National Champs 2008 – Bala

As one of the biggest races for me this year I was prepared and had been training hard over the coming months. After walking the track on Friday night I was happy with my lines and ready to ride.

From the start the track goes over a series of bus stops which wind down the hill side round some flat out corners where letting off the brakes all the way reminds you of why you ride downhill bikes. Over the first road crossing you go round a set of switchbacks and round a long sweeping rocky corner into a step up and another drop. Over the second fire road, off a fly off jump on the other side and another small double leads you down into the first woods section. Here there are berms and drops with roots to throw you off line. Further in there are stumps to avoid and more ruts to wind around the trees. Doing a few small doubles and it’s a short sprint beside the fire road to the crossing.

Back into more woods where there are some flat corners and some high off camber lines. Keeping high round a final tight left hander and you drop into the open fields where you have to keep inside around some fast and flat grassy corners. Off a drop and through the muddy ditch leads you round some more corners and over two doubles and finally down to the big bridge before you cross the finish line.

On Saturday it was seeding and I put in a good time of 3:22 and 19th place. On Sunday the track had dried out a lot but I kept to my morals and stuck with the cut down spikes instead of high rollers. This paid off and railing the final corners I put in a time of 3:16 which gave me 20th place in junior. A sound result for the national champs.