Event Details
Club: | SWEMBO |
Event Name: | SW League 1 - Woodbury Common - Night Event |
Date: | 30/01/16 |
Format: | MBO Score |
Mapping: | Ordnance Survey |
Time Limit: | 2 hours |
National League: | - |
League: | Southwest MBO Score League 2016 (Round 1 of 7) |
Electronic Punch: | SportIdent |
Event Report
Planning an event on Woodbury Common, in the middle of winter, in the middle of the night, and after months of consistent rain was always going to be a challenge. Add to this the recent forestry work turning some of perfectly good tracks into quagmires I was beginning to think this was not such a good idea!!!
With changes being made right up to the day (including the removal of one check point)(apologies for the hand corrected maps) I feel we finally managed to produce a course that avoided the worst of the mud!!!
The weather on the night was actually quite pleasant for riding, not too cold, with only slight intermittent drizzle ( it was far more pleasant sat in the pub while everyone else was out though!!!)
The course gave riders two options from the Start, either head straight up to the Common in an anti-clockwise route, or head south on a long road section to start with the top scoring 90 point checkpoint to the south of the map and then work their way back up over the Common.
With the roughness of the Common, accidents and injuries are always a slight concern, and when just after the final rider had started Izzy entered the car park pushing her bike, I began to get more worried!! Lucky it was just a mechanical failure (not lucky for Izzy!!) one of two chains to break that night!
As riders started to return (mostly unscathed) donned in a fashionable shade of brown, it was time to unwind, relax, and tell stories of adventure over a pint and some food.
It doesn't matter how many emails you send out, how many notices you put up, or how big a cross you put though the checkpoint that you have removed, you will always get someone who still goes to it (not mentioning any names, but Martin was without his regular partner for the night !!)
Some of you encountered the marines out on night exercise. They made Martin jump so much that his brand new back light fell right off of his bike never to be seen of again!! Stodge decided to go for a swim in one of the lake sized puddles, and then wondered why he was cold for the rest of the ride!! Jonny was still having problems inserting a dibber into an SI unit (we've credited you with that CP) and as usual the two boys, Tim and Stu, were moaning that they couldn't find a Check Point and that it must have been in the wrong place. For once they were actually correct though ( isn't there a story about some boys crying wolf?!?) Check Point 16 was incorrectly placed on the junction 50 meters North. Most riders still found it though, as they would have passed it either on their to, or on their way out of the marked position. I can only apologize for any time lost.
The reflective tape on the SI units seemed to work well, making the units far easier to locate (even easier that in the daytime, some of you said!!)
Back in the pub, with the animals fed and watered, it was just down to us to announce the winners: 1st place & M40 Class winner - James Jackson, 2nd place & Pairs Class winners - Janet Burroughes & Matt Jepson, 3rd place - Ross Clarkson & Chris Blasdale. Class wins went to Oliver Moore (M21), Ron Barrett (M50), Nigel Worsey (M60) and John Parfit (M70)
It was good to see some new faces, I hope the challenge of the night hasn't put them off, and we hope to see you all at our next event at North Dartmoor, on Sunday 3rd April.
Thanks again, to you all for braving the night's weather, and we hope to see you all again soon...
Will & Faye