2011 Halo BDS | Moelfre - Gee takes the win!

The 2011 season of racing seems to have kicked off early in the UK with the second round of the Halo British Downhill Series taking place before the first Scottish round even gets off the ground. It was just three weeks ago that things started with round one taking place at the coastal venue of Nant Gwtheyrn in weather that could best be described as changeable, at worst downright awful at times. But Moelfre for round two proved warm and blue skied in weather that never fails to lift the mood of riders whatever else goes on over a race weekend.


Moelfre, based not far from Oswestry and more closely Llansillin is a venue which for several years now has formed an integral part of the British race scene. Under the watchful gaze of Jac Jones, the local landowner, many races big and small have taken place on the hillside over the years with round two of the 2011 Halo BDS just adding to the tally.


Although not the most technically challenging of courses in the UK, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, it is however a trail which still has many fans. Proving to be one if not the fastest of any course in the UK there are several high speed sections interspersed with more high speed. Right from the start line you’re soon up to speed although to keep things fresh the tape wound a slightly different way down to the first quarry. This then dropped you into a left hand turn before you almost hipped across the bombhole that last year caused all manner of problems and delays as riders were caught out by the wind and the speed they were carrying, several going straight to air ambulance central. This year carried on from last with several air ambulances being called over the weekend but thankfully none led to the cancellation of seeding as had happened here last year, or indeed at round one this year.


From the top quarry and bombhole the track snakes its way down the ridge towards the gorse, some new berms aiming to spice it up although many riders still preferred to stick to the grass and ride loose. Hit the corkscrew berm with the new inside line that cut tight to the tape on the right hander before shooting you towards the stepdown and subsequent double which in turn led to the gorse, the main feature on the hillside. With three lines to choose from, the original Atherton dug line used back in ’05, the upper line and then the BDS preferred switchbacks running between the two with the fast turns which are now feeling a little tired, being littered with sharp rocks protruding through the dirt and causing many punctures throughout the weekend.


Out the final turn of the gorse, drop off the fade and hit the fire road crossing at warp speed, the compression there enough to spit some riders from their bikes. Traverse the hill with the uplift road in sight and turn the corner to come in sight of the finish field some forty seconds or so away with the speed trap coming up first, shortly followed by a detour through the old 4x track, rejigged for use by the BDS. A few last turns, through the now tamed ditch crossing and into the field for the last few hard cranks to the line. Times on a track of this nature are always close but there were still some surprising results as riders pushed hard and made mistakes, punished heavily by time penalties on such high speed sections.


Although hot there was a strong breeze blowing on the ridge for most of Saturday and this is what helped contribute to a number of the crashes as riders were caught unawares by crosswinds any time their wheels left the ground. Thankfully that wind dropped to almost nothing on Sunday and left riders free to ride as they pleased. After round one seemed to have uplift that could be described as quick, efficient and undamaging to bikes the uplift never quite clicked here. Despite twelve tractors on hand there were some pretty hefty delays, both whilst in the queue and then while riders tried their best to protect some seriously expensive bikes from damage. Although there was foam matting in place the majority of it seemed to be dispersed across the hillside by the end of Saturday thanks to the wind. Still, more matting was found for the later runs and as a result things seemed to improve. Once on track though there seemed to be few delays despite the high turnout of 350 plus riders, numbers not seen at national events in the UK for many years.


But when Sunday morning dawns, all that happened on Saturday is easily forgotten. All that is except for the sneaky lines, the braking points and the thought that you must go faster. A few practice runs to freshen off in the morning followed quickly by seeding and then latterly the race runs. Straight into racing then and there may not have been many Juveniles on the roster but the podium was a close affair with Luke Cornforth taking third for MBW Racing with a 2:54. His team mate Jacob Dickson was just ahead of him in second with a 2:52 whilst the win went to Nukeproof/Eight MTB rider Ben Kennedy despite being down on both Luke and Jacob at the speed trap. Moving on up to youth and Innes Graham was the rider to take third spot for The Bikeworx on a 2:43. Phil Atwill managed to break into the high thirties with a 2:38 for the newly formed Madison Saracen team but the win went to BikeSoup/Gravity rider George Gannicott having made the trip down from the wild lands of Scotland. His time was 2:37, just half a second up on Phil.


Ride-On/Slik Graphics rider Matty Stuttard is in his second year of Junior and third here was a good follow on to his top ten at Nant Gwrtheyrn, the 2:34 being a solid time despite only hitting 25mph in the speed trap (incidentally not the fastest point on course). Joe Connell took third with a 2:32 for Sunn Montgenevre while Rocky Mountain signed Mark Scott took the win on 2:31 just 0.03mph down on Joe in the trap but making up for that by going over one second faster in the lower split.


Southerndownhill’s Sam Boardman stepped it up and took his first national podium with third place on a 2:39. Nick Geoghegan took second with a 2:38 but the win went to another Southerndownhill rider, Guy Gibbs, who put in a solid 2:36. StevePeatSyndicate’s Chris Griffiths took third in Masters with a 2:40, three seconds down on second placed Nigel Page sitting on a 2:37 for Chainreactioncycles. Electric/O’Neal’s James Hughes started off the season well with a win in his first BDS as a Master, 2:34 his time which was a solid time despite a few mistakes. It looks like round one winner Pagey may not have it all his own way this season.


Bud (Adrian Bradley) has spent the winter training hard and it shows, having not been off the podium since September last year. A big mistake proved costly and so had to settle for third with a 2:47 for Eryri DH behind Foes/ISO2’s Rich Simpson less than two tenths up. The win went to ex-Kona factory rider Darren Howarth on a 2:46, improving somewhat on his 4th place at round one.


In the non-Elite womens category Lynsey Evans crossed the line in 3:32 to take third behind the 2:28 of Esther Sands for Grizedale Mountain Bikes. Rosie Smith, 2010 BDS series winner and this year riding this for Swiss&Swallow, took her maiden Senior BDS win with a time of 2:26. A packed Elite womens field with an international flavour saw Jess Stone take third for Trek/Gravity Girls team on a 2:51, less than two seconds down on Fionn Griffiths with a 2:48 for Team GR. But it was French rider Emmeline Ragot who took the win, also for Team GR, with a 2:45 having also just edged out Fionn by the slimmest of margins at the speed trap.


Expert in 2011 shows signs of providing racing easily as close as that seen in 2010. Sam Shucksmith was fastest through the speed trap but had to settle for third in the final on a 2:32, one tenth down on the 2:32 posted by StevePeatSyndicate’s Nathan Vials. But it was Joel Chidley who emerged triumphant having posted a 2:31, two tenths up on Nathan for the win.


Which of course leaves just one category; the big one. Elite. Marc Beaumont emerged triumphant at round one, could he manage that for a second BDS in 2011? Not at Moelfre he couldn’t, the GT rider having to settle for sixth. Monster’s Brendan Fairclough is always one to watch and took third with a 2:25. Fastest through the trap all day having clocked nearly 31mph, Steve Peat pulled into second for the Santa Cruz Syndicate on a 2:23. Just half a second up though was local Gee Atherton, the Athertons having been one of the driving forces behind the venue many years ago, and took the win with a 2:23 to neatly round off the weekend with first in both seeding and the final.


With cracking weather, a dry pit field and lots of trade and team stands on hand there was a good vibe from most corners despite niggles with the uplift at times. As always it’s easier to cope with these things when the weather is good and many riders left the venue late on Sunday with not so much brown tans as luminious red sunburn. With over twenty trade stands there was definitely a prominent display around the paddock with the likes of Silverfish on hand to dish out E-13 spares and Hope to deal with all those brakes damaged in the uplift. Plenty of opportunity too to get your suspension worked on by the J-Tech and SRAM. If you’re racing then it’s always a welcome sight to see your preferred brand supported at events – it certainly reduces stress levels when something breaks in that last practice run and you don’t have a spare!


Chris Seager Edit

The next round takes place at another new venue for the BDS but one which has seen a Marmite relationship with riders in previous races run by the SDA. Steep, technical, rocky and muddy it is of course Glencoe. The week before the Fort William World Cup will see top riders from all over the world converge on the Scottish Highlands to race what should prove to be an exciting warm up prior to the big event. And that’s just a warm up for the Midges which will no doubt be in force by then. Track changes are in place to keep it fresh and exciting and the chairlift is on hand for some more than welcome damage free uplift. That all takes place on 28th/29th May. If you’re racing the World Cup the following weekend and want to race Glencoe then email Si Paton (si@descent-gear.com) as they’ve saved some spaces for those who want to tame the track in preparation for Fort William. See you there.


Additional event pictures by Phunkt.com
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