[Closed] EWS, who's excited ?

I think it's all seeded and placed- according to the race notes, it goes by EWS placing then random. 8am start for some poor bugger!

Just read that the riders briefing and dibber pick up is on friday evening, i had no intention of being around on the friday 🙁

Yah, that's a pain. It was similiar last year, I had to scrounge time off work. Might be worth speaking to the organisers?

Yep i will have a word during practice days, the more i look at it there is no way i can make it on Friday due to family stuff. Hopefully there is a bit of flexibility 🙂

Yeah. Annoying having to register/pick up timing stuff on Friday. Two hours of sitting in a car (and having to take an afternoon off work) would suck.

I reckon 21:10 is the perfect time to finish rebuilding your #EWSpoon. Since the thread's dead slow, show us your rides

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Just packed up the van, loads of food and and dry clothes 🙂

So about 22:00 is about the right time to start looking at my bike to see how messed up it is.

Been hitting mine with various implements all week. Mostly ended up reaching for the hammer on all occasions but she's ready!

Van's packed, bike is sitting in the hall. I'm betting I have the 8am start!

Butcher control Tyre at the rear 😯 I know you know what you are doing but a spesh control tyre and EWS does not compute with me. Did you get rid of the pikes? not many would choose Lyriks over them...

spesh control tyre and EWS does not compute with me

I've used control casings for years at Inners and Glentress with no problems, they aren't paper thin like schwalbe.

@frosty, you have uncanny eyes. I've been using the butcher rear for ages without any bother, including all this year and last's scottish enduro series, last year's EWS... (where the tyre proved tougher than the frame) Probably helps that I weigh 10 stone and am not the fastest mind, but it's not fragile. (Control carcasses aren't all the same, the more XC ones are thinner)

And yeah, just never gelled with the Pikes so decided to sell them while they were still worth something. Weight aside I much prefer the damping and coil. But then to put the weight aside, you do need a crane.

So rode the imbers golfie stages today

Was great to see Barely, Atherton, Mae's etc carefully choosing their lines and making it look effortless

The stages weren't too bad, some really good stiff on there and only 1 crash for me on 4, conditions were excellent, perhaps a bit too dusty in places! But the rain was coming in as we did the last stage so I'm sure it'll be a lot trickier on race day

By contrast I just did the Inners DH side two, all good, dusty and fun but roots starting to slick up as the rain started. Some nice new loamy bits on the classic. The DH one could be pretty slippy in places if it is wet. Some pretty confusing changes in direction on that one, nearly went through the tapes a couple of times. Might give waterworld a look on friday.

And yeah very odd and very cool seeing all the famous faces on the same bit of trail as you. Their speed is unreal.

I wonder if the ambulance I saw was for Gary Forrest, that's a shame. Callaghan and Barel also crashed today I overheard.

Gave 1-4 a whirl (I need the practice) pretty happy all in all - sure I've ridden v similar stages to 1 and 2 on an old Innerleithen enduro - rode nicely.

There's a nasty shute through the stream on stage 3 (through the stream twice then down I think) - good chance I'll be traversing that on my ringpiece, but if that's the hardest part of the course I'll take it.
Full hit of repeat offender was tiring - get a pie down ye 30 mins beforehand.

Course all this was in the dry - finshed up just as the rain came in. Forecast not looking too clever 🙁

It'd have been nice this morning, based on how dry the trails were last night. Bet they're slippery now (still raining a bit further up the valley).

I was down pretty late, the dh stage is as slippery as I can remember that stuff- not muddy at all really, just super greasy. Have to admit I don't like that stage much, all the wide taping, multiple lines and some kind of awkward/counterintuitive direction changes just confuses the crap out of me, I've got an unerring eye for the crappest line 😆 I was the same last year mind so blatantly it's me not the stage! But I ended up really just trundling down on the defensive. Might need to do it again on Friday

Loved waterworld, had a nice chat to fabien barel halfway down, I had to pretend I too was planning a really clever line, when I was actually thinking "Yeah I'll basically just fall down there and hope I come out in the right place". What a fantastic trail, I thought it was too short for a stage but I reckon I was just wrong.

Nice to see all the love the classic's had too, some fantastic wee tweaks.

I like Repeat Offender but it just seems a less fit race stage to me than 3G and jawbone last year, just a wee bit straightforward and repetitive. Think you could put this year's top and bottom onto 3G to tweak it? But then variety is good, it'd have been a bit safe to just vary last years stages.

I think all the trails work in the wet though. Except, possibly, Bside... Guess we'll see about that! We were spoilt last year, let's be honest. For riding, not too bothered personally, for the day out, rather be in the sun. For the whole world series package though it's a shame to have a wet weekend to show the world.

Loving the updates guys.

With it supposedly being dry + windy till Sat evening the Inners trails should be dry. Sunday at GT is another kettle of fish..

You must have watched a different forecast from me, chickenman, but I prefer your version!

I look at XC Weather; always optimistic unlike the Beeb.

Yeah the Inners DH one is pretty confusing, some random direction changes and a lot of line options. Not good with my lack of short term memory!

Not sure I have the kahunas to manage waterworld without tripoding but it was all very wet when I rode it.

The forecast for the next hour is beer and 2 entire boxes of tesco finest biscuits. Fab told me it's the best prep

Agree with Northwinds description. Finished up at Inners about 9pm. Was greasy and dark.

Lots of line choices for stage 2. Stage 1 is far better than it was for SES this year, all the work the lads have put in is amazing. Its loam, with a little touch of grease.

I doubt conditions at Inners will be any worse than this evening, thin layer of grease over hardpack was entertaining.

Lots of wind and general dryness should get it in good shape.

E1 start times are up.

Well why wouldn't it snow?

I spent literally all day saying to people "we built that." "We built that". Except for stage 6 when I say "Yeah, we built the good bits. I accept no responsibility for the rest"

Bonkers weather. I'm certain I got sunburn and frostbite today. S6 is brutal!

What's stage 6 like then? How long are you on pedals for? I'm hearing many a bad word about it! Don't want the race win on just this stage

superfli - Member

How long are you on pedals for?

FOREVER.

It starts at the mast, uses the new trails to go over to the singletrack climb to spooky wood, then down the pushup, along shallow grave, down spooky almost to the end then up to the blue, down that to the new line that was cut for the king & queen, broon troot, which has a new section cut to take you further up the hill but still leaves a bit of redemption climb, then down the walker's path/shortcut, and ends with pie run and mushroom pie. So there's a lot of pedalling and some of the actual "descents" are pretty damn flat, really Broon Troot is the only time you're not hammering.

Nothing wrong with a pedally race stage, at this level competitors should be able to pedal a big stage. I just don't feel like it shows GT off well, very nontechnical apart from the troot. Last year it was nice to silence the "gt will be pedally and flat" critics. Five Year Plan/Boundary was way better IMO.

But that's sounding a bit harsh, it's not like it'll spoil the event or anything and it does have some class riding in it.

Hard day today - guess the transitions are a little bit steeper at Glentress.

Stage 8 will be tough - long, pedally and last. Made a bit of a show of myself on that drop near the end but rode it a couple of times eventually.
Some great riding - just stage 5 I wasn't really keen on. Mainly down to pedal issues - bit of a mudslide and wasn't great in XC pedals and shoes, compacted with mud in no time.

Feet up tomorrow for a certainty.

Didn't practice stage 6. Plan is just to try and hold back quite a bit on Spooky Wood and the blue. No idea if it is a good plan but i'll see.

Stage 5 was ace. Not that I was elegant down it, but ace non the less.

Good luck to everyone riding the ews this weekend. Hopefully the weather is kind.

Gutted I'm not there to at least spectate the enduro/enjoy the tweedlove week.. Plans afoot for next year!

How long are you on pedals for?

The short version they used in the K&Q race last year took me 8 minutes. I reckon this longer version will be almost double that for me

I think boundary>5 year plan> brown trout would still have less pedalling overall despite the longish climb. I'm going to be running on fumes at some point this weekend anyway!

Finished up at 7pm today and the mud was pretty nuts on the last stage, wheels were clogging up in the frame. Still haven't warmed up yet, 8C on the car thermometer on the way home, gotta feel for the riders used to sunny climes!

Good luck everyone. Looking forward to watching. Had a shot down stage 8 last week. Like the new sections at the bottom of Ho Chi Minh and Jenny's Brae.
I am supposed to be singing in a choir on the green just before the medal ceremony. Can't wait.

@bigjim, I had the heaters up so high in the car, I seem to have ****ed up my eyes 😆 And possibly burned my derriere with the heated seats. Totally worth it. Must have been 200 degrees in that thing by the time I got home

Anyone know why the event village isn't up and running yet? Last year everything was in full swing on Wednesday morning. Turned up for registration yesterday and there was one solitary tent. Went back today at 4pm and nothing was really open 😕

Looks like its not just STW grade mincers that don't like S6 😉

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yeah not surprised AC doesn't like it, it is mostly trail centre blue and red, brown trout is pretty much the only non pedalling section.

To be fair Anne-Caro's gripe at Emerald was "I can't pedal as hard as Tracey" too.

Can't say I disagree with the sentiment though, when you think how flat the main part of the stage is- you start at 600m, nearly a mile later you're up dunslair heights at 540m, having not really done much... then at the top of the blue you're at 460m- and a big chunk of the height is blown on the blue. Stage ends at about 290m.

Actually, I found it more interesting that Remy Absalon was straight in to agree

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Absalon and Clements too. It was kind of the feeling I was getting off everyone today too.

I don't mind pedaling but you can see where they're coming from, not the greatest advert for tweed trails. Thankfully there are 7 other bangers so i'm sure they'll get over it.

Its not just a moan at the stage though, it really really affects the final result.
A long pedally stage will see gaps of 30s + between top riders. That will demolish any 5s gap gained on the more technical/downhilly trails. Meaning the race as a whole is won on 1 stage.

I understand Enduro is the complete package, but if its looked at as a percentage of time, a stage like they say this is, will make up far more of a percentage of the race than it should.

I know nothing of the trails BTW NW! All the trail names you have given me have gone woosh! I'm just going by what I have read and maybe this stage isnt as bad as some of the pro's are making out

Sounds like S6 was designed for T-Mo to take the win I wonder who will come out as the pedal master in the Mens.

Sorry dude, I thought you were a local!

I don't think it's quite that bad, it could well unbalance the race but it doesn't follow that whoever wins it, wins. I mostly just don't like the impression it'll give of glentress.

(and as Bigjim says, last year's stage 2 could have been given the same ending with a fireroad link to broon troot, that'd still be a physical stage but much more balanced. Stage 8 is pedally but at least it's fun.)

Maybe it makes sense in the EWS overall? Like, this race was asked to be pedallier, to offset some mental gnar round? Stage 8 has a bit of a pointless extra pedal too- a flattish descent and a climb to get to where last year's started. Then again, you could [i]almost[/i] ride stage 5 and 7 without a chain

I think they've *ed up, all in all. I'm just not convinced it's that big a * up.

A long pedally stage will see gaps of 30s + between top riders.

A bit surprising it's in at all if it is that disliked, Chris Ball surely knows these trails like the back of his hand and also be on top of what makes a good EWS stage, I'm assuming he has input into it rather than just leaving it to the Tweedlove guys? Maybe he's trying to make a statement that there needs to be more all around ability.

BTW not there myself but know the trails in question well, just interesting to observe the reactions.

I mostly just don't like the impression it'll give of glentress.

I guess on one hand enduro needs to be more than a retirement home for downhillers though, and sometimes favour the stronger pedallers.

I didn't have a good day. Went to unlock my forks at start of stage 5, and discovered they were unlocked. 🙁 Struggled to move them more than a few cms. Hoping its oil in the air chamber again - will find out tomorrow when I strip them. Struggled to get more than 3 cm of travel on most routes unless a really big hit. As a consequence found it difficult to get any kind of flow or rhythm including a horrible off on a steep bit of stage 5. Landed on a tree stump on the base of my spine. Hobbling around now, hoping it improves! Weather bogging - started 14.30 finished 19.00 ish. Could not get my head round that final drop at the end of stage 8 and too pissed off to work at it. Right, thats the moaning over!
On the plus side, all trails are good, especially enjoyed stage 7 overall, but all had good if not great bits. Had a really nice chat with Patrick and Ben on the climb from bottom of 7 to start of 8. And as another [i]almost[/i] plus, unlikely that Sunday will be as bad for me as today ( forks, back and end of stage 8 permitting).
Fingers crossed!

I'll eat my hat if anyone who is in with the remotest chance of a win loses 30 seconds on that stage

On a 10 minute stage, which isn't technical and is full of pedalling? Depends on what you're good at. The better pedallers will have the big advantage on that stage for sure.

Still good fun, but like Jim says, I can't believe that stage is in and 5 year plan into Deliverance is out. That was an awesome stage.

Anyone know why the event village isn't up and running yet? Last year everything was in full swing on Wednesday morning. Turned up for registration yesterday and there was one solitary tent. Went back today at 4pm and nothing was really open

Its really wierd, its almost like the EWS is next week or something. Race village not set up and no marshalls on any stages after two days of official practice.
I have come straight from the Irish round which had the village fully set up, water stations on transitions and was fully marshalled for practice.

I'll eat my hat if anyone who is in with the remotest chance of a win loses 30 seconds on that stage

Anyone know why the event village isn't up and running yet? Last year everything was in full swing on Wednesday morning. Turned up for registration yesterday and there was one solitary tent. Went back today at 4pm and nothing was really open

The event village was only setup on Wednesday last year, and didn't open until Thursday, as I helped with the setup last year.
The big change this year is registration opened on Wednesday, whereas last year you only had to register on the Friday.

S6 a deliberate ploy by the FC to stop people coming to Glentress maybe? Some people call them pedal bikes, pedal the damn thing and stop moaning. Is there an EWS rule book which states there shouldn't be much pedaling?

What, you mean like gym memberships Steven ? You may be on to something there, ideal world is people turning up, paying for parking and eating in the café then not using the trails.

But back to the topic in hand, this year GT stages are very spectator friendly. You can get to all the action at the end of 6,7 and 8 a pied or velo, and the pro women start stage 6 at 12.48, when hopefully the rain eases off a bit. That's my plan for the day ! Post your number up here if you want some cheering (or abuse) from us.

What we need is an intermediate mid stage pumptrack challenge with time bonuses.

Jerome Clementz was tipping Nico Voulithingy for the win last night (and himself).

JC no longer under the weather?

Nico could be a good bet - he's done very well on wet tracks in France recently, and when I saw him in Dolce Acqua in Feb, he was looking very, very fast and physically strong, winning by 10s one weekend and by 19s the following. Depth of experience and ability to find his rhythm could well see him beat younger athletes for sure.

Just watched the stage 8 track run looks like it is a lot of pedaling if stage 6 is even more then I feel a bit sorry for the guys racing.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/ews-official-video-tweedlove-teaser-round-3-stage-8-scotland-2015.html

Nick climbed up to stage 7 by mistake yesterday he didn't believe us when we told him he had to go back down and up to the top again for 8

I need a poo

stevenmenmuir - Member

What we need is an intermediate mid stage pumptrack challenge with time bonuses.

That's more or less what stage 4 is

@Frosty- stage 8 is a big pedal but apart from a couple of sections, doesn't really feel it so much- especially with the new additions up in glentress to link sections together better. (I feel like putting some broken glass down in the corner cuts on zoom or bust though!)Perfect example of a big physical stage that works imo.

For folks who're not on the announcement list, here's the official comment on stage 6

Sealskinz Stage 6
There has been significant feedback from riders about this stage, so I’d like to clarify the thinking around it. While we have had comment that it is some riders favourite stage, there have been a larger number of negative comments that it is too physical and not enough of a technical challenge. We can assure riders that we always listen to and consider your feedback carefully, but we accept we won’t always be able to keep everyone happy.

It has been our strong intention to create a two day, eight stage course which provides a complete all-round test for riders, combining both technical and endurance-focussed challenges. Our aim is to provide a course which does not favour either of these attributes, but provides a challenge in equal measure to find the athletes with the strongest all round ability, fitness and speed.

We also aim to showcase enjoyable local trails and allow easy spectator access, in order to create a great atmosphere at the event, and I hope that the easy spectator access to Sealskinz Stage 6 will help make it an exciting venue. We hope this information is useful and helps to explain our choice of race stages. I have discussed this in detail with Chris Ball of EMBA and we have agreed that this stage will remain as it has been practiced, unless weather circumstances lead to safety or other major concerns.

Triple post! So just following on from a conversation today, and just purely out of curiosity after seeing some of the practice, does the drop out of Pie Run still roll? I know it used to, because I used to roll it but looking at it now I wouldn't like to try it... What do you reckon?

I dunno but I know where I'm going to [s]heckle[/s]spectate. How long does it take to extract your teeth from your stem/handlebars?

pie run drop - I rolled it the first time yesterday and pulled it off, bit on the nose heavy side for comfort though. Will give it a bit of a boost on sunday, if I can still see/breathe/hold on by then

I feel like putting some broken glass down in the corner cuts on zoom or bust though!

Yeah some big ones have been made, also I see they had to email about the cuts on stage 1, not that I have the kahunas to hop those logs anyway. Just hope the loose logs don't end up in the main track.

I was ok rolling it as well - right hand side, took it fairly slow as it's a steep one.
Do you know what was meant by the message about taping the chicane in stage 1? Wasn't sure if it meant they'll be the option of a chicken run by just following the trail round, or if you'll defo need to take it on, just that you can take whatever line you like.

Northwind, yep i rolled it yesterday. Just. Had my arse scraping the rear wheel tho 🙂

I am out, had an interface with a tree on stage 7. And unsurprisingly i came off worse.

Just need to get it sorted for Trans Provence in a few weeks.

Good luck to everyone racing, hope the weather is kind to you all 🙂

that really slow tight rocky chicane on stage 1 has a cut line on it, if you have the skills to jump over the log piles designed to stop you cutting it. otherwise you just have to follow the trail. there is a vid of the cut being ridden by someone fast on pinkbike somewhere...

24 seconds in

Cheers Jim, I thought it meant the turn before so have the right of it now.

Ah that sucks Mac, get well soon.

I wasn't sure if it was that section, there's a couple of other bits that were straightlinable when I came down late on wednesday, that probably shouldn't have been. Bit of a bummer, that section took a lot of cleaning up after the UKGE used it a couple of years ago and taped it badly, I guess we might be back in there... We'll just wind ChrisL up and let him deal with zorb

(Can't disapprove of the line over the logs though, that first set is slippy as ice, get it wrong and it'll **** you. That's a respectable shortcut, none of your 20 foot of grass bullshit)

Good luck guys!

Re Drop out of Pie Run. Why is that the only one of the three exit options available being used, yet in Mushroom Pie there are 2 skinnies where you can choose to bail onto the wider bridges instead? Seems odd to make the trickiest feature in that section compulsory, but to have options for other perfectly straightforward ones

Is this being broadcast live anywhere?

Just a written feed and live timing for this race.

T-Mo has absolutely killed it! Hasn't even got to those pedally stages that ACC was worried about. Surprised that Barnes isn't doing better than he is I'm not surprised that JC is struggling the guy is still ill.

Live Mens E1 timing
http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2015/Tweedlove/Latest/e1_men.html

Live Women E1 timing

http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2015/Tweedlove/Latest/e1_women.html

For very boring and disappointing reasons I wasn't able to race today, but watched stages 2 and 4. Rude was absolutely flying and super smooth, not surprised to see him sitting in 1st. He could be quick tomorrow too being a very strong rider.