Alpine Bikes Winter Series | Round Three

Wow, what a difference three short weeks can make. After the polished permafrost of the first two races everyone was keeping their fingers crossed and holding their breath in the hope of some less icy weather for round three. And warmer it was.

Read on for more:Granted, it may not have been a tropical heat wave but it wasn’t icy, and that was what counted. Does this mean that winter has finally gasped its last and spring that we now see in the air? If it is then perhaps the ice that still covers parts of the top fire road should take a hint as it’s been there since before Christmas!


Having persevered with the weather, despite the cancellation of the first round and near cancellation of the second, it was a relief to turn up at the very well known Innerleithen venue and finally get down to some racing in real race conditions. And with 340 riders on the cards it was no bad thing that the challenging ice and snow had finally disappeared from the tracks that litter the hillside.


Despite such the numbers actually entered, in the end a more normal 300 or so actually signed on so there was plentiful transport and very little in the way of any wait for a lift to the top. Many riders elected to save themselves and only ran five or so runs on the Saturday but rumors of some having managed nine were plentiful so it would appear that everyone managed to at least get as much riding as they felt was needed for them to learn the long but fast track.


The track itself was one which many riders really enjoyed, albeit from the top fire road down, the section above that being bit too tight for some riders, with wet ruts, roots and tight trees all vying to pull you off the bike. Aside from the first corner with its multitude of lines this top section was reasonably simple in theory if you managed to stay on. Just let it all flow, try to avoid turning on the roots (easier said than done it had best be pointed out) and you were soon at the top road crossing. From there you dropped down through more tight trees and farrows before cutting out onto a short stage of the venerable 39 Steps.


This then led through fast single track, across the main bridleway and then dropped back into more tight and technical rooty trail. This section ran down parallel to the main Matador run with some narrow gaps between trees made interesting by the speed you were carrying and also by you being in the air as you gapped roots and farrows. Fire out of the last of the tight trees and you’re onto the motorway, with speed, speed and more speed. Oh, and some drops and jumps for good measure too.


With the top section having tested your accuracy and technical ability, this was now a test of your fitness as you powered your way through the more open trail towards the finish. A few last tight lines, hit the bomb hole jump (or launch it like an Exocet onto a foot square patch of real estate on the left hand banking if you’re Ruaridh Cunningham) and with just a few corners more and a short sprint, you’re soon crossing the line to hopefully collapse into the hot seat, job done for another weekend. Sub 3:50 was the time to beat for a top fifty overall whilst most podiums were decided by riders who had sneaked under 3:40. Despite such a long course, times were really very tight, especially after the second round where many categories were won by fifteen plus second margins.


Hardtails kicked it off as has been the case with the last few races, with Ronnie Kiley taking second and Steve Larking the win for Wideopenmag.co.uk, his time of 3:52 putting many riders on big bikes to shame.


Juveniles then moved into place with second round winner, Niall Morrison in third with a 5:06 in only his second ever race. That left the top two steps to be filled by Solway Insulation’s Frazer McCubbing in second with a 4:27 and Perth City Cycles’ Sam Herd the top step with a blisteringly quick 4:02. He will definitely be one to watch over the coming season.


In Youth we’re seeing a different set of faces on the podium this year, last year’s fastest having moved on into Junior. I-Cycles’ Stuart Wilcox was third here in only his second race out of Juvenile. 3:45 was his time, just edged out by second placed Joe Connell’s 3:41. But by far and away the fastest on the day and taking a well deserved win was All Terrain Cycle’s Fraser McGlone with a margin of over ten seconds, his time of 3:30 good enough for 9th fastest overall.


This weekend proved to many that the Junior category really is a hotbed of competition with the top three all managing to break under the 3:30 barrier and in the process all gain top five overall. Third placed was High Line Racing’s Ronan Taylor on his new Lapierre, putting in a time of 3:27. Next up was another All Terrain rider, Mark Scott who laid down the gauntlet of a 3:24 for second, which just left second round winner Lewis Buchanan on the hill. Was he capable of taking two wins from two? Yes, if not by quite the same winning margin of the first. And his time of 3:23, only half a second ahead of Mark, secured him not only the top step but fastest time of the day too. Not bad when you consider that one of the riders he beat was the 2008 Junior World Champ. Evil must be pleased with their new signing, and he’s not even got the bike yet!


Veterans was a race many were looking forward to with some fireworks expected at the top of it all. In third was Stevie Boyd with a 3:56 which left just two riders in the frame to battle it for the top step; current Masters World Champ Alastair MacLennan, and ex Giant World Cup racer Crawford Carrick-Anderson. Despite several years out since his World Cup days, it was Crawford who mastered the track with most success and took the win with a margin of just under two seconds, his 3:37 just edging Alastair into second place. Is this the return?


In Masters, Simon Baggett took third with a time of 3:50, whilst the top two were scrapping it out down to the final tenths for a 3:40. In the end Bikeactive’s Jamie Smith had to settle for second, just falling into the 3:41’s, whilst David Tallontire took the win for Uplift Scotland with the elusive 3:40, just seven tenths up.


In Senior, second and third place could have been separated by a piece of fly paper, Joseph Taylor just being edged into third by Tommy Ingham with a 3:43 and 3:42 respectively. But proving that he still has what it takes was I-Cycles’ Dave Young. Having previously raced in Elite and at World Cup level he was always going to do well but after several years off from racing he’s back to putting in the blistering times we always used to see, albeit on borrowed bikes. Last time it was Gary Forrest’s 224, this time an old Norco and pretty much the cheapest downhill bike on the market. His time? A 3:31, just a few tenths shy of winning expert and a clear eleven seconds ahead of his nearest Senior rival. Once a top rider, always a top rider.


In the non-elite womens category Agnieszka Pomaranska took third in her first ever race with a time of 5:12, whilst Uplift Scotland’s Bex Reilly took second with a 4:51, having not quite managed to replicate her first round win. That left Angela Coates standing on the top step with a 4:37 to show that a winter of hard training clearly pays off.


Experts next and Gary Forrest made a welcome re-appearance after just a few races in 2009. Having moved back into Expert from Elite expect to see plenty more top results from him this year. This weekend the Expert podium was closest of all with just 2.6s separating all three riders. Having got his bike back from Dave Young after the last round, Gary put it to good effect with third place, 3:33 and another podium for I-Cycles. High Line Racing rider Tom Lamb took second, just two tenths up from Gary, his new MSC and new custom painted lid keeping him looking sharp on track. Which left a certain Pinkbike rider & and writer, Alasdair MacLennan (i.e. me), to somehow take another win with a time of 3:31 and tenth fastest overall.


In Elite Fergus Lamb may have changed sponsor over the winter but he’s back on another Trek for Perth City Cycles and third here with a 3:27 is no doubt going to make them happy that he’s onboard. Ellsworth/O’Neal’s Jack Reading rode pretty much non stop on Saturday (given the number of times he appeared in our photos!) and his time 3:25 for second was less than half a second behind Chain Reaction’s Ruaridh Cunningham in first, one of only three riders to breach the 3:25 barrier.


So that was it, another Innerleithen winter series over and another summer season growing ever closer. And it certainly lived up to the winter moniker well, with treacherous conditions at rounds one and two before finally softening a little for round three. But with an uplift weekend run as damage limitation at the first round and riders just getting on with riding at round two it was to everyone’s credit that we still had two races of three. It’s not the first time that Innerleithen has seen races canceled over the winter and it will doubtless not be the last, it’s part and parcel of the winter racing deal. Some you win and some you lose. But those who struggled through the conditions to both race and put the races on, all credit is due. Mike at Borderline Events kept everyone happy with plenty of practice on tap each and every weekend thanks to an awful lot of effort and a huge thanks should go to these guys who make racing possible, from the SDA who provided their usual sure timing to the marshal’s who stood about in the cold for three weekends in the worst winter Britain has experienced in years. Their efforts do not go unnoticed.

For full results, please go to www.rootsandrain.co.uk/race123.


The next race by Borderline is Descent-Gear Clipped-In at Moelfre and is held over the Easter weekend so if you haven’t already entered, head on over to Borderline-Events and get it sorted. There are also details there of how to enter the Juice Lubes Welsh Summer series.

Cheers

www.borderline-events.co.uk
www.alpinebikes.co.uk