Seeing as it’s Yorkshire Day, here’s some news of the end of season blowout from Nutcracker Altura XC series…
All good things must come to an end, and it’s no different for the 2013 Nutcracker Altura XC Series. After the most successful year to date with record entry numbers at every round, the weekend of Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August sees the infamous season blowout with the final round of the series to be held at the Dales Bike Centre in Swaledale, North Yorkshire.
Staged on the slopes of Fremington Edge, the course boasts one of the most drastic height gains on the XC circuit, with riders gaining over 300m in height each lap. The event also boasts a mass start format, with all categories racing on course at the same time. Racing starts at 2pm sharp, with a neutraliised and controlled roll out from the Bike Centre at 1.45. Riders are able to scope out the course from 10am.
With the competition now closer than ever in some of the categories, it is sure to be a strongly contested race as organisers are advertising a very healthy series prize fund from all of the main sponsors and more. It’s understood that there will also be an auction / raffle for the Michael Bonney Fund, following the cyclosportive crash that left Michael (boss man at Orange Mountain Bikes and former NEMBA race organiser) fighting for his life earlier this year. Further details of this will become available on the Nutcracker Facebook page by the end of this week.
And the racing doesn’t end when the last man crosses the line either – it’s then a race to the bar back at the Bike Centre, with local brews and lagers being served til late to celebrate the end of the season in true Yorkshire style. There’s also a BBQ being hosted at the Bike Centre. Camping is available on site and full facilities are available at the Bike Centre for those wanting to stay overnight.
Come Sunday and with everybody nursing a hangover from the Saturday evening, it’s time to hit the trails again, this time for a social ride with the Nutcracker Racing organisation. This is your opportunity to properly meet the guys who put on the events, offer your suggestions for improvement in 2014 and generally tell them how bad they’ve become at riding bikes themselves – take Adey (course man) for example, who can not negotiate a right hand corner, or James (social butterfly), who struggles to keep it tyre-side-down!
The usual Sweatmonster racing will return, with kids racing kicking off at 12pm sharp at the Bike Centre. Pre-entry is not available for these events and parents should make sure that all riders come equipped with a safety helmet.
Entries are open via the British Cycling website, with organisers stressing the opportunity for a £5 saving should you choose to enter in advance. Pre-entries will close next Wednesday (7thAugust).
Online entry is here: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/95802/Nutcracker-Altura-6-at-Dales-Bike-Centre#summary
