Scottish Enduro Series Round 5 - Innerleithen 18th & 19th October 2014

You don't have to be a gifted clairvoyant to guess that the October round of the POC Enduro Series may be a bit damper than its summer predecessors.

But then again Scotland’s not exactly known for the flocking tourists who take to the beaches in skimpy thongs, with volley ball nets to display their tans and muscles.  On this occasion the riders who had missed out on their foreign biking trips may have forgotten about the sloppy substance we once called mud as up until two weeks prior to this race, mountain biking in Scotland consisted of bone-dry dusty trails thanks to an exceptionally dry and awesome summer. 

A new addition to this round at Innerleithen was the addition of Caberston or ‘The Golfie’.  A steep and windy technical forest with a copious amount of intertwined trails that have left a permanent impression on both my pinkie fingers and altered my cosiness of mountain biking comforts. Caberston had its world debut in this year’s Enduro World Series and since then has seen a good revenue of bikers amongst its slick forest lines.

Checking the forecast a few days in advance and seeing the stormy weather setting in for the weekend, I got myself a spiky Michelin Wildmud for the front and a nice sleek DHR Minion for the rear in an attempt to shed the claggy crud that the week before had turned my Hans Damps into racing slicks.  Thanks to Alpine Bikes at Innerleithen for their last minute help with my tubeless setup!

A grey ray of sunshine at Caberston 

The weather had certainly not deterred the thirst for competition and the event was once again sold out.  The event village/bog had a good depth of brown smearing skid marks up to the sign in tent.  It seemed it would only a matter of time before the local farmers and their tractors would be called to assist stranded vehicles....

On arrival at practice I met up with the buff Buviliscous biking boy along with the usual enduro crew including fellow female pinner Nicola Fel and enduro mud virgin Henderson. There were 4 stages with the first two starting at Caberston and then heading over to Innerleithen for stages 3 & 4, including about 30 km of cycling and a heck of a lot of climbing. 

Carrying the mud to the dry bits at the bottom of stage 4 

We set off with the sun and rain in our eyes and a momentary questioning of why didn’t we bring any sunnies with us, but this only lasted for the length of this thought.   Starting back to front at Inners and the dreaded climb, we then descended with various oooh’s and ahh’s as Stages 3 and 4 were a great dolly mixture of all the old Innerleithen classics: Gold Run, Alistair Lee’s, The Tunnel and many more.  A few funny detours at the bottom section had me in a bit of a navigational giddiness, but it only left me with more to chat about on the way to Caberston.  The rumour was spreading that Stage 1 (Lone Wolf) was unrideable but to me it seemed perfectly fine! Yeah a bit slimey in some sections, but I’ve seen a lot worse (nothing will ever come close to stage 2 at Fort William).  Stage 2, the old downhill track was defined by a passing Ozzy as just like stage one but more 'off camberrie and steepa'  and he wasn’t too wrong as this was the stage I thought about most for the drive home.

Heading home with some mud decor.  

Over night the heavens opened and it was a wild guess if this would improve or worsen the mud fest.  I set off with the rest of the ladies early in the morning it was pretty dreech.  Stage 1 was the talk of the race with many people discussing how difficult and unrideable the mud had made it. So at the start, my optimism wasn’t too high and I was also one of the many riders that fell at the entry shoot. I got straight back on and maintained my uprightness for a while until I realised that my forks had managed to turn themselves off, so at that, I jumped off and ran through most of the horrid bits at the top and then jumped back on finding it so hard to actually find my cleats under all that mud.  Not long after Lewis Buchanan flew past with an impressive speed and flow, I barely managed to have two feet on my pedals for most of the bottom section and fell just as Alasdair MaClennan flew by with a ‘you okay?’ acknowledgement.  It was great to have a visual knowledge of what it should look like to ride that stuff. 

Mud that sticks on thick- I'm still cleaning this stuff up. 

Feeling like I’d made a massive hodgepodge of Stage 1 I was sure I had to make some time back. I headed up to Stage 2 in a mental world of self-counselling and reassurance, telling myself over and over again ‘you can do this’.  This seemed to do the trick as I managed to hang on for dear life, the Ozzy lad wasn’t joking about it being off camber too, this was a sideways sliding race, if you could keep your bike pointing forward you were a winner.

Heading over to Innerleithen, the mud banter was non stop, people talked of how it would feel like concrete in comparison to the squidge of Caberston and mud tyre efficiency was definitely the theme of chat for most. 

Innerleithen was great fun, some folk had even brought pedals to change over from flats to clips in between the two varying locations, an interesting tactic.  I was so happy to complete both stages without falling or having too much feet out drifting action.  The trails were on the muddy side, but nothing as wild as Caberston, so what would normally be considered as wet and slippy felt like the traction of a fly on a sticky bun.

At the event village I collected my time to find I was sitting in top spot with a good lead too! I only had to wait for top ladies, Emma Guy and Tracey Brunger to return, but to my complete and utter surprise I managed to remain on the top spot, with stage one as my fastest stage... which was the surprise of the day!  

Podium banter with Tracey Brunger (2nd)  and  Emma Guy (3rd)

Full results can be found here.

And a fantastic write up  by Trevor Worsey from Enduro Mountain Bike Magazine.

  

A much deserved gratitude to Helen Findlay
the heart and soul of Innerleithin Mountain Biking
She will be well and truly missed.
Thank you Helen!  

Enduro World Series Round 2 - Scottish Borders - Tweedlove

As a single mother I have to make the most of the time I have to myself, so the week before round 2 of the Enduro World Series I ventured up into Innerleithen to find the trails I had heard rumours of.   After exiting what the locals call "Pro Spacker", the steepest trail I have ever ridden in my whole life, I said aloud, "this is what Scotland produces when it hosts an Enduro World Series", and a beam of pride shot across my face.

There was no doubt in my mind that the chosen Scottish trails would provide a challenging and respectably full on ride of fun.  Some participants were describing it as "the most technical enduro to date" and coupled with the unpredictable weather of the Tweed Valley the potential for the trails to become unrecognisable in a matter of hours was high on the cards.  Rain could quickly change everything as the previous weekends UK Gravity Enduro had shown - with slop riding making even the pro's look a bit messy. However this would suit the local riders, who have adapted to love the wet.

It was an exciting and tense build up to the EWS. With a myriad of trails to choose from the race was to be held over two days, day 1 covering the Inners side of the hill and day 2 moving to Glentress.  The trails had been a closely guarded secret and other than discovering some hints on Strava, I was limited to what I could practice due to a lack of child care and a dodgy knee.  I was awaiting delivery of a Pivot Mach 6 from Upgrade Bikes and I was more than happy to abstain and wait for the carbon fibre beaut to arrive. It had an awesome spec with 650B, XO 1, DT Swiss wheel set and with 155mm Kashima covered Fox's to boot. From the pictures online it looked like it just wanted to go fast. Uphill and downhill. This bike would turn my cumbersome Patriot into the pumpkin that preceded Cinderella's carriage.

On day one of practice I dragged the pumpkin around the Glentress trails in sunny weather, however toward the afternoon the rain appeared and the mud potential was unveiled. Observing some of the world’s top riders tackling the newly lubricated dirt with conviction I started to think that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.   It was fantastic to see so many riders out and with so many different accents and nationalities. Perhaps that French and Spanish I once used without regard for neatness and fluency could be recovered from some grey matter...my riding might not look good, but I could badly help a lost Spaniard.

That evening I drove through to Glasgow and picked up the demo Pivot Mach 6 from Mark at Billy Bilsland Bikes. Upgrade Bikes had kindly let me use the bike for the EWS and Mark had done an awesome job of ensuring it would be here on time.

I fell in love with the Pivot almost instantly when I could easily pedal out of any sticky and tricky stalling situation with the similar effort of Eussain Bolt on a sponsored walk.  The TW link made the pedal strokes so efficient that even steep and technical terrain were no challenge. Pinkbike described the Mach 6 as “One bike to rule them all” and I could feel the desire for the 'Precious Pivot' burning up inside of me.

Day 1 

I was racing in the E2 category with one less stage than the Elites, and no time limit between stages.  With the weather so hot, I really felt for the E1’s who had to blast their way through timed transition.  Completing the first stage with a number of my now to be expected theatrical falls I pulled myself together and became one with the Pivot, smashing some great times on stages 2 to 4, loving every minute of the atmosphere and crowd who cheering me on, despite not knowing who this midget on a carbon fiber steed was.  The steep, technical and intimidating golf course side Inners was a truly epic start to the two days of racing.

In my whirlwind introduction and romance with the Pivot, one thing that I never accounted for was the implications of the new the wheel size, I never considered how this would affect the amount of air I would need in my tyres. Who would of thought that bigger wheels require less tyre pressure? The outcome of this was some hairy off camber wash outs on Stage 1 but a few Psi removed and I was gripping like a mountain goat. The other thing that I found hard to adjust to with the 650b's was lifting up the front end with the longer wheelbase but I was more than confident this bike could roll over most obstacles.

The super feather weight frame and build of the Mach 6 was the saving grace for my weekend of enduro. I knew I had to cover 88km and 3000 metres of ascent over 2 days and that this was the slimmed down weapon I needed to save my energy and it didn't disappoint. I was still full of beans after stage 4.

After the steep rocky switchbacks of jawbone and the flat out off cambers of 3G the cycle back along the Tweed Valley was beautiful. The sunlight twinkling off the river Tweed, horses in hazy fields whisking their tails to get the flies off their backs and trees thick with blossom. I felt lucky to belong to such a wonderful place and event.

My favourite question to ask the foreign riders fleeting past was “Do you like riding in Scotland” and most seemed pretty happy but relieved that the weather had brought some sunshine and dried up the trails.  This was definitely the reaction of Damiana, a Swiss girl who I met whilst waiting for stage 4. She has been riding in the SRAM European series, and seemed really happy with how the Scottish trails were riding with a bit of dehydration to the soil. 

Returning to the event village I was sitting in 2^nd in E2 ladies with Damiana in the lead. Stage 1’s pantomime antics had left me with a lot of time to make, but I felt confident that the Pivot and I could give it a good shot.

Some of my friends in E1 were also doing really well too. Local girl Sophie Buckingham and fellow Wheelers lass, Fiona Beattie were smashing through stages and had some fantastic times.  The top 3 of the E1 ladies was pretty tight and I was happy to see Tracey Mosely in the top spot. It was interesting to find out that she tries to avoid gels and energy drinks and eats as much normal food as possible. 

Returning home and to mother hood I finished off some awesome racing by preparing a home cooked meal for me and Ski, checking out my new farmer tan, rocking out in PJ's with Ski, brushing some teeth, story time and bike washing. After this second installment of the day I was more than ready for bed.

Day 2

Arising bright and early after a comatose sleep, I was up and feeling a lot calmer having the steep and slippy of Inners out the way. Another glorious day, but not nearly as hot, I made tyre adjustments for fast rolling, knowing that todays stages at Glentress were going to be a lot more pedally and fitness orientated.

At the event village I popped in to see Nicola from the Female Riders tent and picked up a very smart and stylish long sleeved shirt as it was most definitely cooler and the option of arm cover was a good choice. I set off with Jorji from Singletrack magazine.  It was her first enduro race, so I took her under my wing to convince her of the relaxed and fun outlook - honestly I don't take it serious.

Waiting in the start queue I met up with Mairi Bell (also on her Pivot) and Helen Findlay from Innerleithin Mountain biking.  The chat with these lassies was great and I was chuffed to spend the day adventuring with them. One thing that I found with this race was how supportive everyone was, all tucking in, aiding and advising one another when they could.  Team E2 Enduro was full of friendships and love.

I knew that today would suit my riding not because it was less technical but because the stages were long and had a lot of pedalling sections and I know I can pedal. Confident that I could get back some time I was feeling a lot more relaxed. 

Today could be a big game changer to the final results and I had to make the effort.

Cycling between the stages, I chatted with Helen about the success of Innerleithen mountain biking, and the development of girls in the sport.  We acknowledged how the borders had embraced the resources of the trail centres; there are actually waiting lists for some clubs. Once again I reflected on the importance of club participation and development especially for families and children, but also this can be heavily dependent on the infrastructure and resources available. like a good sandwich depends on the filler and the quality of bread.

I had given it my all in the Glentress stages and bar a single fairly major fall felt happy with my performance.  Positive mental attitude, a relaxed mind and a fair amount of practice combined for some of the cleanest runs I've had this season so far.

Toward the end of the day we were all starting to feel the efforts of our long week of EWS racing and preparing.  We were like wandering zombies on bikes trying to stay positive but with barely the energy to share a smile together.

Returning to the event village, my daughter was reunited with me and calls for Irn Bru, face painting, baseball caps and chips were thrown at me instantly – no rest eh.  I was so happy to see I had made a little time on Damiana and won 2 stages, but with very close seconds involved.  It was also great to see that some of my times were up in the mid twenties for the E1’s and it was so obvious that when I had fallen how badly it affected my time. A single crash can make all the difference.

I won a nice set of Enve bars for claiming stage 2 as my victory and came second in my category, and my second podium finish of the season.

The crowds were great for the award ceremony and I was a bit surprised how much children love being covered in champagne.

It was great to get on the Podium at the EWS and see some friends old and new make it too, along with Drew Carters in the junior, Joe Barnes for E1's and some really nice guy I met won the E2’s seniors.

In reflection, the EWS although harder physically was like any other race – I do it for fun and to challenge myself.  To make goals and increase my fitness and to meet new people and enjoy an experience. 

The added bonus with this event was seeing how the world class professionals do things and to find out if they are that much faster they are than you. As it turns out only by a minute or two....

For myself I’ve decided to focus on preparing myself mentally for races and to chill out. 

And of course start saving up for a Pivot Mach 6. It was heart breaking to let it go at the end of the weekend, now I know how Gollum felt when he lost his precious.   

Thanks to Andy, Monty and Cy for a great weekend!  Lets do it next year.  

Enduro World Series - Stage report

Day 1

Stage 1
As I set off for stage 1 I knew I had to chill out and breathe. I was going pretty fast but was also trying to sustain some energy for the mid forestry road climb and descent into Splash and Dash. The track was narrow and fairly rutted through the heather and then winded onto an off camber muddy pedal into the forrest.  It was tight and rooty with some steep and fast descents. The corners could be really steep and it was really important to keep an eye on the exit line to make sure to avoid any trees. The roots were really slippy especially on the off camber sections.  Toward the start of the stage I came across a corner and  I slid out going straight over the bars. I seemed to have very little grip and knew I could ride this with so much more flow and speed, but I was sliding everywhere.  I fell off about another 2 times, I was almost relieved to see the climb

The shoot after the forestry climb was well talked about...steep with an off camber corner.  I came up to the shoot and looked down knowing that any hesitation would be the end of me. It was looking like it had been ridden hard and I could feel by back wheel come up but I just got my ass back and went for it and looked around the exit corner and boom! I made it and with a cheer from some delighted spectators shouting 'go girl". The off camber roots of Splash and Dash were really slippy and I just couldn't get the panic out of me.  I was dabbing everywhere.  As I came out of the forest I spied another root and as soon as I hit it I came off.  As I got back on my bike to cycle up the scree I had some sort of left and right confusion in the cockpit and instead of changing gear I put my seat post up. Trying to find my pedals and get my seat back down I fell off the scree into the blaeberrys, got the bike up and on the track before doing the same thing again.  Boy was I happy to finish the trail. Straight away I reflected on my errors, I had kept my tyres fairly hard as I had seen some punctures on the way up - but it just didn't give me any grip in the mud or on the roots.

On the cycle back up to Jawburn I gave myself a bit of a hard time, but celebrating that I just managed that shoot with style and knowing I had the ability to ride these trails and well.  I just had to believe it and calm down, after all this was just another race. And after that I seemed to chill out and enjoy the experience.

Stage 2
Jawburn is pretty steep but its gradient doesn't bother me, nor do the tight corners, it's just busy, and its always the things that distract me that make me loose my line or concentration.  The loose rocks were coated in a thick sheen of mud, and I thought it was pretty grippy, its just important to keep the tyres rolling and in that stuff, speed is your friend.  I suppose looking around every corner and not getting distracted really helps too, the lower section I struggled slightly more with. It was slippy in some places and one section almost had an inverted rut line to ride down, with a tight left hander at the bottom, It really helped to have the Pivot on the bottom section, especially as there were lots of little catchy bits that slowed me down. 

I loved stage 2 it was probably my favourite trail of the weekend, don't get me wrong it was hard,  Tracey Hannah described it as "absolutely gnarly"  After taking some air out of my tyres and knowing that steep and rocky is perfect for my palette.  I managed to catch 2 riders in front and was so happy that they were very courteous. Local lad, Ruaridh Cunningham won this stage, which ain't too bad for his first ever enduro. I also couldn't believe how fast Tracey Mosely completed this stage, 4.44 - not much slower than the top lads.   

Stage 4
After a long wait for stage 4 our muscles were a bit cooler, the queue moved down fairly quickly, I attempted to start a warm up class with burpees and star jumps but the tired racers just looked at me awkwardly.

I know Innerleithen fairly well, and this trail included a dolly mixture of multiple routes.  Starting on a very muddy pedal on the Arthur Lee's memorial, to the top of Cresta, the luge and the Tunnel and onto parts of Gold to the bottom of the IXS Downhill.  With some new bits in between.  Again it had dried up alot from practise and I really enjoyed this run but perhaps felt a bit cautious as I just didn't want to mess it up. When I entered the last stretch down to the car park, my new bar length caught up with me and I had a tight squeeze through some trees which set me off toward a tree and a stand still, as I came down onto the drop before the bum hole I lost my line and got my front wheel stuck in a rut - I went over the bars and after some bad race etiquette of swearing in front of some spectators, I was back on track to the finish line.


Day 2

Stage 5
This started off on some flattish corners, and then shot into a forrest for some fast lines that came out onto tight rutted corners and wow did it feel good, there was a small shoot onto a pedally section with loads of bus stops, and it flowed really well , wet but grippy, the middle section which was fairly freshly cut and was still quite loamy and rode really well too.  A nice pedal through the forest which the Pivot was made for was great riding.

 I was so happy with how I was riding and the bike felt so good, especially when I hit the off camber roots on a flat section.  This bike was built for this terrain and I felt like I hardly had to make any effort at all. I kept a really good flow even through some of the tight corners. I was expecting the stage to be a bit longer, and didn't even give it my full lung busting all.  I was delighted to win this section in E2 and place higher than a few elite riders too.  It feels so nice to finish a section cleanly.  

Stage 6 was by far my favourite of the day, I knew the long single track parts of Deliverance would be an ideal place to gain back some time.  We were very close to not making it to the stage on time and I had to rush about  to ensure that I had some air in my tires so I could blast it down Deliverance without a puncture. The forestry section was probably some of the best trail riding I've done in a while and as I left it so late, I came across rider after rider.  Who were all very courteous. at letting me past, parts of it, were so grippy and smooth you could let go the brakes.  I pedalled and pedalled and tried to keep my breathing in check.  It felt pretty long and I was glad to finish another run cleanly. 

Stage 7 was my favourite in practise and I was not holding back at all, again I over took a few riders and I noticed how different it was looking from when I practised it 3 days ago.  I did really well at keeping it together and just trying to keep my flow, but at one point in the forest I thought i just looked up and noticed a tree and the next thing I hit it - i'm so good at this hazard fixation thing.  I had to run back up the hill to get on my bike and made it over some dodgy roots toward the finish with my feet all over the place and then I was on the ground with a nasty knock to the head just about 1 metre away from finish.  Still I managed to get a reasonable time though. 

Stage 8, the finale the longest stage but fairly fast, I was flying down this on the patriot but with the cycle back up and a massive group of E2 riders just lounging around at the cake stall, It was visible we were procrastinating about getting this show on the road.  I think the knock on the head had made me a bit apprehensive and I struggled deciding when to give it all. there were a number of big climbs on this stage and I tried  to save my energy, I didn't want to make any massive mistakes, and its hard to let a new bike go flat out when you're still getting used to it. None the less i really enjoyed this stage, the forest sections were tight and windy with lots of flow - It was hard to remember it all as it seemed like so  long ago.  I really enjoyed the last section of the stage, which had a drop that i nailed myself on in practise and then some steep and tight descents to the finish.  I was delighted to finish in one piece.  

i hung around the bottom for a bit and watched some carnage of people not making the last corner, wow, like nearly everyone wiped out, including one guy who nearly lost his manly hood and took half the competition tape to the finish line with him all wrapped up like a christmas tree. poor dude. 

Scottish Enduro Series Round 2 - Innerleithen

Just about anyone who mountain bikes, whether it be in Scotland or from further afield, will no doubt have a delicate soft spot for Innerleithen trail centre.  A soft spot not dissimilar to that of an 80's child's recognition for Bill Murrays voice in the new Garfield cartoons…

So I was more than delighted to take myself and the grand see saw of the Patriot to round 2 of the Scottish Enduro Series, and the destination I once labeled ‘Innersanity’. Using a new Car park and creating an event village with all sorts of delights, it was great to see the Innerleithen Mountain Bike Racing crew back on form for another season, and with their new partners No Fuss Events had the ambience of a reunion party with all your mates back together again.

My Enduro companion and her cousin. 

Sun baked mud tan 

After a prompt and damp registration catching up with biking buddies, chatting tyre choice, chain devices and speculation on our forthcoming adventures we picked up our POC goody bags and start times for race day.  The Inners round included a total distance of 26KM, 5 timed stages and about 1000m of ascent. This was going to be an epic weekend.  As its now officially spring I left my tights and 3/4 length under shorts at home and bared the white pins to the Scottish Borders.  Just as well I had my fab Dare2B waterproof, as the rain turned on and off, and the mud was gloopy in places.

Practice was awesome with an instant sense of relief that I had opted for a clipped in approach. Knowing how the Inners crew love to add a fire road ascent in between some technical and demanding descents - I had my guns loaded.  On the long climb up to stage one I witnessed 3 guys cycle up a muddy, boggy ditch that a number of people struggled to even scale with the help of other friendly race entrees.  This reminded me early doors that the Scottish Enduro Series riding is a hugely technical ordeal, with a wealth of super talented individuals competing.  I had the worst crash of the weekend when I head butted a tree at the bottom of the steep entry shoot on stage 3. Later on in the day aafter competing stage 5 I knew that this would be the stage the  would separate the men from the boys. The girls from the ladies. The bikers from riders.

A damp but fast flowing Stage 1
Photo courtesy of Ian Linton

On race day the climb up to stage 1 came with a strong wind and the drizzly rain that sticks to flesh and fabric, and soaks to the bone. It was great to venture into parts of Innerleithen that I rarely ride.  I noticed so many trails that I had forgotten about and made a little mental note to reacquaint myself with these hidden gems. Stage 1 went really well, and knowing I would be at a disadvantage due to my bikes portly figure I got on the pedals the whole way down. 








Thankfully very little climbing was in store to the start of stage 2.  I really enjoyed this stage in practice and on entry pedalled hard, but was taken by suprise how little I could see upon entered the deep forest with my goggles on.  I tried to keep my seat high to help pedalling efficiency but my old school Gravity Seat Dropper only provides two seat heights - high or low, and somewhere in between would of suited better.  The secret to this stage was to keep the flow. It was windy, slippy and rooty, and a lot of dynamic body movements were required.  Early on I started to tire and I could hear my breathing becoming louder and louder.  Noticing the fire road ahead the bike slipped sideways and I fell off the trail and had to drag the 40lb beast back onto the track.

Putting in some banter with the photographer on stage 2
Photo courtesy of Ian Linton

Unfortunately this stage yielded three more tumbles. First after my goggles steamed up due to my full Darth Vader on steroids impression.  I later stopped to take them off which was promptly followed by a smack in the face by a pine branch…my timing is impeccable. And most annoyingly on an uphill stretch my hand slipped right off the handle bar when I tried to change gear and the bike shot out off from underneath me.



I finished the stage feeling delighted that I had made it, with all the dramatic overload of an East Enders omnibus.  Bloody hell...

I headed up to stage 3, still scared about the entry shoot that nearly wrote me off racing in practice. Sitting at the dibbing station repeating to myself "don't look at the tree" subconsciously (more likely aloud with an audience of fellow bikers) I thought it best to head. I managed to complete the stage without adding to the fall count but had to run up a steep climb. There's only so much abuse the knees can take of powering a tank up mud. Smiles all round though!

Back up the hill to stage 4.  I tried to de mist and keep my goggles in working order for the machine gun splattering of mud to the face in the Tunnel and Luge. Setting off with fingers off the brakes I came in hard up to a right hand turn, and my bike slipped out to the very loud external scream of ‘BAD CRASH!’, then straight into a bar hump that ended up in a sideways limbo under the race tape.





A bit stunned with this latest crash, and feeling a wobble in my front wheel from a loosened front Maxel, my normally fastest sections took a beating on the clock.  It was still great fun, even though my calamitous finale was the exiting at the wrong part of the forest, culminating in climbing down the bank, then a run with the bike whilst doing a gymkhana vault on manoeuvre. How dramatic!




The climb back up the hill to stage 5 was long and I was beginning to feel like I'd be slogging a 40lb Orange Patriot about for 2 days.  Ah yes, I had.  The saviour of the fuel tent and the usual banter of well-known faces perked me up. Funnily enough the shoot into stage 5 did not conjure up the same feelings of fear as the previous, but this was the shoot I slipped out on.

I was loving this stage, it was riding so much better than the day before, I even caught up with my handsome Mr Buwert, and as soon as I seen him, boom I fell.

Similar to stage 2 this was all about maintaining swift flow and momentum. Just as I could see daylight spilling into the forest and  sense the fire road, I was upside down again, with my bike all tangled up about me, the handle bars were wrapped in the seat dropper cable, which was now out with my command.

Making up for lost time on stage 5 at Caddon Bank
Photo courtesy of Ian Linton

I rode the rest of the muddy mentalness with a high seat - adapting the tripod look of the Mega Avalanche. On the fire road I regained control over my seat height but found this was a false sense of security in Caddon Bank when again it failed.  Bollocks. I was so tired on this run to the finish, but battled through and was delighted to have completed another Enduro.

Next up is Laggan and I’m  cleaning up my act and halving my fall count. Might even try to buy a lighter bike that has a Reverb too. Does anyone have any good bike suggestions of a bike for a midget?

Another great turn out for the girls, with a very high standard of female riders. I came in 8th, with my fastest time on stage 1.  Clean runs would have catapulted me up the results I reckon, it’s not the crash count that loses time I’ve realised, it’s the time it takes to manoeuver a bike that ways as much as me back onto the track! There was some great results at the end of the day.  Fellow Wheelers member Fiona Beattie came in joint 2nd with Lesley Ingram, and Jess Stone smashing it with a 3 minute lead.  Another great result for my mate Nicola who has proven her confidence is coming on miles. It looks like everyone is training for this Enduro craze!

Full results can be found here.