Event Details
Club: | SWEMBO |
Event Name: | SW League 6 - Haldon Forest |
Date: | 12/11/17 |
Format: | MBO Score |
Mapping: | Ordnance Survey |
Time Limit: | 3 hours |
National League: | - |
League: | Southwest MBO Score League 2017 (Round 6 of 6) |
Electronic Punch: | SportIdent |
Event Report
With Sion's Black Mountain MBO already taking up the earlier dates that I was able to plan on, We were forced to put on this event on the wrong side of the clocks going back, meaning less daylight to collect in the course afterwards. This is where the Reds & Blues format comes into its own, allowing us to use half the area we would for a standard MBO, meaning half the time to collect in!!!//
//Haldon Forest, with it's intricate path network is ideal for this format, allowing us to plan two intertwined courses that do not, in large, involve riders just cycling over the same tracks twice.//
//The day before the event (setting out day) was welcomed in with rain crashing against the bedroom window, one of the joys of planning an event late in the year. With as much enthusiasm as I could muster, I dragged myself out of bed and loaded the car for the short drive up to Haldon.//
//Setting out went according to plan with the course split into 3 loops, Cafeside down to the obelisk, the 1st loop, getting the big climb up Holloway Lane out the way early on, then Loop 2, a quick blast around Harcombe woods between the Dual carriageways, and finally the main Haldon Forest Park as the 3rd loop.//
//After 5 hours of cycling in driving rain and strong winds, I finally finished setting out the course, only slightly dejected, but very wet, muddy, and tired!!//
//While I had been out doing this, Faye had been at home, struggling over a hot stove creating the lovely cakes for the event. It is always nice to get back in after a hard day out setting up the course, and to then get to munch on the offcuts of the cakes ( and maybe when Faye's back is turned, sneak in a full slice!!!).//
//With all the prep done, it was time for us to get some sleep ready for the big day.//
//The alarm went off at an almost civilized hour of the morning ( one of the plusses of living so close to the competition area) and within the hour we had pulled up at the event HQ.//
//We have never used this HQ before and weren’t sure how suitable it would be ( not having a kitchen area, or in fact any running water was a little concern) but it turned out to be OK, and allowed us a nice central base, without the need to drop down to one of the Village Halls in the valleys.//
//We had barely finished setting up registration when the first of the riders began to arrive. With lots of new riders joining us for the event, we were hard pushed to welcome everyone and to explain how things worked to all the newbies. I hope no one felt that we were ignoring them, when we might not have been our normal chatty selves!!!//
//The weather had eased off by the time the first of the riders set off, although there was still a chill in the air. By the time the final riders set off, the drizzle was moving in again.//
//It wasn’t long after this that the first of the riders returned, the first of a few casualties of the day, one of our younger riders taking a tumble and feeling unable to continue. They were shortly joined by Jon Croome who had gone over the handlebars and trashed his bike in the stream crossing at the bottom of Harcombe. By this point we had just about got the refreshments set up, and the casualties were soon enjoying the refreshments in the relative warmth of the hall.//
//Most others rides went free of any major disasters ( Jon Dodwell managed to break his chain late on, but it wouldnt be a proper event if something didn’t go wrong with/for Jonny!!)//
//By 13:30 all the riders were back, cleaned off and enjoying the refreshments, and it was time for us to announce the winners of the day. The awards went to the following://
//1st overall and M50 class winner – Ian Cartwright with a strong score of 499pts from a possible 600, 2nd overall and M40 Class winner – Sion James 434pts, 3rd overall and W21 class winner – Izzy Boyd 410pts. Other Class Wins also went to: Alex Pinsky & Ben Mattin in the Youths category with a strong 270pts on their first event, Martin Walbank M60, Matthew Boyd M70, Jackie Shute W40, Linda Cairns W50, the Mixed Pairs was won by Janet Buroughes & Matt Jepson, with the Open Pairs being won by Jim Williams & Stuart Ball.//
//With this being the last event of the season we were franticly able to produce the final league table, and announce the Overall league Winners: Ifor Powell 1st with 5844pts, Janet Buroughes & Matt Jepson 2nd with 5549pts, and Matthew Boyd 5369pts just pipping Sion James and Izzy Boyd to 3rd place. Medals were awarded to all riders who had competed in four or more events.//
//With all the Riders dispersed, it was just left to us to collect in Check Points ( in glorious sunshine !!) and tidy the hall. With help collecting in from Martin Walbank & Richard Sansbury, we were able to get everything done, and to just get home as the last light of day faded away.//
//A big thank you goes out to you all for making this one of our most successful events to date, and we hope to see you all again next year, when we drag ourselves out of hibernation in time for Woodbury in late April, where it all starts again.......//
//Will & Faye