+1 monkeyninja but without the snapper

Great riding today! I had a great run down S4 and was buzzing at the bottom. Great banter, organisation, marshals and choice of trails. With trails this good who wants to ride anywhere else. Clearly I’m still buzzing!

Good fun and I didn’t die/hurt myself.
As others have said ,plenty banter on the stage links.
Apart from the first bit of stage 4,it was a blast .
Well out of my XC/hardtail comfort zone most of the time but surprised myself on some sections ,when I just had to ‘get on with it’.

That’s a first visit to Cademuir for me ,I will be going back there for a play ( even though some of it frightened me ). 🙂

Great weekend ,roll on GT7

stevenmenmuir – Member

Big shout out to MC for the timing.

Well said! Timing guys hardly ever get a mention and he’s always there putting the hours in so we can all have fun – well done Moray! 😀

I think the fact nobody is on here bitching about the timing is pretty much a compliment in itself.

Timing was spot on, although I fumbled a bit at the end of stage 1!
The fact that you got a print out of your times within seconds of finishing was superb.

I don’t think anyone can say a bad word about anything TBH.

Back home now after a great weekend of riding and amazing first enduro event for me. I’ve always considered myself to be an average rider and after this weekend I now realise I’m a below average rider 🙂

There were some serious, fast, fit and talented riders competing on Sunday. I finished in 42.39 after making a massive hash of S4, which to be honest was a stage outside of my comfort zone. Although I somehow managed to stack it on the right hander in the woods after the first descent between the fireroad crossings. I basically lost 2 minutes or more on this stage.

S3 was my favourite of the day which was proved with a stage time of 13:11. Pleased with that. Followed by S5. Then S2.

Although I got caught behind two Sunday drivers riders following each other on S2 which seemed to take a lifetime to get past as they didn’t want to yield (or felt nervous about finding a suitable spot to pull over).

I rode S1 on Fri and S3, 4 and 5 on Sat. S4 and 5 were significantly harder to ride on Sun. Where did all the slippy roots come from?

Big thanks to the Tweedlove crew. I thought it was an excellent, well run event and I hope to go back and improve my 260th place next year.

I kept an eye out for you but didn’t spot you.
I’ve done a few enduros over the last 4 years and this one was by far the most demanding, longest total distance, some long stages and the most technical stage (4) near the end when you’re getting tired.
Weirdly I was most competitive on stage 4 (the one I was dreading) rather than one of the more pedally stages.
Still buzzing can’t wait to get back up to the Tweed Valley again in July 🙂

PaulGillespie – Member

I don’t think anyone can say a bad word about anything TBH.

true dat, PG

I didn’t spot you either Simon. I couldn’t drop you an e-mail either as we had no 3G or t’internet in Inners.

What time did you start? We queued up and got away at 10:15.

Yep, it was tougher than I expected but that’s no bad thing. S4 was a nightmare for me but at least the next time I’m up there I’m going to have a play. S3 was brilliant. Still grinning from yesterday. I may have to wrangle a visit up there next month as the riding was superb.

We were off at just after nine in the first wave of riders as we wanted to get home at a decent time. Plus we thought that the course would be less cut up 😉

Amazing day. Hopefully chatted to some of those on this thread during the day – people were really good all round I thought – marshals, organisers, considerate riders and so on. Top day all round.
I sadly stacked on Electric Blue and ended up with the first aid kit out and a knee that no longer works very well. But hey, it didn’t seize up completely till I got home 🙂 doh.
Stage 2 was a bit nervy in the slaloms, after the stage 1 crash, but actually don’t reckon I’ve ever gone down the boundary trail like that before. Really enjoyed that.
Got a wave from the family flying across Jenny’s Brae. That was awesome. And my 8yr managed to take the attached with a 12 yr old compact camera!!!!

Edit: trying to add a Flickr image link but nothing showing so raw URL.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviator/8857603635/
Rode Stage 4 mostly which I never thought was gonna happen last week when I walked down a lot of it. Stage 5 was a joke, tiredness.
And despite riding the drying up bog, then of course failed to corner the next turn with tyres made of mud … Smash.
Hahahahaha
37:17 totally chuffed with that cos thot 4 and 5 would get me completely.
Which seems to have me not last either 🙂

A time of about 40.##

Bit disappointed, mainly with my times in stages 2 and 5.

Stage 2 because I just never got any flow down there. Stage 5 because I was dead from the push up trying to get back in time. A real pity as having ridden it again stage 5 was pretty good.

Did best on stage 4. About 60 places better than my average on stages 1,2,3,5. But then again I loved stage 4. Give me steep and technical any day.

yacoby – that’s a really good point. Never thought to check individual stage times.
I thought my best would be 2, my worst 4
4 was by far the best for me, 1 by an absolute mile the worst. Hmmmm. I can handle that 🙂

Anyone know who the photographers were taking pictures during the race?

Ian Linton was one. Calum Darling has done a video.

Some photos on RandR too: http://www.randrphotos.co.uk/event-photos.php

And here: http://www.ianlinton.co.uk/p157941821

I was at the Tweedlove film night last night and they showed 2 more Tweedlove Stories films, no8 is of Gary Forrest riding stage4 like no-one I’ve seen, hopefully it’ll be up on the site soon.

Look forward to that.
Just faffing about getting ready to go down for GT7,glad in the knowledge that there won’t be any stage 4 sections 🙂

I’m doing the same, planning on a wee spin up to GT later to see if any sections are taped out yet. Looking forward to tomorrow.

I was hoping one of the fast riders had been filmed on stage 4. Looking forward to riding it again but I wonder if the vandal who was laying logs and boulders and dismantling the structures before the race has been at work since.

Stage 4 will be covered up as part of the agreement with the Forestry Commission. I’m not sure if this just means the drop in to the lower section but I fear it means the whole lot. I was planning a ride up there on Sunday to check it out so I’ll let you know.

Boo 🙁

Stage4 video. this is how to ride it 🙂

[video]http://vimeo.com/67374801[/video]

Pah, I rode S4 like that, it just wasn’t reflected in my time 🙂

That riding is truly phenomenal!
The track looked nothing like that by the time I came through on Sunday though (much more cut in, more roots showing, etc).

And the video doesn’t give you a real impression of just how steep it was.
I crashed 3 times on S4 but still managed to make it down in 6:43. Very pleased with that (apart from the crashes….)

That riding is truly phenomenal!

Really? Pretty solid but hardly phenomenal. Unless that trail is a lot harder than it looks.

It is a lot harder than it looks. Very steep and loose and slippery.

That video doesn’t do it justice. Brilliant riding. Challenging track but a hell of a lot of fun.

Nice riding!!…..mind you stage 4 didn’t look much like that by the time I went down it. 🙂

@JCL if you’d ridden that trail, you’d realise how good Gary’s riding is in that video.
It was an awesome trail but steep, tech and rooty…

JCL – that boy is an amazing rider 😀

Wow that is truly impressive. Looks like the top bit was filmed before practice, didn’t recognise some of the middle bits (stage 5 parts?), and the lower section filmed early on the practice day when it was taped up? Certainly was a rooty rutty slide fest at the top by the time I was fumbling down it.

that video just makes me want to ride my bike…awesome…