Alpine Bikes Winter Series Round 3 Innerleithen

22/23rd March 2008

This weekend was the final of the alpine bikes winter series and some big names in the sport were turning up to race. With the weather looking towards snow and wind on both days the riders got away with only light hail and the snow didn’t settle for most of the weekend. No uplift on Sunday morning meant pushing to the top and the track was shortened to make it safer in the snow.

From the start the track went down into a steep rocky chute over rocks and mud winding down into a tight right hand corner through tight trees. From here the track went over a bus stop and roots keeping the riders alert at an early stage. Over a broken down wall keeping to the top line set you up into a set of tight muddy switchbacks covered in roots and only one clean line through the section.

After this section you come round a tight left hand corner keeping to the inside line and down onto a path. From here riders went over a bus stop and off a small drop back onto the path keeping the bike from sliding down the banking. After a short sprint the track went into another bus stop this time a longer one jumping over roots and keeping high through tight trees at the end to set up for the next section.

Here the track sweeps round to the right through an open section and into the woods again keeping the bike low to avoid overshooting a jump. Through some tight twisty trees and over some stumps leads you down a long sprint to the fire road. Over the fire road you jump down into a fast section going over a double jump and roots braking to make a clean line through the next section.

Jumping over a set of roots and over another path leads you down into a steep section involving going through a broken down wall and keeping the bike on the high line to avoid the rocks. Here the track goes through a fast straight section avoiding two trees in the middle of the path and jumping out into the open section over a path drop. Here the track goes over a set of hip jumps and round a set of flat gravel corners being careful not to let the back end slide out.

Up to the right and the track goes over a set of roots on the inside line before dropping down into the woods again and into a tight section of trees. Here the track goes to the left through a tight line and then down a fast stretch into the big famous ski jump. Here you launch into a huge set of switchbacks with big braking bumps trying to throw you over the front of the bike. Up to the left and round an off camber right hander leads you down to the road and over a wall onto the finish line.

With one run on Sunday it was flat out in the race. After a good run with only a few mistakes Ben came down the hill in a time of 2 mins 57.92 secs and he came home in 11th place out of 56 riders in the junior category.