That was an absolutely awesome day out at Llandegla. Loved the course. Loved the racing and somehow I managed to get on the podium with a 3rd in Fun Men. My Orange Five didn’t skip a beat and the Nobby Nics proved to be superb tyres on the day.

The only negative is a general communications issue or lack thereof really but otherwise very well organised and a good day of fun racing with friends.

Does anyone know where the results will be posted? I’ve two friends who don’t know where they came in our race.

Watching the youngsters race was a highlight too. They seemed to be enjoying it a lot and it was great to see so many racing.

I hope everyone else enjoyed it and had a good time at Llandegla?

Conversely I wasn’t blown away with the course – specifically that (new) first bit of singletrack. Just couldn’t carry any speed through it at all.

Conversely I wasn’t blown away with the course – specifically that (new) first bit of singletrack. Just couldn’t carry any speed through it at all.

It was utterly knackering but good fun I thought and I definitely didn’t / couldn’t carry any speed either but it was challenging and that’s cool by me. Loved the little “drop” in the middle and the marshal commenting on bike handling skills :). From the Strava I’d seen last night I did expect that section to have a little bit more gradient for 203 feet but there we go.

Mighty impressed with the top times of the day on the lap. Under 15 minutes. Wow. Tip the hat. My best was 19 ish.

Adam@BikeWorks – Member 

Conversely I wasn’t blown away with the course – specifically that (new) first bit of singletrack. Just couldn’t carry any speed through it at all.

I concur, was also massively disappointed I didn’t get to see Internet fwend ferrals

Steve, was I not talking to you on the start line? Second row in sport? I saw ktm jersey but wasn’t 100%

I enjoyed it but hated the first singletrack section. The rest of it was good, my favourite section was the bit by the reservoir with the little climb to the rooty drop.

No idea how I did, was loosing loads of time on the singletrack

I enjoyed it but hated the first singletrack section. The rest of it was good, my favourite section was the bit by the reservoir with the little climb to the rooty drop.

No idea how I did, was loosing loads of time on the singletrack

There was a lot of that about!

ferrals – Member 

Steve, was I not talking to you on the start line? Second row in sport? I saw ktm jersey but wasn’t 100%

Gower Riders jersey?

@steve, Yep. That was me. Had a decent start, but stupidly tried to push it up to towards the front as I didn’t feel people were going that quick, wasted energy and went then backwards

Good result Gelert. Results will probably be on b.c. Website by mid week

Lots of photos around, looking forward to seeing footage and images

Nice one, (waves at Internet fwend).

Conversely I had a horrendous start and didn’t get much better.

It’ll be good to see any film footage of my inept root riding technique and how not to climb 😆

Had a decent start, but stupidly tried to push it up to towards the front as I didn’t feel people were going that quick,

That sounds like the opposite of the Vets start which seemed to be mental full gas until peoples legs exploded on the steeper section before the top!

EDIT – Nice one Gelert – you seem to have gone much faster than at the fire race! Sneaky winter training?

That sounds like the opposite of the Vets start which seemed to be mental full gas until peoples legs exploded on the steeper section before the top!

That was exactly what it felt like for me….I led the Vets race around that first left hand bend then thought tactically and tucked in behind one guy at the bottom of the climb. 2 of us became 3, 4 then 5 and I went backwards from there.

My saddle went on the first drop on the 4th lap so I spent the rest of that lap with it pointing literally vertically. I didnt know whether to just can it or nurse it back to the tech zone and fix it

I chose the latter and fixed it in the tech zone with some help from a guy who allowed me to use his tools….I didnt get the chance to thank him so if anyone knows who he is, please say thanks for me. I did manage to hold my tongue at one point when I overheard someone say I should be disqualified for having tech assistance….I ignored it though

Anyway – I managed to finish but I’ll be surprised if I was in the top 20 🙁

EDIT – Nice one Gelert – you seem to have gone much faster than at the fire race! Sneaky winter training?

Thanks Adam. We calendared this race as soon as it was announced as a winter training incentive before the Enduro’s start and “training” was going great until injuries crept in a few weeks ago and then crashing last week didn’t help. Fitness wise I think the base was there but you don’t know until you go racing. Injuries were just about recovered enough to ride. It made us go out every weekend through winter whatever the weather though and that has to have done something.

I’m went from top 50 to top 30 at Enduro last season so I’m hoping I can start in the 30s this season. Tough fields so I’ll be attacking any and every pedal section as DH there’s only seconds and more risk.

I think Fireman’s was a bit long for me. 18 minutes of climbing in Fireman’s. It was <9 for this one and 12 going along and down. Spending more time descending at an XC than climbing must be a rare thing so it suited my gravity bias.

A quick start was the key but I fully expected to be overhauled by the top for going off too quickly. The late start really didn’t help me as I was layered only for racing temps and got really cold waiting around. It’s the same for everyone though.

I’ve spotted an empty results board on Roots & Rain so hopefully they’ll pop up there where photos can be tagged too.

Television wise it’ll be on S4C Clwb I think and the next show is March 20th so I guess it might be then.

I’ve definitely been video’d making a terrible hash of some roots!! Oops. Stayed on though so at least it’s not going on the crash reel.

Got an email wth results, I guess you all did too? Can’t find any photos online – any leads? Been aimless googling this evening be nice to see some

I’ve put my podium photos up:
Morning Races – Podium Photos

My practice lap video is up. Practice definitely helped for the racing laps to avoid the bogging bits:
Llandegla XC Practice Lap Video

Hopefully some of the pro photographer images will be available soon.

ferrals – Member
Got an email wth results, I guess you all did too? Can’t find any photos online – any leads? Been aimless googling this evening be nice to see some

There’s some on Facebook, a guy called Paul Best took quite a few, there’s definitely one of you.

The results were a bit messed up at the business bottom end of Sport as the Commissionaire got a bit confuddled, so I’ve been promoted 2 places to 15th, which is nice and to be honest I’m quite happy with for my first outing of the year – only a few places / minutes off mid-pack awesomeness

Nice one.

I was 11th. Not far behind 10th (in fact I was in 10th for the first few laps) but 9th was 10 minutes ahead! I’m pretty indifferent about my result, its not bad but I’d have liked better. I made too many sloppy handling errors and some poor tactical descsions, but that would never have gained me 10 minutes!

Next welsh series is the one at the Showground – who’s in?

Good work Ferrals!
See you Sunday?

Nah, got non-cycling commitments 🙁 have a good one!

Yeah, why the hell not

Are the results online anywhere? I never got an email…

Don’t think they are online yet, the email i got was provisional resutls, if you let me know what cat you were in and our name or number I’ll have a look and tell you postion if you want. I think the proper results will be on BC this week.

Well hopefully that’s my bad race out of the way for this year!
Struggled like crazy with that first singletrack bit, and by half way round lap one my back was just spent… Slower than riders I’m normally a good bit faster than. All in all, not a good day at the office!

Oh and added to that I had the worst cramp ever in the co-op on the way home. I must have looked like some kind of crazy hobbling twitchy freak!

Found in spam folder thanks…

Also had worse cramp ever, led on back on lounge floor unable to move.

I thought the course was great, more challenging than I expected, anyone know what the others in this series are like?

I was talking to some riders that did the fun race today and I was told there was a guy riding an ebike!
Can anyone confirm or deny?
Gelert?

anyone know what the others in this series are like?

The next one at the RWAS is pretty flat, very fast, and less technical although there are still some fun singletrack bits, a lot is around the (terraced) carpark so gravelled surface with steep grassy climbs and drops

Then fforest fields is a fair bit hillier than llandegla, but again with loamy rooty sections, much more flowing than the first bit of llandegla

The last race at aberwystrth is venue TBC last time it was at Nant Arian and used a fair bit of the trails.

I was told there was a guy riding an ebike

to be honest it wouldn’t surprise me, its not like people really look at your bike and you do get all sorts of types of bike in fun.

Thanks ferrals, I think I was one place in front of you (10th in sport)

Ah yeah, think we were pretty close to each other all the way round, felt like i was getting little gaps on the more pedally stuff and you were reeling me back in on the technical stuff.

see you at builth?

Raced in the vets. The start was mental, needed to get near the front then into the singletrack in a good position so got into the forest in third place. The first section was awful, no flow whatsoever. Dont worry if you could not get going on any of the tech bits as it was loamy and not much flow. Good circuit but a tough one. Ended up 8th which I was happy with as not raced since October.

Yeah I think I remember ferrals, you kept disappearing on the long climb, your fault I had severe cramp. Not sure about Builth as live in Ellesmere Port over 2hrs away. Good luck!

as live in Ellesmere Port over 2hrs away

Lightweight, took me 4hrs to ‘degla!

you kept disappearing on the long climb, your fault I had severe cramp

Yeah I overdid it myself, had to have a ‘recovery lap’ on the fourth as i was getting a bit dizzy and a bit too close to puking for safety!

I was talking to some riders that did the fun race today and I was told there was a guy riding an ebike!
Can anyone confirm or deny?
Gelert?

WHAT?! No way. Cheating *****.

I didn’t pay much attention except to the brand spanking new matt black Santa Cruz Bronson in the Fun race I was extremely jealous of.

What kind of eBike was it? Wouldn’t someone notice a great big honking battery on it?

Hmmm. Hopefully it wasn’t the eBike that was in 1st place as I didn’t see him. I suspect he was another ex pro in the wrong category fancied a go on the day. I think ex pro riders should have their own category.

The Fat Bike in 2nd had an ex-pro on board and I could only stay with him on Lap 1 and caught up on the downs but on Lap 2 he just had the legs on me and my down wasn’t quick enough to catch him then and I was being passed by 4th place man on a 29er who I battled with for Lap 2 down and climb and then stretched out enough on the next down to keep him behind. 1m30 by the end.

After that I only saw other back markers from other race categories and some awesome youngsters who just flew past me making me feel really rubbish after all. Oh well.

I went to Llandegla last night and did a super fun almost dusty custom lap on my A160 and tried the Fireman Drop section for a giggle to see if my Five or A160 is the faster bike. The A160 was 2s faster despite me needing my helmet light on to see the course by then but it didn’t feel as controlled as the Five on soft stuff.

I spoke to Badger and he has lots of photos but hasn’t had a minute to get them online yet.

The next one at the RWAS is pretty flat, very fast, and less technical although there are still some fun singletrack bits, a lot is around the (terraced) carpark so gravelled surface with steep grassy climbs and drops

Sounds like a cross race to me 😆

I’d imagine all the big hitters will be out as it’s the National Champs too.

It’s a long drive for me, but hey ho, ’tis racing afterall.

Sounds like a cross race to me

It was used as a ‘cross course in the past. Last year it was sub an hour for the winners so basically is a cross duration too! I guess we’ll do an extra lap though if the course is the same.

I spoke to Badger and he has lots of photos but hasn’t had a minute to get them online yet.

Whereabouts does he put them?

On the news bit of the One Planet site normally.

Nice one, look forward to seeing some.

I’d expect to see them on OPA’s Flickr account OPA Photos

And hopefully a news story will pop up too. They should make the most of it if they can.

They’ve got Trail Pixies today so I don’t expect anything until tomorrow.

It was used as a ‘cross course in the past. Last year it was sub an hour for the winners so basically is a cross duration too! I guess we’ll do an extra lap though if the course is the same.

Do they use the single track round the back near the few rocky bits that they include right at the end of the Marathons down there?

The next one at the RWAS is pretty flat

Hey, I like flat races. I’m fat.

RWAS = Builth?

Yup

Do they use the single track round the back near the few rocky bits that they include right at the end of the Marathons down there?

Never done the marathon, but there is a some singletrack through some woods and some around the outer fences. For a course that is around a car-park, its pretty good fun to race on!