What a fantastic weekend!

Midlands Champs DH on Saturday had the usual fantastic uplift service and great atmosphere, despite the reduced numbers.
The Gravity Enduro race today was spot on too – again, a great atmosphere (helped by the weather I’m sure) and 2 fun but tiring stages of between 7 & 12 minutes run twice.

HUGE thanks to the Pearce team and all the timing/marshall/uplift guys and other helpers that gave their time for free for a great cause.

We just need to badger DP to do some more of these next year now 🙂

great days racing today and yes we need a pearce to do a enduro series!

It was great but there was quite a lot of climbing in the stages. I’m happy with my result (3rd in youth), just to carry on with the training now.

My first DH-style event and had an absolutely amazing day. I fulfilled my 3 primary aims:

1. To Finish
2. Not to die
3. Not to finish last (I finished 3rd last 😀 )

The event ran like clockwork, the weather was out of this world and everyone was chatty and friendly.

Big thanks to the organisers, stewards, behind the scene-ers.

Only went down for the Sunday Enduro (no practice – just on sighted the race!) and it was really good. The weather definitely helped.

The (accurate and efficient) timing first go certainly put two years of other enduros to shame!

I was blowing big time on them climbs in the stages. **** hard work! Alright plodding on the transitions but trying to ride uphill fast bloody kills me! Need to get fitter!!

An Absolutely brilliant day yesterday doing the Enduro! So much longer and better stages than we get down south 😀
And so smoothly organized. All marshalls in good spots, communicating well and giving you encouragement as you passed. Timing was spot on, and results were up almost before I was down!! Other organizers should take a leaf out of PC book. Fantastic.

As for me, I rode them blind having never been to Hopton or the area before. Finished mid table and managed to pass a few people on course (nice and polite from both parties, not like XC!). A small fall on stages 1+3 cost a bit of time, but very happy with 20th in Masters.
And tyre choice was good, thanks MrBump! Nice chatting to you most of the day 🙂 bl**dy great result mate

Wheres the photos? I was the bloke with Shark on handlebars – my 4yo sons class mascot, which he was given to write a diary of on his w/e away. We thought it would be funny to inc photos of him DHing in the diary lol!

Superfli – I think I saw you a few times! I thought who’s that nutter with the sqeaking shark! 😀

I’m nursing some scrapes after a few run-ins with roots in section 2+4.

Any links to photgraphs would be appreciated.

I’m guessing they’ll be here http://www.rootsandrain.com/race1606/2012-oct-21-pearce-cycles-charity-gravity-enduro-hopton/photos/ when the photographers get round to it (only the podiums currently)

Me and my mate were thinking of Halloween outfits, considering it was charity race. Glad I didnt as it was hard enough to see as it was!!
Fortunately I stayed on my bike on stage 2+4 – I wouldnt have liked to have fallen, roots a plenty! Scottfitz fell onto his head in there somewhere lol!
How dark was it on stage 2 in the woods! 1st you get the sun/shadow/sun/shadow glare, and then into black woods, careful guessing kept me upright!

Shark didnt squeek btw, that was my ahole 😆

The variety was great! I’m still buzzing from the whole day (and aching!) I just really need to improve my fitness, but mainly have three or four days just doing DH with an uplift, and maybe some tuition thrown in – i’m thinking that’s the best + quickest way to improve?!

There was some chap squeaking something! It haunted me the entire climb up 😯

The enduro on sunday really was ace. fun but challenging stages (a good mix of ‘gravity’ and ‘enduro’) with spot on timing and a great atmosphere, i loved it……

…until I stacked in on the bottom of stage 3 (i blame being absolutely knackered from the pedally sections) and broke my collar bone, lovely.

Would be great to get some more of these organised for next year though!

The results are now up on R&R but not any photos yet….

http://www.rootsandrain.com/race1606/2012-oct-21-pearce-cycles-charity-gravity-enduro-hopton/categories/

@ superfli
I agree with everything you say about the race, it was one of the best days riding ive had!
It was good to meet you and scott. You did well yourself as there was some stiff competition in masters.
How is scott, did he stack it hard?

Excellent event. Had a great weekend. Managed to stay on all day (just) and place mid-field in Masters. Job done. 🙂

Before the event I wasn’t too impressed with the idea of re-running just 2 stages but they were so good that, by the second time round, they were just getting fun. And all rounded off with glorious sunshine.

i thought it was ace running the stages twice and loved finishing in the arena at the end of each stage. even had time to go back to the van between runs and get food and water etc.
i wanted a top ten in masters and got it 🙂

Agree with all the above, especially the lighting in the woods on stage 2. Bouncing off roots without really seeing them and roughly guiding the bike in the right direction was a great demo of how much stick your bike will take 🙂

Pocketshephard – were you riding a hard tail? If so I heard about your collarbone – sounded nasty. Hope you heal and get back on the bike again quick!

Superfli – I’d love to have been in the classroom when your son show’s the photos 🙂

As for pro’ photos, rootsandrain.com is probably the best place to look. Not sure about the others but I think the money for ones under Sarah Barrett are going to the charities too.

Some photos have started to appear on R&R…

Yup – what ^ he said Here🙂

Couldn’t agree more with everyone here. First gravity enduro for me and it was ace!

I was dubious of racing the same stage twice, but to be honest, it just meant that I could try and pin it even more on the second time round having… until I came of in exactly[/u] the same place as Pocketshepard, but thankfully no broken collar bone, just a dented helmet, a headache and a very slow final stage!

Hoping for more Pearce enduro events next year, bring on the Bringewood mega!

How is scott, did he stack it hard?

I hit My Head very hard on Stage 2, Neck is a bit Fecked Now 🙁
It Didn’t stop me have the most fun on a bike i have had in a long time. I will Be back if they do another one for sure.

It was a bit ace. Really enjoyed being in with the Hardtails (Hey guys), it was a great laugh, despite experiencing full death on the last stage. I reckon the one day, two stages twice worked really well. Smaller races like that compliment the ‘big weekend’ UK rounds nicely. It was a great intro to Hopton as well, I will definitely be back for some just riding along in the near future

@scottfitz
bad news about the crash mate, but glad you managed to finish and still get a good result. i went down on fairly hard on stage 3 but managed come away with just a bruised knee and damaged garmin screen. good to hear you will be back for another.

Video of my stage 4:
http://youtu.be/PpSKf1Lj7-8

I was a bit fecked by then 🙂

Nice video superfli – interesting to see the pain from another person’s perspective 🙂

Would have been good to have a ride on the trails Sat. Great fun riding them blind in round 1 & 2 😉

Nice little vid superfli – nice overtake! (Glad I wasn’t the only one!)

he was used to it by then, my 3rd time I had overtaken him during the day!

Crikey, I’m beginning to think it WAS me.

I’ve e-mailed Pearce just to say thanks and ask them to pretty please do a series. Call it naivety, but it might work 😀

Hi – are these routes open to ride whenever you want? going up that way in a few weeks

thanks

Charliemort – yes the trails in hopton are all open to ride whenever you like. There is the marked xc route (most of both stages were on this and lots of dh tracks too (that are a lot of fun on a trail bike).

There was lots of positive feedback on the day from everyone I spoke to and the Pearces were happy with it too. They did say they wouldn’t do another double header weekend as it’s too much work to manage in 2 days.

Here’s hoping we can convince them to do another next year. I’ll keep working on them!
Steve – aka the commentator/abuser at the finish/first man down the stages.

Yea, I got a pleasant e-mail back from them.

Ah, Steve – not the guy who, when seeing my first stage time, asked if I’d had a cuppa on the way down?

Errrrr well that might have been me, certainly sounds like something I’d say….. but I wasn’t on the Microphone until after I’d finished and everyone else was on stage 3 at least.

All the money from photos sold by Sarah Barret is going towards Jason Brennan (the injured rider that the race was to raise money for) and the Air Ambulance, so get that photo of you that you were thinking about getting brought, guys. 🙂