Hi everyone, joined a couple of weeks back and have spent the evenings reading some very interesting threads, dare I say I’m after a little advice and a ride a kona (2008). I live in South East London and currently spend my week-ends riding trails in Kent and East/West Sussex.
I unfortunately have to work and spend my days as a mental health nurse practitioner (enough said).
I am seriously thinking of entering the Gorrick Spring Series starting with Frith Hill on 17/01/2010, but am a bit worried as this is my first time.
Have three questions:
is anybody else entering the race and particularly first timers, a bit of company would be appreciated;
what race category should I enter fun or open;
and is my bike (kona hei hei 2008) an OK bike for such a race.
Anyway hopefully somebody out in the mud can advise me.
PS my name is Stephen
Cheers for now.
there will be plenty of novice riders at an event like that and there always very welcoming. the heihei would be absoloutly fine for that kind of raceing. open or fun is something you would have to judge depending on your level of fitness and be honest. Enjoy !
You'll be fine, and all the Gorrick races are well organised and run on good courses.
First time we did one, we turned up with our lunch to have half way around..., we did them all that year, including 4 laps of the Enduro - best part of 40 miles.
Don't worry about fitness, they're short laps.
evening.
i will be missing the first one.
bike will be perfect. fun is 2 laps open is 3. you'll be fine in either really - they both have a wide range of abilities. decide whether you fancy the third lap or not.
I'd highly reccomend getting there early and getting a practice/ warm-up lap in; it makes it so much easier in the excitement of the race if you know whats coming up.
enjoy it. 🙂
I did one as my first xc race in the open class and it was good fun, I'd probably choose open over fun as you get more riding time for the cash. A peice of advise would be to warm up before starting as going from no excercise to flat out didn't work out well for me!
Iain
thank you for all the helpful advice, will let you know how I get on.
I'm sorely tempted, but my tightfisted northerness just doesn't like the idea of paying £70 ish quid for 5 hours riding, could go on a holliday in the Alps/Spain and pay at that rate!