Vallelujah

This thread was making me very jealous to not be racing, until I saw the weather forecast.

Bet there might be some rapid tyre changes going on tonight / tomorrow night…. 😆

I was riding at innerleithen today and struggling with the lack of grip caused by all the dry crumbly dirt 😆 What a difference a day makes…

It’s about 10 yards long

Uphill
After horsing yourself down zoom or bust
🙄 🙄 🙄

Ah, it’s only ZORB this time, it’s not like it’s the full stage. Let alone the randomly extended EWS version where you start on a nearby hill then sort of commute to the proper start of the stage 😆

Bollocks. Wish I was doing this now.

Doesn’t really look much new from what I can tell.

This thread was making me very jealous to not be racing, until I saw the weather forecast.

What do you mean? Looks like good Scottish enduro weather to me?

Yup, sign on tent trashed by wind
Has it been like this since last may?
It seems like exactly the same weather when I left this place at EWS with race teams rushing to collapse their tents before the storm hit

Its been blowing strong and raining intermittentley all night long. Cant see the beautiful view we had yesterday. Forcast for tomorrow looks better

Well that changed things ! Back and fed and showered after practice , did all of the glentress stuff and thought the weather ain’t to bad and the trails seem fine , then was over cadmuir about 1 ish and the wind and sideways rain made things interesting . The only dodgy bit was the top of 4 was pretty muddy so that might be fun tomorrow but the rest of it was still riding fine . Enjoyed it though just hope my gloves dry out for tomorrow

Sign on has been moved up to the Peel Gateway- the big ugly box up the hill above the cafe- just in case anyone’s still to get there. Weather never really materialised here, how’s it been down there?

Just a typical scotish day , bit of everything ! Wasn’t to cold until I got really wet after about 1 ish but it seems to of died of a bit , my phone says sun and thunder storms for tomorrow which I don’t think there is a specific tyre for 🙂

moonsaballoon, do you want to borrow some spare gloves? i live in Peebles

Hi there ivnickkate thanks for the very kind offer but mine are currently on the radiator in our hotel room so I should be all good . Very nice of you to offer though

Brilliant day. Trails are cracking. Nothing mental, just lots of flow and smiles all round

Not a problem, moonsaballoon, enjoy yourself tomorrow. I’ve got a fun-filled family easter sunday 😕

Thought the trails today were great and have held up well considering how wet it’s been. Stage 4 at cademuir is so much fun. 2nd bit of stage 3 wee but tricky for me in places.

Stage 5 is gonna be brilliant fun at the end as it’s super slippy through that field in the flat corners.

Good luck everyone.

Never ridden cadmuir b4 so was great to ride some new stuff up here,

Missing golfie tho, gutted I can’t do the international, have got an entry but twins are due around that time….

Stages 2&3 were riding well in the rain this afternoon 🙂

Could be a bit different tomorrow, but then I’ve got the sanctuary of being in a tent, so will have to rely on tales from the hill for the conditions.

Really enjoyed that!
My first enduro.
Mud was surprisingly reliable and grippy all around. Not tooooo many tricky roots.
Took it reasonably easy with no offs or big errors. Couple of dabs on stage 3.
Cademuir was easier in the morning yesterday.

Will probably return!
Time: 28:35

Kudos to the marshals at the start of stage 4, that wasn’t a pleasant place to spend the day.

Yep, all the marshals brought a smile with them though! Much appreciated.
Hope they managed to swap. I heard a rumour of hot water bottles being shipped out!
It was surprisingly sunny and calm when we got to that one.

”Twas not sunny and calm when I got there!! Favourite bit of the day was a really wee kid screaming ‘PIN IT” at me as I stumbled over some routes on the last stage. Ace day and a huge thanks to the marshals for enduring the enduro!

Weather make bunny cry!

Good day out for me, have to say I wasn’t terribly sorry not to be racing! Nice to meet a bunch of stwists though mostly only for 20 seconds.

Awesome day, thoroughly enjoyed it. 4 took a good shagging since practice and saw me slide down the hill on my back screwing up the tactical glove change five minutes earlier. The push up to 4 was brutal. The bottom section was so fast and loose three of us bunched up and we were all laughing and shouting trying to stay in control. Felt like 5 was a waste of time in comparison to the previous 4, and seemed like it was there to act as a grand finish only. The free hat is a cracker!

Great day. Managed to watch the last bit of stage 5 from the comfort of the camper. Thanks to everyone who helped out and made it happen. Even the bunny was blue with the cold. Still raining. Some photos up already on Roots and Rain.

Loved it loved it loved it ! Was pretty cold by the time I got to 5 but had loved every minute up to then and enjoyed 5 once I got going . Big thanks to northwind and all the other marshals , I hope whoever was at the top of 4 gets a big curry and drinks bought for them all night .

Yeah top day out, trails held up quite well considering the weather, had a fair few sketchy moments.

Rainbow on top of stage 4 cheered me up loads after the endless push up
Great job by the Marshalls, nice to meet you bunny boy !
Stage 1 was shocking for me though, decided to wear goggles, which steamed up after the first few turns, so when I got to the woods I took a wrong’un on the first bit of mud and got catapulted of the bike. Then sprinted to the finish and totally forgot to dib out, so had to sprint back up the hill, definitely time to get some proper timing sensors !

Brilliant day out. The weather and mud just added to it for me.

Everyone was very friendly, good banter. Good to meet Northwind, despite me coming across as a bit creepy and saying you wont know me I am a lurker on the forums.

And it has confirmed one thing, I still cannot ride a mountain bike fast

Was so envious this morning, came out our room in the hydro for breakfast, to see two different bikes being wheeled out of rooms, all ready to race!. Fair do’s though, the hotel seems to have really adopted the biking in the valley, and not looked down their noses at bikes in rooms. Bravo.

Most fun I’ve had on the bike in ages. Was pretty miserable pedalling from Janet’s Brae to Cademuir but once we were back in the trees it was fine. Weather was mental though but just added to the fun. Trails were just the right mix of tech, steep and flow. Simply awesome.

Superb day,superb trails ,stayed on my bike all day which is a bonus, Im not made for traversing 😐 and had no more to give but happy with my riding, dropped a chain about 30ft from the start of stage 3. couldnt understand why I was spinning and nowt was happening, I was even pressing the shifter before I realised I had dropped the chain 😀 Northwind I think we had a couple of words, Im the guy that was ready to take away with my hood over my full facer 😯 , hypothermia was setting in by that point 😆

Results are now on RnR – https://www.rootsandrain.com/race3699/2016-mar-27-vallelujah-glentress/

Northwind, was that you in the rabbit suit at the start of Stage 5? I asked for chocolate – but I suspect quite a few asked the same. And we did get chocolate at the finish so I was happy.

Great day out. I wasn’t fast – but loved every minute (well not the minute on stage 4 in which I stopped to let someone past, caught my shorts on the saddle, walloped my knackers and then went over the bars but every other minute).

Massive thanks to all the marshalls and organisers! Without you, these things just wouldn’t happen!

Good day for Abigale. A few crashes on stage 4 managed to finish fourth overall in the womens and first in under 18 but was the only junior

euain – Member

Northwind, was that you in the rabbit suit at the start of Stage 5? I asked for chocolate

Hmm. How rude was I, would you say? 😆 I was going for comic rudeness but it can be hard to tell from generic me being a **** rudeness soooooo

Well I rode practice on Saturday and must have overdone it and felt too Ill to race.
I ended up marshalling stage four just below the top at the first fireroad so must have seen a few of you go past.
Really gutted I couldn’t race 😥 .

Stage 4 from today.

Contains laughter, whoops of joy, swearing, blasphemy and comedy crashes

https://vimeo.com/160542491

Looks mental fun. I really should try to get involved in one. 🙂