Event Details
Club: | SWEMBO |
Event Name: | SW League 2 - North Dartmoor |
Date: | 03/04/16 |
Format: | MBO Score |
Mapping: | Ordnance Survey |
Time Limit: | 3 hours |
National League: | - |
League: | Southwest MBO Score League 2016 (Round 2 of 7) |
Electronic Punch: | SportIdent |
Event Report
If Tim says the weather is going to be sunny and warm tomorrow, don't put your shorts on, as it probably wont be!!!!
For only the 2nd time in the club's short history, we handed over the planning reigns to someone else. This time it was to Tim & Stu. With a little hand-holding they produced a decent, challenging course.
It did seem a little odd, not spending the previous couple of days setting out the course and making last minute alterations, and instead just chilling with the usual post-event bottle of wine!!!
Race day started with the same early morning alarm call, before getting dressed into the summery clothes that Tim promised would be adequate, packing the car, and hitting the road.
As we drove toward the event centre, the skies began to get blacker and blacker, and my little knees started to chill!!!
We were impressed to see the number of 'cycle event in progress' signs the boys had put out, all the way from Whiddon Down to the Village. On congratulating them on this, they informed us that it wasn't them, and that there was infact a road race taking place today!!!
With the event centre set up in the somewhat cold pool room of the pub, the first of the riders began to arrive. Before long the centre was the hive of activity, and as the first drops of rain began to fall, the first of the riders set out into the dark skies. With still more than 45mins before registration closed, Jon Dodwell strolls in, to the surprise of us all (he's, usually late!!!) Could this be Jon turning over a new leaf? It could have been, until 5 minutes after he had started, he returned saying that the brakes that he had serviced himself the evening before, had now failed, and would it be possible to fix them and then restart. By the time this was achieved, it was his normal 15 mins later than last starts!!!
With everyone out on the road we were greeted to the sound of some rather colourful language from the gardener(?) F'ing and blinding about cyclists parking everywhere preventing him from picking up sticks. Luckily big cuddly Stu was on hand to go out and calm him down a bit!!
As the riders returned, it became evident that CP 8 had been located on the wrong stream crossing ( but Tim has had enough ribbing about this, so we won't go into this any thorough) We can only apologise for this, and hope it did't waste too much of your time, and detract from the enjoyment of the event. If anything was to detract your enjoyment of the event, it would have been the shocking weather. I can only imagine what it would have been like up on the high moorland up around High Willeys, the highest point on the moor. By all the smiling faces at the Finish I would guess the weather didn't beat you all!!!
With most riders back, chilling on cakes that the boy's good ladies had made, and drinks from the bar, tales of adventures were told. It appeared that most riders opted to first head West up on to the high, open and exposed moorland, making use of the hardpacked military roads to fly around, and then, if time permitted, head onto the eastern, tougher, section of the map, with it's steeper climbs on ancient county roads, offering shelter from beating rain.
For the first time, I didn't have to dread doing the presentation speech, as this time it was Stu's pleasure!!!
1st place (and M40 Class winner) was Ifor Powell with 460 from a possible 600pts. Just 10pts behind was Ian Cartwright (M50 Class winner), with Sion James in 3rd place.
Other Class wins went to Izzy Boyd, W21, 355pts, Janet Buroughes & Matt Jepson, Pairs, 330pts,Chris Phillips, M60, 315pts,Jacob Forster,M21, 245pts, Gill Stott W50/60, 207pts, John Parfit, M70, 165pts.
With all the awards presented, and the last of the riders departed, it was just left for us to clear up and leave Tim and Stu the unenviable task of collecting in the CPs. Apparently the had the best weather of the day doing this!!!
It was great to see so many new faces, and hope that the weather hasn't put you off coming again.
Thanks to you all for braving the weather, to Tim & Stu for planning and setting out the course, to their good ladies for the cakes, and to Faye for working effortlessly on the computer.
We hope to see you all at our next event in the Otter Valley on 5th June. Until then, ride safe,
Will & Faye.