noticed Thom Mitchell doing the same, until Chris Ball arrived and claimed the throne with a hugely impressive time of 22.23.  I then caught up with Andy Barlow who looked dry as a bone and mud free, apparently the trails were bone dry in the afternoon...Doh!   Crawford Carrick Anderson came 2nd overall with another run tightly under the 23-minute line.

Lots of families out and about getting involved

So I was crowned as Mountain Bike Royalty alongside Chris Ball, the Director of EWS and a legend of Enduro really.  I indulged in the customary spraying Proseco over the valley children who are becoming the Tweedlove Podium roadies.  Thanks to Tweedlove for a fantastic event and if you fancy an enduro next year, this one is a great one on the calendar.

 Prosecco patter on the podium

1st - Roslynn Newman, 2nd- Gill Davies, 3rd - Nicola Fell

Lots of awesome prizes!

I won some fantastic prizes including my Endura shirt, a beautiful Tweed flat cap and an Osprey back pack, which is the best designed bag I have ever encountered in my years of biking.  These guys have thought of everything to cater for your mountain bike needs; from an inbuilt fold out tool bag organiser, storage compartments for snack bars, and water bottles, helmet carrier, and the easiest accessible and refillable water holder.  If you need a new backpack, check out Osprey. 

Eleana Melton at Tweedlove

Full Results can be found here.