The best: 2009 Powerbar Midlands XC Champs. What summer racing is all about, blue skies, super dry trails (even an American style sand trap half way round!) and lots of happy riders. Powerbar have stepped up as series sponsors this year so we get the coolest number boards of any UK race (IMO) and 29er believers Swinnerton Cycles were on hand for the buying of new stuff and the fixing of old stuff. All good.
The headlines were all about Dave Collins (SIS Scott) taking a deserved win, but as co-organiser, the highlight of the day for me was watching the under 10’s and 12’s races. They are all super keen and super cheery. Also, 29er crew rider Phil made the most of his training camp in the Pyrenees for a hard fought second place in the masters race.
The biggest: Original Source Mountain Mayhem. Now in it’s twelfth year, it’s the grandaddy of 24hr racing and one of the biggest in the world. In an effort to keep my ‘powder dry for Twentyfour12 next month, I was part of 10 man team made up of old uni friends for maximum banter and minimum riding (I only got to do 4 laps!). Only at Mayhem could we beaten to first place by a team wearing sombrero’s, but hey it was the slackers category! One of the highlights of the race was picking up my brand new custom etched Exposure lights. If you’re fed up with dim lights, battery packs and cables then check them out - they are the shizzle!
Mayhem has started to get a bit of a reputation for being a mud bath (maybe why we don’t see the likes of Natt Ross and Tinker Juarez duking it out for the solo win there anymore?) so this year it was off with the Fox F29 forks and SRAM X0 kit and on with a chain tensioner and Bontragercarbon rigid fork for some singlespeed Superfly action. Wicked fun and I rrreeeaaally want a Superfly SS frame now!
The summer is looking fully booked with races every weekend, with a biggie peeking over the horizon in September - the UK’s first 100 mile race. Finally we won’t just be reading about the NUE and will get to race one of our own instead! The Montane Kielder 100 will be 1 lap starting in England and crossing the border into Scotland. The 6.00am start gives me hope I’ll be able to get to mates wedding reception in the evening. Fingers crossed!
