Essex Summer Evening Series – Round 7 Report

30-06-2016  Craig Bowles   XC Race Reports 

With 5 minutes to go before the start of the race, most of the riders were still huddled under the signing-on gazebo trying to shelter from the worst of the rain and strong winds. It was then that we noticed a heard of cows heading down the B line of Oak Tree Drop. The cows roam free on the...

Essex Summer Evening Series – Round 6 Report

30-06-2016  Craig Bowles   XC Race Reports 

Heavy rain again fell the day before round 6 of the Essex Summer Evening Series which seems to be a regular occurrence this summer but luckily the Potash Woods course held up well with only a few sections with the odd puddle. The senior males set off first as usual with the race taking a familiar...

The Manx at Fforest Fields ,Round 4 ,British XC Series

22-06-2016  Chris Corlett   XC Race Reports 

The trouble with living on the Isle of Man is getting off it when the T.T. races are on! As much as we love this annual event, that makes our beautiful island come alive, it also proves a big problem when the UK XC calendar comes out. So arriving on the ferry to Heysham, a day earlier than usual...

One man and a leg do Alpentour Trophy 2016 - Lloyd Bettles

22-06-2016  Andy Mawer   XC Race Reports 

I (Endurance Ed) had the pleasure of meeting Lloyd out at the Alpentour Trophy. Nothing unusual about that apart from the large, healing split in his right knee. A bike accident just 4 weeks previous split open his knee, receiving numerous internal and external stitches, but here he was,...

Race Report: Beach Breaker 2016

20-06-2016  Andy Mawer   XC Race Reports 

Hard and Fast! Beach Breaker Bike Race 2016 in association with Southfork proved tougher than ever. The third round of the SWXC Series and the Regional Championships, it took place in the stunning area of the sand dunes and on Potters Hill,  behind Woolacombe beach.  The location could not be...

Alpentour Trophy stage 4 - the TT

19-06-2016  Scott Cornish   XC Race Reports 

Stage 4 was the TT. only a mere 14km, but up a mountain, 1100m of climbing. This wasn't a head down fireroad bash up the to the top either, a mixture of trails, twists and turns broke it up, making the kms tick feel like they ticked by a little faster and the pain a little less! Riders went...

Alpentour Trophy Stage 3 - the big one

18-06-2016  Scott Cornish   XC Race Reports 

Stage 3 was the Queen stage, not long at 67km, but with 3100m of ascent and the weather report was looking tough too, heavy rain all day. Thankfully the unpredictable mountain weather did its thing and changed for the better, overcast and humid, with a just a splattering of rain. The main climb of...

Bristol Bikefest 2016 - Matt Jones

15-06-2016  Andy Mawer   XC Race Reports 

Bristol Bikefest has been a race favourite for many over the years with the event being known for its laid back atmosphere and a fun all weather course. Many lovers of the race were sad to hear the announcement that this could be it's last year. The organisers citing increasing costs of hiring the...

Alpentour Trophy Stage 2

11-06-2016  Scott Cornish   XC Race Reports 

Today we got to see the majesty of these surrounding peaks and ride in glorious sunshine. With 58km and 2900m of climbing, which amounted to 2 big climbs it was going to be a tough day in the saddle. Today was a proper adventure into the mountains, past raging rivers, high waterfalls, singletrack...

Essex Summer Evening Series - Round 5 Report

11-06-2016  Craig Bowles   XC Race Reports 

There was heavy rain and thunder storms forecast for round 5 of the Essex Summer Evening Series but luckily these passed either side of us with only a very light drizzle falling mid way through the race to dampen down the dusty conditions. The dry track it made for some very fast racing. The adult...