The NPS DH organisers write…
The course drops 1,000 feet and is super steep. Imagine the steepest and most technical sections from your favourite tracks, Champery, Glen Coe, Mynth Duu, Strathyre, Dunkeld, Goats Gully and Fort William Woods all in one track, without a break and no let up. The only pedalling you will do is three strokes off the start line and that is it.
Spiked mud tyres will be the order of the day and for the riders convenience we have booked extra port-a-loos and bog roll, it’s now up to you to bring plenty of spare pants/knickers and for some we advise wearing a nappy on your first run down.
The UK’s finest riders have worked and trained hard to qualify at the regional races throughout the land to gain enough points to race the prestigious NPS! Also joining them will be the Maxxis/ Rocky Mountain DH team: New Zealander Cameron Cole, American Luke Strobel and current UCI World Cup leader France’s Sabrina Jonnier.
The stepping stone to the World Cup is widely seen as the British National Points Series – NPS, this year sponsored by MSC Bikes, Descent-Gear.com, British Cycling and Monster Energy. UCI accredited means bumper prize money and for those riders fast enough, qualification onto the World Cup stage!
Now it’s a one run race format for the win so it really is do or die, anything could happen..
Full Face helmets are compulsory and we strongly advise full body armour and a neck brace whilst walking down the track, let alone riding it!
Friday
Course open for foot inspection only.
Saturday
06:00 -09:30 Course open for foot inspection only. Anybody caught riding on course will be DQ’d for the year.
08:30 Uplift opens
09:30 Open Practise for all none Expert and Elite
10:00 Open practise for all Expert and Elite
16:30 Last Uplift for all none Expert and Elite
16:59 Last Uplift for Expert and Elite
17:00 Expert/Elite Practise only
17:30 Course Closed
17:45 Riders Meeting
18:00 Course inspection on foot only
Sunday
08:30 Uplift opens
09:00 Open Practise
10:10 Last Uplift
10:45 Course Closed
11:00 Timed Seeding Run
13:45 Seeding finished
14:00 One Timed Race Run
16:45 Last man time
17:15 Podium
Pureriders.co.uk and Descent-Gear.com will be trackside stocked up with the all latest gear, spares and repairs. Steve Parr will also be showcasing the latest range of MSC Bikes.
Tim Flooks from TF Tuned will be throwing in 200 big ones to the rider who wins their category by the biggest margin. Pete Evans from 2Stage Bikes has also dug deep and will be flowing another 200 sterling to the rider with the fastest seeding and race run time overall!
Parking for riders and spectators is always free and Monster Energy will be there fuelling the riders and there with their huge Wigwam to keep us sheltered from the elements. We have a huge sound system, live timing with big screen and running commentary.
Everyone is welcome to walk up the hill and catch the action close up, just make sure you stay well behind the tapes.
We have a new onsite caterer to keep the hunger away who will be set up trackside.
E-13 will also be in attendance, look out for Pete Drew from Silverfish at Scott Beaumont’s Rocky Mountain Pits.
Make sure you stay for podium time as we always have a few throw aways for the kids in the crowd!
We have trophies from Hope Technology for the top five in each category along with prizes from Descent-Gear.com, Lizard Skins, Fox Europe, No Limits, Ticket2RideBC.com, Swiss and Swallow, Leisure Lakes, Continental, Nema and Dave Franciosy.
Dave Heath our resident Osteopath will also be there to straighten you out so pop on over to him..
How to get there: Just note the following post code gets you close but no cigar. LL20 8AR. Race signage will be up from the Thursday before the event. Any riders caught on track walking or riding prior to the event will be DQ’d immediately, no refund and will have their nuts chopped off.
Retail and Trade Teams please turn left on arrival at the race venue. All other riders and spectators please turn right. The field itself is flat and excellent for camping, tents, motor homes and vans.
Just a quick update as the Farmer will be providing running drinking water and the use of his field plus a free bike wash will be provided. He will be collecting a camping fee of £5 per tent/caravan/motor home for the whole weekend. No need to book just turn up and pay the man!
Further information on the NPS can be found at www.NPSDH.com
Comments (12)
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Bejeesus! That looks slippy!
The local writes…..If it rains they are fekked on a biblical scale.WHEN one of the youths brains himself it’ll all be over.This is one of those 50/50 things….Equal parts genius and insanity.It will go down in the annuls of history…..remains to be seen for which reason!
Looks and sounds mint. This kind of thing is exactly what the UK needs more of, only on a permanent basis, not for one-off races.
Hmmmmm what that course is lacking is WET ROOTS. It needs more roots.
Another local writes… its a million times better than the old Nannerch NPS track and won’t be the quagmire that Rugog becomes should it stay wet!
The only reason it wont be a quagmire (giggedy giggedy) is that mud does’nt adhere to slopes steeper than 40 degrees!!
I’m away that weekend – will it be videod? I’d love to see it.
This will trigger the following:
Awful event, only elites enjoy it, most people shunt, and there is uproar on the forums that it is just too hard.
This will then be countered by that the idiot organizers (who will have forgotten there role is to cater for the masses not train people) and elites who will say “well its hard but how are you going to improve if don’t ride these tracks?”.
The track will never appear on the NPS calender again, very much like the track the Athertons built i I wink 05 or 06, which had the same reception and outcome.
Nail hit squarely on head,only I was being slightly more diplomatic for once.Its the organisers last season so they’ve got little to lose I guess.There was talk of roping marshals to trees for H&S!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know they were loosing the NPS or is it on a revolving thing whereby new organizers have to take over every 2-3 years?
Dave Heath our resident Osteopath will also be there to straighten you out so pop on over to him..
Re-named Have Death for the weekend.
So so so so sooooooooooooo glad I didn’t enter this one!!
Moe-szyslak, Chief Idiot here, most people call me, “That little C&*t” so I will answer to idiot for sure.
The NPS is awarded by BC for a three year contract, this is our third year. For 2010 onwards all BC tenders are for one year only in all disciplines.
BC have asked us “Idiots” to run it again for another year so I hope that clarifies matters for you and Rorschach. If not then come and see me trackside at any race or give us a bell!