Round 1 Innerleithen 21st/22nd April 2007

Back to Innerleithen a mere 5 days after the SDA race and a day riding with Scott Beaumont and Rob Warner in an MBUK competition for round 1 of the new National Points Series. A series which has attracted a large number of elite riders, Steve Peat, Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton, Greg Minnar, Brendan Fairclough, Tracy Moseley, Helen Gaskell, Marc Beaumont, Scott Beaumont and Tom Braithwaite to name but a few. The format for the NPS racing is practice and seeding on the Saturday with practice and just the one race run on Sunday.

From the start the track goes straight into the woods and round a rooty corner. After a small drop to the right you are then immediately hit by the steepest section of the entire track, ready to pick out the weaker riders before they get to the first fire road. Here the track goes down a series of small drops and simultaneously weaves through tight trees. The ground here is made up of loose rocks and once your on the shoot there’s no stopping until you reach the bottom. At the bottom of the section you come to the first road crossing.

Over the road and it’s straight into another steep shoot made up of loose debris on the outside line or loose rocks on the inside. Out of the right hand corner and you have to pedal hard over large boulders through a tight set of trees.

Now you get to a flat section where you can go either side of the tree with roots on one side or a harder line on the other which could throw you off line down the banking. Keeping to the right for as far as you can go and then the track turns sharply to the left onto an off camber grass banking where the fastest line is on the inside at the top. Coming down off the off camber and you have to be careful as there is a large root sticking out and facing down the hill waiting to make you slide. Past the root and around the corner, the track goes over a broken down stone wall and sharp left before the rooty drop appears. Getting off the drop straight is a real challenge along with getting the right line for the next drop.

Off the drop and you turn right onto a fly off straight onto a sweeping left hand corner down a steep slope which runs into a rock jump. Being careful of your speed as the landing turns back to the right over loose rocks. Here the track goes left and right through a tight set of trees with two lines on the exit. Through the fastest line on the inside and you fly off a double jump pedalling all the way down the landing into a slight uphill where you have to watch out for the banking on the left. At the top the track turns sharp left but the ground is made up of soft dust as you head out through some trees and down onto the fast shoot. Down the shoot and you go over the second road crossing, missing out the big jump at the other side and pedalling all the time. Here you go over three freeride style jumps keeping the bike low to save time. From here you then pedal up into the woods and the fast section begins.

The track flows in and out of trees keeping all your speed without having to brake. This section has a few small drops in the middle which can be hit at full speed. Off the last drop and you come out onto a flat section which requires pedalling all the way so you don’t lose any speed. At the end the track goes up to the right and jumps onto the banking before dropping straight back onto the fast track. But straight away there is another bus stop to the right which again comes back onto the fast track.

Here you hit three large freeride jumps pedalling all the way through them and down a fast shoot with very rough terrain. At the bottom the track turns sharp right and then there is a set of small switchbacks going right then left before pedalling down to the huge ski jump (a huge jump with a 70 foot landing which can be jumped all the way as gravity carries you down). Keeping the bike as low as possible the track then goes round a right hand berm before a left hand berm which runs straight into another right corner. But this corner is over grass and is loose. Out of the corner you drop onto a banking on the right avoiding a small tree before flying off a jump down onto the road crossing. Over the road and it’s a sprint over flat ground down to the finish line.

After qualifying on Saturday afternoon Ben had a few practice runs on Sunday morning and then headed up for his one race run. After a good run down the top sections, a mechanical fault occurred and the chain came off the bike so Ben had to coast the last section which affected his time. Ben finished with a time of 3:48.96 and 18th place. Another result for the start of the 2007 season.

Round 2 Ae Forest 26/27th May 2007

With the weather due to be sunny on Saturday and heavy rain on Sunday, the track was predicted to change a lot so tyre choice was crucial. Heading up to Ae, just over the Scottish border, this is the closest Scottish track to home so Ben headed up on Friday afternoon to set up camp. After a cold night on Friday, the track on Saturday was fairly dry. Practice started well on Saturday with the uplifts running smoothly and no problems on track.

Out of the start gate and the track immediately drops down over the horizon and over a rock strewn slope with an obvious smooth grass line on the left where you can pedal all the way. At the bottom the track goes round a right hand corner and then drops straight down to the left round a long left hand corner, jumping onto the grass on the left and keeping on the smoothest line all the way down. Out of the corner and your straight onto the long off camber section where the top line allows you to pedal and keep up the speed.

Round a right hand berm and you fly down a loose corner to the left watching for the roots at the end. Off a small jump and you hit another right hand corner using the rocks on the left to stop the front wheel from washing out. Here you go through a short section of trees with a straight line jumping from bank to bank rather than following the main track. Roots are scattered here so you have to be careful. Out of the trees and the track goes over some braking bumps covered in rocks before you jump to the right and keep the lines tight close to the trees to keep all of your speed. Over a bed of rocks and you fly off a small drop over a stream and into a set of switchbacks almost like a bmx track. Cutting the inside lines makes the corners straight for the next jump.

Here the track goes over a double jump and into another loose berm to the left. Pedalling out of the berm and you hit a tabletop jump before going over a triple jump (three humps to jump rather than two). This leads into some more berms and a tight drop round a left hand corner. From here you jump over a set of roots and off a drop onto the only road crossing.

Over the road and the track goes over a huge rock garden consisting of large slabs of rock and some sharp rocks waiting to throw your wheel off course. Through the rock garden safely and two more flat corners leads you onto the fast pedally section.

Here you have to pedal to have any chance of doing a good time. The track goes off a wooden jump onto a platform on the left and drops back in to the main track before you hit the famous ‘Coffin Jump’ which is a 10ft gap jump. Over the jump and you come to a large sweeping berm pedalling out of the end as you go up to the right and over a set of roots.

Now comes the tricky bit. Here there is a large banking at a steep angle. The ground is just purely mud and you have to ride sideways across it. Sticking to the top line is the fastest line and sets you up well for the next corner but concentration and skill are essential here. Out of the off camber you go wide round a wide open corner and use the wide line to go almost straight through the next corners. Three corners with trees on the inside.

Coming out of the corners safely, you turn to the right watching a set of stray roots under mud and you fly off the infamous ‘Step Down’. A 10ft drop with a 10ft gap to travel. Off the step down and you hit the two massive switchbacks. Two of the largest berms on a UK downhill track. After the berms you keep the bike low over a double and then a short uphill sprint leads you to a wooden platform. Pedalling over the wood and dropping off the end you fly off the biggest shoot of the whole track. This is a 50ft, near vertical grass bank with rough grass terrain underneath. Out of the bottom and you fly through the finish beam slamming on the brakes to stop in time before the barriers.

On Saturday afternoon Ben qualified in 24th place with a crash. Sunday came and after practice Ben went up for his one race run. With a clean run with no problems, Ben put in a time of 2 mins 48 secs which gave him 19th place.