Tour de Ben Nevis
The weekend of the 24th/25th of September was my last serious race of the summer before heading back down to Glasgow to start my Masters year of Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde. The Tour de Ben Nevis is a gruelling race that ‘takes mountain biking back to the mountains’. The loop that No Fuss uses starts and finishes in Fort William: the outdoor capital of the UK. It is about 72km long and takes riders through the mountains, over rivers, into the middle of nowhere, past the land of bog and then back again. 72km isn’t a huge distance but it definitely feels like it considering the rough land rover tracks and steep rocky footpaths that make up a substantial chunk of the riding/walking.
Posted by James Shirley on September 30, 2011 at 5:44 pm | Race Reports
UK Gravity Enduro Series
After 4 weeks off the bike following my crash in France, I thought I should venture down to Eastridge forest for the 4th round of the Gravity Enduro series. The weather was beautiful and the trials were dusty. It was nice to be back on the bike. I took it cautious in places and finished the weekend with a respectable 7th place in the Elite category.
One month later, it was time for the final round of the series in Afan Forest…
Posted by James Shirley on September 30, 2011 at 5:33 pm | Race Reports
Hamsterley 121
The Hamsterley 121 was a race that I had been looking forward to for a while. It is a fun, relaxed event that is held in September near the end of a busy race season. It comprises of an XC race on the Saturday and a DH race on the Sunday. The only catch is that you have to use the same bike for both days. You were only allowed to change tyres and pedals so bike choice was very important. For me the choice was easy: my Orange 5 is the perfect do it all bike.
Saturday morning arrived and it was time to put on the Lycra. I got a good start off the line and even managed to throw in a quick wheelie before the first corner.
Posted by James Shirley on September 30, 2011 at 5:29 pm | Race Reports
Hope Endurance Downhill
It had been a few years since I last entered the 6 hour downhill event. A last minute change of plan saw me head to Fort William to compete instead of down to the British Championships in Wales which I was disappointed not to be able to go to.
I was looking forward to the pain I was going to be putting myself through though and seeing a lot of good riders fight it out over the hours descending one of the longest race tracks in the world. It’s rated as the best on the downhill world race circuit due to its speed and bike breaking reputation. (more…)
Posted by Chris Hutchens on July 26, 2011 at 9:11 pm | Race Reports
Euro Adventures
I set off from the croft with my friend Emma Holgate whose father lived up the hill in Inverroy. There was only enough space in the van for one bike each so I took my Orange Five which is the perfect all round cycling machine. In my bag I had a helmet, passport, phone, wallet and enough Bawbags to see me through the next two and a half weeks. We trucked down to Dover and just managed to catch our ferry to Dunkirk.
Posted by James Shirley on July 21, 2011 at 12:20 pm | Race Reports