Video and Photo Epic: Steve Peat's Steel City Downhill
Saturday 2nd May saw Steve Peat's Steel City Downhill return to Grenoside woods in Sheffield for the fifth year running. And once again, the event attracted folk from all corners of the country to come and race the short, eye-wateringly fast downhill track that pinballs its way through the tightly knitted trees of Grenoside. This year would be the first year that racers weren't out there to try and beat Mr Peat down his local trail, of which in the past, Steve has dominated on with barely even laying down a pedal stroke. Due to a knee injury, Peaty was hobbling track-side this year and had recruited Josh Bryceland to be there to set the pace. So 8 broken collar bones, 900 litres of beer, 300 cowbells, a large gaggle of rowdy crowd members, 70 lasses racing and 1 World Cup champion later, Steel City DH raised the bar of grass roots racing for another year running.
Of course, such an event wouldn't be made possible without a great team behind it. Hat's off to Steve Peat, Nick Hamilton, Henry Norman, Steve Hardcastle and everyone else in the amazing crew that makes it all happen.
Until next year.
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 Ominous clouds loomed over the woods all day. The rain finally arrived for the riders second timed runs of the day. A slippy second run meant that times didn t change much from the first runs. |
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| Jake Peat s going to be one to watch. 3rd place on the day for the stylish chap. |
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| Custom race plate goodness for Ratboy... |
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| I d say this is 1 of the whole heckle squad that graced the woods for the race. There must have been at least 1000 spectators who gave it their all to heckle every man and woman inside and outside of the tape. |
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| Rich Norgate... A man of many talents and a man who knows a thing or two about good beer flat out and into 6th place. |
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[PI=12188049 size=h align=c]Joe Bowman the other side of the tape and looking fast. All that time with Steve and the gang seems to be paying off.
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| There was plenty of opportunity to throw down some style as riders descended the track. Style wins here too... As the best crowd pleaser over the Jolly Gap Jump gets awarded £100 for their efforts. |
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| Steve Peat once said that he could put a couple of pedals in out of the start gate and then pump the rest of the track and keep gaining speed from corner to corner. Sam Flanagan adopting the low to the bar, pump technique. |
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| The course was fast, very very fast and fun too. Despite the track not being technical, the fast nature of it still caught people out. Here Craig Evans weaves through the trees into 3rd place. |
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This is grass roots racing at it's finest. Some people still take it pretty seriously mind, and don their finest skin suits, bar ends and retro speed machines.  |
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| For 2015, the Steel City Downhill track had changed slightly, with the addition of a second gap jump towards the bottom. Extra heckles and stoke-points were a plenty for clearing the gap. |
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| Steel City DH Podium. Master Women 1st: Adele Peat 2nd. Becci Skelton 3rd: Rachael Walker |
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| Steel City DH Podium. Pro Men 1st: Ratboy 2nd. James Swinden 3rd: Craig Evans |
Pro Men:
1st | Josh Bryceland
2nd | James Swinden
3rd | Craig Evans
Pro Women:
1st | Rebecca Baraona
2nd | Joey Gough
3rd | Carrie Poole
Ripper Boys:
1st | James Wilson
2nd | Lewis Carr
3rd | Jake Peat
Juvenile Boys:
1st | Evan Davies
2nd | Sam Taylor
3rd | Matteo Crompton
Youth Boys:
1st | Jordan Beighton
2nd | Richard Brown
3rd | Jake Monk
Junior Men:
1st | Bradley Swinbank
2nd | Sam Hockenhull
3rd | James Hurst
Senior Men:
1st | Ben Lord
2nd | Thomas Cooper
3rd | Oliver Watson
Master Men:
1st | Jonathan Matthews
2nd | James Risker
3rd | Jordan Gould
Veteran Men:
1st | Ben Jaggard-Smith
2nd | Richard Burgoin
3rd | Martin Creaser
Senior Women:
1st | Rebecca Baraona
2nd | Suzanne Lacey
3rd | Ellie Dewdney
Master Women:
1st | Adele Peat
2nd | Becci Skelton
3rd | Rachael Walker
Veteran Women:
1st | Lindsay Hanley
2nd | Janine Wolstenholme
3rd | Melissa Pearson
For Full results see: https://www.rootsandrain.com/race3132/2015-may-2-steel-city-steel-city-dh-greno-woods/
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