The Blast Mountain Bike Event – Sunday 19 September 2010

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, 'The Blast' off-road mountain bike event was first launched as a charity event as part of the millennium celebrations in the village of Market Lavington. In 2000 it attracted just 50 riders and incorporated bridleways and by-ways leading participants from Lavington along the edge of Salisbury Plain and onto areas of the Military Training Ground that are usually frequented by army trucks and armoured vehicles. A decade on however, and the event has moved to Erlestoke and although it still incorporates many trails across the desolate areas of the Plain, course designers have also introduced more fun sections through wooded areas and riders are tested with challenging inclines and technicial descents. It's a 30km lap and (with some maths that so far elude me) you can do 30km (must be for small children), 60km (for girls) or 90km (to make it worth getting the bike out). I hope to get further than 3km before my rear mech gets mangled this year!

Start time and postcode for the start? Can I register on the day?

Any good cake at the finish line?

10am start with registration open at 8am.

SN10 5TX is the postcode for the pub in Erlestoke. Depending on which way you're coming from; you'll either pass the event entrance before you get to the pub – or just carry on a bit furter from the pub if coming through Erlestoke.
Entry on the day available.
Cake stall will be there

SPAM BLAST

See you there!

What tyre choice i.e. is it going to be a mud fest!?

Anyone got a route map?

would do Martin but knackered – need a break 🙂

Sorry, I should have put the website link up: http://www.spambiking.co.uk/events.asp. That's got the start location an start time – 10:00 for all distances. Yes, there will be superb cake being sold for Dorothy House Charity so get stuck in!

A mass start for all three distances.
I think this may end in tears.
Perhaps I will make sure I am the first one off the line and work my way back.LOL.

Racing Ralphs or Nobby Nics??? Choices, choices!!

Have fun, won't be able to make it this year.

Whats all this with the laps though? Used to be a 60Km course out round Imber.. has there been a decision to cut the fireroad and just do the rooty bits around Erlestoke?

EDIT: I'll read the wh9ole post 1st 😀

I usually prefer to start a little far back and slowly work forward – is less demoralising than the reverse. I hope I can make this.

I was only joking about starting from the front and working my way towards the back,I started towards the back in January and I loved the feeling when I overtook a load of people along the way.Gave me a challenge.I am riding with speedking supersonics,maybe the wrong choice but we shall see.

Less than 80 pre entered so far. 🙁
I hope a few more turn up and enter on the day.
I've never understood why the SPAM Biking events aren't more popular. I'd rate them as a better course than Bristol or Cheddar Bike Fests or HoNC, which get far more entries.

MidlandTrailquestsGraham – Member
Less than 80 pre entered so far.
I hope a few more turn up and enter on the day.
I've never understood why the SPAM Biking events aren't more popular. I'd rate them as a better course than Bristol or Cheddar Bike Fests or HoNC, which get far more entries.

Couldn't agree more, always well organised, should be far more popular.

Hang on … it's not the same route as the SPAM winter challenge is it?

That was mostly on roads – pleasant enough but not what I'm looking for on my singlespeed.

no,no worries, it will be full of singletracks with the occasional road to recover.

The winter challenge attracted 850 people.
I cant see it being any less,most people do what i do and turn up on the day.See you there.

The winter challenge was great, so I'm looking forward to this one. I haven't pre-booked but will register on the day

Loads of crossers on the winter event and they seemed to ride in packs, one pack kept over taking me on the flats and I'd get them on the hills. Much fun.

Not the same route as the winter challenge. This route takes in some of the singletrack (as per the Set2Rise course)around Erlestoke at the start and end of the loop before a leg-stretch on some more open stuff; some grassy ups and downs and a stretch along the Imber path. Pre-entries a bit low, but we do get a lot of entries on the day. Weather looking OK, so hopefully it will be a good event.

Fuzzyfelt good to know it's a bit different to the Winter Challenge.

Weather is looking good! Still got my small block 8's on for now … but have some mud x's in the boot just in case.

Small block 8's all the way 🙂

Just got back from this…my first ever enduro.

Had a blast, only did the 30 and love the bits of singletrack mixed in amongst the killer hills.

Very well orgainsed and co-ordinated etc and the homemade cakes at the end were amazing!

stevco +1

Really good XC course and I managed 2 laps – so varied, nasty grassy climbs and high quality uber-tight, whoopy dirt trails in the woods – gave me one or two small outages!

A shout out to the guy running the bike shop in the shed (Shaun?) – he helped me repair my broken back wheel. No thanks to my SPD cleats which sheared off my shoe twice! Thanks to the friendly Marin rider who lent me a screwdriver so I could lever the cleat of the pedal.

Thank you SPAM, I’ll be there next year.

Great event +1

Just got home. I went way to fast to start and paid for it big time on the last lap (I did just about complete 3). Single track and drops were very good.

Missed the cake which is a bummer!

Janesy the small block 8’s were perfect.

Glad I didn’t do Ruthin as that sounded like a total mud fest, if anything the course would have been even quicker if with a little rain to dampen down the dusty corners.

“I did just about complete 3”

And big props to everyone who did 3 laps (90km). Esp. the chap on the singlespeed crossbike who was pretty expert at the steep rollers and tight turns, not to mention he overtook me on his 3rd lap while I was doing lap 2. Impressive stuff.

Yeah it was a realy good day! I had a mechanical so only did 1.5 laps.
Still its my local 🙂 great day!

I just did this ride today, fantastic event with loads of single tracks in the woods which I enjoyed them, and some good hard climbs too, a great turn out and good feel factor at Spam Blast, I will be enter it again next year.

Will the results will be on their website?

Oy mendip. I would of ridden with you if I’d known you were there.

Hello buzz-lightyear 🙂 I didnt see you there, otherwise I would have said hello and ride with you, you must have went at the first start, I started the second start doing the 30km ride, it was a cracking event, hope you enjoyed it too.

Maybe catch you at the Quantocks ride, hopefully next month when they pick a date for STW.

Enjoyed my one and only lap, couldn’t get the air into my lungs as well as I should, my misses has obviously passed me her cold. Only slight downside, was the large amount of riders that missed one of the climbs on the first lap, not really sure how much they missed in distance, but it was certainly a big climb. Nevermind it is all non competitive, however you are all numbered, timed and started off at the same time. ❓

I like the way they keep finding new bits in the woods.
Several times on the first lap I was thinking “Ah, yes, I remember this bit”, only to be followed by “Hang on, where are we going now ?”.
They still had my favourite fast chalk track descent across the field in though. 67km/h down there. 😀

My tracklog for three laps.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49717711
I can’t match the fast guys for speed, but then I bet they can’t match me for calories used. 5547 Kcal in 5:10:18. 😛

My two laps seemed identical so I don’t think I missed a climb – which one was it?

Your tracking is about 78km for 3lap. But I was told they were 30km laps?

Absolutely cracking route, nicely organised, managed 2 laps but really had to push it some to get through last half, that really steep bit when you come out the woods got me first time, nailed it 2nd time ! Decent cake, some coffee and bit of sunshine in the afternoon, perfect ! 8)

mendip, pics n results reckon will be on the site early in week

Results and piccies are on the spam website now.Enjoy!! 😉

I’m sure the guy at the start said it was slightly over 30km per lap, that’s why I was surprised when I got back at the end of my first lap at 27km.
I did make one wrong turn. You can see the double line on my track where I missed the left turn at the top of one hill. I knew there was a left turn somewhere, so I turned left and followed the road until I realised I should have been on the grass about 50m further to the left.
All my laps are about the same distance, so I don’t think I took any unintentional short cuts.
I did see a group of riders joining from the right at one point and guessed they must have got lost somewhere.
I’d be interested to see other people’s tracklogs to see if they got about the same distance as me.

Yep – my two laps came in at just over 27Km each. The lap had changed from when we pre-rode it a couple of weeks back. The grassy climb where you peeled off to the left, past a marshall in a 4×4, and dropped down before following a fenceline agaisnt a plantation – we planned on going up a bit further and dropping down the other side of the plantation which would have bumped up the Km’s a bit. Not quite sure why the change; I think an area had been fenced off for some grazing cattle.

MidlandTrailquestsGraham here is mine for what it is worth. My GPS is getting a little old now so not great at following the route.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49664154

God I was slow. 🙂 Oh well, it’s the longest distance I’ve yet managed on the SS.