We’ve got an invite to see the newly finished track, hang out with Lord Coe and ride a hot lap.

Unfortunately no one is free to head all the way down to Essex for the day (especially as we won’t actually get a press pass for the event itself), so I’m offering up our press place tomorrow to a Singletrack reader…

You’ll need to be free from 10-3 tomorrow. The riding is optional, but it’d be good to see what you think of the course. We’d want photos of the course being ridden and if anyone has a headcam, then some hot lap footage would be great too. In return you get to play journo for the day, eat cake and get your name in lights. Not much eh?

Email me. chipps@ etc etc and I’ll get the first, vaguely qualified person put on the official press list for the day.

(especially as we won’t actually get a press pass for the event itself)

How poor is that?…I was already sulking about how cyclings been shafted in terms of post games infrastructure…and the fact they could have built a world class course by venturing into South Wales…now STW wont even be there to cover events 👿

It is a little odd. Although it seems that all ‘niche’ sports are treated the same. There are 400 ‘general’ press passes given out by the IOC – which’ll all go to Reuters, AP, the Times etc. Then there are 20 sport-specific passes – for the entire Games. Which means that there aren’t even enough for one per discipline, so Badminton World will have to compete with Powerlifting Gazette to get to see the sports they cover. We can always enter the ticket raffle I guess…

Anyway, I can highly recommend the cake at the farm there – and the finished course will be a challenge to ride.

If only my thumbs were not broken……

If only I wasn’t at work tomorrow 🙁

if only i knew where essex was

Just follow the scent of cheap perfume Junky.

I’m almost tempted to ask for the day off…

If the rest of my team wasn’t off I would of been up for this.
As a keen cross-crountry racer and photographer this is right up my street. Cotic soda crossed with Nikon D80 for the day, happy days!

Have emailed you, Andy

And we have a candidate to go for us. mboy will be Singletrack for the day.

😀

Any idea if the scabby public will be allowed near it now it’s finished?

Balls, too late!

Are there even any hills in Essex?

mboy,

no pressure but we are all expecting a great review with pictures/video 🙂

Shucks..too late.. and also got to work 😡

Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaants !!! Too late.

This is my local route too and I’m off work and its nice weather !!!

Room for any gate crashers ?

Michael

We’ve had a couple of the course builders come out riding with us over the last couple of weeks and point parts of the course out from various vantage points on our local route and tbh the course looks (and sounds from their description) to be awesome.

A fair bit of North Shore including a large gap jump, various tall/steep rock drop offs, an over and under tunnel, a very very large berm and very extensive use of rocks and rock gardens apparently.

I’m looking forward to seeing it up close. By the sounds of it its going to surprise quite a few people and although there’s no ‘mountains’ present they have employed very good use of the local topography to include a few hard lung busting climbs.

Also said to have used a clever course layout so a spectator can see a great deal of the course from one vantage point.

Michael

Looking forward to this, go mboy!

Can you ride it cheeky – or will you get shot ?

you could pick this up locally to attempt those gaps and berms:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Downhill-bike-Azonic-Super-Monster-T-Fully-Tuned-/270723312538?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3f085deb9a#ht_1120wt_1140

you could pick this up locally to attempt those gaps and berms:

bb looks a bit low 😯

Would have been up for this but been out riding this afternoon.
Well done mboy.
Want a hand? 😉

Will ask if there’s any way of getting a few extras in to ride the course when I get there guys… Check out this thread, I’ll post on here via my iPhone if there is when I’ve asked… But from what Chipps has told me, it sounds like they want to keep the press out as much as possible, so it might be a no go…

Will try to be as objective and do as good a review as possible about the course, as well as getting plenty of pics.

Yeah, longshot but will watch the thread.
Look forward to your article.

mboy, bring gemma too

Singletrackhor, there’s plenty of press here not riding. I’d turn up by 1:30 just to chance your arm. Maybe bit earlier. I’m on a maverick by the way, say hi!

Jedi, she was working sadly…

If I wasn’t attending a 12 week scan……

Its a sloping field near Hadleigh…whats to check?

I’ll be on my way soon, (just got to do last little bits of fettling/set up to the new bike – its its first time out ;0) so I expect to be there in about an hour and a half or so. (I’m on a Carbon 456, I’ll look out for you mboy)

I don’t hold much hope of getting into the compound but its such a glorious day its worth a ride out anyway.

Michael

Looking forward to seeing the course, still have loads of mates living there so would be nice if the course wasn’t torn up after the games. What’s the state of play on this?

MBoy, there is some interesting and technical cheeky stuff quite near there 🙂 It does involve riding on a 13th century castle tho, so might be a bit visible if there’s loads of journos about…

So, what’s it like?

Well, I didn’t get to ride the course (as expected) but I did bump into a couple of guys from ‘British Cycling’ who had ridden it and who had obviously talked to the team riders who had been let loose for that day (and the previous apparently) on the course and it was all praise.

They said every one that rode it (including and especially Team GB) loved the course and how technical it is.

The word is that it’ll ALL be staying too [after the Games] including the technical drop offs, jumps, berms etc but there will/may be some chicken runs/alternative line options put in, to allow use by a broader range of riders.

All sounds very promising from what I’ve been told 😀

Michael

Yet1man – Member
They said every one that rode it (including and especially Team GB) loved the course and how technical it is.

The word is that it’ll ALL be staying too [after the Games] including the technical drop offs, jumps, berms etc but there will/may be some chicken runs/alternative line options put in, to allow use by a broader range of riders.

All sounds very promising from what I’ve been told

Michael

Would be great if this is the case!

Good news if it does stay. Would be a shame if they put all that effort and money in only to flatten it all. As it’s on SA land though, perhaps they could charge for use?

mboy, didnt check the forum before going out locally 😳

Be great if it stays, can it be ridden cheeky atm?

Full report to follow asap. Probably tomorrow.

Long story short though, other than covering this event, I’ve had a nightmare last 24 hours! My mate wrote his car off on the way to lend me his Camera, my car broke down on the motorway on way to my friends last night (suspected snapped cambelt!), then I get back to her house after covering this event and it’s been burgled!

Good news is, I had a good time today at the course, got some photos (hopefully some of them good), rode 2 laps of the course, and I’m alive! Just off to rescue my car on a trailer now… So if the report isn’t as timely as you would all like, I apologise… But it is on it’s way…

Singletrackhor. In fairness, had you turned up late, they’d have turned you away I found out… All press were there by 11ish and they closed the gates then.

I spoke to one guy who claimed to have ridden it cheekily last night. I wouldn’t advise it though, it’s private land… Though there is a footpath going through the edge of the course…