The School of Ard Rock - Video by TOMGRICE

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Ziph (Aug 10, 2016 at 6:47)

It was my first ever race and first ardrock.I entered the Sunday not knowing what to expect.I can confirm the wind was biblical! I'm pretty glad I'd just done a week in the alps which set me up nicely for some steep sections on the course.In hindsight I wish I'd entered Saturday as I couldn't help but get annoyed when I was held up on virtually every stage by folk who clearly bitten off more than they could chew.That said it was a cracking day out and glad I go pro'd it because the stages were fantastic and I'll be deffo coming back next year.Well organised, lots of marshals and the course was easy to follow.Towards the end of the last transition it was a proper community spirit with everybody willing each other on up the hill. Well done mtb community, we really are a good bunch!

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 7:04)

Agreed on the queues. Admittedly I didn't get held up too bad till stage 3 but twice in stage three there were queues. I will probably do the Sunday again though next year but hopefully get into one of the first groups as opposed to second to last group this year

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stedunn (Aug 10, 2016 at 8:25)

First time here on the Sunday also wind was of the scale up top, killed your speed in some bits and made some of the already sketchy steep exposed bits on stage 2 even more sketchy! Awesome fun though

Agree a lot of people probably didn't expect it to be quite as technical and steep as it was and to be honest I was probably one of them! But there's something to be said about riding with a massive group and people watching/hecklin Spurs you on and you just go for it haha but there was a lot of people walking parts of it which were actually easier to ride down than walk but guess it's a mental thing

Awesome fun though can't wait for next year!

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Ziph (Aug 10, 2016 at 9:46)

@tufty: I was In the 2nd to last group aswell dude
Transition patrol with a push 11-6 shock.Probably overtook ya ????

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 10:05)

@Ziph: black Nukeproof mega tr and I was wearing an obscene amount of orange! If you beat me to the top you would have been long gone but if you passed me going down a stage then you will be in my YouTube video

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Ziph (Aug 10, 2016 at 10:09)

@tufty: I remember you bud, we were chatting in line on stage 1. I was with my girlfriend.in fact we were pretty much together the whole way round.i did stop off for a pint half way mind lol

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 11:29)

@Ziph: When you said Transition I thought it would be you. I was tempted by the pint but I don't think I would have made it to the end

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David84 (Aug 11, 2016 at 5:49)

@Ziph: I was on the same start. Riding the Cannondale Jekyll with an orange TLD lid. Awesome race but that wind was Bananas.

Heres a quick edit from the day

www.facebook.com/davidedwards1984/videos/10154490218981209

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poppagee FL (Aug 10, 2016 at 5:12)

best thing ive done on a bike in ages, roll on next year less the gales force winds please !

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 5:43)

You did the Sunday then

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Ziph (Aug 10, 2016 at 10:21)

@tufty: great video dude! Haha you overtake my Mrs then I come steaming past and overtake you all at 6:53

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DC1988 (Aug 10, 2016 at 13:56)

It was my first ever race on the Saturday and I have to say it was more technical than I expected but was very enjoyable. Definitely want to go next year and push for a better placing, the winning time was unbelievable. I was lucky to hardly get held up, the people I did catch very courteously pulled over. I didn't see any crashes but did see plenty of mechanicals. My rear wheel was definitely looking worse for wear at the end.

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tommakin (Aug 10, 2016 at 5:53)

Great vid Tommy G! Smashing beautiful private trails with a great bunch of people. Whats not to like?

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tommakin (Aug 12, 2016 at 2:28)

They also put on another event called the "Ard Moors" which locals say have even better tracks to chuck yourselves down. Definitely worth a peak.

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Brklss (Aug 12, 2016 at 2:38)

I absolutely loved all the stages and have done the Sport (3-stages) last year. This years change to 5-stage to the sport was good as you got to ride all the stages. I finished 83rd from 466 riders in the U40 category. Black BMC Trailfox 03 - say hello!

The good stuff:

- AWESOME stages
- Amazing scenery
- Nice festival atmosphere
- Riders super friendly

Now the bad stuff:

- We got put into the second last group (start 11:45am)
- 40 min wait at stage 1 due to rider accident - but we didn't get this time extended for the 5.30pm race cut off
- SLOW riders - many people clearly not fit/technical enough to race the downhills. Had to overtake a lot and people also did not move to the side.
- Finally made it back at 6pm (due to wind, cramps, rider accidents etc) and the beer van and all but the pizza van have left!?
- Got some grub then headed to the showers, which were just about to close (at 7pm)!? Managed to get a shower but the staff were not too happy.
- Overflow camping is miles away from the only 10 showers (for 1000 riders?)
- Not enough toilets in the further away camping fields

I think the event got too big too fast. I will have to think hard if I would go back up again (5 hour trip for me).

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tufty (Aug 12, 2016 at 5:16)

We started in the same group! You might be interested in my write up of the event (www.pinkbike.com/u/tufty/blog/ardrock-enduro-2016.html)
I had similar feeling about the finish. Riding solo it was very depressing rolling back into the shell of the event village.
I think the media has a lot to answer for about the riders. MBUK were pushing it as The event everyone should do once in there life. It really needed to play up a couple of things though.
The technicality of some of the sections. If it wasn't for a youth spent riding in an abandoned quarry I don't think my current riding (Peak district trails and trail centers) would have prepared me at all for some parts.
The climbing. It was tough going and despite spending hours riding you never really covered any forward distance, only vertical.
Add those two together and you find people who would struggle on the technical sections, now exhausted, slowing sections of the trail that you really needed to be carrying speed through.
Looking back though all I remember is the fun and despite being lonely I am going back next year. Only a 2 hour drive for me though

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brucemacd (Aug 10, 2016 at 4:38)

The stages look incredible to ride!

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 5:03)

if you get the chance I suggest doing it. The camera really robs the trail of it's steepness though. It is extremely steep in parts. Loads of traffic on the Sunday when people finally realised how steep it was

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alexhyland (Aug 10, 2016 at 5:56)

@tufty: I stacked hard on the big chute on stage 1 on Sunday...much ouch, day done after 2 minutes!

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 6:39)

@alexhyland: I will be honest in not knowing what to expect. There had been so much hype in the media for this to be the event that every mountain biker should do I thought it would be more endurance than technical skill.
But as I sat alone in my van I overheard the stories coming back from Saturdays riders. The crashes, people getting off and pushing and people dropping out on the third stage. It did not fill me with confidence because,as far as I was concerned, if you were doing the Saturday then you knew what you were doing.
Sunday rolled around and there I was, top of stage one, facing 60mph winds and relatively no idea how steep it was going to be. Turns out it was very steep. Those first rocky bits were not hugely technical but the wind? f*ck the Wind man. Turned my wheels into sails that wanted to steer me into every nasty looking rock pile it could.
Then when you had done that there was the drop in the woods! I enjoyed it but that was several levels above what I expected to find.
End of the day I cleaned the whole course although not very fast. Total time of 25:01.70 placing me 204th and an odd desire to do it all again next year

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Nahguavkire (Aug 10, 2016 at 7:14)

@tufty: Which stage was the drop in the woods mate? Trying to spot it in the video! Definitely planning to do some races like this next year (broke my foot and buggered up my entire summer of riding this year) but I'm in the same boat of not really knowing what I'm getting myself into?

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 7:37)

@Nahguavkire: Drop in the woods was stage one. There was some sweet rocky chutes at the top then some flat pedaling along taking you to the woods. Problem being, on a gopro you cannot really tell its a drop. youtu.be/SryJnp3Iz5Q?t=3m36s
There are a lot of people in this section, I assume, waiting for a crash. I don't know what it looked like on day one but by the time I went down it had taken a beating. It's very steep, the left line (that they wanted me to go down, had some nasty rooty steps but the right wasn't much easier. Pretty sure plenty of people hit it faster and better than my slow roll down

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mark-88 FL (Aug 10, 2016 at 7:40)

@Nahguavkire: 1 was the only stage with woods, not a drop, more you drop into the woods so a different style of trail to the rest of the stage - 1.45 in the video

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Fix-the-Spade (Aug 10, 2016 at 7:41)

@alexhyland: 2 years ago I got through that cute just fine, then stacked it good and proper between the bracken after it, scarred for life by the 'easy' bit!

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Rec22 (Aug 11, 2016 at 2:56)

@tufty: Got out fairly early for practice Friday, and that steep wood section looked like roots covered with deep dusty loam. By the time we came back through about 2 1/2hrs later it was clear that it was another rock garden. Had'nt changed much by race day, probably on account of it being rocks, rocks and more rocks. Some of the chutes on stage one had completely changed with all the gravel moving into a giant heap at the bottom. One of the first corners on stage five caught me out too. Went from off camber gravel patch Friday, to huge hole with gravel sprayed down the hill by Saturday. How the fastest guys went that quick, blind stages and all is beyond me. Awesome two days though. Gonna try again next year.

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alexhyland (Aug 11, 2016 at 16:09)

@Fix-the-Spade: cameraman got me in full "o shit" moment about half a second before I hit the deck:
www.rootsandrain.com/photos/1660291
Looks like the guy behind me on the turquoise nomad (number 3446?) had a gopro, would like to see that vid!

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Fix-the-Spade (Aug 12, 2016 at 4:41)

@alexhyland: Yup, that looks painful. Maybe start a Pinkbike appeal for Nomad Guy's video?

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alexhyland (Aug 12, 2016 at 13:39)

Hey Nomad guy!

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tufty (Aug 10, 2016 at 4:06)

Well now I know how impossibly slow I was going

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Ro88o (Aug 10, 2016 at 10:45)

Well done Tom lad, was hoping to join you this year but it wasn't to be. Looked awesome pal - cool vid

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thatpeskylimey FL (Aug 10, 2016 at 11:42)

Can't wait for next year's race but hopefully with less wind!

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wordy1979 (Aug 10, 2016 at 6:01)

Can't wait to do it again! Awesome.

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BENGA (Aug 10, 2016 at 16:33)

Worth attempting on a hard tail?

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bengoulding (Aug 12, 2016 at 0:20)

yeah mon, the stages are pretty steady, nothing mental. good day out in the saddle