In the 8 years or so that mountain biking has become my main passion….obsession more like, I’d always said that I could never see myself riding DH or becoming a Downhiller. Nope, that wasn’t for me at all, trail riding was my thing with a bit of XC thrown in. It wasn’t that I didn’t like riding on fast descents, far from it in fact, but I also liked the challenge of having to tackle a climb in order to enjoy the ‘reward’ of a great descent.
Even several very enjoyable trips to Bike Park Wales, using the uplift for a full on day of descending wasn’t going to sway me, was it?
Well……
This past weekend, I entered my first DH race, the opening round of the MIJ Summer Series at the FOD. How did this happen you may ask?
Let me enlighten you. A very good friend of mine, Amanda Tanfield, who I first met 18 months ago, is as committed to riding and racing DH as anyone I’ve ever met and her enthusiasm almost certainly played a major part in luring me towards these mysterious tracks. I began riding sections of Corkscrew, Sheep Skull and Bottle Opener, but without ever thinking that it would go any further than the odd session. But mornings spent riding the Verderers or going over to Dowies, were ever more frequently followed by afternoons riding up the push-up track for a few DH runs. In late February 2016, I did my first run down Ski Run, walking the top two sections to check the lines before riding them and that track got under my skin. I made the decision to try a race and then, after putting in my entry, a second decision was made to buy a second hand ‘big bike’. I purchased ‘Old Rosie’ in late March and she’s been my weapon of choice since then.
So, back to the race.
The MIJ Summer Series has been popular with riders for a few years, drawing decent numbers to the FOD and is regarded as a good event for both experienced and novice racers alike. Well organised, well supported and with a great atmosphere amongst the riders even though the competition is pretty fierce. The organisers mix up the choice of tracks to reduce the advantage of local knowledge, using established sections and often cutting in new sections of trail, to spice things up.
The Saturday is practise day, the track is taped out and riders get to check the sections, sessioning them to perfect their lines. This Saturday saw very wet conditions in the morning, puddles of thick sloppy mud at the top and very soft, loam in the short second section which made the off-camber left-right turn very tricky. The middle section, which was much steeper, had several tree stumps and lots of roots to negotiate, but there was more grip here thanks to the rocks and stones under the surface. This section then linked into the well established Ski Run for the final third of the track, leading to some nice berms, a hip jump, the popular table top and road gap before the finish line.
As the day went on, the track began to dry out, the lines changing and evolving as more riders descended. A fun day ended with optimistic talk of a promising forecast for dry weather overnight and for race day on the Sunday.
Race day, I’m up at 6:00am and on the road by 6:35, eagerly anticipating my first race and I’m the first to register at 8:00, with a steady stream of riders arriving. The morning is spent practising as you’re required to complete two runs prior to racing. The track conditions have improved, the top section has become tacky rather than sloppy, the once tricky second section is now much easier….getting advice from other riders on line choice helping greatly and I ride these two sections with confidence. A slow motion over the bars on the middle section, after I get out of shape coming out of a tight turn, sharpens my senses and I complete two runs to the finish from the fire road at the start of the middle section. I feel pretty happy with how the practise has gone and with 90 minutes or so until the time slot for my first race run, I spend some time with the various mates who are either racing or riding locally, including some of the other girls riding through the Dames Cycling group.
It’s then time to push up to the start, the adrenalin now beginning to kick in, I’m a bundle of nervous energy and I’m taking deep breaths as I take my place in the queue for the start. My heart is pounding, pulse racing as the riders in front set off at 20 second intervals. I’m next in line…” Next rider 10 seconds…” …..I’m breathing hard….”5 seconds…” beep..beep..beep..I’m stood up on the pedals at the third beep, pushing hard and accelerating into the first sequence of turns, over two small jumps….onto the first fire road, popping off of the kicker on the other side and hitting the left-right turn very nicely….rolling down into the middle section, people are shouting encouragement, but I only hear my breathing, I’m focussed on trying to hit the lines…the time flies by and in an instant, I’m over the hip jump and pedalling towards the table top, hitting the take-off and getting some air, landing smoothly and then through the two berms, squashing the road gap before completing two more turns and crossing the finish line. I’m buzzing, breathing hard and grinning like a loon. I check my time and am very happy with 1 minute 48 secs.
I catch up with my friends, everyone is energised and pretty happy with their first runs. There’s another 90 minutes until our second runs, so there’s time to dissect our race so far, analysing where time can be made up. We make our way back up to the start and find that the order has been switched around, so I have less time to think about my second run.
I’m off again, it’s another clean run, it’s a blur and feels faster than the first one. I cross the line and get my time, it’s 1 minute 47 secs. I could be disappointed, but when I consider the level of competition here and I’m 26 seconds behind the winner in my category, in my first DH race and with barely 4 or 5 months of riding DH tracks, I’m very satisfied.
The whole experience was incredible, the adrenalin and the buzz from the weekend is hard to describe, but it’s beyond anything I’ve experienced in any other sport or pastime.
There’s a learning experience too, seeing how the weather and traffic changes the character of the track, more tree roots becoming exposed as the dirt is scrubbed away, ready to catch the unwary rider and being able to read how the lines change as the day goes on.
I can’t see me trying any other kind of racing and I can’t wait for Round 2 in June.
Do I ride DH? Yep and I love it….
**PS Thanks to Roots and Rain for the race photographs**