Race Report: British Downhill Series 2015, Rhyd Y Felin
Despite the gorgeous summer weather on Saturday, the forecasted rain poured down in the early hours of Sunday morning to drench the hillside at the Rose Bikes British Downhill Series in Rhyd Y Felin.
The rain had turned the track into a bit of a mud-fest - perhaps in homage to Glastonbury which was being held at the same time a couple of hundred miles away - and similar to the revellers at the festival, a bit of damp didn't put off the riders in Wales. Come 8am on Sunday morning, the uplift was in full swing ferrying riders up the steep track up until late morning. Riders were able to get a couple of runs in but the big issue for them was the amount of mud clogging up on their bikes, sometimes making it impossible to pedal. The dust on the track on Saturday had transformed itself into mud-soup, making the track completely different, with the dampness now sapping speed making it difficult for riders to clear jumps. The exposed roots also meant things were tricky in the mid-section of the track. Down in the lower half, the open field was an ice rink, with many riders succumbing to its ability to throw the bike's pilot off balance and off course. Once back in the pits, for those riders who didn't have their own pressure bike wash, the Duck Smart truck had a good system going to clean bikes, and as expected by mid morning the demand was pretty high.
![Round 4 Roes Bikes British Downhill Series Bala https www.facebook.com TheHillAreAlive]()
![Morning Practise Rainy and muddy Round 4 Roes Bikes British Downhill Series Bala https www.facebook.com TheHillAreAlive]()
It was hard going in the morning, and you could read the struggle riders had been through in their practice runs by the look on their faces as they crossed into the finish line area.. Everything riders had learned and become accustomed to the day before was thrown out the window thanks the rain. By late morning, it was time for riders' timed seeding runs. The ground was still sodden and the slightest error in these conditions would mean high consequences for those out on track. From what we gather, it was rare to see a rider not coming off in this section thanks to its slip-and-slide nature. With spectators and media gathered here, it was a prime spot for some great photos and some friendly heckling and cheering on of riders who had to pick themselves up from the track and carry on to the finish.
![All photo rights belong to Alex Gann Grip Media]()
![All photo rights belong to Alex Gann Grip Media]()
In DMR Juvenile, Jamie Edmondson from Sick Skills Development Team won his category by over twenty-two seconds, beating second place rider Evan Davis and Morgan Tyrrell who was in third. In Marzocchi Youth, local rider Joe Breeden from Revolution Bike Park managed to pull a gap of just over 0.7 secs to get on the top step, with Matt Walker from Madison Saracen Development Team in second place, and P&O Ferries' Conor Bate in third. With only two riders in the Hookit Grand Veteran category, Richard Binns took the win ahead of TRG Racing Michael Waud. In Dainese Veterans, Leisure Lakes' Mark Weightman secured the top step, twenty seconds ahead of Joe Ward, and thirty-five seconds ahead of Wheelbase/Altura/MGD's Graeme Cochrane. In NS Bikes Master Men, David List of Pete Yates Cycles won by 0.8 seconds ahead of Ashley Mullane of Mondraker UK/Race Face, and third place local Rhys Evans from Revolution Bike Park.
In Flare Clothing Women, Team Aston Hill's Lucy Drees stomped home in first place, ahead of Hazel Wakefield from TRG Racing, with third place going to Becci Skelton from the Uberbikes Team. If Lucy was in Elite Women, she would have ended up in fifth spot. In Shimano Senior Men, James Carr won by 0.54 seconds, leaving Matthew Barrett from Barr3rr/J-Tech/Knox/Fiveten in second place, and Lewis Boyce from Wheelies in third. Kenta Gallagher, more famed for his XC exploits, took the win X-Fusion Expert Men for 777 Racing, with James Ramsey 3.7 seconds behind him in second place, followed by Will Weston from NS Bikes/Hotlines/Manitou in third. In the Atherton Junior Women category, Hope Jensen - who secured second place at the World Cup in Leogang in Junior Women a few weekends back - from Bikers Boutique/Leslie Bike Shop crossed the line 2.5 seconds in from of second place rider Gemma Taylor from We Love Mountains, with Rona Strivens from Highand Bikes in third place.
A special shout out goes to Darren Evans for rocking his Stanton hardtail all weekend (including an essential water bottle). Darren managed to get twenty-second place in the finals. Not bad given all other forty-six riders were on full suspension bikes.
In Spank Junior Men, fresh from his second place spot at the World Cup in Leogang, Orange Dirt World Team's Jacob Dickson completed his run in 3:43.335, a whopping 6.030 seconds ahead of Steve Peat Syndicate's Frazer McCubbing. Despite this lead, it was interesting to see the guys exchange fastest times in the first and second sectors, with Jacob ultimately having the upper hand by squeezing in enough of a lead to beat Frazer at the line. Nial Oxley crossed the line in third place, 8.6 seconds behind the leader.
![Manon Carpenter on her seeding run. Round 4 Roes Bikes British Downhill Series Bala https www.facebook.com TheHillAreAlive]()
![All photo rights belong to Alex Gann Grip Media]()
In Schwalbe Elite Women, no one was able to come close to Rachel Atherton's winning time of 4:05.067. Manon Carpenter was 13.4 seconds back in second place, having had trouble in the top section of the track but having a blistering lower half ride. Having had to see her brother come down the hill with a broken arm earlier in the day, FMD Racing's Tahnee Seagrave must have had a lot going on in her mind as she took to the track. Despite having a great first sector, she dropped slightly back in the lower half of the track, coming home in third place. Unfortunately, Katy Curd was unable to impress on her seeding position, finishing in fourth spot.
By the time the Elite Men were on their way down, the track was firming up, although still slippery in some places. There were a few tumbles as riders tried their best to weave through the densely-packed woods, and some were lucky to get away with just a shoulder-barge into a tree.
Although fastest qualifier, Matt Simmonds from Madison Saracen didn't have the race he wanted, finishing in fifth place behind Unior Tools rider Reece Wilson. CRC/Nukeproof's Mike Jones, who was fastest through the speed trap didn't have a great first sector and in the lower sector could only make up the time slightly. Mike crossed the line in third place. Gee Atherton, who had qualified poorly earlier in the day (36th place), was in the hot-seat for a long while with a time of 3:26.994, over two seconds in front of Mike Jones. Gee had been fast in the first sector, but managed to get a bit too close to a tree, sapping his time in the lower half of the course. It was evidence however that CRC/Nukeproof rider Joe Smith was on a winner. Taking the fastest time in the first and second sector, Joe dominated the track, crossing the line 2.5 seconds ahead of Gee. With this back-to-back win for Joe Smith, all eyes will be on him at the next round in Molfre in a couple of week's time.
Mudhugger Fastest Time of the Day: Joe Smith // CRC/Nukeproof
Works Components Fastest Through the Speed Trap: Mike Jones // CRC/Nukeproof
Ride Portugal Category Winner: Mark Weightman // Leisure Lakes
Words by Farah Ahmed. Photos by The Hills Are Alive and The Grip Media.
MENTIONS @BritishDownhillseries / @geebeebee / @RoseBikesUK / @schwalbe / @spank-bikes / @hopetech / @foxheadeurope / @dmrbikes / @HookitProducts / @Dainese / @ns-bikes / @shimano / @si-paton / @TheHillsAreAlive / @TheGripMedia
The rain had turned the track into a bit of a mud-fest - perhaps in homage to Glastonbury which was being held at the same time a couple of hundred miles away - and similar to the revellers at the festival, a bit of damp didn't put off the riders in Wales. Come 8am on Sunday morning, the uplift was in full swing ferrying riders up the steep track up until late morning. Riders were able to get a couple of runs in but the big issue for them was the amount of mud clogging up on their bikes, sometimes making it impossible to pedal. The dust on the track on Saturday had transformed itself into mud-soup, making the track completely different, with the dampness now sapping speed making it difficult for riders to clear jumps. The exposed roots also meant things were tricky in the mid-section of the track. Down in the lower half, the open field was an ice rink, with many riders succumbing to its ability to throw the bike's pilot off balance and off course. Once back in the pits, for those riders who didn't have their own pressure bike wash, the Duck Smart truck had a good system going to clean bikes, and as expected by mid morning the demand was pretty high.
 |
It was hard going in the morning, and you could read the struggle riders had been through in their practice runs by the look on their faces as they crossed into the finish line area.. Everything riders had learned and become accustomed to the day before was thrown out the window thanks the rain. By late morning, it was time for riders' timed seeding runs. The ground was still sodden and the slightest error in these conditions would mean high consequences for those out on track. From what we gather, it was rare to see a rider not coming off in this section thanks to its slip-and-slide nature. With spectators and media gathered here, it was a prime spot for some great photos and some friendly heckling and cheering on of riders who had to pick themselves up from the track and carry on to the finish.
 |
- The Race -
In DMR Juvenile, Jamie Edmondson from Sick Skills Development Team won his category by over twenty-two seconds, beating second place rider Evan Davis and Morgan Tyrrell who was in third. In Marzocchi Youth, local rider Joe Breeden from Revolution Bike Park managed to pull a gap of just over 0.7 secs to get on the top step, with Matt Walker from Madison Saracen Development Team in second place, and P&O Ferries' Conor Bate in third. With only two riders in the Hookit Grand Veteran category, Richard Binns took the win ahead of TRG Racing Michael Waud. In Dainese Veterans, Leisure Lakes' Mark Weightman secured the top step, twenty seconds ahead of Joe Ward, and thirty-five seconds ahead of Wheelbase/Altura/MGD's Graeme Cochrane. In NS Bikes Master Men, David List of Pete Yates Cycles won by 0.8 seconds ahead of Ashley Mullane of Mondraker UK/Race Face, and third place local Rhys Evans from Revolution Bike Park.
 |
 Matthew Walker making his way though the top section which traverses the lower walking path. |
 |
| As things started to dry out, riders began to get their speed back and were able to get some proper air time over the jumps. |
 |
| Gareth Brewin was bouncing around all day in the pits and out of track. Gareth had done a great job with the rest of the BDS crew to make this such a great race. |
In Flare Clothing Women, Team Aston Hill's Lucy Drees stomped home in first place, ahead of Hazel Wakefield from TRG Racing, with third place going to Becci Skelton from the Uberbikes Team. If Lucy was in Elite Women, she would have ended up in fifth spot. In Shimano Senior Men, James Carr won by 0.54 seconds, leaving Matthew Barrett from Barr3rr/J-Tech/Knox/Fiveten in second place, and Lewis Boyce from Wheelies in third. Kenta Gallagher, more famed for his XC exploits, took the win X-Fusion Expert Men for 777 Racing, with James Ramsey 3.7 seconds behind him in second place, followed by Will Weston from NS Bikes/Hotlines/Manitou in third. In the Atherton Junior Women category, Hope Jensen - who secured second place at the World Cup in Leogang in Junior Women a few weekends back - from Bikers Boutique/Leslie Bike Shop crossed the line 2.5 seconds in from of second place rider Gemma Taylor from We Love Mountains, with Rona Strivens from Highand Bikes in third place.
A special shout out goes to Darren Evans for rocking his Stanton hardtail all weekend (including an essential water bottle). Darren managed to get twenty-second place in the finals. Not bad given all other forty-six riders were on full suspension bikes.
 |
| Junior Men's winner Jacob Dickson on his way to the finish line to claim his victory for Dirt Orange Racing. |
In Spank Junior Men, fresh from his second place spot at the World Cup in Leogang, Orange Dirt World Team's Jacob Dickson completed his run in 3:43.335, a whopping 6.030 seconds ahead of Steve Peat Syndicate's Frazer McCubbing. Despite this lead, it was interesting to see the guys exchange fastest times in the first and second sectors, with Jacob ultimately having the upper hand by squeezing in enough of a lead to beat Frazer at the line. Nial Oxley crossed the line in third place, 8.6 seconds behind the leader.
 |
| Although it's not strictly her home track any more, Rachel must have felt comfortable riding this familiar trail. |
In Schwalbe Elite Women, no one was able to come close to Rachel Atherton's winning time of 4:05.067. Manon Carpenter was 13.4 seconds back in second place, having had trouble in the top section of the track but having a blistering lower half ride. Having had to see her brother come down the hill with a broken arm earlier in the day, FMD Racing's Tahnee Seagrave must have had a lot going on in her mind as she took to the track. Despite having a great first sector, she dropped slightly back in the lower half of the track, coming home in third place. Unfortunately, Katy Curd was unable to impress on her seeding position, finishing in fourth spot.
 |
By the time the Elite Men were on their way down, the track was firming up, although still slippery in some places. There were a few tumbles as riders tried their best to weave through the densely-packed woods, and some were lucky to get away with just a shoulder-barge into a tree.
 |
| Scott 'The Derg' Mears unfortunately crashed hard in the upper section, whacking his head on a tree. The Derg is made of hard stuff because he kept going to complete his race run. |
Although fastest qualifier, Matt Simmonds from Madison Saracen didn't have the race he wanted, finishing in fifth place behind Unior Tools rider Reece Wilson. CRC/Nukeproof's Mike Jones, who was fastest through the speed trap didn't have a great first sector and in the lower sector could only make up the time slightly. Mike crossed the line in third place. Gee Atherton, who had qualified poorly earlier in the day (36th place), was in the hot-seat for a long while with a time of 3:26.994, over two seconds in front of Mike Jones. Gee had been fast in the first sector, but managed to get a bit too close to a tree, sapping his time in the lower half of the course. It was evidence however that CRC/Nukeproof rider Joe Smith was on a winner. Taking the fastest time in the first and second sector, Joe dominated the track, crossing the line 2.5 seconds ahead of Gee. With this back-to-back win for Joe Smith, all eyes will be on him at the next round in Molfre in a couple of week's time.
 |
| Congratulations to all the winners from today's Rose Bikes BDS Round 4. |
- Full Race Results -
- Bonus Prizes -
Mudhugger Fastest Time of the Day: Joe Smith // CRC/Nukeproof
Works Components Fastest Through the Speed Trap: Mike Jones // CRC/Nukeproof
Ride Portugal Category Winner: Mark Weightman // Leisure Lakes
Words by Farah Ahmed. Photos by The Hills Are Alive and The Grip Media.
MENTIONS @BritishDownhillseries / @geebeebee / @RoseBikesUK / @schwalbe / @spank-bikes / @hopetech / @foxheadeurope / @dmrbikes / @HookitProducts / @Dainese / @ns-bikes / @shimano / @si-paton / @TheHillsAreAlive / @TheGripMedia
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