NPS Round 2 - Innerleithen

21/22 May 2008

This weekend was another dry dusty weekend with sunshine and dust making a change to the usual Scottish weather. With the same track as the winter series being used the track was well known and just required some fast practicing to be done. The top of the track was steep with several rutted corners and roots and also some steep loose rocks down to the first fire crossing. Dropping into the other side down a steep loose chute and two lines, the first being fast and taking the inside of a tree and the other being windy and slow around the outside of the tree. After here the track crossed more roots and some tight rooty corners before heading down a dusty banking onto the fast footpath. Up and down a bus stop and it’s on the gas down the long straight and up into the fast off camber. Down through a set of trees into the open where pedalling made up time. Through some tight trees at warp speed and down to the second fire crossing.

Dropping down into the banking, over a small double and through some tight dusty trees leads you down an off camber bank and over a knocked down wall. Back into the dense woods and avoiding a tree in the centre of the track leads out to the open section. Over a few jumps and some drifty corners and it’s back into the woods where some twisty, rooty corners poses the long run into the infamous ski jump. Keeping to the left and the smooth line and back to the left before the final few straights. Being careful not to slide out in the last few dusty corners and it’s a sprint to the finish line.
In the seeding run on Saturday I finished in 20th place ensuring I wouldn’t get held up on Sunday. In the run on Sunday I had a good run only missing a few minor lines and came down in a time of 3 mins 24 seconds and 19th place in the junior category.