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.

Scottish Enduro Series Round 4 Ae Forest

Driving out of a wee Midlothian suburb toward Dumfries and Galloway I had the epiphany that I may have to turn on my sat nav.  Like many other people venturing to Ae for the fourth round of the Scottish Enduro Series I was visiting it for the first time ever.

I had heard many stories of the Ae trails, notoriously the 18-foot jump/drop on the downhill route and the muddy trails in the dense dark forest teaming with roots.   I had assumed that the current dry spell had made all UK trail centers a dusty network of brown sand and dust however on arrival I met with Emma Guy and she quickly filled me in that "Ae never really dries up".

Looking pretty lush and seasonal 

Ae are no strangers to hosting race series’ with the down hill route attracting many keen racers for the SDA and BDS, and are no strangers to Enduro either hosting a UK Gravity Enduro round too .   The trail center has some fantastic facilities including an open plan and well equipped bike shop, café (and well looked after toilets) whilst  being located just 20 minutes drive from Dumfries and other facilities such as accommodation.

Ae is part of the 7Stanes network and I have always been eager to venture to the Western centers within the network, but have never had the incentive to be lured to make the journey.  This is the champion of the SES, with more riders experiencing and acquainting their knowledge of other trails and centers building an awareness of Scotland's mountain biking infrastructure.

The course consisted of a 36Km loop with 5 timed stages including 3 long and grueling slow inclines up to the top on forestry road.  On heading out to practice I met up with Junior Female leader and very talented Elena Melton.  Elena is a speedy lass whom I attempted to keep up with whilst practicing stage 1 and 2 at Laggan, this was a fairly scary ordeal, almost turning my knuckles white.

The best view of the weekend - the top of the forest road climb. 

The first stage started at the top of Shredder, a fast and flowing trail, with drops, jumps and big berms. Unfortunately I had a pretty bad crash on the first berm, the ground was so loose I just washed out on the corner and gave my recurring dodgy elbow another whack adding to the hairline fracture that seems to be working into a crack.  A bit shook up and feeling funny I caught up with the rest of my practice crew – to chill out and recover – but not for long as the midges were relentless and unforgiving.  Thank goodness I had  the “groovy chick” elbow pad in the car, to keep my elbow under sufficient protection.

Loving my 'groovy chick' elbow pad. 

The trails were consistently hard packed and trickled with a loose layer of skittish dust and stones for an extra topping of sweetness.  It was very easy to slide off side ways and on stage 1 and 3 a puncture could be on the cards if care and tact weren't applied.   Under the tree canopy, any newly cut additions were dry, dusty and loamy but with the potential to become a slimy mud bath at the slightest hint of moisture.  Stage 4 and the Downhill trail, like Emma mentioned was wet, and very dark,  like entering a tunnel with only sporadic holes in the ceiling for illumination.  It was so hard to define a decent line with so many off camber roots, rooty bumps, more roots, and tree stumps. It appeared that the trail was the decider of the day who made it out with the least mishaps and after hitting some nice jumps we were back up the long fire road for the final stage of the day. The heat of the road seemed to be easing as some grey and dark clouds moved in and the wind picked up.  The ominous smell before rain started to set in and as we reached the exposed hill top and wind farm view it was pouring down. This stage was great fun and had multiple line choices, and to get them right could make the difference for a podium spot.

It got a bit damp.

The Pivot well and truly had her first taste of Scottish dirt and after a swift and non thorough bike wash, I headed of to Chateau de Buwert for some lush nourish, shower and bed.

I forgot all about mud, for a while. 

Race day

Awaking to bright sunshine I was aware remembered that upon stirring at 3am the consistent heavy downpour outside was what had woke me.  I knew that today was going to be somewhat different.   I had been seeded into the first group and set off with Elenor Melton and Lesley Ingram and the seeded senior males.

Scenic Dumfriesshire. 

Stage 1 

I knew that this stage had the pedaling potential to make a good impact on my time but I was still apprehensive of washing out like the previous day and hurting myself and or losing time. I had a bit of confusion about my tyre pressure as I was still getting used to running tubeless, but decided to keep it pretty high for the hard packed jump section.

It ran really well though and I managed to remember some of my lines, the steep and greasy shoot to the fire road exit attracted a few spectators that were cheering and 'oohing' and 'ahhing' as people threw all sorts of shapes trying to remain upright. 

A crowd of eager and happy racers congregated at the end of the stage to witness approximately 1 in every 2 riders exit with a puncture. Good choice with the PSI! 

Stage 2

We were definitely a lot muddier as we headed to the start of stage 2. This stage had a very sloppy and flat entrance that reminded me of pedalling through the slush at the Macalvalache. Before dibbing in I acknowledged a massive amount of respect to the marshalls who showed their resilience to the midge.  Everyone was squirming.  

Marshalls love midges.  

This was definitely my most frustrating stage as I managed to get my crank stuck on a tree stump on a small knoll and had to get out of the way of a biker wanting past, then the dreaded "I can’t get my feet clipped back in" scenario sprung up and I could not find any flow. I had to usher myself into race mode to get pedalling when I came out of the forest. 

A beautiful scenic and long climb up to stage 3 

Stage 3

Stupidly I had forgotten to turn my suspension back on but I quickly realised this at the start and managed to get some travel out my forks.  This was another pedally stage that had puncturing potential but with a loamy exit.  Entering the loam it all seemed to be going pretty good until I had to take my foot out and yet again “I can’t get my foot back in’ scenario.  It’s so hard to focus on line and choice whilst fiddling with your foot to clip back in.  God damn these tiny feet and lack of available bike shoe choice.  I slipped out sideways on some greasy roots and slimy bits, which induced a race stage rage, which I vented loud enough for people waiting at the finish to hear.  At least I didn’t puncture though!

Loamy with the mud that sticks. 

Stage 4

After completing 2 out of the 3 forest road climbs a group of riders congregated around the refuelling table while I did a spot of stretching and yoga in the sunshine and pondered about blaeberry picking the huge amounts of fruit that decorated the hill top.  The hissing of the air being released from tires was ever present and it was obvious that the next stage was indeed going to be muddy.

Within the forest I was feeling fairly pleased with myself until I had yet again another “I cant get my foot back in’ scenario and I came to a complete stop and re shuffle a couple of times, as this was the closest I had come to riding slop for sometime.   Like I mentioned before it was really muddy and I was happy to come out to near the jump section without any major crashes, my tires were so caked in mud that there was no traction I was sliding on even non-sloppy surfaces and actually slipped up hill off track. How does that happen!?  Waiting at the dib out spot it was crazy to see how many riders exited with eventful mechanicals such as brakes hanging off and saddles pointing up to the sky.

Stage 5
Undoubtedly my favourite stage of the weekend.  The ground had visibly had the sun on it for most of the day and maintained its grip it was pretty hard packed. The trail led you into some nice loamy and flowy switchbacks. I realised in practice the key to this section was to stay high and claimed some kudos from a spectator about my ‘good line choice’.   I felt strong although I did do some tripodding through a tree section that I had practised to death the day before, sometimes too much choice is my demise.  Coming into the last section I heard someone shout ‘your doing really well’ which I acknowledged and then instantly stacked it, I jumped back on and then headed to the finish another Enduro done and dusted.

1st Emma Guy, 2nd Rachael Walker and I'm 3rd. 

I was delighted to come 3^rd especially with such a high standard of female riders present. Elena managed to claim 2 seconds on me too. Emma Guy demonstrated that her riding is most definitely in a different league with nearly a 2 minute lead. The drive home in the sunshine was reflective and I returned to a great BBQ at some friends, Ski Pea and to drink some beer and eat doughnuts.  A great weekend.

Full results can be found here:    

Thank you to Dare2B for all your support and the excellent cycling shirt that kept me very cool in the hot climb up the fire road.