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Track preview for the weekend.

That first photo on this page is ace! 😀

Absolutely agree… in all the time we’ve been there i’ve never seen anyone photgraph from that position, it’s a fantastic angle that’s for sure. The funniest part is, it’s not nearly as drastic a feature as it looks in that pic… it’s a true pic that shows off the rider for sure.

I’ve removed the Hillbilly for the weekend on wheel #3, didn’t see much point in a mud tyre for Antur. so that’s now a DHR on there. Had a brand new one if you recall from a kind STW member a few months back.

Still not really sure how the logistics will work this weekend with parking/pitting due to space and areas, but we’ll work something out i’m sure. It could well mean i’m kipping in the front of the Transit though, which will be a somewhat challenging nights sleep potentially.

Weather looks dry for Sat, but monsoony for Sunday.. But we’ll make the best of it and just get on with things. Still debating whether to take the BBQ etc and do our own catering as usual, but in truth for me and the boy it’s arguably more hassle than it’s worth so i rekon we’ll just use the cafe facilities this weekend.

It’s the last National DH race of the year, so we’re looking forward to it, but the lack of track knowledge will play a small factor in things, but there’s only so many places you can visit and Antur is a LONG way from home to be heading up to on a weekend. The good news is, we got the entry for Hopton @ Pearce the weekend after 🙂 We were on the waiting list due to logistical errors, but we’re now paid up and in for that, which is brilliant as he knows the track a lot better than many he’ll race

You’re right that most of Antur is hardpack / rock stuff so most tyres will work there – just use strong casings.

There is one black trail into the woods near the bottom that has some mud on it – no idea if they’ll be using it. Can be fun getting stopped after the first few corners into a couple of rooty / muddy drop bits. I always make a meal of it as I’m crap at that sort of stuff – your lad will be fine.

The full video above shows the course, they do use the woods bit at the bottom you mention yes.

We’ve got mostly DH casings on fronts and deffo DH casings on the rears. We’re not running cushcores at the moment, but i’ll likely take one with me, but it’ll only be in 27.5 as that’s the only one we have at the moment.

I’m half looking forward to the weekend, half dreading it… it’s going to be a 4-5 hour drive on the Friday… wet all day Sunday and then 4-5 hours to get back home after the racing (while he spends most of the drive home sleeping i bet)… After we leave the house on Fri lunchtime i don’t expect to be home until 10pm Sunday… Then monday will be cleaning, sorting, drying, fixing… so yeah, i’m 50-50 lovehate with the weekend potentially 🙂

But it’s all part of the game, part of the process and both me and him accept it 😀
(well i think he does)

As soon as he’s old enough you’ll have to get him driving….share the love. He can drive whilst his mechanic sleeps for a change lol

As soon as he’s old enough you’ll have to get him driving

Damn right i will… but a big part of me hopes that sort of thing takes as long as possible as i feel i may be left behind at times, which as we’ve spent every waking minute of every weekend together for years i’d still like to hold onto 🙂

If i had an intense/pressured/hard job as some, i think this would be too much to do all the time, but being in IT, well it’s OK as it’s just ‘click… watch bar….. watch bar…… click’….. repeat 🙂 obviously there’s other stuff, but again it’s not digging holes with a shovel or lifting heavy objects, so i’m pretty relaxed by the time i get to the insanity of the weekend.

I’ve just picked up a spare 220 HS2 rotor for the wheels, just to make things simple.

Also picked up my Slayer forks as they’ve been getting a lower service. Some jobs i do farm out to Rotec and he gets them done quickly and without fuss 🙂

Good luck for the race 👌

We drove Abigale all over the UK and Europe for the racing. Got to visit and ride in some amazing places.

Once she was old enough to take the Tourneo she still wanted us and the camper at races and her dad for the spannering

Couldn’t get her insured for the camper due to age and when we could she disappeared to NZ

Could have done with her the last couple of months to help with the driving of it 🤣

Good luck with the event.  I’ve ridden there a couple of times, scared me a bit as it’s really exposed and there is no give whatsoever in the ground, it’s like riding on bedrock.  Make sure he wears all the pads!

He’s done 4 runs of practice and as is usual for him he’s feeling slow. But we’re used to that with him.

Seeding has been moved to today which may end up being his race time with the incoming weather

Enjoy it …absolutely love stiniog

They were fettling black powder only a few weeks ago so it should be prime

Still never had the balls to do the near vertical slab after the bridge yet though

Been there when it’s 30c and been there when there’s much snow come in they’ve closed it half way trough the day and rained sideways it stings your face but loved every trip

Good luck Team @weeksy!!

Still never had the balls to do the near vertical slab after the bridge yet though

Apparently he swerved it on run1 but has done on the others

Still never had the balls to do the near vertical slab after the bridge yet though

Me neither, I’ve done the smaller one to the left,but the big one is scary

48/61. Clean enough run. I think lack of track knowledge is a massive thing here, was 15s quicker than this morning. As we know, it’s a tough gig in this Cat. So not exactly ecstatic but not too unhappy. We fight another day. Or, well, maybe not. Massive wind and rain due tomorrow which could easily mean tomorrow doesn’t happen.

Race cancelled. Position taken from seeding

Race cancelled.

Just need some waterproofs surely?? 😉 Was there a waterfall over that subsequent drop?? 😳 Terrifying in any weather.

Don’t think there was waterfall. They got all the riders together and discussed it. Many, including mine would have raced, but it was the right call due to safety, it was 40mph+ winds and driving rain. Even yesterday was windy at the top and that was showing 15mph, so I do t know what they’re have been up there today.

The drop was laughable to normal humans, just so so massive.

It’s shown us that we need to keep driving, visiting and trying places. It was the first visit to Antur and he got faster every run. So we need to establish next year which series is his primary focus and make sure we cover those tracks more.
That’s obviously easier said than done as Antur is 5 hours away. Llangollen the same really etc. I dunno, my brain is mush from beers and lack of sleep, so just need to chill and see how things look.

Onto Hopton next weekend, it’s never ending

right call due to safety

Comment was genuinely tongue in cheek. Not surprised they called it off. DH is nuts in good weather never mind bad weather. Roll on the next outing. Hopefully the ‘day off’ meant an extra bacon sarnie for the Team Manager though?? 😂

Hopefully the ‘day off

The day off was driving the van for 5 hours, then cleaning and drying the gazebo (still-ongoing), sorting all the kit, sorting the bikes, sorting the rider, maybe a shower and a shave to feel half human.

They’re a different breed, it made me laugh that they were going to ask a bunch of nutter DH racers if they want to race LOL… well of course they do, they’re all bonkers.

This was the last National DH race of the year and it’s been eye-opening for me and him, the tracks, the weather, the exposure, the jumps and drops, it’s all just next level crazy. Every time we do a track walk my respect for him (and all of them) goes up massively, it’s just crazy how they can ride some of the tracks. It’s also been really interesting in terms of chatting, last night i spent an hour and half chatting with Andy who i thought was the GT Viris team mechanic, but it transpires he’s Andy, the owner of Viris the goggle brand…. But we know a few people and was good to chat about some of the plans for GT and his team goals… Not really something i can get into on here, but really interesting.
Then chatting with other parents of racers, fast ones, less fast ones, boys, girls, all of them really and picking their brains about who’s doing what, going where, racing what in the coming years. Again, all incredibly interesting (to me, i won’t bore you lot with it that’s for sure).

I’m actually really looking forward to the winter break after this year. It’s not really felt like it’s been needed before, but the intensity every weekend has been next level. The relief when you see your rider (and son) come out of the woods into the final section time and time again, esepcially in the race, it’s just huge, your body just surges with adrenalin/whatever as you know the day is done again. So yeah, this winter, it couldn’t come soon enough.

Whilst Hopton next weekend is still an important event to him, it’s a track he’s ridden lots, raced a bit, so it’ll be a bit more relaxed hopefully.

I’m sure there’ll be pics bought… but as a preview…

https://www.rootsandrain.com/photos/11845589/rider/111960

https://www.rootsandrain.com/photos/11845584/rider/111960

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p4VPQe]IMG-20230923-WA0008[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Pic taken by a mate.

We didn’t take the decision today lightly but if you’d have been able to visit the top of the hill everyone would have understood. We headed up around 9 when it felt pretty mild at the bottom of the hill, the top felt very, very different. It might have been possible to start lower down at that point but lighter folks would have been disappearing down in to the next valley.
By the time I left after clear up at 1.30-2 the wind at the bottom of the hill was very strong, blowing stuff around in the car park etc. It was definitely the right choice in the end but still a real shame to finish the race that way.

We didn’t take the decision today lightly but if you’d have been able to visit the top of the hill everyone would have understood.

Absolutely mate. If you wouldn’t have, Id have tried to talk him out of it. As above, it was 100% the right decision

Despite the finish position it was interesting to analyse his performance. He finished 16% from his Cat winner, which is actually the closest in a National he’s been. So in some ways it was his strongest finish, even if the position doesn’t show it much.
Was also interesting that 2 lads he races often were a lot quicker than him this weekend, but had been to Antur 3 times in the last fortnight, including Thurs this week.

The wind can be absolutely brutal and imo was the right call looking at some people’s go pro footage

If you ever go for fun @weeksy let me know.

We generally stay up at Trawsfynydd log cabins 5 mins away spend the wkd riding penmachno coed then finish off with a day at stiniog

But there’s a few times a year we head down just for the day

It’s 2.5 hrs for us each way

As for junior weeksy the what he will of learned for next time will be Invaluable

I love riding there for fun but racing there is a different ball game

I  some ways I hope the no race Sunday gave you a bit of a breather

Sounds like it was the right call. 

Any thoughts on moving up North 🤔

Any thoughts on moving up North

Lots yes. But he’s in his last year of school and doing GCSEs in summer, so wouldn’t be until after that. But we’ve been planning and discussing it. As to where, that is the question.
Ross on Wye, Hopton, etc or go further into Llangollen area, we’re not sure really yet. But the wheels are slowly in motion on it.

It’s also going to depend upon his future ideas and plans too. But that’s a whole other kettle of crazy there potentially

That drop is intimidating but it’s 15 feet tops.

Obviously it’s Monday…. so it’s picture time.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p5btDJ]IMG-20230925-WA0037[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p5bT52]IMG-20230925-WA0023[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p55orF]IMG-20230925-WA0018[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p5btER]IMG-20230925-WA0029[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

It’s shown us that we need to keep driving, visiting and trying places. It was the first visit to Antur and he got faster every run. So we need to establish next year which series is his primary focus and make sure we cover those tracks more.

I know this sounds harsh, but is that the difference between where he is and the top riders that they can just turn up to any track and ride at a level ?

If you pick a race series that you know well and is in your ‘comfort zone’ he wont progress as quickly.

I know this sounds harsh, but is that the difference between where he is and the top riders that they can just turn up to any track and ride at a level ?

It’s not harsh 🙂 Yeah i hear you… As always, some of the things i write are to get a different perspective and ideas from you guys as much as throwing thoughts out for me and him. There’s obviously some kids who are just pure talents, like George Madley for example. My lad is a bit of a slow burner in tracks and builds up to them. His final practice run on Sat was a 3.31, which was his fastest of the day, then in seeding went 3.17, even in the top section he said he was flat out in practice, but his split was 47s, in seeding it was a 44.. So took 3s off just because he got his game face on.

If you pick a race series that you know well and is in your ‘comfort zone’ he wont progress as quickly.

Again, another excellent point… and again, i really really don’t know… We’re still mostly just winging it 😀

@tracey

this is currently high on the list and being debated…

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140009930#/?channel=RES_BUY

Looks nice. Don’t forget to factor in the camper van 😉

LOL i’m not sure that allows for a camper van in budget… The place i want is compeltely different and radical, but talking Mrs Weeksy into it is a LOT harder.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138238922?currencyCode=GBP#/?channel=OVERSEAS

That’s quite a radical move obviously… but i’m far from against the idea. But as earlier, his exams are going to put a bit of a blocker on any decisions really as we’d like to get them done first.